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Looking for the best food tour in Barcelona?
Well, you’re in the right place! Barcelona is one of Europe’s food capitals, so you definitely don’t want to risk booking a sub-par food tour. That’s why we decided to test out the top-rated food tours in the city to determine which ones are truly worthy of your time and money.
We’re happy to report we found some incredible options! So stay tuned to discover incredible cooking classes, secret tasting tours, and how to visit Barcelona’s best food markets.
Quick Pick: Our Favorite Tour
Don’t have time to read the full article?
Our personal FAVORITE food tour in Barcelona was this paella cooking class! It was one of the most fun tours we’ve ever taken and the food was delicious along with bottomless wine!
Check out the 900+ 5-star reviews and book it here!
Tip: This tour is popular – reserve your spot now and get FREE cancellation 24 hours before you go.
Best Food Tours in Barcelona
1. Paella Cooking Class with Bottomless Wine
- Price: €155
- Duration: 2.5 hours
- Time: 8 pm
- Highlights: Fun and friendly instructors, music and dancing, lots of wine, making three different types of paella, frozen sangria
- Inclusions: Ingredients, 5-course meal, bottomless wine
- Rating: 5 stars (check 970+ reviews here)
- Free cancellation: Yes
If I can give you one piece of advice for your trip to Barcelona, it would be to book this cooking class! It was the best thing that we did in the city, and I’m jealous of anyone who gets to experience it for the first time.
We loved every moment of this class, from the warm welcome we received to the hands-on cooking and enjoying the meal together at the end. We not only learned about (and ate a ton of) Catalan food, but we also got to enjoy bottomless wine. Seriously, our glasses never ran dry, and there was even some music and dancing involved!
Chef Kevin was an amazing instructor and he told us so much about life in Barcelona. He was informative but never boring, and the whole evening was very light-hearted. Everyone was laughing and joking throughout, and it proved to be a great way to meet fellow travelers in the city.
Everyone wants to eat authentic paella when they travel to Spain, but what’s even more satisfying is making it yourself. So we think that this class is an absolute must while in Barcelona. Don’t miss out!
Book our FAVORITE cooking class here to get free cancellation!
2. Small-Group Tapas and Wine Walking Tour
- Price: €95
- Duration: 2.5 hours
- Time: Time slots between 11 am – 6 pm
- Highlights: Visiting 4-5 different restaurants, delicious food and wine pairings, exploring the beautiful Gothic Quarter, optional flamenco show
- Inclusions: Food tastings, 4 glasses of wine, knowledgeable local guide
- Rating: 5 stars (check 4,000+ reviews here)
- Free cancellation: Yes
Dive headfirst into Barcelona’s world-famous tapas and wine with this top-rated food tour! We loved this tour, and it’s a must-do for anyone who wants to spend a fun evening eating and drinking like a local.
A food tour is the ultimate way to discover a city’s hidden gems, away from the touristy restaurants, and this one certainly did not disappoint! Our amazing guide, Nacho, made the evening so fun as he took us to incredible spots we never would have found on our own. We tried lots of quintessential tapas dishes, and even mojama, a local delicacy that’s rarely found outside of southwestern Europe.
What made the experience even better was that we got a quality wine to pair with every dish, and we even got to try vermouth, which is super popular among the locals. We loved walking around the Gothic Quarter, too, as it’s one of the most beautiful areas of Barcelona, and Nacho told us some captivating stories along the way.
In short, this tour is the perfect introduction to Barcelona. I would highly recommend booking it for your first night in the city, as we actually went back to some of the spots that we visited, and Nacho gave us tons of helpful recommendations.
This tour is incredibly popular though, so don’t wait too long to reserve your spot!
Related Read: Make your time in the city even more memorable with our list of the top 10 activities to do in Barcelona!
