Luxry bespoke hotel holidays to Hotel Balmes, Barcelona
Facts in brief
Official star rating 4
Location In the Eixample district, steps from Passeig de Gràcia.
Annual opening All year
Closest airport Barcelona El Prat
Distance from airport 40 minutes by car
Closest railway station Barcelona-Sants
Distance from railway station 15 minutes by car
Hotel facilities and services
B Bar, buffet breakfast, 24-hour room service, tree-covered interior garden, outdoor seasonal pool with sun loungers, solarium, sauna and hot tub, steam bath, gym and fitness centre, beauty salon, African art collection and Exhibition Room, parking, laundry and dry cleaning service, and 24hr reception.
Complimentary
Wi-Fi
Out and about nearby
The Passeig de Gràcia is on the hotel's doorstep – Barcelona's grandest boulevard, lined with Art Nouveau architecture, designer boutiques, and ornate lampposts, including the celebrated "Block of Discord" where three landmark Modernista buildings stand side by side. Casa Batlló is within a short walk, its mosaic façade and dragon-back roofline among the most recognisable images in Spain, and La Pedrera – Casa Milà – is just around the corner, with its undulating stone exterior and extraordinary rooftop terrace offering views across the city. The Sagrada Família, Gaudí's vast unfinished basilica, is reachable in around 20 minutes on foot or three minutes by metro, and the nearby Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau – a UNESCO World Heritage Site built between 1902 and 1930 – is worth combining with that visit. Further afield, the hilltop park of Parc Güell, with its colourful mosaic terraces and panoramic views, is around 10 minutes by taxi, and the glamorous coastal town of Sitges, with 17 beaches and a whitewashed old town, lies 35 minutes south-west by car. Wine lovers can head to the Penedès region, 45 minutes away, home to more than 180 wineries and the heart of Spain's Cava production.
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 EXH4671
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
Luxry bespoke hotel holidays to Hotel Balmes, Barcelona
Hotel Balmes was transformed from a laboratory into a four-star hotel with a defining feature that sets it apart from almost anywhere else in the city: a large, tree-covered interior garden with a seasonal outdoor pool. The design pays homage to architect Ildefonso Cerdà's original vision for the Eixample, where inner-block courtyards were intended to become green, garden spaces. The building is part of Derby Hotels Collection, founded in 1968 by Egyptologist and arts patron Jordi Clos, and the hotel reflects his lifelong passion for collecting – over 200 pieces of African tribal art are displayed throughout the public areas, the dedicated Exhibition Room, and guest rooms. The works, acquired by Clos himself at international auctions and during expeditions in the 1970s, include carved wooden masks and sculptures representing cultures such as the Dogon, Ashanti, Yoruba, and Tuareg peoples. The B Bar on the ground floor – decorated with further individual pieces displayed in glass cases – serves coffee, cocktails, and tapas from late afternoon; in summer, service moves out to the poolside garden. The hotel's 111 rooms are sleek and modern in design, with a colour palette grounded in warm wood and neutral whites and creams. It is the hotel's combination of comfortable living, quiet spaces in the centre of a bustling city, and proximity to authentic Barcelonan sights that makes Hotel Balmes such a popular and exclusive choice.
Room descriptions
Hotel Balmes in Barcelona has 111 rooms, each with air conditioning, minibar, flat-screen satellite TV, free Wi-Fi, private bathroom with shower and bidet, safe, telephone, coffee machine, desk, hairdryer, and daily housekeeping. Some rooms have private terraces overlooking the interior courtyard and garden.
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 EXH4671
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
Luxry bespoke hotel holidays to Hotel Balmes, Barcelona
The journey and how you get there
For a holiday to Hotel Balmes, fly into Barcelona El Prat Airport, which is around 30–40 minutes from the hotel by taxi or Aerobus. The hotel is also accessible by rail via Barcelona Sants station. Once at the hotel, the city's metro network puts most of Barcelona's major sights within easy reach, and many of the most famous attractions – including Casa Batlló, La Pedrera, and the Sagrada Família – are within walking distance.
Additional information
Children: Hotel Balmes welcomes families, with room types including Family Duplexes and spacious Luxury Apartments that can accommodate up to four guests.
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 EXH4671
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
Luxry bespoke hotel holidays to Hotel Balmes, 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.
