Do you want to visit the Sagrada Familia church but also have some tapas? Do you like mixing up sightseeing with some great food? Fancy some tapas and some Gaudi sites?
There’s so much about the Sagrada Familia church, and so much that can be missed if you go on your own without anyone to explain. And same with tapas: ordering on your own is often tricky when you don’t know what you are going to like or not. And if you are as a control freak or a perfectionist as I am, how much time does it take to have everything perfectly planned and fail-proof? Really a lot!
We designed this tour for a client that wanted to surprise her friends once, and we had so much fun with it she suggested we should add it to our tour portfolio and call it “Saints & Sins”, because of the church and the gluttony sin. And while we have change the tour name to something easier to recognize since then, this is still a favorite! A skip-the-line private tour of the Sagrada Familia church, followed by a short tapas tour.
Final itinerary and timings might vary due to many factors (Sagrada Familia tickets availability, your location and pace, your food favorites…)
Meet your guide at your location at head to the Sagrada Familia church (or even better: meet directly there). Get inside skipping lines and enjoy a private tour where you’ll learn everything about this fabulous building still under construction since 1882 and what Gaudi envisioned for it. Your guide will point out at some many details that you’d be missing if you were on your own, and you’ll leave wanting to come back every few years to check its progression. Promised!
A quick taxi ride will take you to the Born district where your tapas tour will take place. Or if you have already taken another Tapas tour with us, we can take you to the Passeig de Gràcia area on request, instead.
Your guide will take you to 2 to 3 tapas bars depending on your timing and how long you wish to stay at each place. After hearing the guide’s recommendations at each place you’ll be able to order only what you think you’ll enjoy the most: no boring set menus, a custom tapas tour for you only! Your tour can finish at a great desert place in the area (or with more wine and tapas, if you prefer!).
Your guide can put you on a taxi or give you directions to take the subway or walk back to your hotel, or give you ideas to continue eating and drinking on your own.
This tour works great for someone looking for a fun afternoon that mixes up some sightseeing with some great food.
If you are traveling with kids, this tour is kid friendly. Yes, we can find tapas that even picky eaters will enjoy. And if ending at 9.30PM sounds too late, you can also book this tour as a lunchtime tour.
If you have walking issues or use a wheelchair, the Sagrada Familia church is accessible EXCEPT FOR THE TOWERS (which are anyway optional), and most tapas bars are (although they might be narrow and maybe have one step at the entrance: we’ll do our best to serve you). The walk between bars varies from next door to a bit more than 5 minutes.
If you or someone in your party have special dietary needs, see below.
Our tours only include the towers upon request. You need to know that:
It is not possible anymore to just climb the stairs: the way up is now only possible by elevator. However, the number of tickets available is restricted to just a few every hour, for an extra fee.
If there is availability, you are given a specific time to get in the line for the elevator (either the one in the Passion façade or the one in the Nativity façade, but not both), and after a 5 to 20 minute wait you finally get in the elevator that takes you to almost the top of the towers. From there you must walk down: it is not permitted to use the elevator to go down anymore. The whole process takes almost one hour, so unless you are OK shortening the rest of the tour itinerary, you should book one extra hour to be able to do the towers.
Do we recommend the towers, though? Only for the adventure of climbing spiral stairs, but not for the views as you’ll get better views from many other city sites. After all, those towers were designed to be bell towers, not vantage points. Also, the way down is narrow and occasionally claustrophobic, and it is definitely not for people scared of heights.
THE TOWERS ARE NOT ACCESSIBLE FOR WHEELCHAIRS, AND NOT SUITABLE FOR PEOPLE WITH HEART OR LUNG CONDITIONS, CLAUSTROPHOBIA OR FEAR OF HEIGHTS. CHILDREN UNDER 6 YEARS OF AGE ARE NOT ALLOWED INTO THE TOWERS.
DURATION: 4 hours
WALKING & TAXI TOUR:
Taxi rides, if any, not included.
Not included
Expect to pay as little as a couple of euros for a “pintxo” to €15 for a platter or the best Spanish ham.
You’ll have control on how much you want to order.
Not included
CHARGED UPON BOOKING:
* Fees given as an orientation only. Sites might decide to change them without notice. Discounts might apply for students and/or seniors.
We can only secure a guide for you after full payment has been received. Don’t wait until last-minute: we often book out in high season, and Park Guell & Sagrada Familia tickets sell out, too.
This tour is: | |
|---|---|
| AVAILABLE | Monday through Sunday |
| WEAKEST DAYS | Monday and Sunday: most bars chose one or the other for their day off. August: many bars are closed for holidays: the tour can still be run, but the bar variety won’t be as exciting… |
Recommended starting times: | |
|---|---|
| Lunchtime Tours: | Noon (all year around) |
| Afternoon Tours: | March thru October: 5:30 PM November thru February: 4:30 PM (as Sagrada Familia closes at 6PM in the winter). |
We were a group of 4, two younger people and two older people. The tour of Sagrada Familia was private, about 90 minutes right at noon, and I felt we had the best experience of anyone possible. Right group size, explanations of all key features/windows/sculpture/history, and then a quick taxi to the El Born district where we leisurely sought out a couple of lovely Tapas places. Finished with a stop at a very nice dessert cafe/bar. I have nothing but lovely things to say - perhaps the best way to see the most visited monument in all of Spain.
We had a great time with our tour guide Marga on the Sagrada Familia / Tapas tour. Marga is very knowledgeable, also has a great sense of humour. Her tapas restaurant picks were spot on - they'll definitely be on our go-to list next time we visit Barcelona.
Javier our guide and his insight on Gaudi and our Sagrada Familia tour was just magical. then he took us on a tapas tasting in an area where locals go so we felt like we were not tourists. We experienced foods we would not otherwise have experienced on our own.
We booked a private Sagrada Familia & Tapas tour with Marta which involved an in depth tour of the incredible Sagrada Familia and an introduction to the Barcelona Tapas scene. Both elements of the tour were hugely enjoyable and the balance spot on.
My wife and I recently visited Barcelona for 4 glorious days. One of the highlights was our combined Gaudi/Tapas tour with Sandra who is a terrific guide.
5 of us had this tour and it was outstanding. Marta is passionate about Barcelona history and culture and tailored our tour to exactly what we asked for... some history and good food. She shared with us a few of her favorite tapas bars and the best Sangria in Barcelona (She knows the "secret" ingredient!). Without a doubt the highlight of our two days there.
Marga, Gaudi & tapas - 3 winners in Barcelona. Thank you Marga - for being you - and for spending 4 quality hours with us. We will book you again in 10 years - when the Gaudi church is finished.
