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GuruWalk Original
Free tour

Luca’s Hidden Old Barcelona: the Gothic and El Born Tour

Duration: 2h and 15min
Languages: German, English, Italian
Guru: Luca
Quality Verified Registered on August 25, 2021

To guru (verb) = dispeller of darkness, bringer of knowledge, meaning, light What a great year; I have introduced my city to about 2800 walkers from all over the world. Now it is time to recharge and find new challenges. Traveling is the key 🔑 See you all in 2025! ______________________________________ This is a one man band, every single walk is run by me. No surprises, no cheating, no umbrellas. I have a degree in history and english literature. English has been my main working language for 25 years. I have lived and run tours for more than 20 years in Italy, London, Berlin and Barcelona. The Berlin Wall, the six wives of Henry VIII, Michelangelo and Gaudi have no secrets for me. I have also traveled extensively throughout Spain and the world so I am bringing a unique perspective of this wonderful planet and this enchanting city. And last but not the least I do also have a healthy addiction to books that feeds a truly compelling and passionate storytelling ** profile pic: sunrise at Angkor Wat, Cambodia 🇰🇭

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GuruWalk Original

GW Originals free walking tours are chosen by our staff among the best and are unique tours that you will only find on GuruWalk.

  • Free booking and cancellation
    Free payment tour, no set price, booking and cancellation are free

Tour description

Until 1992, Barcelona was unknown as a touristic destinations. 


Barceloneta was a slum, black sand and favelas; the Montjuïc, an illegal squatters area; the gothic quarter a crack den (trippy square few minutes away from the town hall), Park Guell a cursed miserable place, Gaudi a B-movies artist always overdoing too much. 


The olympic games changed everything! 


It was an ambitious project but it was  pulled off so well that now people are complaining about over tourism. 🤪


Ah don’t forget the city will have soon the biggest church in the word, which has already become a legend although it isn’t even finished yet! 


Victims of their own successful promotional campaign. 


There is no turning back. 

Welcome to Wonderland … 


—————————————————-

From its humble origin as a tiny roman colony of 4000 people Barcelona rose to become one of the most dynamic and exciting trading port of the late Middle Ages.
Rulers of the city would boost that no fish was allowed to swim in the Mediterranean Sea without the consent of the King of Aragon, Barcelona medieval independent kingdom.

Soon the condal city acquired a reputation for opportunity as New York would have in the XIX century: in Barcelona even a slave could have a shot to economic success through trading. In this contest a huge building spree took place and the result is today the biggest medieval area in Europe. People from all background were making the city opulent, the Jews community thrived and while the church and the crown built their cathedral, fishermen, traders and artisans proudly built the basilica Santa Maria del Mar; the cathedral of the sea.

——————————————————

Wander the historic streets of Barcelona like a local and follow me to some of the city’s enchanting hidden gems; but beware of the dragons!  

Visit the Gothic Quarter and experience the narrow streets where locals live among tapas bars and medieval gargoyles.

Let's marvel at the ancient Roman city of Barcino and the Temple of Augustus, let's rediscover together the lost medieval Jewish quarter and the oldest synagogue in Europe

Explore the Bohemian El Born district with charming little artisan shops and where some of the best bar and restaurants are located.

Learn about Catalan culture, their passions and their idiosyncrasies.

Ideal for travellers keen to get a deeper insight into Barcelona’s vibrant past and an objective view on the present.

  • Super photography opportunities 


  • Visit plazas and cathedrals where locals have met for thousands of years 


  • Small group tour of up to 15 people



Menjar ben I cagar fort /I no tingues por de la mort
 –
Eat well shit strongly and you will have not fear of death

-Catalan Proverb 

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Highlights

What will we visit on this tour?

  • Meeting point:
    Pl. de Sant Jaume, 3, 08002 Barcelona...
    Pl. de Sant Jaume, 3, 08002 Barcelona, Spain
    View on map

    We are meeting In front of the STARBUCKS store in Placa Sant Jaume 3, 08002 Barcelona. This is the most important square in town since Roman Times. One finds here the Town Hall (ajutamiento) and the palace of the government of Catalonia ( Generalitat)

  • 1
    Outside visit
    Plaça Sant Jaume

    The Plaça Sant Jaume has been the city's political centre almost since its inception. Today the Plaça Sant Jaume is an open space, a "lung" in the middle of the Gothic Quarter. The square is the site of the most important buildings in the lives of Barcelona and Catalonia: City Hall and the Palau de la Generalitat.

  • 2
    Outside visit
    Monument als Castellers

    Antoni Llena’s Chicken Wire Tribute to Catalan Human castles.

  • 3
    Outside visit
    MUHBA Temple of Augustus

    Inside a small medieval courtyard, the four columns from the Temple of Augustus have survived despite the passing of the centuries. They are more than 2,000 years old, like Barcelona itself.

  • 4
    Outside visit
    Barcelona's cathedral

    The Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia was built over six centuries. Funded by donations from the medieval brotherhoods and guilds, the building work in Santa Creu commenced in 1298, on consecrated ground which was the former site of a 4th-century early-Christian basilica,

  • 5
    Outside visit
    Pont del Bisbe

    One of the most photographed sights in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, thr Bishop’s Bridge was built for the Barcelona International Exposition which took place in 1929. The bridge was designed by architect Joan Rubió I Bellver who suggested that all non-Gothic buildings in the immediate vicinity of Barcelona Cathedral should be demolished and replaced by new Gothic style buildings.