3. Spanish Cooking Class and Market Visit
- Price: €69
- Duration: 3 hours
- Time: Time slots available between 10:30 am – 6:45 pm
- Highlights: Guided visit to La Boqueria market, making tapas, paella, and sangria in a professional teaching kitchen
- Inclusions: Ingredients, professional chef instructor, big lunch or dinner, recipes to take home
- Rating: 4.5 stars (check 1,700+ reviews here)
- Free cancellation: Yes
If you ask me, this interactive cooking class is the ultimate Barcelona foodie experience! It kicks off with a visit to a La Boqueria Market. This is the most famous food market in Barcelona, and a really popular attraction, so I love that this tour includes a guided visit.
At the market, our friendly hosts, Andre and Naomi, showed us around and together we picked out the freshest herbs and ingredients for our class, before heading to the kitchen to get started.
The class was so much fun and the time flew by! We learned how to make several different types of tapas using a variety of cooking techniques. We also got to make the most delicious seafood paella, and frozen sangria to wash it down with – what’s not to love?
Another thing I like about this tour is that there are lots of different time slots available throughout the day. It’s easy to fit into your Barcelona itinerary, even if you’ve already booked a few activities! Plus, we got an awesome little recipe book to ensure we’ll be able to recreate the recipes.
This is also the cheapest activity on our list at just €69, which is an absolute steal for a Barcelona food tour! The cooking class is such a fun activity and you get a huge meal to boot. Budget travelers, what are you waiting for? Snap up this bargain before it’s too late!
Book this cooking class here and you can also choose to pay later!
Why We Book Tours with Viator
Viator is a trusted online booking system for tours around the world! We almost always book our tours using Viator for a couple of reasons:
- Free cancellation on most tours – Most of the tours on Viator allow you to cancel and get a full refund up to 24 hours in advance. This is handy in case plans change, or if booking an outdoor activity, the weather forecast is looking grim.
- Reserve now and pay later – You can secure your spot on some of the most popular tours well in advance and not pay until closer to the day of the tour.
- Lowest price guarantee – If you happen to find the same tour at a lower price elsewhere, Viator will refund you the price difference.
- Pay in your chosen currency – Avoid costly international transaction fees by choosing to pay in your home currency.
- Peace of mind – When booking with tour operators you find in person on the street or in small booking offices, you are often promised one thing and given another. This online platform holds tour operators accountable with a written description of inclusions as well as the opportunity for customers to leave reviews.
Check out the Viator website here! Or, for more info, read our detailed review about Viator here.
4. Secret Small-Group Walking Food Tour
- Price: €109
- Duration: 3 hours
- Time: 10:30 am
- Highlights: Exploring the Gothic Quarter and La Barceloneta, trying a wide range of tapas and local wines
- Inclusions: All food and drinks, professional local guide
- Rating: 5 stars (check 950+ reviews here)
- Free cancellation: Yes
Can’t decide whether to do a walking tour or a food tour? Well, you can do both on this fantastic small-group tour!
We love this tour because it not only explores the city’s celebrated Gothic quarter, but also the fabulous Barceloneta neighborhood, which is known for its charming architecture and long, sandy beach. And even better, it visits tons of secret foodie hotspots that only locals know about!
We love visiting local gems, but it can take a while to research the best places and make reservations. Fortunately, with this tour, we didn’t have to worry about any of that. We just turned up and our wonderful guide, Jorge, took us to his favorite hidden spots that tourists usually miss.
We got to try some delicious dishes, including lots of cheese, cured meats, white anchovies, and seafood paella. Then, we had churros for dessert as well as crema catalana, which is the Spanish version of a creme brulee. I actually think it’s even tastier than the French original – sorry, France!
So if you’re keen to eat your way through Barcelona like a local, make sure to put this tour at the top of your to-do list. If you’re short on time, it really is the perfect way to explore the coolest areas and get your fill of delicious food, all in one go.
Reserve your spot on this small-group tour here before it sells out!
5. Barcelona Food Tour with Market Visit
- Price: €89 – €107
- Duration: 3.5 hours
- Time: 10 am
- Highlights: Guided visit to the Santa Caterina market, tasting lots of local cheeses and cured meats, wine tastings, big paella lunch, exploring El Born and Barceloneta
- Inclusions: Food and wine tastings, lunch, local guide
- Rating: 5 stars (check 375+ reviews here)
- Free cancellation: Yes
Last – but certainly not least – we have this super comprehensive Barcelona food tour. We love it because it visits the beachfront Barceloneta neighborhood as well as El Born. That area is famous for its bars and restaurants, as well as narrow streets and pretty architecture, so don’t miss the chance to visit!
