Barcelona Gourmet Food and Santa Caterina Market Walking Tour

Barcelona, Spain

Walk through the Old Town as you discover Barcelona's most emblematic gastronomic establishments. Learn about Catalan gastronomic culture, an essential ingredient of its cultural heritage.

You’ll visit the picturesque and captivating Sta Caterina Market, with stalls and shops that sell the most typical traditional produce as well as the most exotic. You’ll smell the most mouth-watering aromas as you walk down the historic and artistic street, carrer Petritxol, and stop off at the different cafés in the Gothic Quarter where you’ll sample local specialities including dairy produce, chocolate, turrón nougat, cured meats and sausages, olive oil, wine and dried fruit and nuts.

Gastronomy is a very important ingredient in Barcelona’s cultural heritage and this guided tour gives you the chance to discover iconic establishments from Barcelona’s gastronomic heritage with an expert guide, and taste some of their products.

USD $25.00

Traveler Reviews

Review by:   danaila1171,    April 2018
Fabulous tour around the old town showcasing history, gourmet food and architecture. Really enjoyed it due to our guide, too. I wash the tour offered a bit more tasting: All in all very enjoyable!

Review by:   Bradley M,    February 2018
At the price less than half the price of other food tours I'd been on it was very good. Perhaps more could have been focused on the history of food in the area but the guide did give an insight into the city's history as well. Not as much food tasting but that is to be expected at the price.

Review by:   Jeffrey N,    September 2017
The tour was very informative, but not very filling sample wise we received a candy, small piece of marzipan, a small package of hazelnuts and at the end a drink wine, beer or water and some ham cheese for those who did not eat meat/pork. While the explanation of the cuisine and food culture had lots of facts and information, there were very few samples. This trip is sponsored by the city of Barcelona Tourist office and was meant to promote the city overall. They were accommodating to people on the tour that did not eat meat pork is a key part of the Spanish cuisine and the tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly. Unlike other food tours we have been on in other cities, this seemed less interactive with the guide as she led us from place to place. Overall a good tour for information, but if you want samples then this might be a second choice to take.

Review by:   Linda M,    August 2017
Have been on Viator food tours before and they have been great - this one was not.

Review by:   Norma G,    June 2017
Have done several similar tours in other cities booked through Viator and they were exceptional, while this was not. It's advertised as a gourmet food walk which takes in the Santa Caterina market. The few food stops were far too short and incidental, the market involved a few minutes' talk about seafood at the entrance before moving away! Compared with the gourmet food walk and Campo de Fiori walk in Rome where we watched artisans making things, then tasted them at sit down tastings, this walk involved a taste of roasted nuts, chocolate but worst was the final stop for a glass of cava and some horrible tiny chunks of some sort of jamon. By then our guide had left and we had no information about jamon, its production, the origin of the bits we were given in a totally sophisticated jamon specialist shop with tasting centre. Totally disappointing! Needs serious re- formatting if it is to lay claim to being a walk introducing participants to gourmet food and the market. It missed the mark totally

Review by:   Amanda M,    May 2017
Our tour guide was great - friendly, knowledgeable, and incredibly patient with our children. The tastings could and #39;ve been better (similar tours in Venice included much more substantial tastings). Also, the meeting point is NOT at building #2, but rather at the tourist info building on the plaza.

Review by:   Jackie7954,    May 2017
This was a great tour that included a walking tour of Barcelona that the average tourist would not see unless guided. The Market was amazing with samples being provided by some of the businesses within the market. I would recommend this tour because it shows a side of Barcelona you would not normally see.

Review by:   janetheath02,    January 2017
The title mentions gourmet food and Santa Caterina Market and walking but none featured highly on this dash around Barcelona. The guide knew her stuff about the history of the place, but the gourmet food was a pretty ghastly sweet, a handful of roasted almonds, a couple of thin pieces of chocolate, and finishing with some unidentified cubes of ham from the Ham museum where we were abandoned and the waiters couldn't be bothered to explain what type of ham we had been given. It was also cut into cubes not thinly sliced as I have seen in most places. The guide was rushing so fast she lost us when I paused to take a photo - and it was only because we knew the group would soon be at the Santa Caterina Market soon, and found it ourselves, that we were able to rejoin the group. The market visit was a visit to the old excavated ruins in a room at the rear and then a 2 minute dash from the back to the front of the market with no pausing to look at or taste any food. It was rushed and exhausting. Not at all what I expected having recently done a similar tour in Malaga which was really enjoyable and better paced with proper food tastings. Disappointing in the extreme.

Review by:   elaine55jones,    September 2016
This tour was fantastic. Our guide Marta was so knowledgeable not only about food but The history of Barccelona too. She was very patient and friendly. I would definitely book another tour through Viator it was of a high standard, well organised and value for money. A fabulous way to get to know a city.

Review by:   soyadoggy,    August 2016
Tout guide was new got lost two times, the complimentary snacks are sad. To bad this was_br/_ Not what we expected.

