Discover the historic sites of El Born, hidden gems and cultural highlights on this private walking tour with me.

El Born is my neighbourhood, I live here and I love sharing my favourite places to visit!   We’ll go beyond the usual tourist sites as you learn about Catalan culture, through food, history, language and traditions.

We’ll spend around 2.5 hours walking through the Born neighbourhood, where you’ll learn about the history of the area, from medieval palaces to markets, and understand how civil war across the centuries shaped the city.

We’ll call into two historic stores which have been in business for over 100 years, have a tasting of local speciality products and meet the people preserving Catalan cultural heritage.

You’ll also discover the meanings behind some of Catalonia’s strangest traditions, see how local festivals are celebrated, and learn some useful Catalan words & phrases along the way!

This tour is for everyone who wants to dive deeper and learn more about Catalan culture.

Your Private Walking Tour Includes:

• Fully guided private tour in English with Claire
• Visiting more than 10 locations in El Born that are important to Catalan Culture
• Food tastings in 2 local spots (please let me know about any dietary requirements as this may affect the tastings)
• All taxes and fees

Not Included:

• Drinks or food not mentioned
• Tips for your guide

We will meet at the flagpole outside El Born Museu d’Història de Barcelona.  We won’t go inside, so I recommend taking a look around before the tour starts.  You’ll also find free bathrooms inside if you need to use them before we begin.

We’ll start with an introduction to the neighbourhood of El Born, also known as Sant Pere, Santa Catarina i La Ribera, and discover how this area developed in medieval times as Barcelona’s port district.

Learn how war and repression shaped Catalan culture, and this area specifically, as we explore.  Discover the meaning of El Born, and see where medieval jousts were held.

Hear about the dark side of Catalan history at a memorial, learn the meaning of the Catalan flag, and find out why Santa Maria del Mar church has a special meaning to the people of the neighbourhood.

Then we’ll discover some of the cultural traditions that shape Christmas nativity scenes in Catalonia, and visit two traditional shops that has been in business for over 100 years.

We’ll pass by Carrer Montcada, where medieval palaces now house some of Barcelona’s most famous museums, and see a chapel dating back to the 1100s.

Our next stop is the Santa Catarina market, where we’ll be able to see ruins of the 13^th Century monastery which gave the market its name, and see how the market is still vital for local people to get fresh produce and cheap meals.

We’ll then move on to see some of Catalonia’s most famous cultural figures – the Gegants, and see how each neighbourhood celebrates their festivals with giants and other traditions.

Finally we end the tour outside the Palau de la Musica Catalana, a stunning modernist concert hall.

This tour usually takes between 2 – 2.5 hours.

The tour is accessible for wheelchair users.  There is a small area with uneven paving stones, but the route is step free and flat.  The tour covers approximately 2km distance over the 2.5 hours, with limited places to sit down, but as this is a private tour we can walk at a pace that suits you and find places to rest if needed.

As the tour is designed for small private groups I don’t use a microphone or provide headsets.  As we walk around the neighbourhood there may be some background noise.

If you have any special accessibility or dietary requirements please let me know in the “Notes” section of the booking form.

If for any reason I can’t conduct the tour myself I will either offer a full refund or an alternative guide.

If you have any concerns or questions about accessibility or anything else please contact me before booking at claire@barcelonaculturetours.com

Should you need to cancel your tour:

• You will receive a full refund if you cancel at least 7 days before the start of the activity.
• Cancellations within 7 days to 24 hours of the activity date will be charged at 50% of the total cost.
• Cancellations within 24 hours of the activity date or no shows are not entitled to a refund

Should you need to change the date or number of people on your tour, please contact me as soon as possible to see if we can agree a new date/time.  Changes are subject to availability and may incur additional costs, but I will do my best to accommodate changes with sufficient notice.