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Thurs. November 6: Depart USA for Barcelona
Fri. November 7: Arrive in Barcelona, Castell Human Towers, and Gràcia Walking Tour
Airport pickup and drop off at our hotel for check-in.
On our first evening, we will start our introduction to Barcelona with an immersive walking tour through the Gràcia neighborhood, a village within the city with a very local feel. We will learn about Barcelona's craft beer scene with a guided tasting at a family-run microbrewery, paired with a selection of tapas. The highlight of the night is a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the Castellers, one of Catalonia’s most original cultural traditions. These human tower builders, recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, form multi-level towers reaching up to nine or ten people high, requiring intense teamwork, strength, and trust. You’ll visit their local rehearsal space, watch a live practice, and learn about the origins and meaning of this centuries-old tradition.
For the next 3 nights, we'll stay at a beautiful 4-star hotel in Barcelona.
Sat. November 8: Barcelona Markets and the Culture of Tapas
Late morning market tour, visiting one or two traditional food markets, with tastings throughout. We'll get to know how locals shop based on the seasons and learn about Catalan meats, seafood, produce, and other products we'll have throughout the trip. And to follow, we will share a traditional Catalan esmorzar de forquilla breakfast/lunch near the market.
In the evening will be a traditional Bodega crawl to experience the tapas culture in Barcelona. Bodegas traditionally were neighborhood spots where locals could buy wine in bulk. You still can today, but also nowadays they serve as social hubs to hang with friends, have a drink, and eat an informal meal. We'll visit 3-4 bodegas and tapas bars to learn how to order tapas like a local and experience the lively social scene in the evening.
Sun. November 9: Barcelona Sights and Sites
Guided city tour: Gothic Quarter walking tour and historic sites such as Montjuïc Hill for panoramic views and Olympic history. You'll also see many of the iconic buildings designed by Antoni Gaudí. Includes access to Park Güell and La Sagrada Familia. You'll see all of the important sites throughout the city today.
This evening, we'll learn how to make paella from scratch using high-quality rice, fresh seafood, meats, and a variety of vegetables. You'll learn how to achieve the perfect socarrat, the crispy, flavorful rice layer at the bottom of the pan. The key elements of a good paella are the pan itself, the cooking techniques, and quality ingredients such as bomba rice, saffron, fresh seafood, along with chicken or rabbit. Dinner will be the paella we cook together.
Transition to the Countryside
Mon. November 10: Gallecs and Montseny, Immersive Farm-to-Table Cooking Experience and Farmstay
We'll leave Barcleona to meet up with local farmers in the village of Gallecs, where you'll gather fresh, seasonal ingredients and enjoy a rustic Catalan farmer’s breakfast served in the open air. From Gallecs, travel to a 13th-century farmhouse (masia) nestled in Montseny Natural Park, just outside the village of Figaró. This will be your home for the next two days and the setting for a 24-hour traditional oven cooking experience. Upon arrival, you'll settle in and begin preparing a variety of dishes using the ingredients gathered earlier. We will cook together for dinner, and later on, we will also prepare meats to roast slowly overnight in the farmhouse’s historic wood-fired oven. Dinner is a hands-on experience to cook and experience life in the same way the original owners did 800 years ago.
For the next 2 nights, we'll stay at the masia.
Tues. November 11: Immersive Farm-to-Table Cooking Experience and Farmstay continued
The following morning begins with a traditional Catalan farm breakfast featuring cured meats, local cheeses, fresh eggs, bread, and seasonal fruit. After breakfast, head out on a guided hike through Montseny Natural Park, exploring the region’s natural beauty and learning about its ecosystems and native plants. Return to the farmhouse for lunch, where you'll enjoy the slow-cooked dishes prepared the day before — typically slow-cooked lamb, pork, or chicken with fall vegetables and aromatics. There is time for relaxation today before dinner, which will also be a hands-on experience. Upon departure the next morning, you'll be picked up in the village of Figaró and head to an olive farm in Pla de Bages, an inland region of Catalonia.
Weds. November 12: Olive Oil, Pla de Bages In-Land Cuisine, and Montserrat
Today we’ll visit an olive farm in the Pla de Bages region, where you’ll learn about olive oil from an olive farmer and professional taster who serves on the regional quality and judging board. For lunch, we’ll enjoy a meal prepared by a private local chef at the olive farm owner's home, allowing you to pair the oils with different foods of the inland region of Pla de Bages. You'll experience the deep connection between landscape, agriculture, and cuisine, and come away with a deeper understanding of how olive oil is evaluated, produced, and appreciated in Catalonia.
