Light up your Christmas holiday on this 1.5-hour walking tour of Barcelona’s festive highlights. With an expert guide, make your way into the heart of the Gothic quarter to visit Fira de Santa Llúcia, the city’s oldest Christmas market. Soak up the festive atmosphere as you peruse hundreds of stalls crammed with handcrafted gifts, decorations and other yuletide goodies. Then, learn about Catalan Christmas traditions as you stroll through the city’s elaborate outdoor Nativity scene. Finish your tour at a candy store, where you’ll savor seasonal sweet treats.
On the afternoon of your tour, make your own way to the prearranged meeting point in central Barcelona. Greet your guide, then set off on foot to explore the city’s most magical festive highlights.
Your first stop is Fira de Santa Llúcia. Nestled in front of the Gothic cathedral on Plaça de la Seu, it is the oldest, biggest and most traditional Christmas market in Barcelona. Wander among the stalls decorated with twinkling lights, and learn how the market dates back more than 200 years, with the earliest recorded Christmas market in this location taking place in 1786.
As you peruse the handmade gifts, ornaments and other knickknacks, hear how pessebres (Nativity scenes) are one of the most important Christmas traditions in Barcelona. Then, visit some of the stalls that sell the small figures many locals buy to build their own Nativity scenes at home.
Continue on to Plaça Sant Jaume to see the city’s massive outdoor Nativity scene. Soak up the Christmas spirit as you stroll past figures of the baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the Three Kings, then stop short by the caganer, a traditional Catalan figure that depicts a farmer sitting down on the toilet. Listen as your guide explains that the figure is a symbol of hope and fertility for the coming year.
After, stop in at a traditional Christmas candy store. Treat your sweet tooth to some typical Spanish candy as you hear more fascinating stories about Catalan yuletide traditions.
Your tour then finishes inside the shop, where you can purchase candy as presents for your family and friends, if you wish. Click here for:
