Barcelona Experience, a Travel Agency for Private Tours

Since 2003, Barcelona Experience has shown visitors Barcelona and Catalonia the way you would show them to friends who have come to stay: planned around them and at their pace. It is a small company by choice, built on private days rather than on volume.

Rated 5.0 based on 105 reviews on Tripadvisor

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Barcelona Experience at a Glance

Barcelona Experience (barcelonaexperience.com) is a fully licensed travel agency, GC-002877, based in Barcelona, Spain. It was founded in 2003 by Gaston Magrinat, who still owns and runs it. The company organises private tours of Barcelona, day trips into Catalonia and photography sessions, each for one party only, and has never operated shared group tours. Bookings are taken directly by the company and are not sold through Viator, GetYourGuide or any other booking platform.

Gaston Magrinat, Founder and Owner

Gaston Magrinat founded Barcelona Experience in 2003, bringing with him a background in outdoor leadership, travel and photography.

Born in Spain and raised in the United States, he studied Forestry at the University of Montana and went on to guide and teach outdoors, from a summer camp and weeks alone in the backcountry to teaching outdoor living skills at a wilderness therapy programme for teenagers.

When he returned to Spain in 1999, he brought that way of guiding with him: personal, flexible and shaped around the people on the day rather than around a fixed route.

The camera had been with him throughout, on the trail and on the road, and it came along on his first tours in Barcelona too. He sent clients the pictures afterwards as a small extra, until they began asking for them before the day had even started, and photography became part of what Barcelona Experience does.

The history of the city is always there, and I always bring it. What makes each day different is the people: seeing things fresh from their perspective, sharing stories, spending a day or an afternoon together. Their cultures, their histories and their lives enrich my own.
Gaston Magrinat

Who Runs the Day

Every day is planned by Barcelona Experience itself. Gaston guides many of the days himself, and for the others he chooses from guides he has worked with before and briefs them to run the day as he planned it. On city tours by car, a separate driver always takes care of the vehicle, so the guide stays with the group throughout. Every guide works in English and Spanish.

How a Day Comes Together

Every day starts with a conversation, and the plan grows out of it.

WhatsApp, email or the form, whichever suits you
A reply from Barcelona Experience itself within one business day, answering every question and setting out the next steps
The day shaped with you, around what you want from it
The plan in writing before the day, timings included, for everyone in your party

Deposits, payment and cancellation are covered in the terms and conditions.

What Sets Barcelona Experience Apart

Timings That Hold

Every plan is built on what can really be done in the time you have, with room left for traffic, strikes and whatever else a city puts in the way of a day.

An Honest Answer

When a plan will not work in the time you have, you hear it before you book, along with what would. Many day trips simply do not suit a short stay, and saying so is part of the job.

No Missed Ships

Cruise days are planned back from boarding time, and in all the cruise days run since 2003, nobody has missed a ship.

One Price, VAT Included

What you are quoted is what you pay, with VAT included and nothing added at the end.

Tickets Bought for You

Where a visit needs tickets, they are bought on your behalf, so there is nothing left for you to book.

Native English From the First Message

Every message before the day is answered by a native English speaker, and most of the tours are guided by one as well.

What Clients Say

First of all I would like to thank you for the lovely day we spent with you. It was just like traveling with family and good friends. I do appreciate you and your driver making it so nice for us. — Karen E., California

Thank you so much. My clients loved you so much they called from Barcelona that night to tell me. — Eileen S., Austin Travel, New York

Our travel agent couldn’t believe all the wonderful things we had to say about you, and the fact you found me a handicapped mobility scooter, when she couldn’t even through the cruise line or through a Spanish delegate she met at a party. Both her and her husband are Spanish and made a number of phone calls to Barcelona with no luck. — Harvey & Fran, Canada

Rated 5.0 based on 105 reviews on Tripadvisor

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Every photograph on this site was taken by Gaston Magrinat, and none of it is stock.