Afterward, we'll head to the famous Benedictine monastery atop Montserrat, the jagged mountain range just outside Barcelona known for its dramatic rock formations and spiritual significance. We'll tour the monastery, home to the revered Black Madonna statue, and take in panoramic views of Catalonia from the mountain’s peaks. After our visit, we’ll travel to Penedès for our wine region immersion.
We will settle into our new accommodation in Penedès for the next 2 nights, a 5-star hotel located right on a vineyard, and dinner tonight will be served at the hotel.
Thurs. November 13: Penedès Wine Region - Still Wines and Catalan Food Pairings
We’ll spend the next two days immersed in the Penedès region, the largest and one of the most important wine-producing areas in all of Catalonia. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of wine, not just how it’s made, but how to taste it, talk about it, and recognize why the local wine almost always pairs best with the local cuisine. There’s a reason the saying goes, “what grows together, goes together” --- the flavors of a region are meant to be enjoyed side by side. We’ll visit two different organic wineries today. At one of the wineries, we’ll enjoy a relaxed, home-cooked lunch prepared just for us. Each visit will include an overview of the winery’s philosophy, a tour of the vineyard and property, and an in-depth tasting, all hosted by the owner or winemaker. You’ll taste and drink some incredible bottles, many of which never leave the region, made by small-scale family vintners and artisans.
Return to the hotel to unwind and share a multi-course dinner tonight with selected premium wine pairings.
Fri. November 14: Penedès Wine Region Continued - All about Cava
After breakfast, we’ll spend the day learning more about Penedès with a visit to a winery known for its high-quality Cava, produced using the traditional method (méthode champenoise), the same process used in the Champagne region of France. The visit includes a homemade lunch with the winemaker and their family. After lunch, we’ll take part in a hands-on disgorging session, a key step in sparkling wine production where sediment from the second fermentation, which occurs in the bottle, is removed. This process is essential for clarity and stability and requires precision and timing. You’ll see firsthand how each bottle is finished, recapped, and prepared for release. By the end of the visit, you’ll have a working knowledge of how Cava is made from start to finish, including fermentation, initial bottling, 2nd fermentation, riddling, disgorging, dosage, and finally, corking/caging.
That afternoon, we’ll head back to Barcelona to check back into our hotel and unwind before the final evening of our program.
On our last night, we'll have a farewell dinner in the city, continuing our farm-to-table ethos, but featuring modern Catalan cuisine at a very special restaurant.
Sat. November 15: Return to USA
Breakfast at the hotel and then transfer to BCN airport.
This 8-night trip offers an immersive gastronomic exploration of Barcelona and the surrounding Catalonia region to dive deep into the rich culinary heritage that defines Catalonia. You’ll engage directly with local artisans, winemakers, cheesemakers, olive oil producers, farmers, chefs, and business owners who shape the region's foodscape. And though we're in Spain, Catalan is the dominant language and culture in this region, especially in the countryside where it usually takes precedence over Spanish.
Catalonia is famous for its blend of Mediterranean flavors and Pyrenean influences -- sea and land. You’ll cook and eat dishes such as escalivada (roasted vegetables), ous ferrats amb bolets (fried eggs with wild mushrooms), and butifarra (a traditional pork sausage). We’ll explore coastal seafood dishes like suquet de peix (a Catalan fish stew) and rural staples of inland Catalonia, including artisanal cheeses and slow-cooked meats. You’ll also experience the daily tradition of pa amb tomàquet (tomato-rubbed bread with sea salt and olive oil), a quintessential Catalan experience.
Wine plays an integral role in Catalonia’s culture, and on this trip you'll taste carefully curated selections and pairings with your meals, including sparkling Cava, but also complex reds. Cava is crafted primarily from three important grape varietals: macabeo, xarello, and parellada. The unique microclimate of Penedès, characterized by the moderating influence of the Montserrat mountain range and the terroir of calcareous clay, limestone, and sandy soils, create ideal conditions for these indigenous grapes. While we are not able to physically visit every wine region in Catalonia, we can certainly try as many as we can from other surrounding areas like Priorat, Empordà, Montsant, Terra Alta, and Pla de Bages and try other varietals like garnacha, cariñena (samsó), tempranillo (ull del lebre), sumoll, trepat, malvasia, and more. Whether you're a wine expert or a complete beginner, you'll learn a lot on this trip about sustainable viniculture and how to appreciate good wine.
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