SD › Barcelona › Hotels › Pulitzer Review
Updated: May 6, 2022
By Santorini Dave
Essentials
• Location: Carrer de Bergara, close to Plaça de Catalunya.
• Hotel website: hotelpulitzer.es
• Hotel phone: +34 020-678-7111
• Check prices for Pulitzer
Pulitzer – Super-central, design-conscious 4-star hotel just off Plaça Catalunya.
Pulitzer is effortlessly stylish, with Asian-inspired common areas, dotted with Korean and Chinese porcelain, and framed photographs by Spanish photographers throughout the building. All 91 rooms are done in neutral creams and charcoals, with dark-wood furnishings and flat-screen TVs; superior rooms come with Bose speakers and striking artwork. Bathrooms are tiled in aquamarine, with walk-in rain showers and Malin & Goetz products. Good lunchtime dining, live DJ sets on the roof terrace and excellent service are among Pulitzer’s attractions. Within easy reach of most of the city’s top attractions (either on foot or by public transport).
See Also
- Best Barcelona Hotels
- Best Barcelona Hotels for Families
- Best Barcelona Budget Hotels
- Best Boutique Hotels in Barcelona
Pulitzer – Location
- Address: Carrer de Bergara, 8.
- Nearest Metro/Train: Catalunya station is less than 200m away.
- Area: Located just off Plaça Catalunya, right at the top of La Rambla. Perfectly positioned for sightseeing on foot in L’Eixample, with Gaudi buildings within a 10-minute walk, as well as in Barri Gòtic and El Raval, both a 5-minute walk away. Walkable to La Ribera and Museu Picasso (15 minutes) and even La Sagrada Familia (35 minutes). Excellent transport connections. L’Eixample is a walkable grid of wide, modern streets, dotted with attractive modernist buildings. Numerous restaurants, high-end boutiques, and bars a short walk from the hotel.
- How to Get There: Take the train from Barcelona International Airport to Barcelona-Sants train station, then the R6 light rail east for one stop to Catalunya. Hotel Pulitzer is a 2-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: Casa Batlló, La Rambla, La Pedrera.
Pulitzer – The Basics
- Ages: The hotel’s clientele tends to be a mix of couples on a city vacation and business travelers, though families with babies can be accommodated. Pulitzer Terrace and the Lobby Bar are 18+.
- View: Street views from the large windows in higher floor rooms; back-facing rooms overlook the garden and are quieter. Excellent city views from the rooftop terrace.
- Private Pools/Jacuzzis: No private pools/Jacuzzis.
- Laundry: In-room laundry service is available.
- Parking: No parking is available.
- Extras: Bicycles and electric scooters for rent from reception. The concierge can arrange tours of Barcelona according to guest interests.
- When to Book: Reserve 2-3 months in advance for the high season (mid-March to June, September to November), as well as the Christmas/ New Year period.
- How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
- Phone: +34 020-678-7111
- Email: info@hotelpulitzer.es
- Website: hotelpulitzer.es
Pulitzer – Amenities
- Pool: No pool.
- Spa: No spa, but in-room beauty treatments and massages can be arranged on request.
- Fitness Center: There is no fitness center on site, but the hotel has a special deal with the nearby Holmes Place fitness center; guests may attend for €16 per day.
- For Disabled Guests: Two rooms are adapted for wheelchair users.
- For Families: Baby cots are available and babysitting can be arranged on request. Older children can be accommodated in existing beds; there is no room for extra beds.
Pulitzer – Food and Drink
- Restaurants: On the ground floor, plant-filled Greenhouse Restaurant (1-4pm) specializes in Mediterranean dishes made from locally sourced meats, catch of the day and seasonal vegetables. Elegant decor. $$
- Lounge/Bar: Lobby Bar (7am-midnight) serves snacks during the day, as well as tea, coffee, and cocktails. You can have breakfast here, and take your drink out on the landscaped patio on warm days. • Open from mid-May to late October, the chic rooftop Pulitzer Terrace (6pm to midnight) hosts DJ sets Wednesday to Friday and vermouth and DJ events on weekends from 4pm from April onwards.
- Breakfast: Not complimentary. Extensive breakfast buffet available in the Lobby Bar from 7-11am; €16 per person.
- Room Service: Available from Greenhouse Restaurant from 7am to midnight.
Pulitzer – Rooms
- Room Types: Double • Double with Balcony • Superior Double • Suite • List of all rooms
- Smoking Rooms: Hotel Pulitzer is 100% smoke-free.
