Spanish Culinary, Wine & Cultural Tours
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Culinary Tours
Cooking tour in Northern Spain : Indulge in the Local Flavour
Itinerary | Features | Prices | Travel Options
Highlights of your unforgettable visit include:
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Accommodations in a 4-star traditional style hotel in the heart of Barcelona and in an authentic Spanish stone Villa in the countryside
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Gourmet cooking lessons and full 3 course meals with Spanish chefs and a market shopping experience in Spain's famous market, La Boqueria
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A day visit to a local winery including a tour of cellars and vineyards, and complete with wine tasting
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A fine luxury dining experience in a 2-star Michelin Restaurant
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Tastings of exquisite gourmet Spanish foods including ham, cheese, olives, wines, dried fruits, nuts and chocolate
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Guided tours of Gaudi's architecture, the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, a 13th century castle, an olive oil production site and Girona's old Jewish Quarter.
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You will start your vacation with airport pickup and chauffeured transfer to your 4-star traditional Spanish style hotel in downtown Barcelona. Formerly, your hotel was a residence of a wealthy Duke in the city and is deep-seated in its history. A basket of fruit and chocolate will be waiting for you in your room to welcome you to Spain. You will meet your guide and share a welcome cocktail where you will receive an itinerary of your personalized tour, a map and plenty of suggestions of restaurants and free time activities. Tonight, we suggest a light dinner at the hotel or several informal dining options we can recommend upon request.
This morning will start with a private breakfast on the terrace of your hotel, which overlooks the old town and provides you with a panoramic view of the port, the Mediterranean and the activities of this bustling fishing area. After breakfast, you will meet the chef for this afternoon's cooking class. The first stop is La Boqueria, Spain’s most important market place because it offers the freshest and most diverse selection of produce from all over Europe. You and your chef will choose the freshest ingredients for seafood paella or fideuá and other specialties, that you will be cooking for lunch, and he will answer any questions you have about the array of products you see before you. Next you will have a gourmet cooking lesson where you will enjoy both the chef’s personalized attention and an authentic and sumptuous Catalan lunch.
After lunch, you will head up the Passeig de Gracia with your guide for a walking tour of the fanciful works of Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi. You will start with the “Passage of Discord” and view 3 famous facades, including the Casa Batllo. Afterward, you will head to the rooftop of Gaudi´s architectural masterpiece, La Pedrera, for a bird’s eye view of Barcelona and a glimpse of the Sagrada Familia in the distance.
Surely after this day of activity you will welcome the Spanish siesta time and relish a free evening on your own. As always, our guide is at your disposal if you would prefer!
This morning you will traverse the city on a gourmet walking tour through the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona! Our journey will focus on the authentic gourmet foods in Catalonia, but will pass by a few architectural feats as well, including a gothic cathedral, Santa Maria Church. The Gothic Quarter is the heart of Barcelona and home to an abundance of tucked away cafes and shops.
You will taste fresh Spanish cheeses at a charming local cheese shop paired with wine, and stop at the oldest venue in Barcelona for refreshments, dried nuts and fruits. You will visit a delicious traditional delicatessen and sample Spain’s famous hams, cold meats and sausages provided by local farmers. The meats will be complemented by fine local Catalonian wines, including ecological varieties from nearby Barcelona vineyards.
After a day of walking, you will move to your new home for the next 4 nights in an authentic Spanish Villa in Besalú. The afternoon will be free to get to know this charming villa and perhaps sip cava (Spanish Champagne) out by the pool in the breeze of the Mediterranean climate.
This evening you will have a cooking lesson with a local Catalan chef, who will share classic recipes like escalivada, prepared over an open flame in the villa’s kitchen as the appetizer, before moving onto a the traditional dish of duck and pears made in stoneware. Enjoy the wine and appreciate the warmth of the atmosphere in the Catalonian kitchen along with the delicious three-course meal.
Today you will investigate the medieval village of Besalú, a village renowned for its beauty and the picturesque bridge that once adjoined this small village to land. Here you will visit the old Jewish Quarter and the local public gardens where villagers grow the herbs needed for their traditional homemade wine, ratafia, which you will certainly have a chance to taste.
