Elements seen in our Jewish Tours of Barcelona Spain

Private Jewish Tour Of Barcelona

BARCELONA JEWISH QUARTER TOUR & MORE

Following the steps of the local Jewish Community

Are you interested in the Jewish Heritage of Barcelona? Are you fascinated by history and love using your imagination to visualized the old times even when there’s little left to be seen from that past? Are you looking forward to going off the beaten path rather than seeing the big sites?

In the Middle Ages, the Jewish community of Barcelona, was the most important in the Crown of Aragon and we have evidences that there were already Jewish families in our land during the Roman times. They were an important part of our society until the pogroms in 1391, after which the community was dissolved. The Jewish only started coming back to Spain in the mid-20th century, and nowadays they are only a very small part of our local population.

Unfortunately, there’s little left to be seen from the medieval splendor of our Jewish society, and even if you are willing to make a lot of research and navigate the maze of alleys of the Gothic Quarter on your own, you are likely to miss out many of those signs of the local Jewish past that only a trained guide can point out. Come with us on a trip back in time!

HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS PRIVATE JEWISH BARCELONA TOUR:

Barcelona Jewish Quarter (“the Call”) and Medieval Synagogue (all tours)

Alleys of the Medieval Jewish Quarter   |   Hebrew inscriptions   |   Medieval mezzuza holes   |   Jewish tombstones
Remains of a possible Mikhve   |   Oldest documented synagogue in Europe (1267: 3 years before Prague)   |   Interpretation Center (optional)

Museum of History (4-hr Barcelona Jewish walking tour only)
Montjuic Memorials (4-hr chauffeured tour only)
Les Corts Cemetery (4-hr chauffeured tour only)

Highlights of our Jewish Tours of Barcelona

WHY THIS IS THE BEST BARCELONA JEWISH TOUR

Learn about the most important Jewish community of Catalonia in the middle ages.
Hear about Nachmanides and the Disputation of 1263… right where it happened. This is something only licensed tour guides like us are allowed to do.
Discover how the local Jewish community was destroyed already 100 years before the Inquisition arrived.
Hear what happened when the Inquisition arrived to Barcelona and step into their headquarters.
See Jewish elements that you wouldn’t find on your own (or would take you a lot of research to find).
Hear what happened with the Jews during World War II in Spain, and how the Spanish Civil War affected them. [ CHAUFFEURED TOUR ONLY ]
Adapt your Jewish Barcelona tour to your energy levels, budget and interests.
And much more, in a private Jewish tour just for you and your party!

PRIVATE JEWISH TOUR FAQ

THIS JEWISH HERITAGE TOUR RUNS:

Express Tours: Week days after 3PM.
Half day tours (walking or chauffeured options): Everyday, any time.

SABBATH: We will be glad to organize a 100% walking tour that day (Call, Interpretation Center and Museum of History), and our guide will handle the money for you.
SOME SITES CLOSED:
– Monday: The Museum of History and Interpretation Center are closed. We won’t be able to access the venue of the Disputation of 1263, either.
– Tuesday: The Interpretation Center is closed.
– Wednesday: The Interpretation Center is only open in the morning.
– Thursday: The Interpretation Center is closed.
– Friday: The Interpretation Center is closed.
– Saturday: The Medieval Synagogue is closed.

TOUR LENGHT: 1.5 hours the Express tour, 4 hours the Walking and Chauffeured tours.

 RECOMMENDED STARTING TIME:
– MORNING TOURS: Anytime between 9AM and 11AM
– AFTERNOON TOURS: Anytime between 1PM and 4PM)
– EXPRESS TOURS: Week days after 3PM

WHERE DO WE MEET? By Hotel Colon in the Gothic Quarter for the Express and Walking tour, unless your accommodation is located within less than 10 minutes walk. Your accommodation within the Barcelona city limits, for the chauffeured tour.

WHERE DO WE END? In the Gothic Quarter, for the Express and Walking tours. Anywhere of your choice within the Barcelona city limits for the Chauffeured tours.

IS THERE A LUNCH STOP? No. You are welcome to book one extra hour to allow for a lunch stop on tour. Note that proper Kosher food is hard to find in Barcelona.

HOW DO WE MOVE AROUND? The Express and the Walking tours are 100% walking tours. In Chauffeured tours we use new air-conditioned Mercedes cars or vans with dedicated private driver.

IS THERE MUCH LEFT TO SEE? These tours are not sightseeing tours. The destruction of the local community in the Middle Ages hasn’t left much to be seen in the medieval Jewish Quarter. There’s nothing in this itinerary that will wow your senses. If you want to see spectacular sites and get some Jewish history background too, we recommend you take one of the sightseeing tours that include a shorter walk around the Jewish History. But if learning is your goal, our Jewish tour won’t disappoint you. You’ll walk around the area where things happened and see the stones come to live to tell you a meaningful story.