- Best Room: The Pulitzer Suite comes with a private outdoor terrace with sun loungers, fireplace, mini-library, and a comfortable seating area with Chesterfield sofa and armchair.
- For Families: No family rooms available.
Pulitzer – Local Transport
- Walking: Plaça Catalunya is a 1-minute walk away, La Rambla is a 5-minute stroll, and it takes less than 20 minutes to walk to Gaudi’s Casa Batlló and Casa Pedrera. There are several other worthwhile modernist buildings within easy walking distance. The surrounding streets are packed with cafes, refined restaurants, tapas bars, and mostly high-end fashion boutiques. Walkable to El Raval, Barri Gòtic, La Ribera, and Gràcia neighborhoods.
- Metro/Train: From the nearby Catalunya stop, the u-shaped Line 3 metro runs north to L’Eixample and also south towards the waterfront and then northwest past Poble Sec to the Barcelona-Sants train station. A more direct way to get to Barcelona-Sants is to take the R6 light rail line from Catalunya. Catalunya is also the jumping-off point for Tibidabo (funfair on top of a hill) via the L6 metro line.
- 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.
Pulitzer – What’s Nearby?
Recommended Nearby Tours
- Runner Bean Tours – Highly recommended free walking tours of Barcelona; these include the popular walk around the Gothic Quarter and a Gaudi-themed walk.
- 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.
- Food Wine Tours – A range of foodie tours, from a tapas walking tour to Penedes and Sitges wine-tasting tours outside the city. Private options available.
Nearby Restaurants
- Elisabets 1962 – Old-school, unpretentious neighborhood eatery, ideal for a filling menu del día (daily special), bocadillos (sandwiches) and classic tapas.
- Dos Palillos – Michelin-starred Spanish-Asian fusion bar dining at its finest. Diners sit around the open kitchen and choose between the 17- and 20-course tasting menus. Courses range between bite-sized and tapas-sized and are a fun, creative exploration of Spanish, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese flavors. Reservations essential.
- Gats – Stylish fusion bistro with dishes that range from arroz de montaña (paella with botifarra sausage and asparagus) and tuna tataki to classic tapas. Short and sweet cava and wine menu, too.
- Monvínic – This legendary wine emporium is attached to a sleek bistro with strong eco-credentials and menu items like beef sweetbreads with hazelnuts, line-caught squid stuffed with chickpeas, and chargrilled pigeon breast with rice. Reservations recommended.
- Caravelle – Hipster eatery with a Mexican slant that serves craft beer to a laptop-toting crowd between mealtimes and a mix of tacos, smoked pork ribs, cheeseburgers, and ceviche bowls the rest of the time.
- 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.
- Patagonia Beef & Wine – This Argentinian steakhouse offers perfectly seared slabs of rump steak, skirt steak, tenderloin, sirloin, and rib-eye, coupled with a solid list of Argentinian and Spanish wines.
- Tapas 24 – A gourmet spin put on classic tapas by superstar chef Carles Abellan. Feast on McFois burgers, bikinis (ham and cheese toasties with truffles), slow-cooked oxtail, and more.
- Hawker 45 – Perch at the long red bar overlooking the open kitchen and dig into shared plates of Asian-inspired tapas: bulgogi ‘bombs’, laksa-tinged risotto, Indonesian lamb satay and more.
- Mr Kao – Inside Hotel Claris, this elegant Shanghai-style fusion restaurant specializes in high-end dim sum (siu mai with langostines, jiao zi with pig’s trotters) and hearty mains like crispy-skinned Peking duck.
Nearby Cafes
- 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.
- 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.
- Cereal Hunters – This Spanish chain of all-day breakfast cafes specializes in every type of cereal you can think of. The place to go if you’re missing your Lucky Charms, Captain Crunch, and Trix.
Nearby Bars and Breweries
- Txapela – Classic Basque tapas bar right on the Rambla de Catalunya, with tiny, elaborate bocadillos (open sandwiches) and txakoli (Basque white wine) by the glass.
- El Drapaire – With 14 rotating craft beers on tap, this wooden-beamed tavern sources brews from Spain, Germany, Belgium, the UK, and New England. The bar nibbles are as varied as the beer: stuffed bao buns, charcuterie platters, filled bagels, and nachos.
- Boadas – Barcelona’s oldest cocktail bar has a timeless elegance about it, as well as professional, bow-tied bartenders who’ll mix you a Fantasia or a Dracula.
- Beer’linale – Stone-walled bistro serving nicely presented Mediterranean fare, with over 180 bottled brews from around the world to wash it down with.
- Casa Almirall – Dark, old-world bar that’s been around since 1860, with Modernista decor, good selection of quality beers, and absinthe done right. Very reasonable prices.
