Barcelona is redolent and ravishing on the Catalan coast as the city of Gaudi, Montaner, Roman origins, cobbled charms, and an endless list of highlights. Celebrating the very best of Barcelona, this experiential tour travels the eras and the styles. Mix beach time with urban exploration, iconic sights with the road less trodden, and luxuriate in all that Barcelona has to offer. You will not need more than seven days as you will be alongside expert guides and a perfect itinerary.
Customizable Itinerary
Day 1
Barcelona – Immersed in the Old City
Barcelona brings quite a welcome with the drumroll of footsteps and the clanging of church bells to rouse you from any travel fatigue in the old city. Here the streets are narrow and tightly packed, meaning it is sometimes better to smell or hear your onward journey. Wine bars can be found in buildings with Roman origins as musicians compete for your attention. Around another corner, you might find a lane lined with boutiques. Keep walking, and there are tapas bars, and a little further there might be a tiny plaza, plus a cafe terrace for coffee and lunch.
After an early morning arrival in Barcelona, you will be greeted at the airport and transferred privately to your hotel, which is located in the old city, close to Placa de Catalunya. This is a handy location during the day as you can easily travel to almost anywhere else in the city. It is also ideal after dark, with the old city on your doorstep and a superb array of places to drink and dine. Although the area is a little touristic, that is true of everywhere in central Barcelona. Plus, first impressions can be deceiving. With your local guide leading the way, you will find the old city to have many secrets.
Spend some time freshening up before taking a walking tour with your guide. First, it will be to Barri Gotic and the Barcelona Cathedral, where Roman tales are spoken of in whispers. Then down Las Ramblas, jumping out into narrow alleys and a tiny plaza for lunch and coffee. Dive next into the Picasso Museum, and then head down to the promenade, where the Mediterranean works its calming magic, and there are many coastal terraces for winding away the rest of the day. You will be tired by now, but the streets will be lively, so you can sit back, order some tapas, and watch the city roll by.
What's Included:
Day 2
Barcelona – Discovering the Modernism Movement and Catalan Fine Dining
Day 3
Barcelona – The Legend of Montserrat and a Nighttime Walking Tour
Day 4
Barcelona – From Montjuic to the Barceloneta Beach and a Spanish Guitar Concert
Day 5
Barcelona – Choosing a Trip to Figueres, Sitges or Priorat
Day 6
Barcelona – Markets, Museums and a Nighttime Tapas Tour
Day 7
Barcelona – Departure
Trip Highlights
- Delve into the fascinating history of the old city as your expert guide reveals Barcelona’s secrets
- Indulge in the food, including fine dining restaurants and a nighttime tapas tour
- Explore Modernism, from La Sagrada Familia to Gaudi’s houses that are not always open to the general public
- Take a day trip to Montserrat and listen to the monastery’s evocative choir song
- Visit Barcelona’s excellent museums, including the Picasso and Catalan art museums
- Discover the haunting beauty of Spanish guitar with a performance in Montaner’s superb Palau de le Musica Catalana
- Explore more of Catalonia by choosing a day trip to Sitges, Priorat or Figueres
- Immerse yourself in Barcelona’s old-world markets, tasting and smelling as you go
- With seven days and expert local guides, you will fully discover Barcelona’s famous and lesser-known highlights
Detailed Description
Spanish guitar harmonies drift through a Modernist concert hall as the aromas of tapas travel around the labyrinthine street corners. A lazy atmosphere stretches along the golden sands of Barceloneta beach, and you will be immersed in the warmth of the culture. Welcome to Barcelona, where the grand architecture sets the scene for an experiential vacation. With seven days, you will not just see the sights, but you will also feel them as you explore with all of your senses. Feel the spooky feeling of an old barri, or neighborhood, after dark, and take the enduring impression provided by a Gaudi casa, or house, and hear the footsteps on cobblestone providing a drumbeat for street musicians.
Making the most of one of the world’s most visited cities requires a carefully planned itinerary alongside expert guides. The best person to show you Montjuic is different from the best person to reveal Montserrat. In such a large city, neighborhood experts help take you off the beaten trail, for there is a hidden side to Barcelona along with all the iconic sights. Timing is so important as well so that you avoid the crowds and keep enough leisure time for restaurant terraces.
This best of Barcelona tour creates a rounded impression of the city. Jump into the history on your first day and explore the oldest part of the city, an area you will be returning to throughout the trip. It is essential to get your bearings here, and a few local recommendations will go a long way when choosing restaurants and cafes later in the week. Jump forward to Modernism the following day, visiting the casas designed by Gaudi, along with the works of Montaner. In the evening you will have dinner reservations at a city institution, a restaurant that’s almost always in the top ten of the world and showcases new-world Catalan cuisine.
Escape to the mountains on the morning of day three, traveling to Montserrat to hear the choir song northwest of Barcelona, and it is a beautiful journey to a cliff-clinging monastery. Back in Barcelona, the journey continues after dark as you delve into the city secrets and evocatively lit courtyards. Move next from the castle to the beach, starting at the Catalan Art Museum and then meandering downhill to an afternoon on Barceloneta Beach. Montaner’s stunning Palau de la Music Catalana provides the setting that evening, with Spanish guitar serenading the soul.
The next day is left flexible, so you might opt for a day on the beach, or you could choose from one of three Catalan day trips. Figueres is the enchanting town where Dali was born, Sitges is a quaint Catalan town on the coast, or Priorat is one of the world’s great red wine regions. You will soon begin to feel a little like a local, and there remain some remarkable experiences to be had, including markets, museums and a nighttime tour of the tapas bars. With these seven days, you will discover why it is hard to top Barcelona, Europe’s most fun-loving and eclectic city. Don’t take just our word for it - consider reading some of our travelers’ reviews of Spain.
Starting Price
$2,800 per person (excluding international flights)
Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.
What's Included
- Accommodations
- In-country transportation
- Some or all activities and tours
- Expert trip planning
- 24x7 support during your trip
Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.
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