With 39 food markets scattered throughout the city, every Barcelonian has a market within a 10 minute walk from their home. Our first stop is perhaps the most famous of these markets, and the namesake of Boqueria Restaurant, el Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria (the Boqueria Market). Surrounding the market are an abundance of tapas bars and that serve the best of the market’s offering to an eager mix of chefs, shoppers and tourists. In the corner of the market is Kiosko Universal, run by a Benja – a friend of Chef Vidal – who will prepare simple but exceptionally delicious dishes from platters of fresh vegetables and seafood sourced from the nearby stalls for our breakfast. After a tour of the market we will experience “La Hora del Vermut,” the easygoing, early-afternoon tradition where friends gather to share a small snack (tapa) and an aperitif (preferably vermouth as the name suggests). Afterwards, do as Barcelonians do and enjoy a siesta, or take some time to explore the city on your own. The day will conclude with dinner at a renowned Catalan bistro – the perfect introduction to the week ahead.

Today we are heading South to explore Penedès, the largest wine region in Catalunya, famous for its sparkling wines. We will visit two family-run wineries producing cava and still wines found on the menus at Boqueria. As we tour the wineries, and enjoy a picnic lunch at the vineyard, we will learn about Cava’s native grapes, the wine making history, traditions, and the special aging process that makes this wine so unique. After a day of bubbles we will had back to the city for an evening of rest, or more wine, but that’s up to you!

Take this morning to enjoy breakfast at the hotel, savor the scenery from the rooftop, or take a refreshing dip in the pool. If you prefer exploring to lounging, you can join a guided cultural tour of Cuit Vella, the oldest district in Barcelona where Roman, Medieval and Gothic heritage coexist. Wherever you spend your day, find your way to the pier in Barceloneta at 4:30pm when the daily fishing boats arrive. We will be greeted by one of the local fishermen who will escort us to the local fish auction where the catch of cockles, clams, spiky sea urchin, multiple variety of octopus and every shape and size of squid are sold to local restaurants. After some free time at the beach or exploring the Barceloneta district, we will accompany one of the fisherman to a private venue for a “Gambada” seafood dinner – a feast including locally caught Mediterranean red prawns, succulent giant red shrimp. These gems of the sea are a favorite of Chef Marc, who serves them simply grilled on the Plancha during the summer or draped over tender meatballs alongside silky trumpet mushrooms in a hearty stew in the winter.

In a country with more pigs than humans (true fact!), you can imagine how important pork is to the food culture in Spain and likewise at Boqueria. Every incarnation of pork is celebrated on our menu: a rustic sandwich is made of Jamón Serrano and Manchego cheese, quail egg yolks run over spicy chorizo and crisp toasts, rich sobrasada is paired with sweet acorn squash and toasted hazelnuts and thick slabs of pork belly are folded into a “mixta” style – meat and seafood – Paella. Today we leave Barcelona and head into the country side to explore Vic, capital of the Osona region and a town renowned for its gastronomy and locally cured pork. After a cultural walk around the old town and Plaça Majos – Vic’s main square – we will visit Casa Riera Ordeix, the oldest cured pork producer in town for a taste of the traditional embutidos. Our tour of Vic will conclude with a 14+ dish tasting menu and wine pairing at one of the finest examples of rural Catalan cuisine, Can Jubany (1* Michelin), where Chef Vidal was first classically trained. Chef Nandu Jubany’s menu explores traditional flavors and the best products of the region and terrior.

Our last stop of the evening is Caldes de Malavella, a town known for its hot springs, and the Vichy Catalan factory where the famous sparkling water has been produced for over 130 years. Check into the hotel and enjoy the rest of the evening of leisure and access to the Vichy Catalan spa with its luxurious, relaxing, and often invigorating treatments.

After a tour of the Vichy Catalan factory we will journey to the sandy beaches and rocky coves of Cosat Brava. It is here that the charming village of Cadaqués and the iconic Cala Montjoi, location of the former famed El Bulli, await. It has been 7 years since “the world’s best restaurant” closed, yet after a remarkable run of 27 years training several generations of renowned chefs – including our co-host and Boqueria Chef Marc Vidal – the El Bulli legacy is still alive around the world, and nowhere more so than near the cove where it was located. Ferran Adrià left so many footprints behind, but the closest to his iconic restaurant is Compartir, where we will enjoy a tasting menu with wines. Opened by the three head chefs of El Bulli, Compartir – which means “to share” – applies the cooking techniques of El Bulli to traditional dishes, all meant for sharing, in a casual al fresco setting.

Fish, rice, wind, olive oil and wine: just some of the assets of a rich and diverse region called Empordà, who’s geographical borders – the Pyrenees, the Mediterranean and France – define a way of living and cooking. We will meet a local, young chef who will combine these ingredients to cook a memorable and traditional “family rice” in an outstanding, open-air, location. Before and after lunch you will have time to explore the well-preserved and incredible medieval towns of Empordà; walk the cobble stone streets and narrow alleys, take in the architecture and history and rest before an epic last day in Barcelona!

As you wake for our last day in Barcelona, opt for breakfast at the hotel or a true local breakfast, what Catalans know as “esmorzar de forquilla” (fork breakfast). Forget about avocado toasts, granola, and matcha lattes. This Catalan, country-style, farmer’s breakfast is hearty fare; serious food for serious eaters. Spend the rest of your day walking the streets of Barcelona and gazing at it’s amazing and varied architecture or join an optional visit to a local Iberian ham producer. Rodrigo may not be a famous name among producers, but his family has been making cured products from their own pigs for generations and meticulously looking after the entire process; from the feeding (solely with acorns) to the curing of every single leg. You will get to taste, in our not-so-humble opinion, some of the best ham and Iberian pork in Spain. By far.

Our trip to Barcelona, a true culinary mecca, concludes with a dinner at one of the world’s top 50 restaurants. Tickets is helmed by Chef Albert Adrià, a man no longer known as the younger of the Adrià brothers, a pastry chef living in the shadow of a world-renowned chef who redefined creativity in cooking. Albert Adrià is now the one who keeps the El Bulli legacy alive with a successful range of restaurants, all of them with its own identity. We will be delighted with a custom-designed menu that includes some of their best dishes and bites; all creative, inventive, rooted in the essence of play, and absolutely delicious.