Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to Hotel Bagues, Barcelona
Facts in brief
Official star rating 5
Location On Las Ramblas, steps from La Boqueria Market.
Annual opening All year
Closest airport Barcelona El Prat
Distance from airport 30 minutes by car
Closest railway station Barcelona Passeig de Gràcia
Distance from railway station 10 minutes by taxi or metro
Hotel facilities and services
Bar Gastronomic Corner, La Terraza del Bagues seasonal rooftop bar, rooftop plunge pool and solarium, gym and sauna, Émile Gallé Room-Museum, Masriera Permanent Collection, bicycle rental, in-room massage, concierge, 24hr reception, laundry and ironing service, and Wi-Fi.
Complimentary
Wi-Fi, access to Émile Gallé Room-Museum and Masriera Permanent Collection.
Land sports
Cycling
Out and about nearby
The Mercat de la Boqueria sits just one block from the hotel, a world-famous food market with 300 stalls dating back to 1217, offering some of Barcelona's finest fresh produce, open Monday to Saturday. Directly across Las Ramblas, the Gothic Quarter invites exploration of its mediaeval labyrinthine streets, Roman ruins, Barcelona Cathedral, and the handsome Plaça Reial. The Gran Teatre del Liceu, just minutes along Las Ramblas, is one of Europe's largest opera houses, founded in 1847 and offering guided tours of the foyer, Hall of Mirrors, and main auditorium. A short 11 minute walk leads to the Museu Picasso, housed within five connected mediaeval Gothic palaces on Carrer de Montcada, with a comprehensive chronological collection of the artist's works. The MNAC on Montjuïc hill holds the world's finest collection of Romanesque murals alongside works by El Greco, Velázquez, and Rubens, housed within the grand Palau Nacional built for the 1929 International Exposition. The dramatic mountain monastery complex of Montserrat lies approximately 50 minutes' drive northwest, where the 11th century Benedictine abbey houses La Moreneta — the Black Madonna, patron saint of Catalonia — along with funiculars, hiking trails, and sweeping mountain views. The glamorous coastal resort of Sitges, 30 minutes south, offers fine sandy beaches, a handsome seafront promenade and the Museu Cau Ferrat, whilst the Penedès wine region — Spain's largest producer of Cava — is just under an hour's drive south, with dozens of family wineries offering private tastings.
Sports nearby
Cycling, walking, and hiking.
We had a wonderful holiday which exceeded our expectations. Great hotels with a good itinerary. We wouldn't hesitate to use your services again.Mrs J, June 2025
From about
Holiday Code EXH4669
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to Hotel Bagues, Barcelona
Built in 1850 by Romantic architect Josep Fontserè i Domènech, the building that houses Hotel Bagues spent over a century as the workshop and retail premises of Bagues-Masriera Jewellers, Catalonia's most prestigious luxury jewellery house. Known locally as 'El Regulador' after the scale on its façade — once made freely available to neighbours and customers from the nearby Boqueria Market — it sits between the Palau de la Virreina palace and the church of Església de la Mare de Déu de Betlem, directly on Las Ramblas. The interior draws on Charles Rennie Mackintosh's restrained Art Nouveau aesthetic, with rich materials, including ebony, rosewood, gold leaf, and Indian slate used throughout. A large golden vine sculpture rises through the main staircase, original Venetian glass lamps illuminate the lounge, and stained-glass flowers adorn room doors. The overall palette is notably dark, with ebony and black furnishings creating an atmosphere of focused luxury across all 31 rooms and suites. Each room contains an exclusive piece from the Masriera jewellery collection, with original parquet floors and bathrooms clad in Indian slate. Dining centres on the Bar Gastronomic Corner at lobby level, where a breakfast buffet and tapas are served, and the seasonal rooftop La Terraza del Bagues, which offers cocktails and tapas alongside a 360-degree panoramic view across the city. The rooftop also features a slim plunge pool and solarium overlooking Las Ramblas. The hotel functions as a museum hotel, with two collections open to the public free of charge: the Émile Gallé Room-Museum displays 27 Art Nouveau glass vases by the Nancy master, whilst the Masriera Permanent Collection showcases works by Lluís Masriera, considered the forefather of modernism in Spain, across the Modernisme and Art Deco periods.
Room descriptions
Hotel Bagues has 31 rooms and suites, each with Wi-Fi, original parquet floors, Indian slate bathrooms, individual air-conditioning, 24hr room service, international TV channels, complimentary minibar, laptop safe, Nespresso machine, hair dryer and bathrobe, bluetooth speaker, and laundry and ironing services.
We had a wonderful holiday which exceeded our expectations. Great hotels with a good itinerary. We wouldn't hesitate to use your services again.Mrs J, June 2025
From about
Holiday Code EXH4669
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to Hotel Bagues, Barcelona
The journey and how you get there
For a holiday to Hotel Bagues, the most convenient option is to fly into Barcelona El Prat Airport, from where the hotel is approximately 30 minutes by taxi or the Aerobus express service to Plaça de Catalunya, itself just a few minutes' walk from Las Ramblas. Alternatively, Barcelona is well connected by high-speed rail, with international and domestic services arriving at Barcelona Sants or Passeig de Gràcia, both within easy reach of the hotel by metro or taxi. A car is not necessary for the hotel itself, given its central location, but may be useful for day trips to Montserrat, Sitges, or the Penedès wine region.
