SD › Barcelona › Hotels › Neri Review
Updated: May 6, 2022
By Santorini Dave
Essentials
• Location: Carrer de Sant Sever near Cathedral of Barcelona.
• Hotel website: hotelneri.com
• Hotel phone: +34-93-317-6633
• Check prices for Neri
Neri Relais & Chateau – Luxury boutique hotel in the heart of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter.
Neri is an intimate hotel housed inside two historic buildings – a medieval palace and an 18th century stone mansion – on a tiny street right behind the cathedral. Inside, it’s a seamless blend of exposed stone walls, contemporary paintings and sculpture, and gilded mirrors and antique furnishings. Each of the 22 rooms and suites is minimalist in style and individually decorated, while the spacious bathrooms come with walk-in rain showers and Korres products. A separate building with six full-service apartments comes with a rooftop pool, while the hotel itself has an inviting rooftop terrace that doubles as a summer bar. Neri Restaurant, with its striking medieval stone arch, serves a seasonal menu of clever Mediterranean dishes. Service is professional, multi-lingual and unobtrusive. Fun fact: the hotel courtyard appeared in the movie Vicky Christina Barcelona.
See Also
- Best Barcelona Hotels
- Best Barcelona Hotels for Families
- Best Barcelona Budget Hotels
- Best Boutique Hotels in Barcelona
Neri – Location
- Address: Carrer de Sant Sever, 5.
- Nearest Metro: Liceu and Jaume I stations are both 350m away.
- Area: Quiet, narrow street right in the heart of Barcelona’s medieval center – Barri Gòtic – just steps from La Catedral. Barri Gòtic is the most compact of Barcelona’s neighborhoods, its narrow maze of streets lined with numerous bars, restaurants, and shops and best navigated on foot. The nearest metro stop to Hotel Neri is a 5-minute walk away, as are the neighborhoods of El Raval and La Ribera. Barceloneta is a 10-minute stroll, and L’Eixample is 15 minutes away on foot.
- How to Get There: Take the train from Barcelona International Airport to Barcelona-Sants train station, then metro Line 3 in the Zona Universitaria direction to the Liceu stop. Hotel Neri is a 5-minute walk away.
- Private Transfer: We use and recommend Welcome Pickups car service. Booking through a private car service will cost only a bit more than a taxi – about €36 from the airport, but can be worth it to avoid the long taxi queue and for the convenience of paying ahead.
- Handy to: La Catedral, La Rambla, Museu Picasso.
Neri – The Basics
- Ages: There’s a grown-up feel to the hotel, and most guests tend to be couples on a romantic vacation or honeymoon, but families with children are welcome.
- View: Rooms look out onto the narrow streets of Barri Gòtic. There are good panoramic views of Barcelona’s historic heart from the hotel’s leafy, secluded rooftop terrace – a popular place for a drink on warmer days. Also good views from the rooftop pool of the separate apartment building.
- Private Pools/Jacuzzis: No private pools/Jacuzzis.
- Laundry: In-room laundry service.
- Parking: Parking is available on the plaza in front of La Catedral nearby at a cost of €34 per day.
- Extras: Turndown service; the staff can organize personalized tours of the city upon request.
- When to Book: Reserve 3 months in advance for May, June, and September to November, plus Christmas and Easter holidays; two months in advance the rest of the year.
- How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
- Phone: +34-93-317-6633
- Website: hotelneri.com
Neri – Amenities
- Pool: The separate building with the apartments has a rooftop pool (for apartment guests only).
- Spa: No spa, but in-room massage can be arranged.
- Fitness Center: No fitness center.
- For Disabled Guests: One room has been adapted for wheelchair users.
- For Families: Baby cots are available and babysitting can be arranged on request.
Neri – Food and Drink
- Restaurants: A Restaurant (7:30am-11pm) is located in the 12th-century part of the hotel on the ground floor. Elegant decor, internationally-inspired, creative dishes courtesy of chef Alain Guiard. Dinner reservations recommended. $$-$$$.
- Lounge/Bar: There’s a bar attached to the restaurant, with a good selection of wines, beers, and spirits. Open daily until 1am.
- Breakfast: Not complimentary. Extensive breakfast buffet available from 7:30-11am in A Restaurant; €27 per person.
- Room Service: Available from A Restaurant around the clock.
Hotel Neri – Rooms
- Room Types: Classic Double • Deluxe Double • Junior Suite • Deluxe Double with Terrace • Suite • One-bedroom • List of all rooms
- Smoking Rooms: Hotel Neri is 100% smoke-free.
