Explore the mind-blowing architectural masterpieces of Antoni Gaudi; savor the famous Spanish food and wines during a lively tapas crawl; and feel the passion of flamenco! 

This four-night, five-day tour allows you to experience the true richness of  intoxicating Barcelona - famous for its stunning architecture, lively nightlife, world-class cuisine, and  vibrant cultural heritage.

In three days of perfectly planned tours, you will really get to know Barcelona. We'll visit the city's most famous attractions: La Segrada Familia, Casa Batlló, La Pedrera, El Palau de la Musica, Parc Güell, Casa Amatller and the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site. And we'll visit the nearby mountaintop Monserrat Monastery, and the beautiful beach town Sitges, the Saint Tropez of Spain.

Barcelona in the spring is perfect for a visit! High season begins In April, when the weather is delightfully warm and sunny. Daytime temperatures average 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and it seldom rains. 

The mild climate explains why people in Barcelona spend so much time outside; eating al fresco at open-air bars and restaurants, walking or cycling in the surrounding hillsides, relaxing with friends on the beach. 

This moderately-paced, escorted tour includes a reasonable amount of walking and requires an average level of physical fitness. 

The best things you can bring with you are flexibility, patience, and a sense of humor!

This 5-day, 4-night adventure is priced $1,749 per person double occupancy (not including airfare to and from Spain). There is a single supplement ($375) for those who want a single room to themselves. 

Your space will be secured when we receive a deposit of $250. 

Upon receipt, your deposit will be nonrefundable.

We have a payment plan which allows the entire cost of the trip to be paid in 12 equal installments of about $125. (You are welcome to make larger payments at less frequent intervals if you choose.)

In the event that you need to cancel your trip, these fees will be applied:

• Between 150-101 days before your arrival date, $375.

• Between 100-61 days before your arrival date, 25% of the entire tour price.

• Between 60 and 46 days before your arrival date, 50% of the entire tour price.

• Between 45 and 31 days before your arrival date, 75% of the entire tour price.

• Between 30 and 1 days before your arrival date, 100% of the entire tour price.

Please plan to fly into and out of Barcelona Airport–El Prat (BCN) in Barcelona, Spain. 

Please ASK US if you have any questions before you purchase your airfare!

You need to be in Barcelona on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, which means you will need to depart the USA on Monday, April 17, 2023. 

Plan to depart from Barcelona in the morning on Saturday, April 22, 2023. 

NOTE: We have a tour to Sicily planned shortly after this tour ends (Apr 27 - May 8, 2023). Some guests may choose to book both trips and stay in Europe for the duration. Please let us know if you are interested in this option.

U.S. citizens may enter Spain for up to 90 days for tourism without a visa. 

Your passport should be valid for at least three months (six months preferred) beyond the period of stay. 

PLEASE NOTE: We request that all our guests be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. If this is a problem for you, please let us know.

No vaccines are required to enter Spain.

All travelers should be up to date on routine vaccinations while traveling to any destination, including  varicella (chickenpox), diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis,  flu, measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), polio, and shingles.

Hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for all unvaccinated travelers to Spain.

As in many major cities, pickpocketing incidents are sadly common in Barcelona.

Use common sense and the same personal security measures you would normally use in a large U.S. city or tourist destination. Exercise the same caution as you would in any unfamiliar area or with unfamiliar people.

Antoni Gaudí was Barcelona's most famous architect. He created two spectacular residences for clients in the city - Casa Batlló and Casa Mila - that are open to the public for visits. 

As part of the tour, we will view the exteriors of these two magnificent buildings. This optional tour enables you to visit the interiors of these most important Gaudi houses.

Casa Batlló

Visit the UNESCO-recognised Casa Batlló, one of Barcelona’s most eye-catching edifices. Now a museum, it ihas delights for you to discover in every nook and cranny. Take in the Noble Floor, where the Batlló family once lived; visit the loft, which acted as the family’s vast store cupboard and laundry room, and step out onto the roof terrace to see Gaudi’s mythical-looking chimneys and the famous ‘Dragon’s Back’ depicting the fabled dragon that was slain by St George. 

