Last updated on January 09th, 2022
Welcome to inspiring Barcelona, a city of art, unique architecture, gastronomy and the sparkling sea. For best top end luxury, we’d suggest El Palace, a local institution for 100 years.
For a contrasting vision of what deluxe Barcelona can be, the highly contemporary Almanac Hotel is not just the best, but magnificent too. Intimate boutique luxury in the Gothic Quarter? The delightful Hotel The Serras beckons. Browse our recommendations for the best affordable hotels in the city centre and Barcelona’s best hotel pool. Take the plunge and indulge in all that Barcelona hotels in Spain have to offer, whether you are in the city to watch a game at Camp Nou football stadium, to attend the Barcelona marathon, or just on holiday.
Quick Overview – Contents
What are the Best Hotels in Barcelona ?
With 120 guest rooms decadently furnished in a classical 1920s style, this landmark hotel is designed to spoil all of your senses. El Palace is five-star luxury in Barcelona’s heart. An array of high end eating options is available, while the hotel’s Mayan Luxury Spa has been nominated for international awards. The serene roof garden with its swimming pool, ponds, the gourmet Jardín Diana restaurant and bar is one of the most exclusive in Barcelona. For 100 years, the best luxury choice among Barcelona hotels.
The perfect contemporary deluxe choice of hotels in central Barcelona Spain. Newly opened, the Almanac’s 61 superior rooms and 30 luxurious suites are furnished in muted gold tones with walnut and oak. Throughout the hotel, textures are conceived to surprise and delight. A spiral staircase leads up out of a marble-floored lobby. There’s a discreet roof terrace with lap pool. Línia, the hotel’s Mediterranean brasserie, serves meals throughout the day. A rooftop bar is the best place to unwind. A subtle sensation.
In the heart of the gothic quarter, Mercer Hotel’s superb service and contemporary appointments are concealed behind the facades of a series of linked ancient buildings. For travellers seeking hidden luxury and a uniquely Barcelona mix of old and new, this is the best choice. There’s just 28 rooms, in elegantly simple Spanish modernist style, a quiet rooftop pool, high quality cuisine in the Mercer restaurant and an atmospheric hotel bar set between ancient walls.
If you’re looking for top-quality up-to-the-minute Spanish urban glamour, The One Barcelona, in the heart of atmospheric Eixample, is the very best of the lot. The gold-accented interior is the work of award-winning designer Jaime Beriestain. Floral wall pieces and marble finishes star in 88 deluxe rooms and suites, finished in greys and blues. Lunch and dinner with a view is served at Mood Rooftop Bar, where there’s also a lap pool to complement the luxurious spa and fully-equipped gym.
Breathtaking contemporary grandeur is the hallmark of the Mandarin Oriental Barcelona, the work of an award-winning Spanish design team. Space-age moving walkways lead to the golden gates of each floor. Luxurious rooms feature of-the-moment Spanish design pieces, dark wood floors and impressive views from much of the guest accommodation. Blanc is the hotel’s gourmet restaurant under a breathtaking glass roof. Where the stars stay? Best find out.
6. Olivia Plaza Hotel – Great Value
When location is everything, Olivia Plaza Hotel is the best choice among deluxe hotels set directly on the Plaça de Catalunya. Floor to ceiling windows in sound-proofed rooms show off Barcelona’s city centre square. Dark wood floors and dark red accents provide a tranquil sanctuary in each of the 113 guest rooms. The hotel’s Nineteen Restaurant offers Catalan fusion cuisine and has its own sunny terrace. A secret garden offers light meals. Best among cutting edge design hotels in a central location.
7. Hotel Barcelona 1882 – Great Value
Blending tradition with avant-garde design, Hotel Barcelona 1882 is a homage to Barcelona modernism and those who inspired it. William Morris, the British arts and crafts genius much loved by Antoni Gaudi, provides the decor theme, with intricate florals punctuating the hotel’s quirky interior design. Deep sofas join tall palms in a bar/lounge area. Guest rooms are starkly audacious. A rooftop bar overlooks the Sagrada Familia, begun in 1882, honoured in the hotel’s name. Best for Gaudi fans.
8. Catalonia Square 4* Sup – Great Value
A bright new hotel right in the beating heart of Barcelona Spain, Hotel Catalonia Square is the best choice for efficient, contemporary design with all that you need and no more. Guest rooms feature dark brown fabrics and dark wood floors, there’s an outdoor lap pool and sun terrace with tapas and cocktails served in the hotel’s Gourmet Corner Bar, the ultimate place to kick back after a busy day’s sightseeing.