We had a wonderful holiday which exceeded our expectations. Great hotels with a good itinerary. We wouldn't hesitate to use your services again.Mrs J, June 2025
From about
Holiday Code EXH4669
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to Hotel Bagues, Barcelona
About Barcelona
An Expressions tailor-made holiday to Barcelona include the very best four and five star hotels in the city, all of which provide a superb base for a short city break or as the starting point for your holiday to Catalonia. First founded by the Romans, Barcelona is now a dynamic and cosmopolitan city on the Mediterranean coast which is charming and exciting all at once. The capital of Catalonia is famed for its staggering concentration of Gothic architecture as well as surreal wonders such as the Sagrada Familia, making it one of the most visited cities in Europe. Previously a relatively overlooked industrial city, Spain’s second city played host to the Olympic Games in 1992, prompting a period of extensive regeneration and leading to its reinvention as a lively holiday destination. Unique architecture, a rich culture with art galleries and museums abound, gourmet restaurants, lively bars, designer boutiques, golden beaches, parks and gardens – Barcelona has it all. An exhilarating destination for a city break, with much more to discover...
Highlights of Barcelona
There are a huge number of day trips and excursions which those on holiday in Barcelona can enjoy. These include: The Monastery of Montserrat, a religious complex in a spectacular setting atop craggy mountains with chapels, hermits’ caves and numerous nature trails, reached by a one hour train journey followed by an exhilarating cable-car ride; Wineries in towns such as Sant Sadurní d’Anoia and Vilafranca del Penedès, both around one hour away by train; Catalan towns and cities including Tarragona (a port city with fascinating Roman remains), Girona (an ancient walled city with a fascinating history), Vic (a quintessentially Catalan town with an outstanding market) and Figueres (home to the renowned Dalí Theatre-Museum), all of which can be easily reached by train or bus.
Cultural highlights of Barcelona
There are numerous places of interest that visitors should see during their luxury holiday in Barcelona: La Rambla, Spain’s most famous street which is busy at almost any time of the day or night with flower stalls, tarot readers, musicians and mime artists lining the wide walkway which is shaded by trees. The Gothic quarter, a maze of narrow streets and plazas in the old town with architecture dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries. This historic area is home to Catalonia’s government building, the town hall, a former royal palace and the imposing and intricately-decorated La Seu Cathedral, which includes a beautiful cloister. Montjuic, a fortress-topped hill in the south of the city with museums, art galleries and restaurants dotted throughout the spacious gardens. This is also the setting of the 1992 Olympic stadium, the large open space enjoys panoramic views of the city and sea, and is accessible by cable car from the port, by funicular from the base of the hill, by bus or on foot. The harbour area, where almost 3 miles of sandy beaches meet the Olympic port and the older area of Barceloneta, known for its numerous fish restaurants. Parc de la Ciutatella, a popular park with gardens, a boating lake, a zoo, several museums and the striking Catalan Parliament building. Eixample District, a vast area towards the north of the city which was built according to a grid system and is full of unique buildings which were designed in a ‘Modernista’ (Catalan Art Nouveau) style by the famous Antoni Gaudí and his contemporaries. The most famous building which was designed by Gaudí is the Sagrada Familia, an unconventional church building which is filled with symbolism but is still unfinished. Other famous works of art which feature Gaudí’s trademark curved lines, decorated chimneys, elaborate wrought iron and mosaic decorations include Parc Guell, a colourful park which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; Casa Batlió, a house with a fascinating interior and exterior and La Pedrera, a curved apartment building.
Gastronomy in Barcelona
Cuisine in Barcelona is similar to the rest of Catalonia, taking inspiration from both nearby France and from central Spain whilst making use of local ingredients available including seafood, fresh vegetables, meat and game. Typical dishes include ‘Crema Catalana’ (a Catalan version of a Crème Brûlée), ‘Pa amb tomàquet’ (bread smeared with tomato, oil and garlic), ‘Fideuá’ (a variant of Paella which uses pasta in place of rice), ‘Zarzuela’ (a seafood stew which is made with fish, prawns, squid and mussels), ‘Escudella’ (a stew containing vegetables, meat, rice and pasta) and unusual ‘sea and mountain’ combinations which use both meat and seafood. Barcelona is home to some of Spain’s best restaurants, with gastronomic chefs creating innovative cuisine and over 20 boasting at least one Michelin star. The best fish and seafood can be found in restaurants in the Barceloneta district, or if you want to buy some local produce yourself then head to the busy La Boqueria market on La Rambla.
Climate in Barcelona
Late spring and early autumn are the best times to go on holiday to Barcelona, as the weather is warm with temperatures of around 20 degrees centigrade. Summer is often unbearably hot with some shops and restaurants closing in August as locals leave the city to get away from the heat. Winter is mild with occasional rain and average temperatures of 10 degrees but is an enjoyable time to visit as Christmas markets are held and many celebrations take place.
