Tour Barcelona
Tour Barcelona
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Welcome to the home of Messi, Gaudi and Las Ramblas! Now it is your time to explore, adventure and Tour Barcelona! Everything you could ever want from your visit here. Free Walking Tours, Kayaking trips, Paella Making courses to name but a few. For anyone looking for a good time in Barcelona, with Tour Barcelona we will make it happen. Join us for memories you will never forget... but maybe won't always want to tell!
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5.0
2,053 reviews
Excellent
1,811
Very good
190
Average
21
Poor
9
Terrible
22
kspace
Singapore, Singapore848 contributions
Jun 2013 • Family
Matthias was our guide, and at the start he listed some things that we would do in the next 2-3 hours, like climbing a mountain, seeing a unicorn and 3 dragons, having a dance session, seeing Miro, Dali and Picasso's works, going back in time etc... not to spoil the fun, but everything he promised was delivered, in a quirky sort of way.
It was very informative and gave us some insight into the Barcelona and Catalan history, although some bits were embellished with his own opinions. The 'free' walking tour basically covered the old Gothic quarter, and also emphasised how Barcelona's development was tied in to the 1929 World International Expo and 1992 Olympics.
The tour meets at Travel Bar and ends at another Travel Bar. The discounted drinks at the end were great, and we had our lunch there as well with a giant plate of mixed tapas.
Have done similar walking tours before in other cities in Europe, and TravelBound and Matthias continue to leave a good impression. Suitable for any budget 'cos you tip whatever you felt it was worth. Even if you have only 1 day in Barcelona, you should do this for the most time-efficient and cost-effective way to see the old city.
It was very informative and gave us some insight into the Barcelona and Catalan history, although some bits were embellished with his own opinions. The 'free' walking tour basically covered the old Gothic quarter, and also emphasised how Barcelona's development was tied in to the 1929 World International Expo and 1992 Olympics.
The tour meets at Travel Bar and ends at another Travel Bar. The discounted drinks at the end were great, and we had our lunch there as well with a giant plate of mixed tapas.
Have done similar walking tours before in other cities in Europe, and TravelBound and Matthias continue to leave a good impression. Suitable for any budget 'cos you tip whatever you felt it was worth. Even if you have only 1 day in Barcelona, you should do this for the most time-efficient and cost-effective way to see the old city.
Written 19 June 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cathryn S
Newcastle, Australia12 contributions
Apr 2013 • Couples
We joined Iosef's walking tour at the Travel Bar...brilliant!!. We didn't care that it was drizzling rain. Iosef has great charisma which contributed to a wonderful insight into the history of Barcelona plus he gave us some extra little tourist tips. This tour was a highlight of our holiday in Spain. Definitely a "must do".
Written 31 May 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kman773
New London, CT106 contributions
Nov 2011 • Solo
You have to love this tour. Great guides around thru the old city. See a bit of things that are not on the "tourist" list. Guides are very friendly and informal in a good way. Meeting point is easily located . Cant go wrong with these guys, make tours fun rather than boring
Written 22 February 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Inspiration793730
2 contributions
Jan 2020 • Solo
I booked the 1pm free walking tour on weekend in Barcelona. I got a confirmation email AND a reminder email and yet when I turned up to the meeting location the bar was closed and no guide in sight. I had arrived early as advised in the email so hung around (in a dodgy alley mind you) for 20mins and still no guide appeared. I understand cancelling a free tour if not enough people sign on but I got no communication other than a reminder email to be there. A bit disappointing as I had essentially structured my day around this tour and only had 1 day to see Barcelona. 0 stars if I could. Cancel if you must but at least notify those who did sign up.
Written 12 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lydia c
1 contribution
Jul 2023 • Friends
Absolutely shocking communication. I requested to book a treasure hunt for July back in May and was given no form of confirmation and no way to pay. I followed up twice with the company asking whether my booking was confirmed and if there was a link to pay and I was ignored every time. I have now cancelled my booking. Would not recommend and will not book anything with them again.
