The Essence of Barcelona: Discover its Icons on an Exclusive Tour

From the hotel or apartment where your driver-guide collects you, this five-hour private tour heads up Montjuïc Hill to the Mirador de l'Alcalde, a lookout with Barcelona's rooftops below and the Mediterranean beyond. Your vehicle then passes the 1992 Olympic Games sites, among them Palau Sant Jordi, the Olympic Stadium and Plaça d'Espanya, and continues to the Barcelona Pavilion by Mies van der Rohe and the National Palace, both dating from the 1929 International Exhibition.

The waterfront comes next, with the World Trade Center, the old shipyards at Drassanes, Port Vell and the Columbus Monument, followed by a walk in the Gothic Quarter around the Cathedral square, the Roman ruins and the former Jewish Quarter. Back on board, you follow Passeig de Gràcia, the avenue that takes in the Block of Discord, past Casa Batlló and Casa Milà, and your last stop is the UNESCO-listed modernist complex of Hospital de Sant Pau, also in the Eixample.

Hotel pickup and drop-off, the vehicle, your driver-guide and the Old Town walk are covered at €549 per group, for up to 6 guests. With no other travelers sharing the vehicle, the pace is yours to set. Monument entrance tickets are not included, and neither are food, drinks or private expenses; Sagrada Família and Park Güell are not on this route.