Great Trips... Made Better With Beer!
Barcelona! Tapas, History & Craft Beer in Catalonia
November 7 - 17, 2024
Escape gray November for a beery exploration of Catalonia, featuring great hotels, historic cities, fantastic food, craft brewers, cava, tapas, Gaudi's architecture, Dali's art, scenic visits, and vibrant Catalonian culture.
Catalonian culture is just plain cool. From its varied and rich topography, to its extremely long history (pre-dating the Romans), to the vibrant vibes, incredible architecture and typical tapas bars in Barcelona, Catalonia offers itself unselfishly as a world-class destination. Add a burgeoning craft brewing scene to the mix and you have a Great Trip... Made Better with Beer! We will meet a full range of passion-filled brewers: barrel agers, homebrew suppliers gone brew-crazy, innovative brewpub founders, bar owners, and gypsy brewers. We'll cross Catalonia, with stays in bustling Barcelona, a small town with a restored Masia, a Pardor in Cardona, and unspoiled Girona. Explore the works of Dali and Gaudi, eat like royalty, see Flamenco, and enjoy the many scenes of Catalonia.
November in Catalonia averages 65° / 54° with 5 days of rain. A great time to escape gray November.
Trip Price (Land-only, Based on double occupancy)
$3499 per person | Single Room add extra $785
Beer Highlights, Brewery Visits, Tours and Tastings
Barcelona Beer Crawl, Ales Agullons, Freixenet Cellars with Cava and Cheese tasting, Ca Areyns, La Micro Cerveceria, Figueres Tasting, Girona Tasting
Overnight Stays
3 nights in Barcelona, 1 night in San Lorenzo de Hortóns, 1 night in Cardona, 3 nights in Girona, Final night in Barcelona
Included Tours
Welcome Beer Walk, Barcelona City Tour with private driver/guide, Barcelona Beer and Tapas Tour, Freixenet Cellar Tour with Cava and Cheese Tasting, Walking tour of Girona
Include Meals
9 Breakfasts | 2 Lunches | 5 Dinners | Tapas and Beer Tour
Arrival & Departure
Trip Begins & Ends Barcelona, Spain
Daily Itinerary*
Thursday, November 7
Travel Day
Friday - November 8
Locally guided beer and tapas walk, Welcome Beer Dinner - Barcelona style
Barecelona is old, beautiful, and bustling with energy and passion for the good life. As we walk around the cool squares and ecclectic neighborhoods, you can't help but feel the vibe of the Catalonian capital. We will toast the start of the tour with an all Catalan Beer Tasting as we explore the neighborhood around our hotel. Our welcome dinner tonight, on Catalonian time, will feature the flavors of the city, and a good beer list,
Overnight in Barcelona
Saturday - November 9
Big City Tour, Boqueria Market, El Poble Espanyol museum, Flamenco Dinner
Barcelona is big, and spread out so we'll have a guided city tour in private vehicle, including entrance (skip the line) to Parc Guell and Sagrada de la Familia. Refreshments as necessary... This afternoon? Boqueria Market Lunch? Siesta... Swimming Pool? This evening we'll travel to Tablao de Carmen for Tapas, drinks, and Flamenco. The tickets include free admission to El Poble Espanyol open air museum, which contains re-creations of some of Spain's most interesting examples of regional architecture. A cool place to photograph and explore. After dinner and the show, it is a short walk to the Fuente Mágica (Magic Fountain) at the base of Montjuic, for a sound and light show with tourists and locals on full display.
Overnight in Barcelona
Sunday - November 10
Sunday in Barcelona!
After a big day yesterday, today is open to enjoy and explore Barcelona. Visit the ham musuem. Dig in to the local beer scene at a more than a handful of great beer bars, or go to any of the architectural curiosities across the city. Or visit the beach, a church or two... Mny options beery or otherwise.
Overnight in Barcelona
Monday - November 11
Beer Bus to Ales Agullons for tour, tasting, and lunch!
This morning we depart Barcelona for a day dedicated to what is possibly Catalonia's best beer - Ales Agullons, located in an old wine estate in the middle of nowhere (well sorta). We will taste their delicious beers, take a tour the brewery next to their home, and have a great regional beer lunch. After lunch and a thankful farewell, we travel down the road a bit to our hotel in the small town of San Lorenzo de Hortóns! Dinner and overnight at our lovely restored Masia / farmhouse hotel.
Overnight is San Lorenzo de Hortóns
Tuesday - November 12
Freixenet Visit, Cava and Cheese Tasting, Montserrat, Dinner and Overnight in a Castle
After a great breakfast in our hotel, we will head the short distance for Cellar Tour at the historic cava producer - Freixinet. We'll wander the cellars, learn the stories and methedology behind the famous sparkling wine, followed, of course by a thorough cava and cheese tasting. Afterward we will make an informal visit to Montserrat for lunch, before continuing to Cardona to spend an evening in a Parador over looking the old salt mines. Along the way we will stop at a brewery for good measure. Dinner and overnight at Parador de Cardona.