9. Iberostar Paseo de Gracia 4* Sup – Great Value
The outside’s a historic building, the inside’s a modernist paradise. Among the most dazzling of Barcelona hotels, Iberostar Paseo de Gracia’s stark white spaces speak of Barcelona’s Mediterranean setting. Stay here for an experience that brings a touch of Ibiza to the very centre of Barcelona. A glass-sided pool joins white loungers on a rooftop terrace with far-reaching views. Guest rooms are pure white with hot pink accents and bold murals. Best for being stunned at every turn.
10. Catalonia Magdalenes – Great Value
Tucked away in the Gothic Quarter, Hotel Catalonia Magdalenes is among the best hotels in this most ancient of Barcelona districts. Step inside though and the history gives way to an urban four star contemporary oasis. There’s a hammam for the ultimate in relaxation. The superior rooms are efficiently cossetting in greys with floral accents. Resort loungers join a plunge pool on an outdoor sun terrace. There’s tapas and cocktails in a relaxing lounge area.
11. Olivia Balmes Hotel – Great Value
Set in a strikingly modern contemporary piece of architecture, Olivia Balmes Hotel is a new landmark in modernist Eixample. Slick, stripped back modernism with dark wood floors features in 128 stylish guest rooms. Seventeen Restaurant serves Mediterranean/Catalan fusion food under a striking mural, with terrace dining available. Lounge areas evoke Kubrik’s ‘2001’. A cool swim in the rooftop pool invites after a day’s Barcelona culture. Among hotels offering urban chic, Olivia Balmes is a top choice.
What are the 4 Best Boutique Hotels in Barcelona Spain ?
From the decked outdoor pool, guests can look over the glories of the Gothic Quarter – and the marina. Just 28 rooms mean intimate luxury and personal service awaits at this most discreet of boutique hotels, set in what was once Picasso’s studio. Breathe in the artistic heritage in cool, urban guest rooms overlooking either the Gothic Quarter or towards the Mediterranean. A Michelin-starred chef offers Catalan cuisine at the rooftop bar or in an intimate restaurant with its own terrace.
Looking for the best gastronomic boutique experience? Hotel DO Plaça Reial is the pick of the boutique hotels for you. From seasonal tapas on a delightful terrace to on-trend Mediterranean cuisine in the vaulted cellar La Cuina Restaurant and local gastronomy on the roof terrace, Hotel DO Plaça Reial delights in taste sensations. Rooms in this most atmospheric of hotels have solid wood floors, with traditional flourishes against contemporary furnishings.
3. Hotel Casa Camper – Great Value
The best of the bold boutique hotels in Barcelona, Hotel Casa Camper’s primary colours are the star of a minimalist interior. This most audacious of boutique hotels hosts thirty minimalist rooms and ten suites. Views are out on the streets of Raval, one of the most happening of Barcelona’s districts. An all day buffet is open to all guests, whatever the hour. For top-quality of dining at Barcelona hotels, the Michelin-starred Dos Palillos restaurant blends Oriental cuisine with Spanish tapas.
4. Hotel Brummell – Great Value
There aren’t many Barcelona hotels that can truly claim to be a tropical oasis. Hotel Brummel is prime among these hotels, with interior decor inspired by the idea of tropical modernism. Refreshingly uncluttered, Hotel Brummel’s 20 rooms are cool, calm and white. Stripped wood shutters echo the historic exterior of a building that’s a little aside from the hustle and bustle, about a half hour’s walk from Plaça de Catalunya. Best of Barcelona hotels for a truly hip experience.
What’s the Best Hotel with Rooftop Pool in Barcelona ?
When it comes to hotels with rooftop pools, you won’t beat the infinity pool of Grand Hotel Central. It’s set high on a decked roof with panoramic views over the Gothic Quarter, where it’s set, and the city beyond. Swim under the sun or sip cocktails under the moon, with Barcelona spread out beneath you. Interiors blend a homage to the Gothic Quarter setting with lush, dark fabrics. The hotel’s Our City Restaurant serves Mediterranean bistrôt cuisine. Grand Hotel Central is adored by its patrons, and with good reason.
What’s the Best Cheap or Affordable Hotel in Barcelona ?
Right next door to the green delights of Parc de la Ciutadella, home to Barcelona’s zoo, Motel One Barcelona-Ciutadella is our pick of central Barcelona’s affordable hotels, set about a mile from Plaça de Catalunya. The finest of Barcelona’s colourful funk is the key to Motel One’s striking interior appeal. Rooms are in white with boldly coloured floral wallpieces drawing on the lush greenery of the nearby park. Specialist cocktails feature in the atmospheric bar. The best of the affordable hotels – and delectable too.
