Tonia: 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, Sarri?) 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 Sarri? or elsewhere.
About public schools, there are good public schools here but I’m not the person to answer your question. I know several public high school teachers here in Barcelona and I’ll ask them if they can suggest a place… are you looking for a primary school or a secondary school ?
Does your child already speak Spanish ?
Primary school education here is conducted almost exclusively in Catalan. Only castellano is taught in castellano.
That would be great if you could ask your teacher friends about schools!
I do want to put my son in a public school and not a private school. Possibly a semi private one.
I heard that for the public schools they are assigned to you in the area you live, and that’s why I thought it would be important to live in an area where there are a few good public schools..
So please ask your friends, maybe they have heard about some good one and I can start looking at apt’s in that area 😊
So the neighbourhood I asked about is silent and clean.. But it is right on the border to Gracia though.. Is the part of Gracia close to the border of St. Gervasi also clean and silent?
Hi Tonia, I will ask my friends after Holy Week or Semana Santa Vacations finish.
The semi-private school you refer to would be an escuela concertada, that is, a private school that receive some state funding and therefore obliged to accept some students that would otherwise go to a public school.
If I had a choice, I would live in an area of St.. Gervasi as close as possible to Gr?cia in order to have a more ‘normal’ neighbourhood closer at hand: one where people walk on the streets and walk to shops.
I’ll get back when I find out.
best
tonia - 18 March 2008 11:55 AM
Hi albaqaahuna!
That would be great if you could ask your teacher friends about schools!
I do want to put my son in a public school and not a private school. Possibly a semi private one.
I heard that for the public schools they are assigned to you in the area you live, and that’s why I thought it would be important to live in an area where there are a few good public schools..
So please ask your friends, maybe they have heard about some good one and I can start looking at apt’s in that area 😊
So the neighbourhood I asked about is silent and clean.. But it is right on the border to Gracia though.. Is the part of Gracia close to the border of St. Gervasi also clean and silent?
We are family of 3 making our move to Barcelona in Sept 2008. Our main concern is what district to live in that will have a good educational system for our 10yrs old daughter as well as a nice, good transporation system , hip and safe neighborhood. We are young professionals in our Mid 30 ‘s , we own and manage an IT Network Consulting Co(self employed) so we will be working from our home.
Do you have any info on Poble Nou ? ...We are very interested in renting a Loft ( Warehouse style) .
Looking forward to hearing from you ... your input is GREATLY APPRECIATED !!!
Would it be possible though to get some information on surrounding areas that are outside the city of Barcelona itself. Perhaps a short train journey away?
I am not sure that with a young child we would want to live in an apartment in Barcelona city centre. Could someone advise as to what locations would be good to look at buying a house with a short commute?
Hey, been in Barcelona for just over a month now, slept in various parts and traveled the whole city on numerous occasions, finally settled in Gracia and i couldn’t imagine living anywhere else just yet, especially with the festival coming up, a roof top view of placa Diamont for me!! Gracia is by far the coolest and most chilled out place i’ve been, the people are great and friendly, it’s just brilliant!! all i need is a job now!
Hi all,
just been looking through all the info on here about where to live in Barcelona and it has been really helpful as well as a good laugh to read. I have been thinking about moving to Barcelona for a while and have not really been able to get any good advice on places to live so finding this forum has been great! I have to say that The Expatriator needs to write for a living you are tops! Being a single mum with 2 boys moving over there has seemed like a nightmare to find where i need to be but think that I will start looking for apartments 😊 soon so that can be there in the New Year. The info on schools has been great but wondered if anyone has more info on any schools in San Cugat and also what the rent is like for that area?
Another thing, being 39ish i have felt a bit old to be moving abroad please tell me there is life for a new 40 year old over there? I am not ready for my slippers and fluffy nighties yet!!! Is babysitting available or can that be a problem like it is here in the Uk? I dont want to leave my kids with just anyone so any help on that subject would be great too.
Thanks
Great discussion. I am hoping to make a move from London to Barcelona in February/March of next year (2009). From my own research and the opinions on this forum Gracia seems like a good location for me. I do have a couple of questions.
1) What would a 1 bedroom rental in a decent area of Gracia cost? I don’t want to break the bank but something mid-range to upper-mid-range—a decent bachelor pad if you know what I mean. What are the lease/contract terms like (I’d prefer 6 months).
2) What are the good areas in Gracia? I would guess some are better than others—any pointers on areas, streets, landmarks, etc. that are good to be around?
About me:
I’m a 30 year old professional (web development) and I guess I will be able to earn a decent wage. I’m a musician (guitarist) and fairly liberal minded. I prefer a quiet place to live that is within short travel distance of a vibrant place to socialize.
I was going to reply that 850 EUR is a steal compared to London. I pay 750 EUR for a share with 3 other people. I was looking at 1850 EUR for one bedrooms in decent areas of London. On the places I’ve looked online I see places I would be happy with in Barcelona Gracia for 1200 EUR which is not too far out of my budget. I think I could handle a 1 year contract but the best case scenario would be 8 months from Feb to Sep. loquo.com looks great—like gumtree in London so I am sure I will use that to find a place when I move.
My plan is to find a place for 1-2 months before I leave (like a vacation rental) and then explore the area to become familiar.
Looks like a lot of places available near Lesseps and Paseo de Gracia. Something tells me I’d rather be near Fontana, Verdaguer, or Joanic although I’ll know for sure once I get there.
Hi.
This is a fantastic thread. Very useful for newcomers. Thanks everyone.
We will be moving to Barcelona in march/April and our situation is not typical.
Late 30s. 3kids (8/4/2). I will be working near Castellbisbal and will have to travel a lot to Girona and Barcelona airports.
I was told by my perspective employer that I should be enrolling kids to American school as apparently British school is not good and that I should be able to find a house near school for smth like EUR2500-2800 pm.
But people here tend to recommend to live in the city. We have a car (actually will have to get another one for school runs) so distance should not be a problem. But also hear about traffic problems in Barcelona.
Would appreciate advise on where would be the best for us to live and what do you think about local schools (fees for American school come to above EUR30k pa).
i am a 34 year old single mum who is planning on a month or two month stay in barcelona with my 16 year old son, when he finishes school in june.
although i have read most of the above posts i am still unsure of where might be best for us to reside! i speak enough castillian to get by and would like to take this opportunity to polish it up a lot! we are both into art, i am a tattooist, so this will influence our decision greatly. however, i know that my son will be in his element if he can get to and from the beach when he fancies, with or without me!
we’ll be doing this pretty much on a shoestring, and therefore i can no way afford a holiday apartment which charges per night, for example. i know barcelona isnt cheap but i’m sure that here, just like most places we have travelled, money can be saved AND a more real experience had, by sticking with the locals and avoiding stuff set up for tourists.
i am basically asking for any advice on which areas might be good for us and also if anyone knows of a cheap apartment that might be available for 1-2 months (i am about to trawl the websites mention on this site but it wouldnt mind renting direct from an individual).
