Check the bedroom location. Many residents of Barcelona prefer an interior bedroom, which means, that the windows open out to an inner courtyard or an air shaft. This limits noise, and is considered to be cooler in summer and warmer in winter, which is a big benefit in older flats in Barcelona without heating or air-conditioning. An exterior bedroom with sunlight streaming in from Gran Via or Diagonal can seem lovely, but might be much hotter and a lot noiser!

All new flats in Barcelona have heating and many have built in air-conditioning. Most older flats have neither and are not very well insulated either, so you might turning blue in the months from December to May. A good tip is too look outside on the balconies of an old apartment block. If they are many orange gas tanks then the chances are that the flat might be very cold! Try and find flats with sunlight in the morning or afternoon that can help heat you the rooms. Gas heaters are very effective, but be very careful of old gas heaters and don't leave them on at night without suitable ventilation.