- 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 in the mix, and you can also opt for a beer cocktail.
- Garage Beer Co – One of Barcelona’s original craft beer breweries, with mismatched furniture and a tap room open daily for tastings of beers brewed onsite as well as guest beers from Catalunya and beyond. Good bar food, lively in the evenings.
- 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.
- Cervecería Catalana – This Eixample institution is good at any time of day – for morning coffees, plus Catalonian and Spanish beers the rest of the time, as well as an excellent array of classic tapas.
Nearby Shopping and Cool Shops
- FNAC – The largest branch of the famed music, book, and electronics emporium in Barcelona.
- FC Botiga Official Store – The L’Eixample branch of the official Barcelona FC football club. Get your Lionel Messi jerseys and other merchandise here.
- El Corte Inglés – Popular Spanish department store chain on Plaça Catalunya with a gourmet food shop, supermarket, homewares, and electronics.
- Altaïr – Vast travel bookstore with an excellent selection of guidebooks, maps, travel literature, and more. There’s a good café downstairs.
- La Portorriqueña – Going strong for over a century, this shop sells coffee beans from around the world.
- Pangea the Travel Store – This travel agency doubles as an inspired travel concept store, with nifty gadgets to take on the road with you and books on art, architecture, and more.
- Torrons Vicens – Different varieties of turron (nougat) are the specialty, sold here since 1775. Handmade chocolates and other sweet treats also available.
- Chök – All things chocolatey, as well as a huge array of doughnuts, macarons, cronuts and more.
- Dr Bloom – Barcelona fashion label that releases a new collection of colorful, bold dresses, tops, and shawls every month.
- 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.
- La Capell – Inside the Collegi de Arquitectes, this gift shop sells wonderful gadgets, educational toys, original, Barcelona-themed jewelry, and books on architecture and art.
- Artesania Catalunya – Unique, locally made gifts, from thimbles resembling Gaudi’s chimneys and Salvador Dali-inspired sculpture to jewelry, wooden toys, and more.
Nearby Attractions
- 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.
- MACBA – Barcelona’s premier contemporary art museum is home to a permanent collection that focuses mostly on contemporary art movements in Catalunya and Spain since 1945. Temporary exhibitions range from sculpture and paintings by Catalan greats such as Antoni Tàpies or Joan Miró to installations by the likes of Francesc Torres.
- La Catedral de Barcelona – 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.
- Casa Batlló – Gaudi took inspiration from the sea when he redesigned this apartment building in the late 19th century, and the interior is every bit as fascinating as the mosaic-covered exterior. There are rippling walls, doorways, and window frames, shell-like ceiling patterns, and balconies that look either like toothy fish maws or carnival masks. Point an audioguide at a room, and the display screen comes alive with fish and other creatures of the deep, reflecting the architect’s vision. Don’t miss the indoor courtyard or tile-covered roof terrace.
- 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.
- Palau Güell – Less well-known than Gaudi’s other buildings, this 1880s palace is a lively mix of architectural styles (neogothic, Art Nouveau, Islamic). It’s particularly worth a visit to check out the striking music room, the dome-like hall, and the magnificent mosaics on the roof.
- Fundació Antoni Tàpies – This striking modernista building, designed in 1885 by Catalan architect Domènech i Montaner, holds an impressive collection of paintings by leading 20th century Catalan artist Antoni Tàpies. His art was inspired by Zen meditation, left-wing politics, incarnation in the Christian faith, and more. Temporary exhibitions also.
- Museu Egipci – Excellent private museum full of artifacts from ancient Egypt, divided into thematic areas (mummification, the pharaoh, religious practices, etc). Check out the sarcophagi, gold jewelry, funereal implements, and more. Popular with school groups.
- La Pedrera – One of Gaudi’s most famous works, La Pedrera is striking – from the rippling façade, inspired by the mountains of Montserrat, to the apartments, with their balconies of tangled metal. An elevator whisks you up to the jaw-dropping rooftop, lined with Gaudí’s undulating chimneys (night tours available). Great views of the city from the top. Book tickets online.
- Casa les Punxes – Built in 1903, this Gothic castle was designed by modernist architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch. Inside, exhibits tell the story of Sant Jordi, the patron saint of Catalonia who defeated a dragon. One of several interactive displays for kids lets them look for dragon elements in the design of the house. The exterior, with its spiky conical roofs, wrought-iron balconies, and beautiful stained-glass windows is beautiful.
Nearby Markets or Grocery Stores
- 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.
- 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.
About Santorini Dave