You are probably not tired of Barcelona, but if you want something else, and especially at this time of year, you should consider heading down to Gran Canaria for some sun and fun.

In our new travel guide to the island you can read about all the major resorts and places, the best theme parks, the nightlife of Playa Del Ingles (world famous) and much more.

How much money to bring?

- I am travelling to Barcelona this summer together with a friend. We are staying for 14 days. Will I get by if I bring 1000 euros? We also intend to visit a relative in Benidorm for a few days.

Cheapo Charlie answers:

It depends if you need accommodation as well, or if it’s just spending money. If you are gonna get by on 1000 euros you need to stay at cheap hostels and budget your food and activities throughout the day. If you already have a place to stay and simply need spending money 1000 euro should be plenty.

You can easily eat lunch for less than 10 euros at decent restaurants, and if you want to buy your food at supermarkets and enjoy it in a park it’s even cheaper. Check out the overview of Barcelona prices here.

But you should take the cheapest transport available to get to Benidorm etc – That would be bus.

Have a nice trip.

Sean sent these helpful tips on accommodation in Barcelona:

One of the biggest stresses of moving is finding somewhere to stay before you arrive. Some people move to a new city and find temporary accommodation while looking for a room but others do not want the stress of not having anywhere to stay so prefer to sort accommodation out before they arrive. If your move includes moving country then there are many more obstacles to finding a room and in many cases, it is impossible to go to your new city beforehand and find accommodation so finding somewhere online is the most useful.

When I moved to Barcelona from England, I had a limited knowledge of Spanish so wanted to sort a room out before I arrived so I wasn´t stuck in a unfamilar city with little knowledge of the local languages so before I moved, I decided to find somewhere online. I used many different websites and shall talk through the websites I used. Easypiso.com is a very useful website I found as it allows you to filter the search results very clearly. As potential roomates have to put details down such as age, gender etc then you can have more choice on the type of person that you wish to share with. This is particularly useful if you have requirements for potential roommates.

 Loquo.com

Another website that is also very popular is loquo.com. This is not just for finding a room like easypiso but is a online community where users can swap skills with each other, sell unwanted items, post jobs or find accommodation amongst other things. Depending on your Spanish ability as most of the advertisements are in Spanish but a tip that I discovered is when on the page of rentals, type “English” or “Ingles” into the search bar and it filters the results so that all of the results will include these words in the advert and that usually meant that the person advertising the room spoke a good level of English and that the advert was often translated into English too.

 Idealista

Idealista.com is another good website to choose to find accommodation and a room although most of the users are Spanish speaking so if your Spanish is not great then maybe you will struggle to find somewhere here although it is not impossible and I still found some nice rooms on here even with my limited Spanish. If you want to improve your Spanish however then idealista is perfect for you as it will give you the chance to share with Spanish speakers, which is of course one of the best ways to improve your language skills.

 Luxury living

Depending on your budget, Pisobarcelona.com is for luxury apartment rentals but when I was looking, the cheapest rental was €750 a month so this website is only for those on a big budget. The rooms for rent here are of a very high quality so are perfect if you want to spend more on finding the perfect place in Barcelona.

I found that for me finding accommodation in Barcelona was a long process as many people will want to find a roomate as soon as possible so trying to find a room in advance can be difficult but can also be easily achieved. Make sure that the room is right for you and that the people that you are sharing with are also right as you don´t want to live in a apartment that you detest. Try to make a visit beforehand if possible and if not then arrange a skype appointment so that you can talk to prospective roomates and then you can also maybe see the room too.

If you are looking to buy in Barcelona then why not try Homesearch Barcelona for real estate in Barcelona.

The new Dirt Cheap Seville website lets travellers in on the secrets to the hidden splendours of the city that will thrill and delight without costing a fortune. Travellers in search of good quality budget accommodation, the best in cheap eateries, Seville price info, the most buzzing budget night life and the biggest bargains in shopping will be excited to discover the wealth of knowledge and information available at the Dirt Cheap Seville website.