Casa Mila

Casa Mila (La Pedrera) is regarded as Antoni Gaudi's most iconic work of civic architecture due its constructional and functional innovations, as well as its ornamental and decorative solutions, which broke with the architectural styles of his day. After many years of neglect, Casa Mila was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, was restored and opened to the public in 1996. Casa Mila was Gaudi's last project before he embarked on working on Sagrada Familia. It took him six years to complete this building.

Tuck into tasty tapas and traditional wines on this gastronomic tour of Barcelona on the first evening of the tour. Get the inside scoop on Barcelona’s renowned foodie scene from a local guide and stop along the way to dine at the city’s best tapas bars. At each restaurant, sample an array of delicious Catalan cuisine, taste local specialties like Iberian ham, ‘’ or ‘pan con tomate’ (spicy potatoes, bread, and tomato), and choose from a selection of fine regional wines. 

This is a great way to dive into the Catalonian culture and enjoy authentic cuisine of the area. 

Vegetarian option is available.

Bucket List Travel recommends travel insurance for all of our guests. Travel insurance provides financial protection for unexpected events that affect a trip, such as a cancellation, illness, or an injury that occurs during the trip, and may include coverage for trip expenses, medical emergencies, travel delays, and luggage.

We have partnered with a company called Travel Insurance Master, which works with 11 of the country’s best travel insurance providers to find the best plan and value for you so you don’t have to figure it out yourself. 

They take into account your age, trip cost, and the features you want, and present you with what they think is your best option, as well as several alternatives. You only pay the premium amount; there is no additional cost to you.

Take a look at Travel Insurance Master, and rest assured they’ll find you the best trip insurance for your needs.  https://travelinsurancemaster.com/a?5cc9488b-808d-4077-a31f-c22a7c47abd2 

As in all travel, we may find some of the destinations, restaurants or hotels we expect to visit on this tour may not be available. If this happens, we will substitute an alternative location this is equal to or better than what was originally planned.

No refunds will be given for any portion of the tour that you  do not attend.

Our guide will be Cristina Sanjuan, general manager of LiveBarcelona, and one of the owners of the company.  She is a Local Official Guide of Barcelona.

She is recommended by Rick Steves’ in his tour books of Barcelona and Spain, and leads his private tours.

LiveBarcelona opened in 1997 and managed by a professional staff working in the travel industry for more than 16 years. 

Upon arrival at Barcelona Airport, you will be met by a Bucket List Travel representative and transferred to your hotel, the incomparable El Avenida Palace.

https://youtu.be/vc91v2_-hTw  

Our city tour begins at 9 a.m. in the neighborhood where we are staying - the Quadrat d'Or (Quadrant of Gold). Barcelona's main avenue, the Passeig de Gràcia, runs through the Quadrant. Here the exceptional avant-garde buildings were inspired by the work of genius architect Antoni Gaudí and constructed in the late 19th century. We’ll see the exteriors of Gaudi’s most famous homes, Casa Batlló or Casa Milà (La Pedrera). A veritable open-air museum, it offers delightful surprises at every turn - ceramic art, stained-glass windows, wrought ironwork, decorative reliefs, mosaic, and statues. 

We’ll have a walking tour of Park Güell, an almost make-believe landscape: home to Barcelona’s famous mosaic lizard—plus spiral towers that look like fairground slides. The city’s grandest park was a collaboration between Antoni Gaudí and entrepreneur Eusebi Güell (hence the park’s name).

It’s practically illegal to go to Barcelona and not visit La Sagrada Família, Gaudí’s extraordinary church, so we won't make you wait any longer! You'll be struck by the lavish exterior of this masterpiece, commissioned in 1883. Then we'll go inside to admire the awe-inspiring sacred space and its dazzling artworks. The ceiling sparkles with opulent decorative details, and colorful stained-glass windows allow ethereal light to flow in and color the walls. The overall effect is jaw-dropping. One of Europe's most unconventional churches, this amazing monument is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We’ll enjoy a lunch of delectable authentic Spanish foods at a nearby local restaurant.

After lunch, we’ll have a guided walking tour around the Sant Pau Hospital Art Nouveau Site. Built by legendary Modernist architect Lluís Domènech I Montaner, it was designed with extravagant domes, stained glass windows, and epic pillars to be a building that people enjoyed recuperating in. 