- Best Room: The Neri Suite comes with original photos by Spain’s award-winning photographers and a large sitting area, while the Deluxe Double with Terrace is particularly popular during the warmer months due to its private terrace overlooking the Gothic Quarter and outdoor bathtub.
- For Families: Interconnecting rooms available.
Neri – Local Transport
- Walking: La Catedral is a 2-minute walk away, La Rambla is a 5-minute stroll, and it takes around 7 minutes to walk to Museu Picasso. The surrounding streets are packed with cafes, restaurants, bars, and independent boutiques. Walkable to Barceloneta, El Raval, La Ribera, and L’Eixample neighborhoods.
- Metro: From the nearby Liceu stop, the Line 3 metro runs south towards the waterfront and then east to Barcelona-Sants train station, and north to Plaça Catalunya and L’Eixample.
- Taxis, Uber, MyTaxi, Cabify: Taxis and Uber charge around €25-38 from the airport to the hotel. Within the city, Uber rides cost around half of taxi fares. It’s often quicker to walk, cycle or jump on the metro.
Neri – What’s Nearby?
Recommended Nearby Tours
- Fat Tire Bike Tours – City bike tours of varying length, from Gaudi-themed ones that end at the Sagrada Familia to e-bike tours of Montjuïc.
- Barcelona Segway Fun – Small-group guided tours of the old city that range from 90 to 180 minutes. Starting and ending in Barri Gòtic, they take in Port Vell and the waterfront in Barceloneta, as well as the medieval heart of the city. Start location: 5-minute walk.
- Eco City Barcelona – Based on the Plaça dels Traginers, these guys rent out “trixi-kids” – tricycles with a front-end trolley for young kids, and run city tours using three-wheeled cycle taxis. Start location: 5-minute walk.
Nearby Restaurants
- Bistrot Levante – Tucked away in a tiny square, this bright, light-filled bistro mixes Middle Eastern-inspired dishes with a good selection of local wines.
- Shunka – A block north of La Catedral, this casual Japanese oldtimer is all minimalist decor and open kitchen, with the short but sweet menu divided into rice, seafood, meat, udon, sushi, sashimi and maki. The 10-course surprise tasting menu is worth the splurge.
- Can Cullertes – Step back in time in Barcelona’s oldest restaurant (1786) and taste some centuries-old recipes: rice casserole, wild boar stew, pork sausage with beans. Old-world decor, popular with families.
- Pla – Creative fusion dishes (smoked eggplant with braised polenta, beef cheek with wasabi potato) served in a subtly-lit medieval dining hall. Romantic ambience.
- Capet – Stylish, well-priced, beautifully presented Mediterranean dishes. Emphasis on seasonal, regionally sourced ingredients; expect the likes of skate with black butter and fennel salad with mussels. Popular for dates and quiet evenings out.
- Els Quatre Gats – Once the hangout of Gaudi and other Modernista artists, this restaurant serves traditional Catalan dishes. The food is only so-so, so come for the beautiful tilework, the atmosphere and a coffee.
Nearby Cafes
- Satan’s Coffee Corner – Bright hipster café, popular with Barcelona’s younger crowd. Good Ethiopian coffee, plus interesting breakfast options, from tuna melts to chia pudding and Japanese-style omelettes.
- Churreria San Roman – This little café is among the best places in the city for crispy, piping-hot churros (deep-fried tubular doughnuts), served in paper cones. For best results, dip them in super-thick hot chocolate.
- Black Remedy – Gallery-like, laptop-friendly hipster café, responsible for Barri Gòtic’s best coffee. Great for cakes, breakfast variations on eggs cocotte, plus smoked meat sandwiches.
Nearby Bars and Craft Beer
- Alcoba Azul – Tiny, candlelit bar with low ceilings and medieval stone walls. Squeeze in for good tapas – morcilla, tostas (open-topped sandwiches), patatas bravas – and plenty of wines by the glass.
- Zona D’Ombra – A wine shop with over 300 wines with a wine bar attached, Zona D’Ombra is a great place to acquaint yourself with a couple dozen Catalunyan wines by the glass, accompanied by classic tapas (cheese platters, marinated sardines…).
- Kælderkold – This Danish-run, intimate craft “beertopia” has 15 regularly rotating beers on tap, with a particularly good selection of Scandinavian brews. There’s always pils and weizenbier on tap, and you can also go for a beer cocktail.
- L’Ascensor – This elegant bar with vaulted ceilings and vintage mirrors serves classic cocktails to a discerning crowd. There’s usually jazz playing in the background.
- Viana – Vintage decor, internationally-inspired tapas (burrata with guacamole, slow-cooked beef cheeks, cod in blood orange sauce), carefully chosen wines and great service. Of the house cocktails, the signature blackberry mojito is a winner.