Best Value Hotels in Barcelona City Centre
The hub of this city of many districts is Plaça de Catalunya, literally Catalonia Square. Las Ramblas begins here, as does the strict geometry and modernist buildings of Eixample. Take a walk into Eixample and stop at one of the many streetside cafes properly to understand the vision of this part of Barcelona. The magnificent Passeig de Gràcia, home to two of Antoni Gaudi’s greatest designs and to some of the city’s luxury boutique stores, passes through Plaça de Catalunya. No-one visiting Barcelona can leave without visiting Gaudi’s extraordinary work. La Pedrera on Passeig de Gràcia hasn’t a single straight line. The fascinating Fundació Antoni Tàpies is a museum that hosts the eponymous artist’s avant garde work, worth a visit if only for the huge spools of barbed wire on the roof. Back on Plaça de Catalunya, a huge white building houses a flagship store of El Cortes Ingles, the department store chain that’s a Spanish institution. Worth a visit not least for the top floor cafe looking out onto Plaça de Catalunya itself. Hotels here are plentiful.
Top Hotels in Barcelona City Centre
The Gothic Quarter district
Here’s where you’ll find the very beginnnings of this great city, down atmospheric alleys and looking up at the towering spires of Barcelona Cathedral, dating from the 13th century, where geese still patrol the cloisters. Some great hotels are here too. Visit the City History Museum to see the Gothic Quarter’s 2,000 year old foundations, from the original Roman city here. Quirky shops line the pedestrian streets where cars are strictly outlawed. Among the many squares, Plaça Sant Jaume has been a centre of political activity since the Romans. The Catalan State was proclaimed here in 1931, a prescuor to the devastating civil war. The City Hall is open to visitors, with an important gothic interior. Plaça Reia, just off Las Ramblas, is a jumping nightlife hub, ideal for relaxed daytime drinks too. Lovers of chocolate shouldn’t miss Carrer Petritxol, a narrow street where tiny shops have been serving hot chocolate for hundreds of years. Picasso’s first exhibition was held in a gallery here, still open today.
Finest Hotels in The Gothic Quarter neighbourhood
- Hotel The Serras – Luxury
- Catalonia Catedral – Rooftop Pool
- Hotel Rec Barcelona – Adults Only – Great Value
What are the Best Hotels on Las Ramblas ?
There’s nothing quite like a stroll down Las Ramblas, the very spine of Barcelona, on a sunny day. Las Ramblas stretches from Plaça de Catalunya down to the harbour. Stop for a strong Spanish coffee, sit back and all of Barcelona will walk by. Las Ramblas has stalls selling everything from newspapers and flowers to pets and birds. Street musicians will serenade you as you walk by. Las Ramblas is in fact a combination of a variety of different streets, each an individual “Rambla”. The Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, a food market dazzling in its colours, varieties, shapes, sounds and smells, opens off Las Ramblas and is not to be missed
Best Hotels near Las Ramblas Boulevard
- Hotel DO Plaça Reial G.L. – Luxury
- Petit Palace Boqueria Garden – Boutique Hotel
- Hotel 1898 – Highly Rated
Hotels near La Sagrada Familia
Quite simply the greatest unfinished building there is, a monument to genius, eccentricity and originality. Antoni Gaudi’s visionary La Sagrada Familia – literally “The Holy Family” – is still today a jaw-dropping sight, almost 140 years after construction began. Gaudi’s unique Art Nouveau, Gothic style reaches its high point, quite literally, in La Sagrada Familia’s soaring spires, those that are finished that is. Eighteen were envisioned and the tallest have still to be built. Visits are conducted while construction continues and La Sagrada Familia has hosted religious services since 2010. Gaudi’s vision was such that it’s only with contemporary computer technology that the means of finishing his masterpiece has emerged. Astonishing. Plenty of hotels are located near La Sagrada Familia. Some top hotels are listed below.
Highly Rated Hotels near La Sagrada Familia
- Ayre Hotel Rosellón – with Views of La Sagrada Familia
- Boutique Hostemplo Sagrada Familia – Affordable
- Eurostars Monumental – Great Value
What are the Best Barcelona Beach Hotels ?
Barcelona isn’t just a city by the sea, it’s a city that embraces the sea. On a warm summer’s evening Barcelona’s inhabitants decamp to the beach of their choice. The largest and best known is that at Barceloneta, named after the adjacent hip city district, originally inhabited by sailors. There are beach bars under the decked promenade that affords a perfect stroll along the seafront. Since it’s the Mediterranean, expect a sea dip that’s both warm and calm after your long sight-seeing day. Rent an umbrella if you’re there in the day’s warmest hours with a picnic from the Barceloneta market or rent a bicycle to explore further along the promenade.
Best Value Seafront Hotels
- W Barcelona – Luxury
- Hesperia Barcelona Del Mar
- Hotel Arts Barcelona – Luxury