ARE YOUR GUIDES JEWISH? No. They are all born and raised in a Catholic society, but most of them don’t practice. They have a strong interest in the Jewish Culture and they are well versed on the local Jewish heritage. They also have experience with orthodox travelers that need to observe religious rules on tour. With our guides you won’t get an edulcorated version of the cruelties the Jews endured during the Middle Ages in our land, but the crude facts expressed in a respectful way. However, if you have a strong desire of hiring a Jewish guide, we can provide a Jewish licensed tour guide from outside our team that matches our quality standards.

DO YOU SPEAK HEBREW? Unfortunately we don’t. But we can provide an Hebrew-speaking licensed guide from outside our team that matches our quality standards. There might be an extra cost for tours in Hebrew that depends on what guide is available for you.

CAN WE VISIT AN ACTIVE SYNAGOGUE? There are 4 active synagogues in Barcelona: 2 orthodox and 2 reform. For safety reasons it is not possible to visit them unannounced: it is necessary to contact them in advance and present documents that back you up. If you have a strong preference for one of them, we recommend to ask your rabbi at home to contact them with a recommendation letter. Otherwise, we can organize a visit with one of the local reform synagogues (that also needs to be arranged ahead of time and identification might be requested).

REVIEWS FROM TRAVELERS LIKE YOU:

Marta with Miguel Yaffa, during a Jewish Barcelona Tour.
Marta, ForeverBarcelona founder, with Miguel Yaffa, leader of the recovery of the Medieval Synagogue
A”H - We'll miss you

“We wanted to focus on the Jewish history in Barcelona and we learned a ton about how Jews leave here before the 1492 expulsion. Miriam took us to the synagogue and Mikhve and lots more. I recommend this tour to anyone who wants to really understand the amazing history of the city.”

Jack D

“Maria was amazing and we had best day ever!
She’s incredibly knowledgeable and gave true accounts of Jewish and Christian history.”

Ron Deutsch (Lawrence, NY, USA)

“We explored the Jewish Barcelona with this company and loved it! Best Barcelona Jewish Tour!”

Dee-Dee Pavlofsky Stein

A JEWISH BARCELONA WALKING TOUR (OR CHAUFFEURED TOUR) TAILORED TO YOUR UNIQUE NEEDS

This tour is designed for people with a strong interest in the local Jewish History, who don’t mind if most sites are gone or are pretty small: learning is their main goal.

If you’d rather get an overview of the medieval Jewish Section but also see some best Barcelona sights, most of our Sightseeing Tours include the Jewish Section, and the tour of the Gothic Quarter allows for a more detailed visit while still seeing other non-Jewish sites.

If you are traveling with children, this tour is probably too academic for them and they are likely to get bored. We strongly suggest booking the tour of the Gothic Quarter instead and ask for a stronger focus on the Jewish heritage.

If you have walking issues or use a wheelchair, please note that the Old Town is fully pedestrian and there aren’t too many opportunities to seat. The area is relatively wheelchair-friendly, though, and the museums are adapted except the medieval synagogue which as half a dozen steps at the entrance.

If you are on a budget or only want a basic tour of the Call (Jewish Section), book the 1.5 Express tour of the Jewish Quarter.

If you want to focus on the medieval Jewish history of Barcelona, book the 4-hr Jewish Quarter Walking Tour.

If you want a mix of medieval and modern history, and budget is not a problem, go for the 4-hr chauffeured tour.

If you want the whole enchilada, book a 4-hour chauffeured tour and add two extra hours to visit the Museum of History of Barcelona as well.

If you have an extra day and would like to go on a Jewish day trip out of town, don’t miss our Girona and Besalú excursion.

PRICING

This is a 100% private Jewish tour, exclusive for you and your party. There is a base rate total per tour (no matter how many people you are), plus a per person rate to cover the entrance fees.

BASE RATE (paid once per tour):

EXPRESS

1.5-HR TOUR
€250
  • Jewish Quarter only
  • Licensed Tour Guide
  • 100% walking tour

WALKING

4-HR TOUR
€350
  • Jewish Quarter + History Museum
  • Licensed Tour Guide
  • 100% walking tour​

CHAUFFEURED

4-HR TOUR
€675
  • Jewish Quarter+ Memorials & Cemetery
  • Licensed Tour Guide
  • Car or van with driver

CHANGE YOUR TOUR DATE UNLIMITED TIMES *
*Notifying us at least one week in advance. Click to learn more >>

PAID ON SITE skipping lines:
– Medieval Synagogue (€5/person)
– Center of Interpretation of the Call (€2.75/person)
– Museum of History of Barcelona (€8.50/person)

* Site ticket costs are given as an orientation only, as they can change without notice. Discounts might apply for students and/or seniors.

More questions?   Inclusions  —  Exclusions  —  FAQ  —  Contact   —  Cancellation Policy

OUR TEAM IS SMALL. WE DO SELL OUT
DON’T LEAVE IT FOR LAST MINUTE

OFTEN BOOKED TOGETHER:

GIRONA FIGUERES TOUR WITH DALI MUSEUM

ALTERNATIVES TO THIS TOUR:

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