Written 20 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LizandG
Leeds, UK2 contributions
Mar 2022
I booked a tour with this company on 15th January for a visit in March. The airline cancelled my flight on the 27th of January and I've been trying since then to get a refund. DO NOT BOOK IN ADVANCE, if anything goes wrong, you will not get your money back.
Written 2 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gerar GarcÃa DÃaz
Lisbon, Portugal33 contributions
Jun 2014 • Friends
I did this tour in my last visit to BCN in English -even though I'm Spanish- because two foreign friends (from Turkey and Macedonia) were in town.
The guide of this tour around the old town, Colin, was engaging and pleasant, making the tour interesting and funny. He had even a folder with pictures to improve his explanations with fun facts, and his English was perfect.
But at some point I started to feel like I was the only one in the tour feeling a bit awkward with the way Colin was explaining things, since I was maybe the only one that knew something about the History of Spain, provided my condition of Spanish citizen.
The History I knew was modified ad-hoc in this tour, telling the foreigners a view kind of close to the catalonian independentistic vision: Modifying the History of the Kingdom of Aragon (renamed as Aragonese-Catalonian Kingdom this time), changing the origin of the Catalonian flag (with a fairy tale about a brave Catalonian man, dragons, gold and blood instead of telling that it is actually Old Aragon's Crown flag) and even the Reconquest of Spain, that according to Colin started on the Hispanic March by some Catalan King (Can't remember the name) and not by King Pelayo in the mountains surrounding Covadonga, nowadays part of the Principality of Asturias (where I live), on 722.
Then we passed to things like "Barça is kind of the national team", "Catalonia has it own President, Parliament, national day and flag" (exactly as the rest of the 16 regions of Spain) or "the gold from America arrived to Sevilla and never to Barcelona" (I guess because it is pointless to surround all Spain until Barcelona when you can dock directly in the south-west, but for him was another reason why Castille hated Catalonia), in a way that mean to me "Spain is bad, they never let us be".
Indeed, King Felipe V were such an as***le (as previous and subsequent governors until nowadays), centralized the Kingdom of Spain dissolving Aragon's Crown and banned Catalan and Aragonese (as also rest of Spain's internal languages). But is it needed to tell it like "Spain conquered and tortured us" instead of "this is the History of this region" to a group of tourists that just want to discover the beauties of such an awesome city?
In conclusion, the tour was interesting and we visited the main and most interesting places of the town, and Colin was engaging and nice guide - but he focused a lot the explanations into the "Catalonia is not Spain" and political stuff, something that I feel is not correct to tell on a tour to foreigners.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: No need to say that I am completely in favour of the capability of people to decide about their future and that I am in favour of the Catalonian Referendum, but I am completely against using tours to modify people's vision about things and turn tourism into political manipulation.
Colin should have told us things about Barcelona (city visited) and Catalonia (because Barcelona is the capital of this region), customs, traditions, typical stuff (as you can find anywhere), fun facts about the places we visited, an obviously things about the independentistic movement... but not about the city and the region based exclusively on the independentistic feelings of some part of Catalonian society as if they were the only true thing.
BTW, the quotes I'm writing on this review may not be exactly what Colin said, but similar ones (memory is weak, you all know). My apologies to him and the readers If I wrote something he didn't say that in the way I recalled it.
The guide of this tour around the old town, Colin, was engaging and pleasant, making the tour interesting and funny. He had even a folder with pictures to improve his explanations with fun facts, and his English was perfect.
But at some point I started to feel like I was the only one in the tour feeling a bit awkward with the way Colin was explaining things, since I was maybe the only one that knew something about the History of Spain, provided my condition of Spanish citizen.
The History I knew was modified ad-hoc in this tour, telling the foreigners a view kind of close to the catalonian independentistic vision: Modifying the History of the Kingdom of Aragon (renamed as Aragonese-Catalonian Kingdom this time), changing the origin of the Catalonian flag (with a fairy tale about a brave Catalonian man, dragons, gold and blood instead of telling that it is actually Old Aragon's Crown flag) and even the Reconquest of Spain, that according to Colin started on the Hispanic March by some Catalan King (Can't remember the name) and not by King Pelayo in the mountains surrounding Covadonga, nowadays part of the Principality of Asturias (where I live), on 722.