Overnight in Cardona
Wednesday - November 13
La Micro Cerveceria Lunch, Walking Tour of Girona
This morning after a breakfast suited for royalty, and some time to explore the castle grounds, we head to La Micro Cerveceria in Sabadell for a visit, tasting, and local lunch. We will meet the brewer/owners as well! After good food, lovely beers, and good company, we head to the historic and beautiful city of Girona - where many episodes of Game of Thrones were filmed. We will meet a local guide for a walk around the city, for history, stories, and a beer stop or two. The evening is free to eat and explore.
Overnight in Girona
Thursday - November 14
Figueres, Dali Museums, Costa Brava... w/Beer!
Get ready for a day of spectacular scenery and crazy cool art from the, perhaps, warped brain of Salvador Dali. We start by making the scenic drive to the Costa Brava and Cadaques to visit the former Dali home, which is now a museum on the coast. Enjoy lunch on your own in the inspirational seaside village of Cadaques. After lunch and a look around, we head to Dalis home town, Figures, to visit his residence/theater museum. Figueres is also home to some good craft beer - we will be sure taste a one or two. Return to Girona tonight. The evening is free.
Overnight in Girona
Friday - November 15
Friday in Girona, Afternoon Beer Bars, Evening Free
Today is our chance to discover this, cool, compact, jewel of Catalonia that is Girona. Plenty of culture, history, food, and beer to explore, along with museums and religious architecture. A pre-dinner beer tasting this evening takes us to some creative bars. Dinner is unplanned, but there are plenty of diversions on a Friday night in Girona.
Overnight in Girona
Saturday - November 16
Morning in Girona, Train to Barcelona, Farewell Dinner
After breakfast, we bid farwell to Girona on a train to Barcelona. Arrive, check in, and enjoy a final day in Barcelona. Plenty of things to do on a Saturday, including more Gaudi, or craft beer locales. Tonight we celebrate with a farewell dinner, and perhaps a nightcap at the hotel!
Overnight in Barcelona
Sunday - November 17
Alas, the trip is over
Breakfast at the hotel this morning is the final event of a great trip. Safe travels home or farther afield!
Overnight at your house or beyond
Trip Deposit (per person)
$400.00
Number of person:
* The deposit is refundable less a $50 cancellation fee up to 60 days prior to departure. For cancellations made less than 60 days prior to departure, the full deposit will be forfeited. For cancellations made after final payment, refunds will be made (where possible) according to service contracts and supplier guidelines; these refunds will be based on recoverable expenses. See the full Terms and Conditions here.
TRAVEL DETAILS:
Air Travel is not included. Travelers are encouraged to use mileage awards, travel outside group dates, or visit other European cities while abroad to make the most out of the trip. Please confirm the trip's operation before purchasing air tickets.
Most Trips officially begin in the lobby of the first hotel. Meeting times, information about getting from the airport or train station to the hotel, the detailed itinerary, hotel addresses, and a trip roster will be included with your Final Trip Documents, which you'll receive 2 - 3 weeks before the trip.
How we travel on tour: All included excursions and visits include transportation. Within the cities, we rely on walking and private or public transportation (uber, taxis, busses, trams, etc.). Travel between cities is by private motor coach, luxury van, ferry, and/or rail.
REGARDING INCLUDED MEALS AND BEER:
We don't mess around when it comes to food and beer. Restaurants -- tried and true -- have been carefully selected, based on quality, local knowledge, and insider tips. On a Beer Trip, included meals mean you may order as you please - including beer, appetizers, dessert, etc. We are not stingy -- a lot of food and beer is included on every Beer Trip.
PLEASE NOTE:
A BeerTrips beer tour is best suited for somewhat adventurous, beer-loving travelers who want the camaraderie and structure of a tour, as well as the opportunity to explore independently. Planned events, brewery visits, locally guided tours, and some excursions are, of course, formally "guided". Travel days, on trains, public means, or the beer bus, as well some group walks, are blissfully unstructured, though travelers can always rely on the support and assistance of the trip leader.
THIS ITINERARY IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE:
In rare cases, it may be necessary to alter the itinerary based on brewery or hotel availability, force majeur, acts of dieties, common sense, or bad weather, etc. Smaller breweries, as well as the Trappists, are often unable to commit to hosting groups until a couple of weeks before we arrive. Substitutions, when necessary, will be as good as what we replaced. And, don't worry, the beer is always good!