Published on May, 2024
This was my favorite tour of Barcelona (including Sagrada Familia). Of course, it depends on what you are looking for, and Sagrada Familia is not to be missed either. But if you have time to do both, as the famous line says, "Just do it"!
I'm giving this a five star, but must let you know that for Viator, it was only a 1 star. Viator's app took us to the ending spot instead of the beginning spot, which is 15-20 minutes away by subway. I was frantically trying to contact the tour operator and viator when the tour operator called me (I was unable to make outbound calls for some reason).
The tour guide, Juan, agreed to meet us where we were, which eased our stress. He then did the tour backwards which was fine with us. However, I'd like to mention that we were the only ones scheduled, and had there been other guests it wouldn't have been possible.
Juan (a street artist himself) was an excellent guide of this formerly slum area which is now being gentrified to the dismay of many of the residents who can no longer afford to live there.
Our excellent guide was also was able to gain access to a secret garden spot (you need a key to get in and he knows Flora, the community activist who has lived there for decades and started the garden) which we never would have been able to see without him.
He also made a detour when I asked about a church I saw -- the oldest in the area -- and he told me all about the church, which predates the gothic churches and how it was still being used. Juan's knowledge about the area really impressed us since he is not native but has lived in several countries.
The explanations he gave, the pace, the stories and his excellent English speaking skills made this tour worth well more than the money (and tip) we spent.
There is another Street Art tour I scheduled in advance, but they canceled my tour without explanation (I had booked many months ahead), and raised the price. This annoyed me, and the Raval tour, although higher in price than my original booking, had good reviews so I thought I would give it a try. I'm glad I did not reschedule the other tour as this one was likely 1000% better.
The Raval Street Art and Graffiti Tour is a MUST for any travelers to Barcelona. Just be sure that you are going to the BEGINNING meeting spot and not the ENDING spot as this is a known issue of Viator.
Free Cancellation
