1. Don't eat at any restaurants with pictures on the menu, in the window, anywhere.
2. The most pleasant paella dinner I had was at La Gavina (
http://www.lagavina.es/)
3. If you're walking Las Ramblas alone, beware of gangs of african chicks working in packs to pick pocket. I watched a poor guy get fleeced. Las Ramblas is hyper busy, more so than I remembered from previous visits.
4. If you haven't picked a hotel to stay, I would suggest finding a hotel near the beach: bounded by the W at one end and the Diagonal Mar mall at the other (Diagonal Mar, Avenida Diagonal 3). The Sheraton Four Points is in this general area
5. Do the hop on hop off bus tours. It's an easy way to see the city.
6. If you go to familia sagrada, book online and pay the extra for the elevator ride up the towers. When we were there 2 yrs back, the tower stairs were closed. Unless you paid for the elevator portion, you're hooped. When you book your ticket online, you pick an arrival time so you can bypass the line ups. WIth online tickets purchases, you enter from the "back side"
7. Cerveceria 100 Montaditos is a sandwich chain in Spain. Tasty and cheap.
https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Cer...8c9b5e3aea8cfe
8. Back in '06, had many good meals at La Flauta - Calle DŽaribau, 23
9. If you decide to bounce to Madrid, I found it cheaper to fly than train.