Ian F.:
Barcelona is one of the cities I haven't yet visited, but Mrs. F. and I are
planning to drive there in June from Malaga.

You're looking for a great trip (although I prefer Barcelona in
Occtober).

Just a couple of questions: where would be a good place to stay overnight to
break the journey? Maybe Valencia?

Can't help you here, but...


And can anyone recommend a reasonably-priced hotel in central Barcelona -
not knowing the city, I have no clue where the main areas are for shopping,
restaurants, museums, art galleries etc., so any advice is most welcome. I
trust advice from people here rather than scouring TripAdvisor.

The Chic&Basic in Born comes well recommended, but, at 170 euro a night,
it's a tad too pricey.
http://www.chicandbasic.com/esp/hotel_born_barcelona/

Well, I'll be offering advice for a non-central hotel. Try the Novotal
Sant Cugat at 20km from Barcelona. Double room from 89 Euros (quick
search. Perhaps even better offers. See for instance
http://www.agoda.de/europe/spain/bar...gat_hotel.html
)

Buy train tickets for the duration of your stay and you'll get to the
heart of Barcelona in 20 minutes. It's a nice train trip. And much
cheaper than staying in the heart of town.

Downtown Barcelona would be anything from Passeig de Gracia down to the
Maremagnum. If you want to see the 'important highlights for tourists',
you'd be visiting the Parc Guell a tad up north as well.
If you want to experience how folks in Barcelona live, Barceloneta is
worth a short visit. But you'd probably start off walking from Placa de
Catalunya down the Ramblas.


--
Erick