Ask Joan: holidays in Barcelona, Salzburg and Ios

We are a family of five, two boys (teenagers) and a girl (12), who are hoping to go to Barcelona in early July. We are looking for an apartment, reasonably close to the beaches and city if possible. We will be travelling by public transport and plan culture in the morning, beach in the afternoons. I am finding it difficult to find something suitable in terms of bed accommodation and that is also wheelchair accessible for one of our sons. We are looking at a budget of about €1,200 to €1,300 if this is reasonable. 

– CD, Dublin

There are literally thousands of apartments to rent in Barcelona, making it an overwhelming task to find something suitable.

My suggestion is that you narrow the search to sites that allow you to find exactly what you want, ie three bedrooms, lift, wifi. They are

[ perfectlodge.com ]

,

[ homeaway.co.uk ]

, and

[ friendlyrentals.com ]

. Then I think you should consider specific areas. Badelona may be a good choice for the family as it is by the sea, has a lovely long promenade and is only 15 minutes from the city centre. The areas of El Poble Nou, Sant Marti and Sant Adria are also by the sea. The area of Barceloneta is by the beach too but is very lively with late clubs. Your budget will get you a week in Barcelona in high season. Buses are adapted for wheelchair but not all metro stops are accessible. See

[ barcelonaturisme.com ]

I would like to visit Salzburg with my daughter, who is an avid ‘Sound of Music’ fan. We would like to take one flight only. Also, could you recommend some central hotels and activities, other than The ‘Sound of Music’ Tour, which we might enjoy? 

– AM, Dublin

Salzburg is a beautiful city and celebrating 50 years of The Sound of Music this year. The easiest way to get there is via Munich. There are daily flights with Aer Lingus and Lufthansa. From the airport you can take a train, it takes just over two hours and will involve one change. It costs about €33 return to Salzburg – see

[ bahn.com ]

.

Push the boat out and stay in the Sacher Hotel, home of the famous Sacher Torte, from €230 per night – sacher.com. The Mozart Hotel has two-night packages that include city transport, entrance to museums, classical concert tickets and B&B from ¤239pps, – hotel-mozart.at. See Salzburg.info/en. The St Peter restaurant is worth a visit –

[  stpeter-stiftskeller.at/en/ ]

– especially for the Mozart dinners.

My husband and I have been invited to a wedding in June in Ios, Greece. We have two children, aged one and two. Could we combine it as a family holiday? The option of leaving the children behind does not appeal. The logistics and expense of going as a family seem huge. 

– EJ, Galway

There are no direct flights to Ios from Ireland – there is no airport on Ios. You would have to travel to Athens or another airport and then get a ferry. It will be very hot in July, 35-40 degrees, and you would have to take extra care of the children in the heat. I think the children are too young for anyone to enjoy this type of holiday. If your husband was to go on his own, then the best-value way to do it is to take a Ryanair flight from Shannon to Stansted and then onwards to Athens. From Athens he can take a ferry from Piraeus port and that should all cost less than €300, see

[ greeka.com ]

for ferries and island information.

[ jscales@irishtimes.com ]