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A Walking Tour of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter

05/31/16 | Barcelona, Europe, Spain, Travel

Barcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour 02

Welcome to the start of a short week, I hope everyone had an amazing long weekend!  Every time I put together one of these Barcelona posts I get a serious case of wanderlust and to help combat the feeling yesterday I booked flights, hotels, and transpiration for most of my travels from now until the end of September. But for now, back to Spain.  In addition to our Barcelona bike tour my mom and I also took a walking tour of the Gothic Quarter to get acclimated with the Spanish city on our trip last month.  Last Fall I took a wonderful walking tour in Prague so when planning for Spain I did a great deal of research on the best walking tour in the lively seaside city and decided on the free Runner Bean Tour focusing specifically on Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, a charming a section of small, windy narrow streets.  

The week before we arrived they had moved the Spring-Summer timetable and as such we were able to take the 4:30pm tour which began at the Plaça Reial, next to the water fountain.   Over two and a half hours we strolled at a leisurely pace beginning in the Royal Square, a very happening central meeting spot, where we viewed two lamps designed by Gaudi, the only public commission in his lifetime.  From there we went on to the  Santa Maria del Pi church which is named after the pine tree in the square and then while we wandered down narrow streets and back alleys we learned all about Santa Eulalia, the patron saint of the city who died when she was 13 and their are memorials all over the city devoted to her. 
Barcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour Plac?a ReialBarcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour Plac?a Reial Gaudi LamppostsBarcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour Santa Maria del PiBarcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour Santa Maria del Pi Rose WindowBarcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour 05Barcelona Gothic Quarter StreetlampBarcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour Santa Eulalia

We then went back in time as we entered the Jewish section of the Gothic Quarter and I was impressed with just how much history our guide had to share about the Jews in Barcelona from the 12th century through the Black Plague. The history lesson included a walk by the Ancient Synagogue of Barcelona whose origins date back to the 3rd century.  As we continued on we passed the city center with the government buildings, where our bike tour began, and learned about the history of St. George from another guide’s perspective. Then onwards we went to the to the highest point of the city and the Temple of Augustus, Barcelona and the MUHBA Temple d’August with the four columns dating back more than 2,000 years casually located in a small medieval courtyard. 

Barcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour 22Barcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour 25Barcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour Ancient Synagogue of BarcelonaBarcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour Ancient Synagogue of Barcelona SignBarcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour 19Barcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour 18Barcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour MUHBA Temple d'AugustBarcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour 16Barcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour Temple of Augustus, Barcelona

After learning about the  Santa Eulalia earlier in the tour I was surprised to learn that the Barcelona Cathedral, which we had visited the day before, is called The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia.  Not only had I missed the name of the church but also the fact that there were the 13 famous white geese in the cloister which I made a point to go see while the group took a water and bathroom break.   The last point of note on the tour, and something we definitely would have not seen otherwise, was the Church of Saint Philip Neri, which, while pallored in comparison to many of the nearby sacred spaces but is famous as Gaudi went to pray there everyday and in the famous story where he got hit (and eventually died) after being hit by a trolly on his way back from this Church. 

Barcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour - The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia CourtyardBarcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour - The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia GeeseBarcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour - The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia Courtyard ArchwayBarcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour - The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia Courtyard FoutainBarcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour Church of Saint Philip Neri ?Barcelona Gothic Quarter Walking Tour - Picasso Mural

Have you ever been on a walking tour? 

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Comments

  1. Erin says

    June 4, 2016 at 10:25 am

    Wow, love all the cool details of the city you captured! Great photos! 🙂

  2. Rakel says

    June 1, 2016 at 1:35 am

    Oh! Barcelona! What a beautiful city 🙂

    Rakel ♥ http://www.alovelystyle.com

  3. Trang Do says

    June 1, 2016 at 12:57 am

    Great photos!! Love all of them!
    Xoxo,
    Love from http://www.trangscorner.com {a lifestyle, fashion, beauty, and food blog}

  4. head to toe chic says

    May 31, 2016 at 8:48 pm

    I really want to do a walking tour when we go to Europe. These pictures are gorgeous!
    xo,
    Angela

  5. Anna says

    May 31, 2016 at 1:04 pm

    Love all of these great snaps! I would love a trip to Barcelona – you can almost feel the rich history through these photos So glad you had a great time! XO

    Anna || A Lily Love Affair

  6. Alice says

    May 31, 2016 at 12:48 pm

    I’ve never done a walking tour before but would love to! Barcelona looks gorgeous, these photos are giving me some serious travelust!

    xo, alice / T Y P E N U

Hi, I am Kelly and welcome to Sparkles and Shoes, a fashion, travel, and lifestyle blog founded in 2012.  After six years of living in London I am back in New York with my husband and two littles! 

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