We’ll continue our city highlights tour with a panoramic tour along the waterfront. Here the old fishing village of La Barceloneta borders the long, wide Sant Sebastià Beach, where locals go to sunbathe, surf, and socialize in the many seafood restaurants and tapas venues that overlook the sea.

Last stop of the day will be at Montjuïc Hill to see the panoramic view of the city. A scenic wooded hill in the southwest of Barcelona, it was the site for the Castell de Montjuic fortification, first built in 1640. In the 1920s the hill was the site of developments for the International Fair 1929. 

We’ll return to our hotel, and you may choose to have the evening at leisure, or join us in an optional Tapas and Wine crawl.

This morning, our tour begins at 9 a.m., with a walking historical tour along Las Ramblas.

Las Ramblas, a wide tree-shaded avenue that divides the Old Town into two parts,  is the heart of Barcelona's social life. It stretches two-thirds of a mile from the Plaça de Catalunya, where the beautiful Romanesque 12th-century Convent of Santa Anna stands, all the way down to the port. 

This street features expansive pedestrian sidewalks, lined with shops, restaurants, and outdoor cafés, making it one of the most popular hangouts in the city. During the day, many locals are found here doing their everyday shopping at the amazing market, Mercat de la Boqueria. We'll stop along the way to taste some  delicious chocolate with churros. This walk way is crowded 24 hours a day seven days a week.

The Gothic Quarter has been the spiritual and secular center of the city for 2,000 years. Relics of ancient Roman buildings are still found here, and the Middle Ages are represented by the historic monuments packed into this quarter. 

Built between the 13th and 15th centuries, the Catedral de la Santa Cruz y Santa Eulalia is the heart of the Gothic Quarter. This medieval cathedral is a masterpiece of Catalan Gothic architecture with an ornately sculpted facade. The sanctuary contains magnificent works of art, including the Altarpiece of the Transfiguration by Bernat Martorell, a remarkable gilded, jewel-encrusted monstrance, and an exquisite Gothic choir and keystones that date to the 14th and 15th centuries.

After a tapas lunch in a local tavern., you will have the afternoon at leisure.

This evening, we'll attend a Flamenco Show with buffet dinner at the magnificent Palau de la Musica Catalana.. The auditorium is a kaleidoscope of roses, chandeliers, and stained glass. 

OPTIONAL AFTERNOON TOUR

During your free afternoon, you might choose an optional tour to see the interiors of the two most famous houses designed by Antoni Gaudi - Casa Batlló, and Casa Mila (La Pedrera). 

Casa Batlló has been likened to Claude Monet’s Water Lilies: Covered in shards of stained glass, it sometimes appears blue, then green, then shimmering like the glassy layer of a lake. Textile industrialist Josep Batlló commissioned Gaudí to design this home which has no straight lines, stone pillars that contort like animal bones, and a tall, ocean-blue stairwell that’s very Jules Verne. 

Casa Mila is Gaudí's most famous secular building. Affectionately known as "La Pedrera," ("The Stone Quarry") this flamboyant avant-garde dwelling was built between 1906 and 1912. It looks  like a sculpture. Every line of the natural stone facade is curved, with rounded windows and metal balcony railings twining around in plant-like shapes. Even the roof has an undulating form, complemented by the decorative chimneys.

We'll leave our hotel at 9 am for Montserrat, a huge rock formation 30 miles north of Barcelona, on which a Benedictine Montserrat monastery was built in the 11th century. We'll take a cable car up the the monastery, where according to legend, a group of shepherds found a statue of the Virgin Mary in the holy cave around 880. You can visit the stately basilica with the statue of the 'Black Madonna'', which is beloved by pilgrims. Montserrat is also home to one of the oldest boy choirs in Europe (14th century) made up of 30 boys who live in the monastery, and you can see them perform there.

We'll stop for lunch, wine tasting and vineyard tour in a lovely small family winery called Ca N’Estella. 

After lunch, we'll drive to the coastal town of Sitges, referred to as the Saint-Tropez of Spain! Located about 20 miles southwest of Barcelona, Sitges is known for its Mediterranean beaches and seafront promenade lined with grand mansions. Sitges and its collection of charming whitewashed buildings make for a picturesque getaway. We'll have free time in the delightful seaside city, and then return to the city for a festive farewell dinner.

Transfer from the hotel to the airport. 

Say goodbye to magical Barcelona.