On a single journey, I just spent three days in Barcelona. I was a little worried about dining and drinking alone at night in a non-English speaking nation because I hadn’t done much solo travel previously. Group food tours are one of the most popular things to do in Barcelona, so I did some research online and discovered a ‘Tapas and Wine’ evening with Devour Tours. A guide leads a small party around the greatest wine and tapas establishments in the ancient Born neighborhood, where they sample delicious Spanish wines, traditional Spanish gastronomy (tapas dishes), and other popular Spanish foods.

The group size was pleasant and small – 7 of us in total; I was the only solo traveller among three other American couples, but they were all conversational and excellent fun, so I didn’t feel left out. Fintan, our tour and sommelier (a fellow Brit – hurrah!) was energetic, informed, and passionate. He genuinely planned the agenda for this tour and made it a memorable night.

We were able to sample a variety of Spanish wines, including reds, whites, sparkling, and fortified. The wonderful red wine directly from the barrel at our final trip was the highlight for me. Furthermore, every single tapas dish was wonderful and of high quality. I still crave the croquettes and patatas bravas from the first place we went, and I’ll come back when I next visit Barcelona.

The Spaniards eat fairly late, at 11 p.m. Our tour was from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., so the restaurants were quite quiet and just opening when we arrived, but that meant they weren’t too loud and we weren’t cramming in (some are quite small).

This was a great way to spend an evening during my brief vacation, and I departed feeling very cheerful after drinking so much wine. It was a fantastic way to see Barcelona as a local!

Fintan sent us an email after the tour with a list of good food ideas for the rest of our vacation, which was a wonderful touch.

If you are staying in Barcelona for an extended period of time, I recommend doing this tour at the beginning of your vacation because you will most likely want to return to some of these locations! I also recommend it for single travelers who wish to spend an evening drinking wine.

Click here to book this tour or to see more Devour tours. Check out these 50 Barcelona travel tips to make the most of your vacation, as well as this Barcelona travel guide for transportation, lodging, food, nightlife, and more!

The restaurants and tapas we ate at are listed below.

Bodega La Puntual

 

ElDiset

Bodega Maestrazgo