Essential Barcelona Private Tour

On any trip to Barcelona, a visit to the extraordinary architectural masterpieces that local genius Antoni Gaudí left as his legacy all across the city is simply a must. Our Essential Barcelona tour will take you deep inside the mind of this unique artist as we visit his masterpiece: the epic, jaw-dropping and still unfinished Sagrada Familia cathedral. No doubt you’ve seen pictures of its dizzying series of turrets and spires, dominating the city surroundings like some great oversized gingerbread house, but nothing can prepare you for a visit to the Sagrada Familia in person.

Skip the long entrance lines with our special priority entrance, and get up close-and-personal with this miracle of modernist Catalan design. You’ll learn all about the aesthetic and spiritual theories that drove Gaudí to spend decades attempting to bring this gravity-defying edifice to fruition, and discover why the Sagrada Familia has become such a defining symbol of Barcelona.

The Sagrada Familia is not the only Gaudí masterpiece we’ll be encountering on our Essential Barcelona tour. The Paseo de Gracia boulevard is home to a number of wonderful examples of Catalan Modernist architecture, not least amongst them two buildings designed by Gaudí himself: The Casa Milà-La Pedrera and the Casa Batlló. As we drive along the Paseo de Gracia your guide will give you the low-down on these eccentric but extremely beautiful buildings, and how they would prove instrumental in Gaudí’s career.

On our Essential Barcelona tour we’ll also have the chance to visit Park Güell, whose surreal buildings and colourful tiled sculptures offer a vivid insight into the magical world of Gaudí. Originally planned as an art-nouveau residential quarter for wealthy families in early 20th-century Barcelona, the complex instead became one of the city’s best-loved public parks. Explore Park Güell in the company of our guide and learn all about its fascinating history, taking in breathtaking views across Barcelona from its hilltop perch.

Montjuic means ‘Jewish mountain’ in Catalan, and this hilltop neighbourhood takes its name from an important Jewish cemetery that was located here in the Middle Ages. These days Montjuic offers picturesque views over Barcelona and the Mediterranean sea beyond, framed by the looming fortifications of Montjuic castle. Montjuic was the site of the 1929 World’s Fair, and on our tour of Montjuic we’ll visit the Plaça d’Espanya, a sweeping square that was host to events at the Universal Exhibition. We’ll also be visiting the Palau Nacional, a sprawling neo-Renaissance palace designed by Eugenio Cendoya and Enric Catà for the Fair that is now home to the National Art Museum of Catalonia.

The Gothic Quarter, or Barri Gòtic in Catalan, constitutes the beating heart of Barcelona’s old town. An atmospheric tangle of narrow streets and medieval buildings, the area recalls the city’s glory days during the 14th and 15th centuries when Barcelona rose to become one of Europe’s most prosperous cities. The highlight of the Gothic Quarter is Barcelona’s stunning cathedral, whose neo-Gothic facade encrusted with gargoyles and other mythical creatures is unforgettable. On our tour of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter we’ll learn about the city’s ancient origins as we pass by the 2,000 year-old temple of Augustus, and chart Barcelona’s rise to power in the Plaça del Rei, a medieval square that was once home to the kings of Aragon.