Then we passed to things like "Barça is kind of the national team", "Catalonia has it own President, Parliament, national day and flag" (exactly as the rest of the 16 regions of Spain) or "the gold from America arrived to Sevilla and never to Barcelona" (I guess because it is pointless to surround all Spain until Barcelona when you can dock directly in the south-west, but for him was another reason why Castille hated Catalonia), in a way that mean to me "Spain is bad, they never let us be".
Indeed, King Felipe V were such an as***le (as previous and subsequent governors until nowadays), centralized the Kingdom of Spain dissolving Aragon's Crown and banned Catalan and Aragonese (as also rest of Spain's internal languages). But is it needed to tell it like "Spain conquered and tortured us" instead of "this is the History of this region" to a group of tourists that just want to discover the beauties of such an awesome city?
In conclusion, the tour was interesting and we visited the main and most interesting places of the town, and Colin was engaging and nice guide - but he focused a lot the explanations into the "Catalonia is not Spain" and political stuff, something that I feel is not correct to tell on a tour to foreigners.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: No need to say that I am completely in favour of the capability of people to decide about their future and that I am in favour of the Catalonian Referendum, but I am completely against using tours to modify people's vision about things and turn tourism into political manipulation.
Colin should have told us things about Barcelona (city visited) and Catalonia (because Barcelona is the capital of this region), customs, traditions, typical stuff (as you can find anywhere), fun facts about the places we visited, an obviously things about the independentistic movement... but not about the city and the region based exclusively on the independentistic feelings of some part of Catalonian society as if they were the only true thing.
BTW, the quotes I'm writing on this review may not be exactly what Colin said, but similar ones (memory is weak, you all know). My apologies to him and the readers If I wrote something he didn't say that in the way I recalled it.
Written 26 June 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Geraldo,
I am very sorry you felt my tour touched on Catalan politics too much, I have worked as a tour guide in a number of cities and always tried to ensure that I present the culture and history of the city's people in as nuetral and balenced a way as possible.
At the present time in Barcelona there are independence flags hanging from many windows and, as we both know, it is possible that there will be an independence referendum in November this year.
On almost every tour one of my guests brings up the subject and asks what the flags are. I always try to answer the questions of my guests as thoroughly as possible while remaining impartial. For the record I am neither in favour of nor against Catalan independence. I have given tours in Madrid, understand both 'sides' of the story, and think that the issue is way to complicated for a simple yes or no answer.
I studied history at university and have never stopped studying, reading and learning ever since. I pride myself on giving an accurate, factual history on every tour. It is however impossible to go into too much depth in the 2.5 hours which the tour lasts and so as guides we have to provide a summary.
I think a tour of Barcelona should explain that Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia. I therefore think my guests will want to know what Catalonia is and when it started.
As you know most of Spain was conquered by the Umayyads in the 8th century. Barcelona was reconquered by christians from France in 801 and named the Spanish March. This is where Catalonia's history really begins. I wish I had time to explain these events in more detail on the tour but unfortunately not everyone is as interested in history as you and me.
On my tours I say that "most of Spain was conquered by the Moors and that Barcelona was one of the first areas reconquered". As you rightly point out, the christian reconquista is widely accepted to have started with the battle of Covadonga in 722. The reconquista ended in 1492, meaning that it lasted for 770 years in total. As 801 is only 79 years after 722 I think it is fair to say that Barcelona was 'one of' the first places reconquered from the Moors.
I apologise if I was not clear enough about this and I would really love to tell my guests the entire history of the reconquista but I find that there is just not enough time to do that on the tour.
I also get a lot of questions on the tours about Barça and I always try to answer these as accurately as possible. Camp Nou is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the city and many people ask me why the chairs in the stadium spell out 'més que un club'. The answer to this is that Barça holds a political and patriotic appeal for many of the club's fans.
