Welcome to Artoba Tours, your bespoke, expert-led day tours and guided hikes of Barcelona and Catalonia.
Nestled on the western Mediterranean coast, Catalonia has a spectacular array of prehistoric, historic, and modern landscapes, from coastal plains to mountain peaks, lush orchards to picturesque vineyards. Barcelona and Catalonia offer an outstanding range of archaeology and heritage sites and monuments to visit and explore, such as the caves where Neanderthals lived tens of thousands of years ago, the mysterious Stone Age dolmens in the Catalan hills, the UNESCO prehistoric rock art sites, the plethora of Roman ruins, and the majestic medieval castles, churches, and villages dotted throughout the landscape. Are you ready to start exploring?
With Artoba tours you will receive a personalised tour designed and led by archaeologist Killian Driscoll, to help you discover and experience the Mediterranean of the past and the present. Just as no vacation is the same, no expert-led tour with us is the same. You tell us what would be your ideal trip, and we’ll design a tour for you, whether it is a half day, full day, or a multi-day trip.
Cultural Tours
Artoba Tours' cultural tours will bring you to some of the most remarkable sites in Spain. The cultural tours cover a wide variety of landscapes, from the medieval mountain villages of Rupit and Besalú of the pre-Pyrenees to the north of Barcelona, to the UNESCO prehistoric rock art sites in the oak and pine forests of the Prades Mountains to the south. The heritage of Catalonia is breathtaking, whether it's prehistoric megalithic dolmens, or medieval castles that you want the explore.
Wine Tours
The wine tours cover three of the most important wine regions in Catalonia - the Priorat, the Cava (Spanish Champagne) of the Penedès, and Empordà - and the tours are designed to take in the deep history of wine culture in this part of Spain. Along with the visits to some of the best wineries in the country, during the day tours you can also visit wine-related archaeology and history sites that reveal the almost 3,000 year story of wine, giving you an unforgettable experience, and a unique tour of the Spanish wine country.
Barcelona city walking tours
Your private walking tours of Barcelona city will give you a special insight into this beautiful city, looking at the city grew from its prehistoric roots from thousands of years ago, when small prehistoric farming communities lived here, to its formation as a Roman coastal town about 2,000 years. In our Discover Barcelona’s Ancient Secrets Walking Tour you'll explore the ancient Roman Barcelona and see how it evolved into the important medieval city. Our Iconic Barcelona: the Gothic Quarter and el Born Walking Tour also starts with looking at Barcelona's Roman roots, and then focuses on Barcelona as a Mediterranean powerhouse during the medieval Gothic period, and wonderful architectural and historical legacy shapes modern Barcelona. Our third Barcelona walking tour explores Barcelona new town - the Eixample - and the remarkable modernisme (Art Nouveau) buildings of Gaudí and his fellow architects.
Guided hikes
The countryside around Barcelona and Catalonia is incredibly varied and hikers are spoiled for choice. It truly is a hikers paradise, with all year hikes and walks possible, from the rugged Costa Brava Mediterranean coast to the north of Barcelona, to the craggy hills of the Priorat wine country to the south, to the majestic Pyrenees in the north. The guided hikes take in many of the natural parks of Catalonia, and as well as taking in the outstanding beauty, the hikes are also designed to showcase the remarkable heritage and deep history of Spain, with its plethora of UNESCO word heritage sites such as the prehistoric rock art, as well Roman and medieval sites and settlements.
