Introduction to Barcelona Tour: Gothic Quarter

Discover the city by diving deep into its most historic district on a private or small group tour

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Tour Details
Duration
3 hrs
Product Type
Tour
Venues
  • Barcelona Cathedral
  • El Call (Medieval Jewish Quarter)
  • El Born
  • La Rambla
  • La Boqueria
Photos & Highlights
  • Trace Barcelona’s evolution by visiting famous sites from its Roman, medieval, and modern history
  • A private tour for you and your party, led by an expert specializing in Spanish and Barcelonian history
Select a date
Tour Description
You’ll begin in the very heart of the Gothic Quarter: the beautiful Plaza Nova. Located in front of an old Roman city gate, you’ll start your discovery of Barcelona with a focus on Roman city planning and architecture. Next, you’ll head to the awe-inspiring main Cathedral to admire its exterior and use this late Gothic masterpiece as a backdrop for discussing the medieval evolution of Barcelona. 
 
Your adventure through the enchanting cobblestoned streets will take you into El Call, the Jewish neighborhood established in the Middle Ages. Here you’ll learn about the vacillating periods of relative religious freedom and periods of intolerance that have marked Catalan and Spanish history. 
 
Next, you’ll wander through the El Born area, characterized by narrow medieval streets that nowadays are home to many boutiques and cafes. Continuing past La Boqueria, Barcelona’s main market, you will emerge onto the city’s most famous street, known as Las Ramblas, the perfect setting to discuss the modern development of the city in the 18th and 19th centuries. You will leave this walking tour with a better understanding of all of Barcelona’s many layers, from a Roman outpost to a bustling medieval city, to a modern international metropolis.

This three-hour introductory tour takes you to the heart of Barcelona. Led by a local with expertise in Spanish and Barcelonian history, this Barcelona Gothic Quarter walking tour was designed to introduce the complex and beautiful city to first-time visitors. Our walk through the Barri Gótic, or the Gothic Quarter, is the perfect place to uncover the many layers of Barcelona’s past.
Experts
Alessandro Alessandro
Cultural Historian
Tate Tate
Architectural Historian
Inés Inés
Artist
Cornel Peter Cornel Peter
Historian
Bernat Bernat
Architect
Montse Montse
Local Guide
Robert Robert
Historian
Ariadna Ariadna
Historian
Carla Carla
Licensed tour guide
Santiago Santiago
Art Historian
Elisabet Elisabet
Local Guide
Olga Olga
Art Historian
Mónica Mónica
Architect
Zaida Zaida
Art historian, sommelier
Killian Killian
Archaeologist
Marco Marco
Musician
Maica Maica
Language Teacher
Dan Dan
Historian
Biel Biel
Art Historian
Guille Guille
Historian & Lecturer
Raimon Raimon
Local Guide
Maria Maria
Local Guide
Suzie Suzie
Art Historian
Mark Mark
Art Historian
Olga Olga
Art Historian
Pedro Pedro
Architectural Historian
Philippe Philippe
Local Guide
Vicky Vicky
Local Guide
Josep Josep
Local Guide
Jaume Jaume
Architect
Manfredi Manfredi
Political Scientist
Alex Alex
Historian
Veronica Veronica
Art Historian
Noemí Noemí
Art Historian
  • You want to learn about the history of Barcelona's most historic neighborhood and see sites like Plaza Nova, the old Roman city gate, La Boqueria, Las Ramblas, and more.
  • If you want to explore La Boqueria more deeply, we recommend our Barcelona Food Tour 
  • If you’re traveling with children under the age of 12, we recommend our shorter Gothic Quarter for Kids tour, which is led by experts specially trained in educating children.
Wheelchair accessibility
  • The route may include narrow sidewalks and cobblestoned streets; please contact us to discuss in more detail your mobility concerns so that we can best advise. We are always happy to discuss possible adjustments for visitors with mobility concerns.
For more information about Context Tours, please visit our FAQs.

Do we enter the Boqueria Mercado on this tour?
As an introduction tour, you will not visit the interior of the market on this tour. If you'd like to enter for a more immersive market experience, we recommend the Barcelona Food Tour.

Will this tour enter the Barcelona Cathedral? 
The visit to the Cathedral is exterior only. Entering and visiting interiorly is possible upon request but at the guide's and clients' discretion.

What is the difference between a Small Group and a Private Tour?
Context Travel offers both Private and Small Group Tours. Private tours are booked between your party and a local expert, where you'll be given a private tour of the venue. Small Groups are similar to what you might associate with a typical "walking tour." Capped at a maximum of six per group, you'll be joined by other travelers who have purchased the same tour and tour the venue as a group. 

Both offer the same Context experience — an incredibly unique, deep dive into a place or subject led by a world-class expert in their field, showing you the highlights of iconic venues alongside hidden gems and surprising stories. 
Book with confidence — see Context's flexible cancellation policy here.

Where You'll Start
Map of Introduction to Barcelona Tour: Gothic Quarter general meeting point area
(4.86) 650 Reviews

Reviews can only be left by Context customers after they have completed a tour. For more information about our reviews, please see our FAQ.

Excellent tour overall. Biel is passionate about his subject matter, extremely engaging , and does a tremendous job of making connections that gave us a better understanding of Barcelona.
Excellent tour. Very informative and educational. Bernat is terrific. Professional. Well versed in so many aspects of Barcelona. Architecture of course, his profession, but also his knowledge of history, politics and culture seemed endless. Not just local knowledge, but Spain, and Europe from Roman times to the present day. His presentation is well paced, keeping you moving through a relatively small geographic area that is just teeming with layers of fascinating history. But of course, he managed entertain all questions we travelers had. Difficult to imagine anyone doing it as well as Bernat does it. A very pleasant visit with Bernat! We did not want the morning to end.
Jaume was fantastic. He found the perfect balance in providing historical context to sites, as well as telling us relevant details even up to the present-day. Additionally, Jaume was able to add in some Jewish history just as we had requested, and helped us plan the rest of our trip in Barcelona with super helpful advice!