Where to stay in Barcelona: the best neighbourhoods and hotels

Eixample is Barcelona's 19th-century new town, a grid of wide streets and chamfered corners that became an open-air gallery of modernist architecture. Passeig de Gràcia is its catwalk: Gaudí's Casa Batlló and Casa Milà (La Pedrera) stand a few blocks apart, surrounded by flagship stores, and the Sagrada Família rises in the east of the district.

It's where Barcelona's best hotels cluster. Expect neoclassical grand dames with rooftop pools and city views, a former Ritz from 1919, glossy five-stars a few doors from La Pedrera and Casa Batlló, and modernist suites with ornate original ceilings. The old town is a short stroll downhill from Plaça de Catalunya.

It's central without being chaotic, the restaurants are excellent, and the streets are quieter at night than the old town. For most first visits, this is the answer.

The Barri Gòtic is the city's ancient core, a tangle of narrow stone lanes, hidden squares and Roman remains wrapped around the Gothic cathedral. Las Ramblas, the famous tree-lined promenade, runs along its western edge from Plaça de Catalunya down to the port, passing La Boqueria market on the way.

Hotels here put you right in the thick of it: a design hotel on a pedestrian street next to Las Ramblas, a neoclassical five-star near the Palau de la Música, a boutique hotel close to the cathedral, and a smart four-star in the heart of the quarter. The beach at Barceloneta is within walking distance.

It's atmospheric and lively, but also the busiest part of town. Choose a room on an inner courtyard if you value sleep, and keep an eye on your phone on Las Ramblas.

Barceloneta, the old fishermen's quarter, is a grid of narrow streets drying laundry over seafood restaurants, and right in front of it lies the city's most popular beach. To the north, the promenade leads to the Olympic port and its twin towers; to the south, the sail-shaped W hotel stands at the very end of the beach.

This is the base for anyone who wants to swim before breakfast. Hotels include a towering five-star by the Olympic port with two outdoor pools and a spa, the W with its nightclub and indoor pool, a Sofitel a short walk from Barceloneta beach and Port Vell, and a four-star with two outdoor pools and an alfresco terrace bar.

Where Avinguda Diagonal meets the sea, Barcelona turns modern. Diagonal Mar and neighbouring Poblenou are all glass towers, parks and the big convention centre, but the beaches here, Llevant and Mar Bella among them, are wider and calmer than Barceloneta's.

Hotels are large and contemporary, often with outdoor pools: a Hilton a few hundred metres from the sand, a glass-fronted four-star next to the Diagonal Mar shopping centre, a waterfront hotel with three pools and a rooftop pool club, and a Meliá in Sant Martí with a spa and seasonal pool. The old town is a Metro ride away, but families tend to like the trade.

Montjuïc is Barcelona's green lung, a hill of gardens, museums and Olympic venues rising above the port. At its foot, Plaça d'Espanya and the Fira trade-fair grounds are well connected to the airport, and the magic fountain puts on its show beneath the Palau Nacional.

The star hotel is a 1920s palace on the eastern slope with a pool, spa and sweeping views over the city and the sea. There's also a five-star right beside the Olympic stadium, a Nobu near Plaça d'Espanya, and serviced apartments a few steps from the square. It's quieter than the centre, and perfect for culture lovers.

Up the hill from Eixample, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi is where well-off Barcelonans live: leafy streets, villas, smart restaurants and very few tourists. Avinguda Diagonal's upper stretch is the business and shopping spine, with Camp Nou close by.

Hotels here are some of the city's most exclusive: a boutique five-star surrounded by gardens near Plaça Kennedy, a Gran Meliá in 25,000 square metres of historic gardens, a Grand Hyatt on the Diagonal, and a Meliá steps from it in Les Corts. Plaça de Catalunya is about five minutes' drive, and Park Güell is not far.

For an early flight or a late landing, a night in El Prat makes sense. Hotels sit five minutes or so from the airport, some with free 24-hour shuttles and breakfast from 4:30am, and the local train station links to the city. For anything more than a night, stay in town.