The hotel is located in the Dreta de l'Eixample in Barcelona city centre.
Planes
Barcelona Airport is a 25-minute drive from the hotel. Fly direct from across the UK, US and Europe, otherwise connect in Dubai. Our Smith24 team of travel experts can book your flights and transfers to the hotel (prices are dependent on date, but around €150 return).
Trains
The Metro runs all over the city and connects to the airport: the closest station to the hotel is Passeig de Gràcia, just over a five-minute walk away. To travel further afield, head to Sants Estació station; from there, Girona and Tarragona are a 40-minute journey away, and Madrid and Valencia are three hours away.
Automobiles
There’s no need for a car in Barcelona, but if you do want one there's on-site parking for €25 a night; the hotel also has a private driver who can chauffeur you around (at an extra cost).
Worth getting out of bed for
Barcelona is home to more artistic and architectural hotspots than you can shake one of Picasso’s paintbrushes at. Take a walk down the tree-lined Las Ramblas in the heart of the Gothic Quarter, then take a detour or two to view contemporary avant garde art at Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona and the fantastical mosaics of Palau Güell. There’s many a mediaeval and modern wonder to be found in the side streets off Via Laietana; head off on the Carrer de Sant Pere Més Alt to view the vibrant stained glass of Palau de la Musica Catalana; also not to be missed are the nearby Museu Picasso and Catedral de Barcelona. Tick off your Gaudí-checklist with a trip to the curvaceous Casa Milà, followed by a few hours spent gawping skywards at the still unfinished Sagrada Família and a leisurely stroll through Park Güell. It’ll take a full day to explore the galleries and museums of Parc de Montjuïc, but ask for a driver and the modern masterpieces of the Fundació Joan Miró and the rare altarpieces of Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya are just a 15-minute drive away.
Local restaurants
Intimate eatery Alkimia is housed in a grand 20th-century building with elaborate mosaic-tiled floors, frescoed ceilings and ornate cornicing. However, ultra-modern furnishings and conceptual art installations bring it up to date. Chef Jordí Villa brings traditional Catalan cuisine into the 21st century: grilled pigeon with Romesco and fig, and Xisqueta lamb with aubergine and pine nuts… To really get a taste of Villa’s inventive fare, order the element-themed tasting menu. Fans of seafood can’t miss a meal at Els Pescadors (Catalan for ‘the fishermen’); they’ve been serving the daily catch here since the 1800s. You’ll find the chefs each morning in the local fish markets, haggling for haddock, bartering for bass and comprant (buying) cod – which we highly recommend. The chefs of Michelin-starred restaurant Cinc Sentits work with farmers from across Catalonia and Spain to ensure they get the cream of the crop – they’re very proud of their all-Spanish suppliers.
Local cafés
Els Quatre Gats was once the local hangout of musicians, Enrique Granados and Lluís Millet, then aspiring architect Antoni Gaudí and a little known artist called Picasso ( designed the café’s original logo and held his first ever exhibition here). The big-name regulars may have left the building, but traces of them can still be seen on the walls while you dine on black-cuttlefish croquettes and paprika-spiced octopus. Another café with a rich history, and even richer chocolate, is Granja M. Viader; they’ve been making their sugary speciality – lady fingers served with a pot of molten chocolate and a plate of cream – since 1870. Give into temptation at Satan’s Coffee Corner with a cup of strong Joe and a cookie or two.
Local bars
Mercat Princesa in Barcelona's bohemian El Born quarter, is a former 14th-century palace filled with market stalls serving drinks and food from all over the world; whatever your tipple of choice, be it beer, wine or something stronger, you’ll find it here. Marmalade is jam-packed with antique armchairs and Fifties-style stools and has floral frescoes decorating its walls. Sink into a velvet armchair with a Tequila Sunset in hand, or get a cue and take your Berry Caipiriña (Cachaca rum, puréed raspberries, Crème de Cassis, lime and brown sugar) over to the billiards table. Cave-like Las Cuevas del Sorte cocktail bar is a grotto in the Gothic Quarter, where you’ll find stalactites next to spirits. Start your evening with a couple of cocktails by candlelight in the atmospheric underground bar, then come up for air – and another drink – in the upstairs section.