I remember very clearly standing outside the Catalan government building and explaining what it was. When explaining this people generally ask why Catalonia has it's own government and what kind of government it has. You were right to point out to the group that every part of Spain has it's own local government and I agreed with you at the time in front of the group.
I'm sorry if it seemed that I was trying to make Catalonia sound special, but I don't think I can do a tour which mentions the independence flags everywhere without explaining that the region does have it's own local government but is also part of the Spanish political system.
I don't think that Castile hates or hated Catalonia, but it is true that the the discovery of the new world was a more Castilian project than a Catalan or Aragonese one. Again I'm very sorry if the way I summarised this caused offence but I do not think that what I said was inaccurate.
As you know September 11th is the national day of Catalonia and it commemorates the day in 1714 when Felipe V defeated the revolt and subsequently centralised Spain. As a historian I undersand that what he was trying to do was exactly the same as his grand father, Louis XIV, did in France. I never suggested that Felipe V was an as***le, but I do get a lot of guests asking me what the Fossar de les Moreres monument is. It's impossible to answer that without mentioning the siege of 1714 and what happened after it.
I really enjoyed taking you, your Catalan friend and your 2 non-spanish friends on the tour and speaking about the issues going on in this amazing country. I wish you would have had time to sit with me after the tour and express your feelings because I think you would have understood that I have no agenda with the tours and am not trying to influence anyones opinion of Catalonia or Spain.
I really appreciate all of your positive comments about my tour, I try my hardest every day to deliver entertaining, fun, informative, helpful and historically accurate tours.
The issues we are dealing with here in Barcelona in this 300th centenary year are very complicated and I am really grateful for you raising your concerns. I will try to ensure that in the future I make it clear that I am not in favour of nor against Catalan independence.
As a group of guides we pride ourselves on our positive reviews on Trip Advisor and it makes a huge difference to the number of guests we get on our tours.
I would really appreciate it if you would consider changing your review rating because it seems that overall you thought the tour was good but you felt I should have made more of an effort to show that I am impartial. I will definitely be clearer about that in the future.
As you have an erasmus friend living in Barcelona I assume you will be visiting the city again. I always really enjoy meeting Spanish people on the tours, particularly people who, like me, have lived abroad. If you are ever back in town I would genuinely really love to buy you a drink and hear more of your opinions on Spain, Catalonia and Europe. I work most days and you know where the tours start and end.
Apologies again for any misunderstanding or offence my tour caused.
Best Regards
Colin
Written 28 June 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Chelsea
Sri Lanka201 contributions
Aug 2014 • Solo
The tour was supposed to be about street art and culture, but after three hours of constant walking and be tour guide going on and on and on about his political beliefs, quizzing us and then snidely scoffing at us when our answers were too mainstream, and abruptly stopping in mid step for dramatic emphasis of his points, causing us to crash into one ankh her... We saw ten examples of street art!!! Seriously??? It's not even that I was so against some of his beliefs, but the way in which he went on in such a condescending tone alienated each and every one of the people on the tour. By the end we were asking each through annoyed giggles if this diatribe would ever end. Absolute waste of one of my only afternoons in Barcelona.
Written 1 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
elodTlv
Tel Aviv, Israel152 contributions
A lot of talks, less sights. But at least the talks were mostly interesting. Thanks to the tour I did discover hiddens corners I wouldn't have found otherwise (unless of course I used a guide book...).
Written 24 February 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Josefine W
1 contribution
Jul 2017
We had booked the tour about 2-3 weeks ago for the one at 1 pm today. We were there at travel bar 20 minutes prior to when the tour was scheduled to start. Little before 1 pm, no tour guide or any other had showed up. We split up our group to wait at both entrances to travel bar to not being able to miss the guide. However no guide was to be found and we waited until 1:15 pm until we gave up. I'm sure the tour is great if you get to go, but we are disappointed nonetheless.
