24 Best Hotels in Barcelona, Spain

The Condes de Barcelona is perfectly placed for exploring the sights (and shops) of the city's most fashionable quarter, and—for the privileged location—offers great value. Classic rooms are decorated in contemporary neutral tones, with hardwood floors; some have small balconies overlooking an interior garden. Newer Condal rooms have decor in soft grays and teal; bathrooms have double vanities, charcoal slate walls and floors, and Rituals toiletries. The spacious Alaire rooftop terrace has a plunge pool, an excellent bar-restaurant, and great views of the Eixample. Reserve rooms well in advance—demand is high, and early reservations score bargain rates.

This former palatial family home, or palacete, provides a splendid drawing room, a location nearly dead-center for Barcelona's main attractions, views over leafy Rambla de Catalunya, and a 24-hour free buffet. Follow the red carpet up the marble stairs to what must be the quirkiest little boutique hotel in town. It looks like your grandma's house, if she was a very wealthy 19th-century Catalan who'd been to Versailles and had a passion for pink. It has floral tapestry wallpaper, crystal chandeliers, silk flowers in painted vases, putti on the ceilings, and gilding everywhere. The buffet is stocked 24/7 with fruit, salads, sandwiches, pastas, and desserts.

In the upper part of the Eixample, below the Diagonal, this contemporary hotel offers impeccable service and a superb central location for exploring, with the city's prime art-gallery district just a few blocks away on Consell de Cent. Rooms are open and airy, with contemporary decor in white and beige, parquet floors, and windows with excellent soundproofing; the furniture is a bit boxy and generic, but comfortable. The hotel's best feature is the Gallery Space, a covered arcade along the length of the building, set with tables leading back to the gardens of the Palau Robert (ideal for a drink or a quick bite). Two ample rooftop terraces boast a long narrow pool (open year-round), a bar-restaurant, and DJ or live music sessions on summer weekends. The Gallery is popular with business travelers, but gets a lot of tourist trade as well.

A short walk from the attractions of the Gothic Quarter and the Born-Ribera district, the Montcada is a good choice for comfort and convenience. The lobby is an amiable design-y mismatch of deep leather armchairs and sofas, Noguchi lamps, globes, and knickknacks; room decor is in white and warm neutral tones, with hardwood floors and paneled walls: minimalist and tasteful. Amenities include coffee machines, robes, and slippers. The hotel's standout best feature is the rooftop deck, around three sides of the building, with a sauna, Jacuzzi, and great views of the Gothic Quarter, the Cathedral, and Montjuïc.

Overlooking La Rambla, this imposing mansion (a former tobacco company headquarters built in 1898) couldn't be better located for anyone who likes to be in the thick of things—especially for opera fans, with the Liceu just around the corner. 

Three blocks west of Rambla Catalunya, near the upper middle of the Eixample, this renovated classic property is a treasure for the budget-minded. Guest rooms are bright and spacious, with dark polished hardwood floors, nice lighting, and a choice of twin or double beds. Bathrooms have long single vanities and good-sized stall showers with rain heads. There's a rooftop terrace with a small plunge pool, a bar, and panoramic views; the suites on the floor just below have small private terraces of their own, though no particular view. The ornate marble lobby boasts a remarkable collection of drawings by the Catalan artist Ricard Opisso, a pal of Picasso's and one of the original members of the Four Cats salon. The hotel's Astor Restaurant, decorated in Parisian bistro style with Art Nouveau posters, is a very pleasant venue for lunch.

A few minutes' walk from the heart of the city at Plaça Catalunya, this moderately priced boutique hotel has guest rooms restfully decorated in lush coffee and chocolate tones, offset with leather and wood textures. Superior rooms are really spacious, with slate floors and king-size beds. The first-floor lounge is unexpectedly large, with comfortable sectional sofas. Fine dining is around the corner at Gaudí's Casa Calvet.

A short walk from La Rambla, this Eixample design hotel offers impeccable midcity accommodations with cheerful avant-garde decor and luxurious details. Rooms are set in circular corridors around a seven-story atrium; decor takes the standard neutral hotel palate and adds a splash of red for a light airy feeling. Most have balconies. Bathrooms have high-pressure showerheads, and full amenities including robes and slippers. The rooftop terrace has a long, narrow pool and good views of Montjuïc and Tibidabo; breakfast is served here from 7 to 11. The romantic Ànemos restaurant on the seventh floor is open only in summer; the comfortable lounge and cocktail bar on the lobby level is shared with the adjacent Angle restaurant, under the supervision of celebrated chef Jordi Cruz.

