For those from the United States planning to travel to Spain, be prepared: the dollar to euro exchange isn’t what it used to be! To stretch your dollar, consider renting a short-term apartment in Barcelona (and indeed all over Spain and Europe) instead of staying in a hotel.
Apartments have many perks. First of all, you can cook in an apartment, which will save you money on eating out. Having breakfast and lunch in will save you at least 30 euros a day. If you share an apartment with a group of friends or your family, you can usually get a pretty good price per night divided between you. Also, cooking group dinners in an apartment can be a fun way to test out the local market’s offerings. After dinner at home, head out for a night on the town – Barcelona will not disappoint!
There are many agencies that offer short-term apartment rentals in the city. One of the best, which mostly offers apartments in the old center of the city near many worthwhile tourist sites, is Akaza.
Another place to search for private parties renting out their apartments, is on Loquo.com. Careful though, Loquo.com is like Craig’s List, so there are some folks on it who are less than honest.
