Top Tips About Apartment Rental in Barcelona - Interview with An Apartment Specialist

I caught up with an apartment rental specialist, recently for a working lunch with the aim of gleaning some top tips on how to go about renting a holiday apartment in Barcelona.

Interview Transcript

John
Hi Andrea thanks for taking the time for this interview. I just wanted to start out by asking what you think is important in running a successful apartment rental agency in Barcelona?

Andrea
I think it is very important to be honest and up front with the clients. To give them all the scoops of the apartment whether it's an apartment on the fourth floor without a lift or whether the apartment is small or large – to give accurate information to ensure they know exactly what they are paying for.

John
Many people coming to Barcelona for the first time don't know the different areas and neighbourhoods. Barcelona has lots of different types of Barrios or neighbourhoods, and each one has its own very different characteristics. The Eixample Barrio is very different from Barri Gotic Barrio which is again different from Barceloneta Barrio. I imagine when people are visiting a new city like this they don't have a clear picture of what these areas are like. Whereas, someone who knows the apartments and knows the areas can very quickly recommend what they want.

Andrea
Yes that's right, if someone really likes architecture or historical arts then the Barri Gotic is the area. Alternatively, if you're coming as a family and you want a little beach and a little of the city, I think Barceloneta is the preferred area. It's the area that I would recommend for families. You can get small apartments in this area but still you are not going to spend much time in an apartment anyway. There is too much to do in Barcelona to be sitting around in the apartment!

John
Yes, you have four beaches in that area including Barceloneta all within walking distance. So it's great for families and kids.

Andrea
If you go further down to Port Olympic or Poble Nou they're also really nice areas as well but they’re not within walking distance to the city. Most people know the Ramblas. And most people want to be close to the Ramblas and that's the usual request I get. But Barceloneta is not that far from the city centre - sometimes clients think it's far out - but it’s not.

John
This is one point I've tried to convey on my site too. A lot of people are interested in staying close to the Ramblas. I think the reason is that it's a major landmark and people can identify with that. But is not necessarily the right place for everybody.

Andrea
I don't think it's the right place for families. It's very lively during the daytime but by night it becomes a bit of a red light district.

John
Well the Southern-most end of the Ramblas can be after midnight but the Northern most end is not too bad.

I think the other thing that visitors ought to be aware of is if there is a metro (underground, subway system) stop close by then you really haven't got too many problems with travelling because everything is within 10 or 15 minutes by Metro.

Andrea
The public transport in Barcelona is really excellent and I think that people think that Barcelona is bigger than it actually is.

John
I agree. I also recommend that people just try and walk around for a while. They will see so much more and be really surprised just how close everything is.

Well that’s all the time we’ve got here Andrea. Thank you for taking time out to do this interview.

Andrea
My pleasure!

Related Page

1) Overview to renting an apartment in Barcelona

2) Advice on how to choose the right location for your Barcelona Apartment rental

3) Factors to consider when choosing an apartment rental agency

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