This beautifully renovated Art Nouveau gem is the second oldest (after the nearby Sant Agustí) and among the best of Barcelona's smaller hotels. Abutting the Liceu opera house and 100 yards from the middle of La Rambla, the España dates to 1857 but was renovated in 1900–1904 by architect Lluís Doménech i Montaner, who also designed the Palau de la Música. The decorative and sculptural detail is remarkable: don't miss the alabaster fireplace in the bar lounge, by Eusebio Arnau, and the undersea motif murals in the "Sala les Sirenes" breakfast room by Ramon Casas, a pioneer of Modernisme and co-founder of the art salon Els Quatre Gats. Guest rooms are arranged around a breathtaking top-to-bottom skylit corrala (central gallery) with wrought-iron railings and sgraffito-carved walls. Accommodations are a bit small but are handsomely decked out in grays and dark browns, with wood floors, comfortable desks, and office chairs. Bathrooms have double vanities and Rituals toiletries.

Designed in the style of a New York City loft and seated on a tree-shaded street in the heart of the Eixample, this hotel blends exposed brick, steel, and glass with Greek and Italian marble and Indonesian tamarind wood to achieve downtown cool. Museum-quality pieces of Buddhist and Hindu art from the owner's private collection, mostly dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries, add a sense of Zen tranquility. Rooms have a certain masculine aesthetic, with leather sofas and headboards, exposed brick walls, chrome fixtures, hardwood plank floors, and dark bedding. Interior-facing rooms have private balconies. The luxurious duplexes have private terraces and semiprivate pools. The first-rate Mediterranean restaurant and the rooftop solarium, with views over the center of Barcelona, add the final pampering touches.

A chic postmodern addition to Barcelona's lodging options is hidden behind this traditional facade, a 15-minute walk from the top of La Rambla; public spaces have a nightclub feel, with leather chairs, pillar candles, and backlit neon-green Plexiglas panels at reception and the bar. Rooms are more subdued, decorated in deep browns, grays, and off-white, with a touch of Modernist-inspired artwork; some have private balconies. Some Superior rooms, facing the interior courtyard, can connect with next-door standard doubles to accommodate families. Spa treatments are available at the Despacio Spa Centre. The rooftop terrace has a bar (open only in summer) and a small plunge pool.

Bright colors, clean lines, and contemporary artwork give this hotel (dead center in the heart of Barcelona) a hip, fashionable feel. Rooms have hardwood plank floors, plenty of storage, and decor in muted tones of gray, black, and beige, accented with orange or citrus yellow pillows and textiles. Noise comes in from the heavily trafficked artery connecting Plaça Catalunya and Plaça de la Universitat. The bar on the rooftop terrace does tapas and cocktails.

This handsome Moderniste property has gone through several incarnations, the most recent resulting in a rather serene setting (quite welcome in this busy neighborhood) and reasonably priced rooms, some with a terrace or balcony. Inside, the labyrinthine corridors keep traffic noises on the guest floors to a minimum. The downstairs breakfast room is furnished salon-style with comfy armchairs and sofas, and offers an excellent buffet; the fine little roof terrace has parasols and divans, a smallish pool (unheated), and a superb view of Montjuic; the bar is open to the public. Ask for one of the three superior doubles, with a private terrace.

Built squarely over the metro's central hub and within walking distance of everything in town, this breezy clubhouse-hotel could not be better situated. The lobby is intimate and relaxing, with white leather sofa suites and huge vases of fresh-cut flowers; the library at the back leads to a pleasant little tree-shaded patio where breakfast is served (weather permitting). Rooms feel both sunny and substantial, with touches of leather, hardwood floors, and interesting artwork. Bathrooms have big picture-frame mirrors, robes, and slippers. The rooftop terrace has live music or a DJ weekend nights from 6 pm to midnight.

Guests and locals alike rave about the rooftop terrace at the Yurbban Trafalgar, and with good reason: the panoramic view is hands down one of the best in the city at this hip, casual hotel, which offers some of the best value accommodation in the city. 