Written 17 July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
How can I book 4 people onto this tour on Saturday 1st April 2017 ?
Written 27 March 2017
I realize that you pay what you feel the tour is worth. For a 21/2 basic walking tour what is appropriate?
Written 21 March 2017
I read once where a 10 euro tip was appropriate per person for a 2 hour approx walking tour. It seems to have been well received. Sometimes there are quite a few in the group so would be good if they all gave 10 but some give nothing I've noticed.
Written 23 March 2017
Traveling with children ages 11and13. They are a bit resistant to a walking tour and wondered if it would be appealing to them? Both smart girls... just at that age where everything is "boring." :)
Written 17 March 2017
Take them! They like to act like everything is boring, but I think they will get quite a bit out of the tour. Our guide was a former actor and added several theatrical touches. History came to life.
Written 17 March 2017
we are four people travelling to spain in november this year. what are temperatures like? could you also pl let me know the daylight hours? how do we book your tours? through your website? do you have similar tours in madrid?
Written 13 September 2016
Hi Alpanna,
Google says the weather in Barcelona cools down quite a bit especially towards the end of November, the temperature during the day should be around 15 ~ 19 (celsius) depending on which time of the month you go. High levels of rainfall should also be expected. I've only been in the summer but Barcelona tends to be really humid so that might make the weather feel even colder! Daylight hours are around 9 & 1/2 hours which means there is still plenty of time during the day to go sightseeing :)
In terms of the free walking tours in Barcelona, from what i know, you don't have to make any prior bookings! my friend and i just showed up at the meeting point on the day and chose which tours we wanted to go on (i.e. the gaudy tour/ graffiti tour/ gothic tour). If you're staying at a hostel the people giving the tours may drop by in the mornings to come pick you guys up and walk you guys to the meeting point. I can't really tell you much about Madrid because I've never been. But Barcelona is amazing and you'll definetly have heaps of fun! :)
Written 15 September 2016
Hi Kat - we will be visiting Barcelona in November this year. can you please send me phone numbers or mobile numbers of these tours?
Written 13 September 2016
Search free walking tours in trip advisor for that particular city. When that page comes up click on the site you want to tour. From there it will give you the time and meet location! Have fun!
Written 21 September 2016
Do all the tour guides offer the cooking class. If not can I get some info on this thank you
Written 26 August 2016
Go into their site. Type in Google :
Travel bound cooking class Barcelona.
You'll have the information.
Written 27 August 2016
Hi - thanks for your review - trying to find the website that has list of ALL these free walking tours in Barcelona - we'd like to do a few but can't find one place that lists all. If we have three days in Barcelona - which ones would you do and in what order? We will be staying in the Born district. It's our first time in Barcelona
Written 22 August 2016
Hello - if you Google "free walking tours Barcelona" you will see a large variety of organisations that do this. Personally I think the Gothic Quarter tour and Gaudi Tour would probably be enough. The rest do yourself, it's the best city to just walk and discover as you go. Strongly recommend you by a pass for the hop on/off bus. There are two, Blue Line and Red Line; suggest the one that takes the east route is the best. Perfect way to orientate yourself when you first arrive.
Written 22 August 2016
We will be staying at the TRYP Barcelona Apolo Hotel and would like to know what the best tour would be for the afternoon, or morning. Will we be able to reach the meeting point on foot or will we be picked up?
Many thanks
Written 9 August 2016
Hi there ... i wonder how much should we tip or what is the expected tip on such tour ? Thank you.
Written 4 August 2016
TB_Tour_Management
Barcelona, Spain
Hi Puric,
Thanks for contacting us. The tip format for free tours allows each person to attribute their own value to the tour if they enjoyed it. While there is no expected amount, we find the average tip per person ranges between 5-15 Eu pp with of course smaller and larger tips occurring frequently as well. We hope that you will be able to get a better sense of how you valued our tour if you choose to join. Our guides work hard to deliver the best presentation of Barcelona possible so we look forward to hosting you!
Best regards
Max
Written 4 August 2016
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