El Putxet is right is near Sant Gervasi La Bonanova, which means you are still in a posh silent clean area of Barcelona where you will not be near the Metro.  Most likely,  you will need a car.  The pluses of the Zona Alta (the term used to refer to Sant Gervasi, Sarrià) are: (a) silence, (b) silence, (c) silence (d) cleanliness (e) extreme cleanliness (f) silence (g) people have domestic help ... and yes, there are good private schools there.  But it is possible to live elsewhere in the City and send your child to a good private school, whether in Sarrià or elsewhere.
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I’ve been living in the Sagrada Familia area and its perfect in my opinion. A lot less noisy and hectic than Las Ramblas but still very central and with easy access to the beach. Its not the cheapest area but |I love living in this area.

Exiample is a very good alternative and certainly worth considering.

I would also recommend the Sagrada Familia area if you can. Its a popular area to live in so it may be quite hard to find a suitable place but I would definitely advise allowing yourself plenty of time to find somewhere as it can be pretty competitive over there!
I would recommend casamundo.co.uk if you’re looking for an apartment to tie you over. They have quite a few accommodation options available in Barcelona so may be worth having a look about.

I’ve been in Barcelona for 10 days and it’s really wonderful. Wanna come back soon.

I recommend Sagrada Familia area too. I’ve friends living there and it’s nice to live. Sants is a good option if you can afford and need to travel around Spain/other countries because the train and bus station are there.

Is there are anyone here lining in Sant Cugat Del Valles. Want to learn more about this town.

Hello, I live in San Francisco and would like to have a second home in Europe. A cosmopolitan city, close to water, great weather and food, with art and culture.  I was considering Barcelona.  i would love your opinions about it, compared to other cities in Europe, like Amsterdam, Prague, Geneva, Zurich, Paris, Rome.

Also if money is not an issue where would one live in Barcelona.  i am single 54 years old and a writer.  Would love something very safe, quiet but walking distance to restaurants and shooping, museums etc.

thanks

Explorer - 25 July 2012 09:51 AM

Hello, I live in San Francisco and would like to have a second home in Europe. A cosmopolitan city, close to water, great weather and food, with art and culture.  I was considering Barcelona.  i would love your opinions about it, compared to other cities in Europe, like Amsterdam, Prague, Geneva, Zurich, Paris, Rome.

Also if money is not an issue where would one live in Barcelona.  i am single 54 years old and a writer.  Would love something very safe, quiet but walking distance to restaurants and shooping, museums etc.

thanks

Compared to those other cities, it’s the only one with a all year great weather, beach life, sea city cosmopolitanism, with some of the most exciting food and culture experiences available in Europe (only competing with Berlin and Paris IMHO). I’m biased though, after traveling much of the world it’s still my fav city to live in. It’s still more affordable than other major Euro cities.

District-wise, I think Gracia is ideal, especially for the artistically inclined. I’d also take a look at Poble Sec, tucked between Montjuic and downtown, still quiet with smaller streets and historical buildings but easy access to the best of BCN (bonus that it’s closer to Sants train station to get away when necessary).

Thanks a lot!.  I have been doing my research and the following neighborhoods jump out.  Can you compare the following neighborhoods for me please if it is not too much of an effort.  The intent is to live there. 

1. Pedralbes
2. Sarria
3. Sant Gervasi
4. El Born
5. La Ribera
6. Gracia

I like a quiet neighborhood so that I can concentrate on my writing, but with close proximity to great restaurants, cafes, greenery, parks etc.  Water views and hill top would be great.  Also if you could rank these neighborhoods also given what I have stated. I love elevation and water views.

Thank you

Explorer - 25 July 2012 09:15 PM

1. Pedralbes
2. Sarria
3. Sant Gervasi
4. El Born
5. La Ribera
6. Gracia

I like a quiet neighborhood so that I can concentrate on my writing, but with close proximity to great restaurants, cafes, greenery, parks etc.  Water views and hill top would be great.  Also if you could rank these neighborhoods also given what I have stated. I love elevation and water views.

