After meeting your chef, you will visit the La Boqueria market, the largest marketplace in Spain. For more than 800 years, this has been a wonderland of fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood, baked goods and sweets arriving by sea or the nearby fertile farmlands. As you tour the market with your chef, you will discover why Mediterranean cuisine is so popular, and learn about the local products that make it unique. Your chef will help you choose the best ingredients for your gourmet cooking lesson and meal.

With purchases in hand, you will walk to a nearby prestigious cooking school where you will learn the secrets of the best seafood paella, suquet or crema catalana in town. Sit back and relax with a glass of wine or put your apron on and participate. Either way, you will be sure to enjoy the chef's cooking from appetizer to dessert.

After lunch, you will walk the old city known as the Gothic Quarter. Along the way you will pass several of the areas unique architectural sites including the Gothic Santa Maria Church. You will learn a lot about local architecture and history from your knowledgeable and expert guide. The Gothic Quarter is considered the heart of Barcelona and home to an abundance of gourmet shops and cafes tucked away in its nooks and crannys. As you walk, your guide will entertain you with fascinating local stories. Wander the same streets as Picasso and Miro as you visit a charming local cheese shop to sample fresh Spanish cheese paired with a perfect wine.

Further along, you will stop at the oldest venue in Barcelona for refreshments, as well as fruits and dried nuts such as hazelnuts from Lleida, almonds from Tarragona, homemade nougats and chocolates. This quaint and local store, specializing in roasting coffee beans and nuts for over 150 years, is still decorated with its original furniture and old wood-burning stove.

Your secret gourmand route will be rounded out by a tasting of delicious chocolate con churros in a charming local cafe, one of the best places in Barcelona for this local delicacy. Before parting, your guide can give you additional ideas for sightseeing or shopping in this fascinating town.

Please note, Due to special preparations required for this program, there will be no refund for programs canceled within 15 days before the tour begins.