Spanish Culinary, Wine & Cultural Tours
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About Our Region
Fill yourself in on everything that makes Catalonia and its internationally beloved capital, Barcelona, such a luxuriously delicious and gorgeous place to experience.
Discover hidden gems of Spanish history in Empuries, Girona or Besalu, develop your artistic sensibility visiting with us the Dali’s house and museum, or have an unwinding stroll at quiet cobblestoned streets of Pals or Cadaques. From Gaudi’s masterpieces and the colorful stands at La Boqueria market in Barcelona to the vineyards and archaeological sites across Catalonia—our descriptions will summarize what you’ve got to look forward in this treasured corner of Spain. If you see something that isn’t on the tour you’re planning to take, remember one important thing: We can customize tours to meet your interests. Benvingut!
Catalonia—a gastronomic goldmine hugging Spain’s northern Mediterranean
coast—stretches from the Pyrenees at the southern border of France to Tarragona, once the capital of the Western Roman Empire. In between is its cosmopolitan capital—Barcelona—a number of quaint cobble-stoned villages and several internationally renowned wineries. Catalonia produces more quality wines than any other region in Spain, selling about 200 million bottles of cava and 180 million bottles of other wines a year. Today Catalonia is also one of the biggest culinary hotspots in the world because of both its traditional and avant garde cuisine.
Though all inhabitants speak Spanish, this region has its own unique culture complete with its own language, Catalan, and a national dance called the sardana that has persevered through hundreds of years of political change.
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As you stand in the middle of the vibrant Boqueria market--entranced by colorful spices, desserts, fruits, vegetables, seafood and other meats from every angle--know that this is only where the sensual diversity and energy of Barcelona begins. From here, fashionable Ramblas lined by the legendary works of architects like Antonio Gaudi take you through the Eixample District. Labyrinthine streets of the Gothic Quarter take you on a historical adventure through empires of Carthaginians, Romans (especially near Plaça Sant Jaume), Visigoths, Moors, Charlemagne, the Aragon kingdom and beyond.
But today, the combination of avant garde culinary genius, local world-class wines and traditional Catalan cuisine makes Barcelona the best place for a gastronomic tour one can find.
Any culinary authority today will tell you the chefs of Barcelona are the leaders in developing original gourmet menus. You’ll be served dishes you have never seen—like clams with grapefruit sorbet and Campari or sea bass lightly smoked with kefir—but you’ll love it. Barcelona chefs are able to work with a diverse set of fresh local produce and seafood thanks to nearby farmlands and one of the most accessible ports in Europe. This, in addition to creative chemical experiments, ensures that each dish fulfills its potential to all five senses.
Gourmands can also drop into boutiques across the city specializing in local wine, olive oils, cheeses and meats for exclusive tastings. Through the flavors themselves—perhaps authentic Iberic ham, Siurana olive oil or Mató cheese—you will go through a gastronomic tour of the unique Spanish regions each product originates in.
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