At a bit of a remove from the major tourist attractions, east along Diagonal from Plaça de les Glòries, the Meliá hotel group's Barcelona Sky gets much of its business from professional and trade conference organizers, but wins high marks as well from recreational visitors for its luxurious appointments and lively design. Extensively refurbished in 2016–17, the guest rooms feature modern-minimalist furnishings in chocolate brown, beige, and white; plush high-thread-count bedding; and sensuous goose feather pillows. Rooms on the upscale "Level" floors have bathrooms with cascade shower heads, double vanities, and Loewe toiletries. Level guests have their own check-in and concierge service (25F), and a private terrace (24F) for breakfast, with stunning views and complementary drinks and snacks available 24 hours. The hotel has an excellent spa, with a sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi, but there's a €20 fee to use those facilities if you are not booked in a Level room. Dos Cielos, the hotel's main restaurant, is among the best in town.

The Perez family converted their apartment building on a leafy side street in the quiet, upscale, residential neighborhood of Tres Torres and opened it as an exquisitely designed, homey boutique hotel. (Primero primera refers to the flat on the first floor, where grandma still lives.) Nuria Perez and her designer-architect colleagues were responsible for the makeover, keeping essential features like the spiral central stairwell, and creating a retro-modern ambience that invites you to sink into one of the leather armchairs and relax. Rooms have twin- or king-size beds and ample wardrobes; bathrooms have black-slate floors, stretch-out tubs, and Gilchrist & Soames toiletries. Ask for No. 42, with a balcony and view of the street, or A-6 on the top floor, with access to the rooftop terrace. A spacious meeting room and an outdoor terrace with steps up to a small, kidney-shape wading pool—perfect for kids—add to the appeal.

While the hotel's slogan, "Do You Want To Sleep With Me?" is a bit gimmicky, the Emma itself is a comfortable, centrally positioned billet at an affordable price. Rooms have a certain space-age design, with white-on-white furniture contrasting with punchy doses of purple or red. The lobby, what there is of it, and the public spaces, are futuristic and functional, with patterned, etched glass and undulating lines. The Emma's pivotal location allows easy walking to almost everything in midtown Barcelona.

In a leafy square just off La Rambla, the Sant Agustí bills itself as the oldest billet in Barcelona—it was built in the 1720s for the library of the adjacent convent and reborn as a hotel in 1840. The lobby is a pleasant space, with sculpted ceilings, art deco chandeliers, brick and stone arches of the original building, and big picture windows looking out on the Plaça Sant Agustí. There are four floors of guest rooms; the rooms on 4F are lofts, with skylights and steeply angled exposed roof beams, painted black. Renovated in 2016, rooms in general are small but pleasantly appointed, with very basic amenities, dramatic wood headboards and hardwood floors, exposed beams, and original stone walls; some rooms have an additional sofa bed. Ask for a "Design Room," with a small private terrace.

Across from Gaudí's Casa Batlló and just down Passeig de Gràcia from his Casa Milà (La Pedrera), this boutique hotel is surrounded by Barcelona's top shopping addresses and leading restaurants. The Moderniste facade and interiors dating from 1897 provide a bold contrast with the Philippe Starck, Mooi, B&B, and Vitra interior details. Rooms display a purity of line and sleek minimalism as the reigning aesthetic principles, with a monochromatic palette of white and gray; the sofas can be made up as extra beds. Higher-priced junior suites on the first and fifth floors have private terraces; the fifth-floor rooms are a lot quieter. A good buffet breakfast is served in the lounge, one flight up from the lobby.

Just above Raval, the Casa Luz stands out for its larger than average rooms, most with with balconies that open up to let in lots of natural light. Meals at Restaurante Casa Luz aren’t included, but the panoramic views more than make up for it. Time your rooftop visit for sunset or book a table for dinner and enjoy inventive tapas and acoustic live music.

This hip hotel, positioned (yes, you guessed it) on a corner, has been fashioned from a handsome, turn-of-the-century building within a few blocks of Gaudí’s key sights on Passeig de Gràcia. The rooftop terrace has a fabulous pool and panoramic views that span the city center from Montjuïc to the Sagrada Família. Rooms are comfortable, melding neutral tones and industrial design, and come with nifty technology such as Bluetooth connection so you can play your own music, if you wish. Go for a Corner Room for more space and natural light. Downstairs, in the distinctly vibey lobby-bar, there is live music on most evenings and locals and guests intermingle from morning until night. Most evenings there’s live music, and on Sunday there's brunch, accompanied by cocktails and live jazz. In winter, don’t miss settling down with a drink by the open fire.

The stylish, comfortable Villa Emilia is a bit removed from the tourist attractions of the Eixample and the Old City, but a mere five minutes' walk to the Fira de Barcelona exposition grounds, Las Arenas shopping center, and the airport shuttle bus stop in Plaça Espanya. Parc de Joan Miró and the museums of Montjuïc are nearby as well.