- Bar Manchester – Cheap beers and cocktails, plus a soundtrack of Manchester’s best, from the Stone Roses and The Smiths to Joy Division. 90s Britpop some nights. Popular with local students.
Nearby Shopping and Cool Shops
- Artesania Catalunya – Unique, locally made gifts, from thimbles resembling Gaudi’s chimneys and Salvador Dali-inspired sculpture to jewellery, wooden toys and more.
- La Manual Alpargatera – A local institution for decades, this footwear store has been selling hand-made espadrilles (rope-soled canvas shoes) since 1941. Salvador Dali famously bought a pair here.
- Papirum – A writer’s dream, with handmade leatherbound journals, Italian-made quills and ink, desktop globes and other beautiful high-end stationary.
- FC Botiga Official Store – The Barri Gòtic branch of the official Barcelona FC footballs club. Get your Lionel Messi jerseys and other merchandise here.
- Cereria Subirà – With its dramatic staircase and shelves full of candles, this shop has been lighting up people’s lives since 1761 and is Barcelona’s oldest candle store.
- Petritxol Xocoa – Handmade chocolates and chocolate bars, gooey red velvet cake, sugar-dusted pastries and more. And if that’s not enough, you can also dunk your churros here into extra-thick hot chocolate.
- Sala Parés – Barcelona’s oldest art gallery doubles as a shop selling many works from Catalan artists such as Magí Puig, Xavier Rodés and Núria Guinovart.
- Torrons Vicens – Different varieties of turron (nougat) are the specialty, sold here since 1775. Handmade chocolates and other sweet treats also available.
- Art Escudellers – One of several branches selling colorful handmade ceramics, some with Modernista designs. Terrific gifts.
Nearby Attractions
- Sinagoga Major – Hidden down a tiny street, this small, vaulted space is the remains of the city’s main medieval synagogue – the only one of four that survived the 1391 pogroms. Inside there’s a display on Jewish culture in Barcelona.
- La Catedral – Barcelona’s vast Gothic cathedral has pride of place in the heart of the Gothic Quarter. Apart from the richly decorated interior, it’s worth paying to take the elevator up to the roof for a bird’s eye view of medieval Barcelona.
- Museu d’Història de Barcelona – The excellent Barcelona History Museum walks you through the excavated ruins of the original Roman settlement of Barcino, dating back to 12BC. Upstairs, the displays explore medieval Barcelona’s growth as an important Mediterranean trading port.
- Museu Frederic Marès – The former home of count Frederic Marès I Deulovol, this palace contains a fascinating collection of medieval Spanish sculpture, weaponry, 19th-century daguerrotypes and much more.
- Las Ramblas – Stretching from the waterfront to Plaça Catalunya, La Rambla is Barcelona’s most famous pedestrian boulevard, overlooked by stately 19th century buildings and lined with restaurants, historic buildings and souvenir stalls. It’s a great place for people-watching and acts as a boundary between Barri Gòtic to the east and El Raval to the west.
- Museu Picasso – One of the world’s most important collections of Picasso’s work, spread across five medieval palaces. It includes pencil drawings he’s done as a boy, paintings of Barcelona landscapes from his art school days, Impressionist landscapes, a few paintings from his moody Blue Period and several Cubist works. Book your tickets online.
- Palacio de la Música Catalana – Covered in tiles and mosaics and boasting an elaborate façade, this concert hall was built in 1908 by modernista architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. Even if you don’t come here for a concert (September to June), you can join one of the excellent hour-long day tours (purchase a ticket online).
- Museu de Cultures del Món – Across from the Picasso Museum, two medieval palaces house the Museum of World Cultures, with an impressive collection of masks, statues, textiles, jewellery and ritual objects from Africa, Oceania, the Americas and Asia.
- Museu de la Xocolata – Popular with families, this museum traces the history of cocoa cultivation, shows off elaborate chocolate sculptures and offers chocolate tastings.
Nearby Markets or Grocery Stores
- Mercat Gòtic – This flea market has been taking place in front of La Catedral every Thursday for over 40 years. Browse the stalls for antiques, decorative art, vintage cameras, silverware, coins and more.
- Mercat de la Boquería – Barcelona’s most famous produce market – meat stalls with dangling legs of jamón and displays filled with botifarra (Catalan sausage) and chorizos, seafood stalls with heaped razor clams and shrimp, olive stalls offering dozens of different kinds of olives and fresh juice stalls. The tapas stalls that fringe the main market area make an excellent stop for a snack and a drink.
- Mercadillo de la Plaça de Sant Josep – Every weekend, this little plaza in front of the church showcases the works of 15 or so local artists, some of whom are happy to draw a caricature of you.
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