For lunch you will be treated to a true Catalan dining experience at a famed local restaurant owned by three Catalan brothers. Local recipes are the inspiration for the exquisite dishes served here. Chef Joan has adopted these traditional recipes and in combination with the freshest local produce and a little innovation, he creates memorable Catalan dishes. His brother, a famous sommelier widely acclaimed to make the best pairings of wine with meals in all of Spain, will be marrying the local wines of the region with each course of your lunch. From the aperitif to the dessert, you will remember this dining experience for years to come!
In the afternoon you will venture into Girona, where you will discover their ancient gothic cathedral and appreciate the Jewish influence on Catalonia. You will wind through the narrow streets and stoned walls of the Gothic Jewish Quarter and encounter little shops, cafes and medieval homes that families have passed down through the generations.
For the evening, the choice is yours--boutique shopping in Girona, dinner and drinks in the downtown historic district, or maybe you would prefer returning to your authentic villa for a quieter night!
Your day starts with a visit to the vineyards of an excellent winery, which was created by monks in the 14th century. You will learn from a wine expert of the unique factors of the Catalonia geography that contribute to the development of these Spanish wines, and then go to the winery to taste a variety of wines including cavas, of whites and reds. After a few tastings, we will head across the lane to a 13th century Romanesque castle, where you will see both an ancient wine press and the current wine and cava making facilities.
Lunch today is in a cozy stone restaurant, which once served as a rectory in the 14th century. Here you will enjoy a delicious lunch abounding with local produce and products in this countryside locale, before viewing a Dali's museum in Figueres. The great artist purchased the museum building and personally oversaw the reconstruction and renovation. Now restored in a style appealing to Dali, it is home to some of his greatest works of surrealism.
This evening, you will be the guest of a local Catalan chef inviting you into his cooking school. You will join him for a night of tapas, wine and traditional paella in Catalan style! You will have the opportunity to participate in the chef’s preparations or, if you prefer, you can sit back with a glass of wine and enjoy his artful work. Dinner will be completed with Catalan crème or another local favorite.
After breakfast, start the day with a lovely stroll along the Mediterranean coast of Empuries while passing by ancient Greek ruins. An old stone village awaits your visit at one end of the walk or, if you prefer, you can go down to the beach and relax!
Lunch this afternoon will be at the former villa of Catalan author, Caterina Albert, who wrote using the male pseudonym "Victor Catalá." This author attended a female cooking school at the turn of the century and the chefs today use her hand-copied recipes from ancestors' over the past hundreds of years. The meal will not be complete until you try a tasting of sweet wine from the ancient cellar on the first floor of the converted house.
This afternoon brings free time to relax back at your villa, perhaps by the pool and then a farewell dinner in the evening. You will partake in a variety of the local delicatessens you have sampled over the week, including tapas and appetizers, and celebrate with wine and cava to commemorate your vacation of traditional Catalan cuisine!
Your tour concludes with a lovely breakfast at the villa, followed by a chauffeured transfer to Barcelona for your departure.
We hope you join us for this unforgettable experience!
Your Cooking tour in Northern Spain includes:top
- English speaking expert culinary guide/chauffeur at your entire disposal
- All transfers
- Accommodations for 2 nights in luxurious 4-star traditional style hotel (double occupancy)
- Accommodations for 4 nights in authentic Spanish Villa (double occupancy)
- 6 full breakfasts
- All the culinary, cultural visits and tastings indicated in the itinerary
- 4 private cooking classes followed by meals and wine
- 2 lunches including wine in local restaurants
- 1 tapas lunch
- 1 gastronomic menu dinner married with wines in 2-star Michelin restaurant
- Online Personal Travel Webpage including daily itinerary, general local information, details of places of interest, suggestions for restaurant reservations, and your free time, etc.
- Customized Travel Journal, including the information from your Personal Travel Webpage, which you can take with you to use as a reference throughout your tour
- Travel Insurance
Your Cooking tour in Northern Spain does not include:
- Flights
- Meals and Drinks not Specified
- Personal Expenses such as Telephone, Minibar, etc
- Tips and Gratuities (Restaurants, etc)
- Cancellation Insurance
Cooking tour in Northern Spain dates:
Available upon request all year round.
Cooking tour in Northern Spain Prices:
The tour price varies depending on the Travel Option you choose. Please click on the option which suits you best in order to request a quotation.
In order to find out more about Gourmand Breaks' Travel Options, please Click Here
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