Review by:   Victoria O,    July 2016
Our guide was very informative and able to convey the history of the area as we walked. He showed us various parts of the city and the history of each are and food purveyors. It was interesting and fun.

Review by:   Eileen K,    July 2016
This was a great way to learn about old and new food of Barcelona. Our tour guide, Carlos, was very informative. You could tell he enjoyed showing others around his city. Would recommend this tour for foodies or just if you'd like some food history. :

Review by:   Russ O,    June 2016
This tour was lots of fun. He made sure we were able to try several different foods including chocolate, candy and several other small bites. We ended with a taste of Ham that was quite fun. It was easy to hear him as he provided headphones for each person. This made the tour much better than other tours because Barcelona is loud and crowded as well as fun. Sometimes, if the group is big, it is hard to hear but that wasn't a problem with this group because of the headphones. We went back to several of the places he recommended. It was one of the favorite tours for my teenage daughter.

Review by:   Fiona C,    June 2016
Foodies and history buffs unite here on this informative and tasty tour. Lovely, well informed guide with delightful accent and because ham deserves it a ham museum -WITH BEER -concludes this fun morning on Las Ramblas. It doesn't get much better than that.

Review by:   Fiona C,    June 2016
Foodies and history buffs unite for this fascinating morning tour. Yummy tastings combine with a knowledgeable and informative guide. And because ham deserves it we ended the morning at the ham museum with an Estrella beer or two on Las Ramblas. You can't do better than that right?

Review by:   Dorothy B,    April 2016
This was an okay tour, but enough tasting. We saw some interesting places but didn't have enough time to look at or taste their wares.

Review by:   Kris R,    April 2016
Title of the tour is incorrect. You do not go into the market, it just gets pointed out to you at the end of the tour. It was advertised as 2 hour walking tour and it took 3 hours. Majority of tour is spent outside shops discussing what is inside. Thought I was going on a gourmet food tour but heard more about the Churches. Would not recommend this tour.

Review by:   Gail,    April 2016
This was a great tour in spite of the rain. Our guide was very pleasant and knowledgeable. We went to some beautiful shops!

Review by:   Lia S,    March 2016
I can't review this tour fairly because when I showed up at the meeting point on the day and time that I booked and paid for weeks in advance, I was told that the tour was not running that day, with no warning or notification from Viator. So disappointing.

Review by:   Thomas G,    December 2015
This tour was amazing!

Review by:   montemathews,    October 2015
Our Guide Elizabeth was superb. She was fun, entertaining and showed a great love of her city and its food culture. I loved the small size of the group 6 which made it easy to hear everything she said. Altogether it was not only a wonderful and thorough tour, it was great fun too and for very little money.

Review by:   Karen A,    October 2015
If you are calling this tour the Barcelona Gourmet Food and La Boqueria Market Walking Tour then you should visit La Boqueria Market. Our guide just pointed where it was at the end of the tour. I wanted a tour of the market which is why I signed up for this tour, if you aren't going to include it then don't put it in the name!! Also for calling it a food tour you should have more tastings. Maybe go to a few less shops and allow more time for a tasting and time to purchase. It was so difficult to find the places on the tour it would have been difficult to go back on your own and find all the nice shops we visited on the tour. I usually enjoy the Viator tours I've taken and this wasn't one of the better ones unfortunately. If you had only gone to what was promised then I would have ranked it higher.

Review by:   Amy B,    September 2015
This tour was amazing!

Review by:   ltd1292,    June 2015
The guide was difficult to understand. It would be nice to have a map of the location of the shops visited, so one could return to them.

Review by:   Julie B,    June 2015
Great tour with super knowledgeable tour guide. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Review by:   Ariza Z,    February 2015
Your website did not update that venue of tour has been changed. When we arrive could not find tour guide. We checked with tourist office and they told us venue changed more than a month ago and many other tourist were having similar complaints but your website not acting on it. We miss our tour.

Review by:   sian682,    February 2015
Didnt go as viator kept csncelling another more important tour that I managed to do thru another company

Review by:   John B,    November 2014
We thoroughly enjoyed wandering the streets of Barcelona. . . looking at beautiful shops, the market, and sampling food along the way. Our guide was friendly, interesting, and taught us a lot about Catalan culture and cuisine.

Review by:   Brett G,    October 2014
Viators confirmation document stated a 10am start and to be there 20 minutes early so we turned up at 9.40 waited and waited only to find it was a 10.30 start,grrrgh.However our guide Gina was delightful, giving our small group of 6 an insighful tour of the market and the old town.

Review by:   Phil S,    September 2014
Carlos took us through a fantastic experience of Barcelona sharing many historical facts and the brochure we all received regarding the tour with a map of the tour was very good. We have returned to a few of the spots along the tour to re-visit for a longer look. If there is one problem on the tour is there is so much to see in La Boqueria that the 10 minutes was not enough. Still a recommended tour, Thanks again Viator and Carlos!