  • 6
    Outside visit
    Plaza de San Felipe Neri

    The romantic, slightly faded Plaça Sant Felip Neri is an unmissable corner of the Gothic Quarter. Presided over by the baroque church from which it takes its name, the square features a number of historic elements that make it particularly attractive, especially when you view it in silence.

  • 7
    Outside visit
    La Casa de l'Ardiaca

    The Roman wall which adjoins Barcelona's Plaça Nova has a secret in store. On the other side, stands the entrance to the Casa de l'Ardiaca, or Archdeacon's House, which contains interesting archaeological remains. As you enter the Casa de l'Ardiaca's courtyard, you'll find a building which is a fusion of all eras and styles.

  • 8
    Outside visit
    Call of Barcelona

    While Barcelona was never the largest Jewish center in Spain, it did play a large role in the history of Jews in Spain. Long before the expulsion of the Jews in 1492, Jewish culture flourished throughout the Iberian Peninsula. 4,000 Jews were living in Barcelona during the 13th century and many worked as doctors, scientists, scholars, merchants, or money lenders for the Catalonian aristocracy and crown. Medieval Barcelona was approximately 15% Jewish,

  • 9
    Outside visit
    Capilla de Santa Lucía

    The oldest party of the Cathedral. A Romanesque jewel in the heart of The Gothic Quartier. Simple but beautiful, don't forget the fact that you are looking at the most ancient part of the stunning cathedral.

  • 10
    Outside visit
    Palau Episcopal de Barcelona

    It has an interesting interior courtyard with Romanesque arches and Gothic windows. The building has a range of styles deriving from the various remodelling projects it has undergone. The oldest work dates from the late 12th and early 13th centuries

  • 11
    Outside visit
    Nova Square

    Plaça Nova is the place where the old city was born : Barcino. These letters are sculptured in the square. Two Romanesque towers flank the door Del Bisbal. This square becomes a market with antique dealers every Thursday from 9h to 20h. Festivals and Sardanas are held here also.

  • 12
    Outside visit
    College of Architects of Catalonia

    Opposite the Barcelona's Cathedral, you can find a great frieze made of sand. It was designed by Pablo Picasso and made by the Norwegian artist Carl Nesjar. Each of these 3 friezes that form the facade of the building, has a particular theme: the frieze of children; the frieze of the giants; frieze of the Catalan flag (the “senyera”).

  • 13
    Outside visit
    Museu Frederic Marès

    It is housed the museum Museu Frederic Marès in a former palace of the Inquisition in the district Barri Gòtic, just behind the cathedral.

  • 14
    Outside visit
    Palau del Lloctinent

    The Lloctinent Palace, located next to the Royal Palace, was built in the mid 16th century with a Rennaissance style. Its purpose was to be the residence of a lieutenant, who was the king’s representative in Catalonia. The door on the stairway is a 1975 Josep Maria Subirachs work portraying scenes from the life of Sant Jordi and the history of Catalonia.

  • 15
    Outside visit
    Plaça del Rei

    Apart from 4,000 m2 of archaeological remains below the square, the monumental ensemble comprises the 11th-century Palau Comtal – the Count's Palace – later to become the Palau Reial Major – the residence of the kings of Catalonia and Aragon –, highlights of which include the Saló del Tinell, or Great Hall, and the 14th-century Chapel of Santa Àgata. The Watchtower of King Martí was added in the 16th century.

  • 16
    Outside visit
    Royal Palace Major

    It was built about ten centuries ago. One of the buildings, Saló del Tinell, is a ceremonial area built by King Peter IV. It served as the royal reception hall and it is also where Catholic monarchs received Colombus after he returned from America. The interior was built between 1359 and 1570 in Gothic style. The Palatine Chapel of St. Agatha was built in 1302 by Jaume II the Just and it is dedicated to a popular Sicilian saint. It features an altarpiece of Constable Peter of Portugal.

  • 17
    Outside visit
    Picasso Museum
  • 18
    Outside visit
    Les Moreres Fossar

    The Fossar de les Moreres is a place of great symbolic significance where the weight of history takes centre stage. Here, right in the centre of the Born neighbourhood, was the site of the graveyard for the fallen during the 1714 Siege of Barcelona. A monument stands on the site as a reminder. The place sometimes goes unnoticed by visitors. For the Catalans, the fossar is more than a memory. It is a homage.

  • 19
    Outside visit
    El Born

    El Born is one of Barcelona‘s trendiest and most popular neighborhoods. Home to some of the oldest buildings in the city, it is not only one of the most historic areas of Barcelona but also one of its liveliest.

  • 20
    Outside visit
    Santa Maria del Mar

    The basilica of Santa Maria del Mar in Barcelona, also known as the "cathedral del mar”, is one of the most perfect examples of Gothic style architecture due to its harmonious proportions and the serenity of the ensemble.

How much does this tour cost?

Free tours do not have a set price, instead, each person gives the guru at the end of the tour the amount that he or she considers appropriate (these usually range from €10 to $50 depending on satisfaction with the tour).

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Who is this tour for?

Accessibility
Non suitable for people with reduced mobility.
Groups
Accepts reservations up to 20 people.
Pets
Suitable for carrying pets.

What should you know?

Additional costs:
The tour does not require the payment of entrance fees or additional expenses.
Free cancellation
If you will not be able to attend the tour, please cancel your booking, otherwise the guide will be waiting for you.
Payment methods
Only cash payment is accepted.
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