SD › Barcelona › Hotels › Praktik Rambla Review
Updated: May 6, 2022
By Santorini Dave
Essentials
• Location: Rambla de Catalunya.
• Hotel website: hotelpraktikrambla.com
• Hotel phone: +34-933-436-690
• Check prices for Praktik Rambla
Praktik Rambla – Super-central boutique hotel in a trendy L’Eixample heritage building.
Praktik Rambla is housed inside the attractive 19th-century Casa Climent Arola, designed by Modernist architect Francesc de P. Villar (also responsible for early work on the Sagrada Familia). This gem combines original features (high ceilings, original mosaic floors) with bold contemporary art and dramatic spotlighting. As it’s a heritage building, the 43 rooms vary in size. Singles and doubles are on the snug size, while the external-facing deluxe doubles and triples are airy and bright. All come with a monochromatic color scheme, oversized beds, and spacious bathrooms with rain showers. Besides the appealing lounge and outside terrace, Praktik Rambla has a winning location on one of the city’s most attractive boulevards, ideal for sightseeing.
See Also
- Best Barcelona Hotels
- Best Barcelona Hotels for Families
- Best Barcelona Budget Hotels
- Best Boutique Hotels in Barcelona
Praktik Rambla – Location
- Address: Rambla de Catalunya, 27.
- Nearest Metro/Train: Catalunya and Passeig de Gràcia stations are about 250m away.
- Area: Located two blocks north of Plaça Catalunya, near 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 7-minute walk away. Walkable to La Ribera and Museu Picasso (20 minutes) and even La Sagrada Familia (25 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. Praktik Rambla is a 3-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.
Praktik Rambla – The Basics
- Ages: The hotel’s clientele tends to be a mix of couples on a city vacation and business travelers, though families with children and babies can be accommodated.
- View: Front-facing rooms, particularly those higher up, have excellent views over the Rambla de Catalunya boulevard, while back-facing rooms overlook the tranquil garden area.
- Private Pools/Jacuzzis: No private pools/Jacuzzis.
- Laundry: In-room laundry service is available.
- Parking: No parking available.
- Extras: There are bicycles for rent from reception and a pillow menu in the rooms. The leafy terrace out back features sun loungers and outdoor showers for hot days. There’s also a guest lounge and library.
- When to Book: Reserve 2 months in advance for 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: +34-933-436-690
- Email: reservas@hotelpraktikrambla.com
- Website: hotelpraktikrambla.com
Praktik Rambla – Amenities
- Pool: No pool.
- Spa: No spa.
- Fitness Center: No fitness center.
- For Disabled Guests: One room is adapted for wheelchair users.
- For Families: Baby cots are available, and triple rooms come with a double bed and sofa bed.
Praktik Rambla – Food and Drink
- Restaurants: No restaurant on site, but there are numerous dining options within a few minutes’ walk from the hotel.
- Lounge/Bar: No bar on site, but craft beer and cocktail bars are located within a short stroll from Praktik Rambla.
- Breakfast: Coffee and tea are available around the clock from the hot drinks machines on the landings. Between 7:45 and 11am, guests may also help themselves to freshly baked croissants and muffins.
- Room Service: No room service.
Praktik Rambla – Rooms
- Room Types: Single • Double • Deluxe Double • Triple • List of all rooms
- Smoking Rooms: Praktik Rambla is 100% smoke-free.
- Best Room: One of the Deluxe Doubles facing the garden comes with a massive balcony, and some of the front-facing Deluxe Doubles also have balconies.
- For Families: There are no family rooms available, but triple rooms can accommodate a couple and child.
Praktik Rambla – Local Transport
- Walking: Plaça Catalunya is a 3-minute walk away, La Rambla is a 5-minute stroll, and it takes 7-10 minutes to walk to Gaudi’s Casa Batlló and Casa Pedrera, respectively. There are several other worthwhile modernist buildings within easy walking distance. The surrounding streets are packed with cafes, refined restaurants, tapas bars, and 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.
Praktik Rambla – What’s Nearby?
Recommended Nearby Tours
- Barcelona Bus Turístic – Departing from Plaça Catalunya, these open-topped buses operate along three themed hop-on, hop-off circuits: Gaudi, Gothic Quarter and Montjuïc, and Port Vell and the beaches. Also trips further afield to Montserrat, Figueres, Girona and cava country. Start location: 5-minute walk.
- 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
- Monvínic – This legendary wine emporium is attached to a sleek bistro with strong eco credentials and such menu items as beef sweetbreads with hazelnuts, line-caught squid stuffed with chickpeas, and chargrilled pigeon breast with rice. Reservations recommended.
- Tapas 24 – A gourmet spin on classic tapas by superstar chef Carles Abellan. Feast on McFois burgers, bikinis (ham and cheese toasties with truffles), slow-cooked oxtail, and more.
- Patagonia Beef & Wine – This Argentinian steakhouse does an admirable job of serving perfectly seared slabs of rump steak, skirt steak, tenderloin, sirloin, and rib-eye, coupled with a solid list of Argentinian and Spanish wines.
- La Bodegueta Provença – Sophisticated tapas bar with an extensive range of Spanish wines by the glass. Eggs scrambled with potato and a variety of ingredients (truffle, morcilla) are the specialty here.
- Elisabets 1962 – Old-school, unpretentious neighborhood eatery, ideal for a filling menu del día (daily special), bocadillos (sandwiches), and classic tapas.
- 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, such as crispy-skinned Peking duck.
- 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.
- Hawker 45 – Perch at the long red bar overlooking the open kitchen and dig into sharing plates of Asian-inspired tapas: bulgogi ‘bombs’, laksa-tinged risotto, Indonesian lamb satay, and more.
Nearby Cafes
- Cereal Hunters – This Spanish chain of all-day breakfast cafes offers every type of cereal you can think of. The place to go if you’re missing your Lucky Charms, Captain Crunch and Trix.
- 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 omelets.
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.
- Cervecería Catalana – This L’Eixample institution is good at any time of day – for morning coffees, or Catalonian and Spanish beers the rest of the time, as well as an excellent array of classic tapas.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Beer’linale – Stone-walled bistro serving nicely presented Mediterranean fare, with more than 180 bottled brews from around the world to wash it down.
- Negroni – This dark little bar heaves nightly with a youthful, student crowd that comes for the reasonably priced cocktails. The celebrated Negroni (Campari, gin & vermouth) is what they do best, but the bartenders can personalize each cocktail to suit the drinker’s tastes.
- 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 on tap, and you can also go for a beer cocktail.
Nearby Shopping and Cool Shops
- Dr Bloom – Barcelona fashion label that releases a new collection of colorful, bold dresses, tops, and shawls every month.
- 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.
- Altaïr – Vast travel bookstore with an excellent selection of guidebooks, maps, travel literature, and more. There’s a good café downstairs.
- FC Botiga Official Store – The L’Eixample branch of the official Barcelona FC football club. Get your Lionel Messi jerseys and other merchandise here.
- FNAC – The largest branch of the music, book, and electronics emporium in Barcelona.
- El Corte Inglés – Popular Spanish department store chain on Plaça Catalunya with a gourmet food shop, supermarket, homewares and electronics.
- Torrons Vicens – Different varieties of turron (nougat) are the specialty, sold here since 1775. Handmade chocolates and other sweet treats are also available.
- Chök – All things chocolatey, as well as a huge array of doughnuts, macarons, cronuts, and more.
- 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.
- Lurdes Bergada – Stylish men’s and women’s fashions made from natural fibers and designed by a local mother-and-son team.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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, 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.
- Casa les Puntxes – 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