Tapas Walking Tour of Barcelona City Centre
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On this page I'll share with you my experience on one Tapas Walking Tour I took around Barcelona City Centre.
Tours of Barcelona give a good overview to the city for first time visitors - a chance to get your bearings before perhaps setting off to do some more independent exploring. I took the tapas evening walking tour and enjoyed the personal and detailed insight that it gave into the city. Instead of travelling down the major roads we were taken into the heart of Barcelona's 'old town' and given a local's knowledge of parts of the city that some tourists may never see.
Book your tickets online
In this article I have given information on what stops are on the tour, the food and drinks offered, times, prices, languages and the commentary.
The Agenda for the Tapas Walking Tour of Barcelona
The tour begins outside the Starbucks underneath Hotel 1898 - about three quarters of the way up the Ramblas on the left. The booking form states that the guide will be holding a sign for the tour, though this may not be the case. It is worth holding your booking voucher in your hand so that you are easier for the guide to find.
Tapas Walking Tour start time: 17:15
The Tapas Walking Tour takes in the following stops:
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| Granja Viader |
Granja Viader - A Typical Barcelona Café
This 'Granja' - a café serving non-alcoholic drinks and cakes - is famed for being the place where Cacaolat (thick chocolate drink) was invented.
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| Granja La Pallaresa |
Calle Petritxol - A Street Containing Chocolate Shops and Cafés for Hot Chocolate
This charming and narrow street at the heart of the Gothic Quarter was once the chocolate making district of Barcelona.
Plaza del Pi - A square in the Gothic Quarter
This small square at the centre of the Gothic Quarter is home to the Santa Maria del Pi Church.
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Boqueria Food Market - Spain's Largest Food Market
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| La Boqueria |
A large amount of the tour - approximately 30 - 40 minutes, is spent on a tour of the Boqueria food market. This was one of the highlights of the trip for me.
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| Escriba Bakery |
Escriba Bakery - A Famous Bakery on the Ramblas
This bakery on the Ramblas is one of the oldest in Barcelona.
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| Café de l'Opera |
Café de l'Opera - A Famous Café on the Ramblas
This old café is famed for its beautiful modernist style interior.
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| Plaza St Jaume |
Plaza St Jaume - A Square in the Gothic Quarter containing the Town Hall and Government Buildings
This square's buildings are grand and impressive - The guide will talk you through the history of the square.
Roman Columns - Ancient Roman Columns behind the Government Buildings.
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| Roman Columns |
These columns are hard to find, down the back of Plaza St Jaume. Some of the original columns from the city of Barcelona.
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| Trobador Restaurant |
Trobador Restaurant - The First Tapas Stop on Calle Ferran.
This is the first food stop on the tour. See below for more details.
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| Plaza del Rei |
Plaza del Rei - A Small Square in the Gothic Quarter containing Ancient Buildings
This square is home to historic buildings - one that our guide described as 'Barcelona's first skyscraper'.
Els Quatre Gats - A Famous Old Café and Restaurant where Artists Used to Spend Time.
This art nouveau style café was a popular hang-out for the likes of Picasso and his bohemian friends.
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| Els Quatre Gat |
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| Plaça de Catalunya at Night |
Plaça de Catalunya - A Large Square at the Top of the Ramblas
This square looks pretty in the early evening light.
Lizarran - The Second Tapas Stop off Plaza Universitat
This is the second food stop on the tour. See below for more details.
Many of the stops on the tour are at cafés or restaurants where you will stop but not enter. This is a good reason to book the tour towards the start of your holiday. This will give you the opportunity to take note of places where you may wish to return to at a later date.
Languages available on the tour
- English
- Spanish
- German or French (must be requested when booking, by groups of more than five people.)
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| Trobador |
Food you will taste
The tour stops at two different Basque style tapas bars, where tapas known as 'pinchos' are served.
The first stop was a small tapas bar on Calle Ferran - Trobador. Here we were each given a drink of our choice (this could be alcoholic or non-alcoholic) and a plate of pinchos.
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| A Classic Tapas Selection (Lizarran) |
The second stop was at a tapas bar next to Plaza Universitat - Lizarran. At this stop we were given more choice with the tapas. As is traditional with pinchos, the bar was lined with cold pinchos. On occasions restaurant staff came offering hot pinchos from the kitchen.
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| Lizarran |
In general, the service in the tapas bars was good. However, the experiences as a whole were not as authentic as at some of the other places that we visited on the tour. Both tapas bars visited were chain bars, where, due to the time of day, we were the only people in the restaurant.
Who is the tapas Tour suitable for?
The Tapas Walking Tour lasts for approximately 2.5 hours. At least half of this time is spent walking and at least two thirds of it is spent standing. The tour covers approximately 1.5 kilometres of Barcelona. For this reason it may not suit elderly people who are not used to walking or families with young children.
How to buy your tickets for the tour
Price of the Tapas Walking Tour of Barcelona
Tour price: €70.00
Price Includes:
- 2.5 hour walking tour of Barcelona's Old Town with personal guide.
- Tapas at two tapas bars and two drinks (of your choice) at each bar.
Operating hours
Daily: 17:15 - 20:30 (approximately)
Commentary
The tour is presented by a guide with local knowledge of the area, adding a personal touch. Topics ranged from the history of the city, advice on good places to go for food lovers and background on local Spanish cuisines. The guide was friendly and approachable and made the group feel at ease.
Number of people that can attend the tour
The maximum number of people on the tour is fifteen. However, the guide explained that he had never done a tour with more than approximately five people.
In a nutshell:
A tapas evening walking tour of Barcelona gives you an interesting and informative introduction to the city. The price of the ticket is justified by the personal service and the amount of food and drink on offer. The small group size and friendly guide allow the group to feel chatty and relaxed - which is always important when eating and drinking together.