The Sunday TimesWith the days warming up but Easter crowds yet to descend March is the perfect time to explore Barcelona Going before the April school holidays means that you’ll be sharing this notoriously over-visited city with fewer tourists and will have the key sights restaurants and narrow streets of the old town almost to yourself With temperatures generally in the low to mid-teens you won’t quite be wanting to hit the beach bright days are ideal for sightseeing and shopping And with this package you’ll have plenty of money left for tapas and souvenirs A week’s room only at the four-star Catalonia Park Putxet costs £410pp with easyJet including flights from Luton departing on March 18 That also includes a small under-seat bag of 15kg but for an extra £59 you can also check in a 15kg suitcase It’s 40 minutes on the metro from the airport (changing at Gran Via-Plaça Espanya) to Lesseps station which is ten minutes’ walk from the hotel (£8 return) • Barcelona travel guide The hotel is in the quiet residential area of El Putxet i el Farro with modern decor and feature walls in muted tones of grey or olive bar that serves snacks and rooftop pool with sunloungers offering sweeping city views Catalonia Park Putxet is in a quiet area of BarcelonaMIQUEL COLLThe hotel also has a restaurant but you won’t need it as you’re perfectly positioned to wander some of Barcelona’s most charming districts with neighbourhood restaurants and homely tapas bars is the best place to find traditional Catalan restaurants one-off boutiques and lively cafés — try the much-loved Café del Sol which has a terrace perfect for people-watching and live music (tapas from £3; @cafedelsol_gracia) a 20-minute saunter in the opposite direction is home to the mountainside Tibidabo theme park which is open on weekends in March (£33; tibidabo.cat) call in at the no-frills El Tomas de Sarria a tapas bar said to have the best patatas bravas in the city (tapas from £3; eltomasdesarria.com) For the obligatory Gaudi fix there’s the extraordinary Unesco-listed Park Güell a 20-minute walk northeast of the hotel (£15; parkguell.barcelona) a neo-gothic manor house designed by the Catalan architect that is 25 minutes on foot northwest of the hotel (£10; bellesguardgaudi.com) though it’s still worth booking first (£22; sagradafamilia.org) • 21 of the best things to do in Barcelona Nowhere does festivals quite like Barcelona and your visit will coincide that honouring of the 17th-century saint Josep Oriol in Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter) from March 15 to 23 The ornate plazas of the district will host cultural activities for children parades and gymnasts building human towers a Catalan tradition dating from the 18th century This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue departing on March 18• Seven nights’ room only at Catalonia Park Putxet• 15kg cabin bag allowance The Torre Melina Gran Meliá Hotel is a 20-minute drive from the centreIf you’re craving some R&R choose the Torre Melina Gran Meliá Hotel It is a 20-minute drive from the city centre and feels like a resort retreat a rooftop garden with 360-degree city views an acclaimed Spanish restaurant and a Thai spa with an indoor pool FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium is 20 minutes’ walk away and the hotel offers a free shuttle to the central Plaça Catalunya • 27 of the best hotels in Barcelona El Palace Barcelona is within walking distance of many of the city’s best attractions2023 DIMGRAY STUDIOThere is no better location in the city than El Palace Barcelona especially if you’re a first-time visitor hoping to tick off the main sights many of which are within walking distance of the hotel it was the city’s first five-star hotel and the artist Salvador Dali once lived here Just off the Passeig de Gracia shopping street marble pillars and a lavish great hall for all-day dining There’s also a rooftop garden with a bar and pool Mayan-inspired spa and a cocktail bar offering live jazz brocade wallpaper and antique wooden furniture.Details Seven nights’ room only from £1,392pp • El Palace Barcelona review: a Ritz outpost with serious star power Become a subscriber and along with unlimited digital access to The Times and The Sunday Times you can enjoy a collection of travel offers and competitions curated by our trusted travel partners Sign up for the travel newsletter and follow us on Instagram and X