Review by:   loulou,    August 2014
Great tour of the local foody area and a very knowledgeable tour guide

Review by:   Holly J,    August 2014
This was fantastic. It was one of the highlights of our trip. We got to see a lot of the 'real' barcelona. Learnt a lot about the gastro history. It isn't a tasting tour but you get to buy from boutique shops.

Review by:   Katherine C,    August 2014
This was extremely disappointing. A harried guide, a nice man, but who seemed a bit stressed. A very long walk with barely any 'tastings'. I think the tour - run by Barcelona Turisme - said four tastings and cava and ending with tapas. We had a cone of 'fuet' each at Boqueria - which we whizzed through, then endless walking and staring at windows, at Vicens for the torron, we got to sample 'nibbles' cut up on a plate, no cava or wine, and the last stop when I thought 'finally, some actual food', we had two mouthfuls of beer or water and a single tiny piece of bread with 'cow ham' on it. Very poor value. And any tour that says 'gourmet' in it should live up to that moniker.

Review by:   corenn,    July 2014
This really takes you through the Gothic area and its the best for where to shop too. Food info is great and Carlos is fabulous. Only problem is finding place. They should tell you its down the stairs between the "info' pillars and or across from the bank address and tour is at only one time 9:30. So s

Review by:   Ellen R,    June 2014
I enjoyed the tour . It could have been improved by the guide not walking so briskly. I did not receive the handouts or booklets from the tour. Would have liked a few more tastings and more guidance about the market sellers. Tour guide was very good.

Review by:   Susanne R,    May 2014
Wonderful tour with a great and knowledgeable guide. Barcelona means incredible food, so this tour goes right into the heart of this great city.

Review by:   Robert G,    April 2014
This walking tour was fine and we appreciated the accompanying map.

Review by:   Sara K,    January 2014
This was an excellent tour that took us to special food related places in Barcelona that we would not have found easily ourselves. The guide was knowledgable and interesting and we wished we had been able to do the tour at the start of our holiday as it was a great way to get to know the different areas of the city.

Review by:   Silverfox,    January 2014
Loved this tour. It sowed the best of the Gothic section of Barcelona and the guide was great. Eventhough it was raining we still had a great time.

Review by:   sharon,    December 2013
The tour guide was lovely and did his job very well in the time he had. _br/_ We did not actually "visit" shops, we simply stood outside and were given a talk about some of the history of the business and its premises. I expected we would have more of an explanation about Spanish ingredients so I found that a bit lacking. I did not expect to be "tasting" a normal everyday fruit salad. I thought this tour would introduce us to things that were more specifically Spanish. The map we received to help us find the places again was not helpful at all. It showed the names of the main streets but not the little laneways and small streets where the places were actually located. That was really frustrating. I thought the tour would be more specific than it turned out to be. I would not say it is for foodies, it is more for everyday tourists to be shown around and to listen to some Catalan food history.

Review by:   Kate,    October 2013
Claudio was a delight and handled a fairly large group with firm charm. The market is unlike any in any other city we have visited. Unlike the rambling food stalls in Paris or London, this market is in many ways ART. Not only is the food spectacular but the reverence for the food shown by the presentation is so beautiful. The shops we visited on the way to and from the market were a wonderful history of the foods_br/_ unique to Barcelona (and Catalonia). Great tour!

Review by:   Matthew B,    October 2013
Very interesting tour and I highly recommend it to others if you want to learn about some of the local dishes.

Review by:   Juliana S,    September 2013
It was a broad overview market and city. It came short to my expectations. Not enough time at each stop.

Review by:   Ronald W,    June 2013
Great tour! Informative, friendly guide who extended the time for us. The last stop at the tapa bar included beer, wine and snacks. Great.

Review by:   Anna I,    June 2013
The tour was informative but not my cup of tea. We visited various shops and learned a bit of history about them, but did not actually get any food on the tour aside from a few cut up fruit pieces at the beginning and a piece of bread at the end. It was not worth the 21 Euros in my opinion.

Review by:   Azizi A,    June 2013
Interesting highlight of Catalan food and cuisines. It would be better if we can spend more time in the restaurants. Our guide was excellent and he tried his best to introduce Catalan food in a very short time.

Review by:   kay s,    January 2013
Excellant guide very knowledgable, learnt loads. However, I think it would have been alot better if we were able to have stopped and tried more foods as this would have given people the opportunity if they wanted to buy any of the foods on offer. Even the stop at the market was only 10 minutes so again not long enough. Would recommend.

Review by:   Zhen Z,    November 2012
Not very exiciting!

Review by:   Jennifer J,    October 2012
Excellent tour for people who have never been to Barcelona before. The Market is incredible. This tour is 2-21/2 hours long and you have to walk the entire time. Our elderly mother got tired, but if you can easily walk, you'll love it. The tour guide was excellent too!

Review by:   Arpit P,    August 2012
Definatley worth it to see the market and also get a walking tour of not just the market but of the local food shops. The guide was very informative.

All Traveler Reviews...