Thank you

1. I don’t know Pedralbes well actually, but geographically it could offer you elevation and distant water views.
2. No sea views but nice old town with history. Very upper class.
3. Sant Gervasi can offer distant sea views, not well communicated with transport so you should own a car.
4. El Born - not so quiet anymore but a wonderful neighborhood. Similar to North Beach in SF. Very close to the beaches but hard to get a view because it’s low. Top floor apartments might have one though.
5. La Ribera - similar to El Born.
6. Gracia is my favorite. My old attic apartment had amazing views, fairly easy to access all the best that BCN has to offer. Great restaurants and lots of artists. Can get a bit rowdy at times but is probably the most young and progressive neighborhood with tons of culture.

Your’e going to have to make an extended visit and check out some apartments in these areas, no doubt.

Hola tothom,

Great thread, and interesting to see that it’s still live after 4-5 years!

I moved to Perpignan from Paris last year to be closer to Barcelona yet without the complications of switching all my tax, social security, banks accounts, etc. But after a year here I’ve found that it’s not really close enough to BCN to practically spend much time there, and additionally, the city is quite quiet and doesn’t really offer much of a vibrant lifestyle in-itself.

So, less than a year later, I’ve started the search for apartments in BCN. I just came across this site, and this thread offers some really great insight, so I just wanted to ask a few questions on the off-chance there’s someone who’s willing and able to answer!

I’m a single guy in my late twenties who knows the city center reasonably well to walk around/spend time in, but I’m not very familiar with the different districts to live in. I have a few criteria I want to include with my search, so I would also be interested to see whether you think they’re possible!

In an ideal world, I’d like to live somewhere with a reasonably friendly/vibrant atmosphere, but no so crazy as I work from home (I’m a web designer). I have a car (necessary in Perpignan!) and I love to go snowboarding, so somewhere with easy-ish parking and access to one of the Rondas, though not miles away from the center would be great.

When I come to BCN, I usually park near by Sant Marti, as there’s a decent amount of places to park, and it’s quite practical to get into the center. So I wondered if anyone has any knowledge of this area as it seems a reasonable place to start looking. It also seems that Gracia would be a good option based on the opinions in this thread, though perhaps more expensive?

Price-wise, I’ve seen some pretty good deals on some of the rental search websites, with prices around 10€ per 10m2 for unfurnished apartments. I have a 60m2 apartment here in Perpignan, so it would be great if I can find something similar around the 600€ mark. It seems possible, as so many apartments are being reduced due to the crisis, but is that being overly optimistic?

Anyway, my apologies for the long post, but any responses would be truly appreciated. Many thanks in advance.

Moltes gràcies!

Hola,

Couple of questions I’m moving to Barcelona in a week.
25 years old, male, 180cm, London, UK

* I want to live in the city centre, preferable near the beach. How “safe” is La Barceloneta? How’s this area as far a noise and crime?
* What are the demographics of Cuitat Vella/ La Barceloneta? Like average % of Catalans/ Spanish, expats, immigrants, middle class/ upper class.
* Average rent for a studio or 1 bedroom apartment?
* Is 1700 Gross salary per month. Is that enough to live on? (no kids, no car, maybe party once a week).
* Spanish or Catalan? Which language is more “useful”, from a foreigners perspective. Do expats tend to learn/ speak Catalan or Spanish?
* How widely is English spoken?

Gracias.

holla and nice to meet you
my name is lee im 23 years old single from Tel aviv israel .
i searching for the best place to live in BCN.
i was in barcelona for two weeks and lived at Cituat Vella .
from my research i understand that the good places to me is Eixample or Gracia .
im searching for good place, central , near Gym , Resutrands and bar and near the “heart’ , where is all the young. i hope i explain my self good .

i have my own bussniess throw internet and my slary is like 1200-1500 euro per month . this will be easy to me to live in BCN? (appartmento 700-800euro i guess, no car and just me)

gracias
lee

My personal top picks of places to live would be

Barceloneta if you’re looking for a typically sun, sea, and sand lifestyle (and don’t mind paying more for it)
Eixample if you’re searching for a well located and connected, central apartment in the city
Gràcia/Sant Gervasi if you want a typically laidback Barcelonese lifestyle with a strong culture in a quiet area