WHERE TO STAY: The chic district known as L'Eixample, in and around the Passeig de Gràcia, offers the widest variety of accommodations, including famous four- and five-star palaces. Alternatives include the smart, newly renovated Hotel Condes de Barcelona (Passeig de Gràcia, 73-75, 011-34-93-445-00-00, www.condesdebarcelona.com), where doubles cost about $240 per night; the ultra-hip modern Hotel Omm, with its restaurant Moo (Rosselló, 265, 011-34-93-445-40-00, www.hotelomm.es), where the weekend double rate is about $265 per night; and the charming but long-in-the-tooth Hotel Granvia (Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 642, 011-34-93-318-19-00, www.nnhotels.es) for about $140.
In old Barcelona, try the small, designer-sleek Hotel Banys Orientals (Argenteria, 37, 011-34-93-268-84-60, www.hotelbanysorientals.com), where the double rate runs about $115.
Juan Bayen welcomes customers at Bar Pinotxo.
(Robert V. Camuto)
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TAPAS BARS: In L'Eixample you can't do much better than the upscale Cerveseria Catalana (Mallorca, 236) for fresh seafood and other tapas. A satisfying lunch with beer cost us about $37 for two. It's open daily from 6 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.
Just off La Rambla in the main market, don't miss the counter of Bar Pinotxo (Mercat de la Boqueria, stalls 66-67), open for breakfast and lunch (till 4 p.m.) every day except Sunday. Figure about $20 per person for lunch with wine.
In old Barcelona's La Ribera quarter, El Xampanyet (Montcada, 22) is a family classic to start the evening. A couple of glasses of wine and a few tapas, including the signature anchovies, cost about $12. A few steps away, find a taste of the Basque country in the yuppified Euskal Etxea (Placeta Montcada, 1-3), where tapas on the bar run about $1.75 to $2.90. Or try a huge selection of Spanish wines at the (somewhat pretentious) La Vinya del Senyor (Placa Santa Maria, 5), where tapas, including foie gras and local cheeses, run from about $1.50 to $12 and a list of daily wine selections ranges from about $2 to $6.50 a glass.
Near the waterfront, in the shadow of the Catalan Governor's Palace, Estrella de Plata (Pla de Palau, 13) offers gastronomic fusion tapas like "Ox Tenderloin and Roquefort Crunch." A full dinner cost us about $60, without wine.
INFORMATION:Barcelona Tourism, www.barcelonaturisme.com.
-- Robert V. Camuto
