A 124-room Small Luxury Hotels of the World boutique inside the restored 1892 palace of the Counts of Vedruna, with the only private Egyptian art museum operating inside any hotel in Spain and a rooftop pool overlooking the Eixample.
"The eccentric proposition on Passeig de Gràcia. Where else does a five-star room come with a 6th-century BCE Egyptian sarcophagus three floors down? The Vedruna family palace, an unlikely private museum, and the rooftop pool you forget the Eixample is even busy from."
The Claris occupies the 1892 neoclassical palace of the Counts of Vedruna at Carrer de Pau Claris 150, one block back from Passeig de Gràcia. The original limestone façade, with its caryatids and balustraded balconies, was preserved when the property was converted into a hotel in 1992; a contemporary atrium was inserted behind the historic envelope, opening the building to natural light through five storeys. The conversion was carried out by Catalan architect Maria Joaquima Pamies for the Jordi Clos hotel group, opened to coincide with the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World since shortly after opening.
The 124 rooms (including 44 suites) are split between the historic palace floors — where original mouldings, fireplaces and parquet have been retained — and the modernist atrium block, where larger Junior Suites and Duplex Suites use the height of the rebuilt structure. The Royal Suite is a two-floor 130-square-metre unit with a private terrace facing the inner courtyard. Rooms are furnished with pieces from owner Jordi Clos's personal collection — antique Roman mosaics, original Hindu sculptures, 19th-century Catalan oil paintings — meaning no two rooms repeat. The bathrooms were comprehensively renovated in 2021.
The hotel's defining oddity is the Museu Egipci de Barcelona's secondary collection: forty-three pieces from the Clos family's private holdings, displayed in a permanent gallery on the second floor of the hotel and accessible only to guests. The principal Museu Egipci — the largest privately held Egyptian collection in Spain — sits two streets away on Carrer de València, also founded by the Clos family in 1994; hotel guests have free admission. Inside the hotel, sarcophagus fragments, Ptolemaic ushabti figures and a 6th-century BCE limestone reliefs sit in glass cases off the corridor on the way to the spa.
East 47 — the hotel's flagship restaurant, named for Andy Warhol's New York studio at 47 East 33rd — runs Mediterranean-Catalan cooking under chef Sergi Trias, with original Warhol screenprints from the Clos collection on the walls. La Terraza del Claris is the rooftop bar and infinity pool, restored 2019, with views over the Eixample roofline towards the Sagrada Família. The Spa & Wellness Centre on the lower ground floor offers Thai and Catalan-Mediterranean treatments, a small indoor pool and a hammam. The Claris is unlike any other hotel on the Passeig de Gràcia — neither chain-luxury nor design-led-spectacle, but personally curated, eccentric in the productive sense, and located within a five-minute walk of every important shop, restaurant and Modernist landmark in the district.
A Barcelona anniversary at the Claris is the answer for couples who have already done the usual five-star options on a previous trip. The historic palace, the private Egyptian gallery, the rooftop pool, East 47 with its original Warhols — every component is an unusual conversation. Junior Suites in the historic block are the central anniversary booking; the Royal Duplex for milestone years.
Honeymooners who would rather stay in a converted aristocratic palace than another sea-front resort find the Claris a clean fit. The terrace pool is small enough to feel private, the spa programme runs couples treatments off the corridor of the Egyptian gallery, and the location puts every Gaudí site within a fifteen-minute walk. The hotel arranges private after-hours visits to the Museu Egipci two streets away.
For solo travellers prioritising contemplative cultural depth over scene the Claris is the standout Barcelona option. The bookable in-room art tours, the private museum, the Eixample setting that lends itself to slow walking, and a quiet rooftop you can have to yourself most weekdays. East 47 is comfortable for one at the bar; the spa hammam programme is designed for individual circuits.
Carrer de Pau Claris 150
08009 Barcelona
Spain
Passeig de Gràcia metro 3 minutes; Casa Batlló 5 minutes; La Pedrera 7 minutes; El Born 12 minutes by taxi
124 rooms (incl. 44 suites)
Deluxe Rooms from €410/night
Junior Suites from €620/night
Duplex Suites from €890/night
Royal Suite from €1,800/night
Check-in: 3:00 PM
Check-out: 12:00 PM
Conversion 1992; bathroom renovation 2021
Member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World
Private Egyptian art gallery
East 47 (Mediterranean-Catalan)
La Terraza rooftop pool
Spa & Wellness with hammam
Antique pieces in every room
Free admission to Museu Egipci
From €410/night. Junior Suites and Duplex categories book three months ahead for spring weekends and Mobile World Congress (late February). The Royal Suite has approximately 60 bookings a year.
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