But first, we kicked off our morning with a visit to the Santa Caterina market. It’s the second largest in the city, but it feels a lot less touristy than La Boqueria. Many of the stalls here have been passed down through multiple generations, and our guide, Hector, took us to the coolest stalls to sample some treats and chat with a few of the vendors. Hector seemed to know everyone, but he’s a lovely guy, so that was no surprise!
Then, it was onto El Born, where we visited a local favorite brunch spot for a glass of cava and even more food, as well as a fantastic little bakery for delicious filled croissants. In Barceloneta, we stopped at a bodega for a glass of vermouth and delicious bombas. Then, the tour wrapped up with home-cooked seafood paella at a super local spot, with yet more wine.
This tour is a must for anyone who truly wants to go on a culinary journey through Barcelona and check out some of the city’s coolest neighborhoods. We got to eat like locals, and eat a lot – trust me, you won’t need much food for the rest of the day!
Prices do fluctuate so we recommend booking in advance to secure the best deal!
Book early here to guarantee your spot and get the best price!
Where to Stay in Barcelona
Now that you have a taste for what Barcelona has to offer, it’s time to find a place to stay! There are tons of hotels to choose from, so we’ve narrowed it down to our top pick in each budget range. We’ll even let you in on where we stayed last time we were here!
Grand Hyatt Barcelona – $$$
For a real 5-star experience, Grand Hyatt Barcelona is where luxury travelers stay. It’s right in the heart of Alta Barcelona – an area known for the most exclusive shopping and restaurants.
The rooms are large and very extravagant – it feels like a true vacation staying here! The amenities impress too with a fantastic restaurant on the top floor, a stunning pool, a spa with saunas and steam baths, and a 24-hour gym.
Room here can be as low as €200/night, but go up if you splurge on a suite. Book your VIP stay here!
Barcelona Princess – $$
For a mid-range option that still has touches of luxury, Barcelona Princess is our pick. The rooftop pool alone is worth it!
The location is great too as it’s next door to a fantastic mall, only 3 minutes from a metro station and a 10-minute walk to the beach! Of course, the heated outdoor pools – including one on the rooftop – are also worth the price of staying here.
Rooms have an elegant feel and great views if you ask for an upper floor. Prices typically start around €98, but you’ll find the best deals when you book in advance online.
Kabul Party Hostel – $ (Where we stayed!)
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly and fun place to stay, Kabul Party Hostel is THE place. It’s known as one of the best party hostels in Europe and has a fantastic location to see the best sights in Barcelona.
We loved the rooftop patio that looks out over Plaza Real and there were activities up here most nights for us to check out. The dorms are quite spacious and really bright and offer free WiFi, air-conditioning, and personal lockers. Plus, the free breakfast buffet every morning was great after a late night out!
Dorm beds start around €30 and can be booked on Hostelworld.com or Booking.com.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance!
If you’re looking to save money on travel insurance, we currently use and recommend SafetyWing. We’ve been using their coverage since 2018 and they’ve had our backs when we needed emergency flights and got sick overseas.
SafetyWing is one of the cheapest providers out there and covers everything from medical costs to lost luggage, travel delays, and emergency flights. A huge difference we’ve found between them and other companies is that they let you take out a policy AFTER leaving your home country. We’ve also found it handy that it’s a monthly payment rather than a lump sum, and you can get a refund for unused time.
SafetyWing has helped us out in some scary situations before and their affordable coverage has given us peace of mind. You can read our honest review of SafetyWing for all the pros and cons.
Thanks for reading!
It’s no secret that Barcelona has amazing food, but it can be hard to know where to start! I hope our guide has helped you narrow it down whether you want to take an amazing food tour or learn how to cook a few of these tasty dishes yourself.
While you’re traveling, have a look through all our blogs. We’ve crisscrossed the globe and have lots of travel tips and inspiration to share to help with your next trip!
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