This new guide offers everything from advice on Seville’s weather and annual temperatures to tips on finding the best places to hook up in the city. The guide is written with budget-conscious travellers in mind and has a wealth of practical information on how best to see the city in style and on the cheap.

Dirtcheaplisbon.com has all the information about how to enjoy the beautiful Portuguese city of Lisbon on a budget.  Full of guidance about where to sleep, where to shop, where to eat, and what to do in Lisbon for next-to-no money, dirtcheaplisbon.com has everything the savvy money-conscious traveler needs to enjoy a successful trip.

In addition to all the penny-pinching ideas, the site also offers practical advice on parts of town to avoid, where to get the best drink, language tips, info on prices, information about local customs, weather and temperature conditions, and what to do if you decide to live and work in Lisbon.

You are better off visiting Barcelona according to my friend Diana who has written this travelogue from Madrid:

Madrid, Spain, with its mixture of the old world along with the new, its rich cultural history, and its economic prowess, is touted as a jewel of southern Europe. Considered to be one of the top ten most livable cities on earth, and the most visitor-friendly in Spain, Madrid is a tourist mecca, and the fourth most visited city on the European continent. With all of that it has going for it when it comes to cultural events, monuments of note, and beautiful scenery, you are likely to think that it would be a perfect location for a summer holiday. Unfortunately, this is simply not the way it is. Speaking from recent experience, there are many things about Madrid that make it a rather difficult place to vacation.

#1 Infrastructure Issues

“Infrastructure issues” is a polite technique of stating that nothing works… pretty much ever. If you are used to coming to the train station, then purchasing a ticket, then waiting for the next train to arrive, the climbing on it and going to your destination, get over that sequence of events right now. That is only going to happen about 50% of the time in Madrid. The remaining time, expect to wait a long time to buy a ticket. Then cross your fingers that the train comes when it is supposed to and goes where it actually says it will. Ditto for bus travel, courses at educational institutions, and business transactions.

#2 Kindness

Having traveled a good deal, I have met some simply wonderful people and had some amazing experiences. Normally, I do my best to learn at least the fundamentals of the language of the country where I am traveling. This is just common courtesy. My efforts to speak the native language have always been met with friendship and encouragement by those around me, and someone in the community who speaks English has always made an attempt to help me out as well if my vocabulary failed me. Not so in Madrid. If you do not speak Spanish, you are pretty much out of luck. Learn the language or be ready to stumble around by yourself. A visit to an Indian restaurant in Madrid was very satisfying though, with waiters who really did their best to treat me well.

#3 The Economy is Failing
Historically, when any country’s economy is failing, the people of that country have always done two things, looked for someone to blame and scammed anyone who came within their easy reach. The latter seems to be quite prevalent in Madrid currently. Speak with an accent, and that four Euro snack the person in front of you just bought, will suddenly double in price. This manner of conducting business exists everywhere from the neighborhood shop to the boardroom.

Still wanna visit? Check out or sister site Dirt Cheap Madrid.

Photo: Barcelona apartment (SXC.hu).

Barcelona is one of the most popular cities in Europe. Ever since the big renovation of the city ahead of the 1992 Summer Olympics the popularity of the city has skyrocketed. Many may not be content with simply visiting the city for a weekend, the culture and the atmosphere of Barcelona has resulted in many foreigners deciding to move to the city for a shorter or longer period of time.

There’s a huge rental market for apartments, both for short terms stays of a few weeks, mid-term stays (a few months) and long-term stays (9 months and more).

Price of renting apartments
Apartments are much more reasonably priced here than in other European cities, with the average price of a one-bedroom apartment starting at about 600 euro and a two-bedroom starting at around 800 euro. These are starting prices, so depending on your space, comfort, and location needs, these prices will escalate. A penthouse apartment with 2 bedrooms in the Gracia area of the city is likely to set you back €1500. Fancier apartments in sexier parts of the city will set you back even more.

Overall, Barcelona is a city in constant motion and is continually growing, so an extended stay here will be thoroughly enjoyed for the myriad of perks it has to offer.