EPICUREAN BARCELONA

Barcelona

☾ 3 Nights

TRIP OVERVIEW

Explore Barcelona on a three-day food and wine journey. You’ll be guided into Catalan gastronomy with a private tasting of wines from across the region, a food and market tour lunch that’ll take you to places known to savvy locals and dine at the city’s most intriguing restaurants. An expert in the architecture of Barcelona will take you into the world of Antoni Gaudí with a visit to his first major commission Casa Vicens and his nearly-finished masterpiece Sagrada Familia basilica.

EPICUREAN BARCELONA

WHERE YOU’LL STAY

Hotel Alma Barcelona

A 5-star bolthole in the heart of the Eixample district, the Alma’s rooms, restaurant, and secret terrace are perfect to unwind after a day exploring the city. The modern, light-filled rooms are relaxing and filled with every luxury. The Alma restaurant, with an indoor dining room as well as a garden terrace, serves market Catalan cuisine and is one of Barcelona’s culinary secrets. The Jardín del Alma garden bar, meanwhile, offers an oasis for a drink and light tapas away from the bustle of the city. The outdoor cocktail bar in the garden serves stiff classics. The staff offer superlative service, able to handle anything you might need.

WHERE YOU’LL GO

BARCELONA

These days Barcelona might be the most famous city in Spain. The Ciudad Condal has an inimitable charm, like Paris crossed with a beach town. Spectacular architecture, world-class restaurants, and a strong Catalan character under the surface. Outside the capital, Cataluña shows its full strength. This is the most distinct part of Spain, with its own language, cuisine, wine, history, culture.

Barcelona’s rise has been sharp. A few decades ago, one of the most important cities of the Mediterranean was distinctly off the itinerary, with a reputation as a seedy port suitable only for the more adventurous Eurotrip types. How things have changed. A series of facelifts and massive public and private investment have made Barcelona one of the world’s top destinations. The former industrial port became a glossy waterfront district. Gleaming hotels and business headquarters popped up across the city. Ancient ruins and modernist buildings were restored and today draw visitors from all around the world. Barcelona today is a true Mediterranean capital and the pride of Cataluña.

Even at the airport you can feel the pull of the city. When you get into the center of town, you feel that you’ve arrived somewhere special. Barcelona has something for everyone and is ready to welcome all who make the trip there. The old town, split by the famous Las Ramblas, invites you to explore its narrow streets and hidden plazas. The old fisherman’s quarter, the Barceloneta, connects you to the beach and the coastal relaxation that have helped make Barcelona popular. The sophisticated Eixample impresses with its mixture of luxurious shops and comfortable tapas bars, all interspersed with incredible Modernist architecture. The neighborhoods of upper Barcelona hold the secrets of that true, old, Catalan culture that lies beneath the global cosmopolitan surface of the city. The mixture of the old and the new, the global and the local, is what makes this one of the world’s most special cities.

By day, the beauty of the city is on full display. The Gothic Quarter and the Born let you see the enchantment of Medieval Barcelona. Gaudí’s Modernist constructions, from the famous Sagrada Familia and Park Güell to less-known palaces, showcase the historic wealth and creativity that grew in the city. The Barceloneta invites you to enjoy a paella by the beach. Museums and attractions of all sorts are everywhere, more than you could ever visit. The city’s teeming markets beckon with their wealth of products from Cataluña’s rich countryside, from the famous Boquería to the neighborhood markets off the beaten track. Wherever you spend your day, you might want to use your last bit of daylight to take in the city, whether from the beachfront, the hill of Montjuic, or a rooftop bar with a glass of cold cava in your hand. The day may be ending, but the city is far from done.

By night, the city comes to life, or rather accelerates further. The tapas bars fill up, whether the hidden traditional spots in the old part or upper city or the hip scenes of the Eixample and the beachfront. Eating options are near infinite: Michelin star innovators with postmodern creations, classic restaurants with white tablecloths and local clientele, masters of cuisines from around the world, anything you can imagine. Wine bars overflow with clients looking to sample the wines of Cataluña, flashy rooftops and sunset bars with postmodern furniture play at Ibiza, holes in the wall serve strong drinks in dark rooms with red curtains, Catalans fill cafés and sip cava and vermouth and work up their appetites. Whatever you are looking for as the sun goes down or as it comes back up, Barcelona has it.

On the blog: A Trip to the Heart of Priorat and Penedes

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• 3 nights hotel, double occupancy, breakfast daily, expert private guides, private tours, restaurant concierge service and all reservations, private luxury transport

NOT INCLUDED

• flights to/from Spain or Portugal, gratuities to guides and drivers, travel insurance (recommended)

EPICUREAN WAYS ADVANTAGE

We pride ourselves on our discerning taste in hotels, a concierge approach to restaurants for you, and our long experience in the world of wine enabling us to select wineries worth visiting and arrange premium tastings at each winery.

You will be accompanied by a driver-guide during your wine touring. Your visits and tastings will be private and with the winemaker, a family member or an expert who knows the winery and the wines well. We work with the wineries to make sure that you taste the best and most representative wines during each visit. It is sometimes possible to arrange extended tastings that include old vintages or rare wines. We have an extensive group of wineries whose owners we know and with whom we work regularly, so we can guarantee high-level visits even if a winery has to be substituted. If you have an interest in visiting a particular producer please let us know.

We include restaurant concierge service as part of your trip. Note that our restaurant suggestions are just that–suggestions. Places we love, places to go back to time after time. We recommend these places after years of experience eating in Spain and Portugal together with frequent research and input from our local partners. We aspire to guide your choices with information on the styles of cuisine and restaurants; the choice on where to eat is yours based on your preferences and desires.

We have extensive experience with hotels ranging from 5-star luxury properties to private boutique hotels. Let us know your preferences and we will tailor the hotel choices for you.

All tours, experiences and hotels are subject to availability and will be confirmed upon booking the trip.

TRIP PRICES

Note that we can customize this trip for you. Add days in your arrival or departure city or in other locations or make changes to the experiences, winery visits, restaurants, or hotels included in the trip. Whatever it is, we’re here to work with you. Once you’re happy with the trip plan and have some idea of your dates we will send you the price.