travels, walkings, things to do in Barcelona, guided tours, guided visits, Catalonia

1. Customized Services
and
Cultural Guided Tours
2010
C/Muntaner 185, 1º 2ª
08036 Barcelona
0034 93 4101405
0034 93 3212501
www.iconoserveis.com
info@iconoserveis.com

2. CONTENTS
 Icono Serveis Culturals
 General Barcelona
 Thematic Barcelona
 Some of our special tours
 Through the pages of Barcelona, a literary city
 Excursions outside Barcelona
 Cultural services and special activities
 Other services

3. ICONO, Serveis Culturals is a company of customized cultural services. We are
based in Barcelona but we provide services all over Spain.
We offer:
۰ Tailor made products: cultural and artistic tours based on our client
preferences, time and interests.
۰ Teambuilding activities for congresses and incentive meetings.
۰ Design of trips, transfers, escorts and private transport.
۰ We are your PARTNER in Spain.
۰ Direct communication with our clients.
Our Team:
۰ Native Spanish guides in all languages.
۰ Professional staff in the offices specialized in Arts, History,
Architecture…
Our client:
۰ Tour operators and travel agencies.
۰ Cruise lines.
۰ Companies and private entreprises.
۰ Official organisms, Goverments, Museums and Public institutions.
۰ Exclusive groups and individuals.
Quality in our services:
۰ 24 hours availability.
۰ Personal service and operational ability.
۰ Logistic coordination from our offices.
۰ Attention to detail.
۰ FolIow up of pre-event, the event and the post-event.

4. THEMATIC BARCELONA
Why choose a thematic tour if this is your first time in the city?
Because all our tours refer to general concepts of Barcelona to give a full vision,
guided by professional experts who give you the important information in a unique
and original way; because the thematic tours give particular visions of the real city, and
they can’t be found in a tourist guide; and because the thematic tours give you a
mixture of professionalism, fun, history, research and information that is difficult to
find anywhere else.
ICONO Serveis Culturals STARTS THE YEAR 2010 with new unique tours and
innovative itineraries for Barcelona. Our aim is to offer an original and authentic view
of the city. All the tours can be personally adapted. The duration is of 2/4 hours. All the
tours are based on strict research and historical thesis. We can provide a bibliography
of related literature.
With our new tours we continue to approach the secret heritage of Barcelona for the
curious and specialist traveller.

5. 1.Barcelona 1900’s: the Bohemian city
This is a very special tour, as it
combinates arts, history, society and stories
related to 1900’s Barcelona, the city that
Picasso found when he moved here with his
family. A Barcelona of art galleries, Modernist
art, artists and intellectuals, strong cultural
connections with Paris, secret districts, literary
bars and cabarets.
The tour takes you to some of Picasso’s studios and homes, as well as old bars
and shops of that time and other related places.
This tour finishes with the amazing visit to the Picasso Museum.
2.Walking Gothic Tour
Long before many cities were founded, the kingdom of
Catalonia was a bastion of art and architecture. Barcelona’s
ancient city center – which was surrounded by walls during
Roman times – makes up what today is the Gothic Quarter.
Surrounding Barcelona’s impressive cathedral,
medieval palaces emerge such as Casa dels Canonges, La Pia
Almoina, and Casa d’ Ardiaca. Whether the Gothic Quarter
(or Barri Gòtic as it's called in Catalán) is truly Gothic is the
subject of endless debate, but it is one of the most evocative
neighborhoods in Spain and hides lots of bewitching places
with many stories to tell.

6. Its richly textured streets, quiet squares, attractive corners, gurgling fountains,
vintage stores and ancient fortifications inspired such artists as Pablo Picasso and Joan
Miró (who was born in this neighborhood).
This tour will include a guided tour to the Cathedral (entrance fees not included
in the tour price).
3.Gaudí’s Barcelona
After the success of The Year of Gaudi 2002 we
continue to offer a wide range of exclusive tours of Gaudí’s
Barcelona. We want you to discover the genius of the
architect, his historical and artistic influences, his social life
and his mentality. We propose the visit of an interior and a
walking tour to
complete the visit.
Some of our Gaudí visits are:
Gaudí and the Güell Family: a visit to
Güell Park and to Güell Palace to understand
the social and artistic relation between Gaudí
and the Güell family, real art patrons of their
time.
Personality and stories of a genius: a
visit to la Pedrera or la Casa Batlló explaining
stories and anecdotes of Gaudí’s life and work.
The nature and Gaudí: a visit to Park Güell to discover its technical innovations
and symbolic relationship with nature.

7. Gaudí, the architect of God: a visit to exteriors and interiors of the Sagrada
Família through Gaudí’s original project and the present state of the works. We will
hear about the influence of religion and mysticism in Gaudí’s works.
4.La Ribera Quarter, the secret tour
This is the way in to one of the most magical and personal parts of the old city (Ciutat
Vella): the Ribera quarter, the area of the medieval and powerful guilds and
merchants. This tour will follow the old medieval streets to discover how the artisans
still live and work in the quarter: we will visit old century studios, a museum of Magic,
old century shops and other special and hidden treasures.

8. El Barrio Chino – Chinatown
A wander around the most flamenco district in Barcelona
Neither the lower districts of Genoa, nor the port district of Marseilles, nor the Parisian
Vilette, nor Whitechapel in London can be
compared to our wonderful Chinatown, or to
the atmosphere of this forbidden area, where
the heart-rending lament of flamenco will
follow you everywhere. What’s more
Barcelona’s barrio chino surpasses them.
There’s no other district in the whole world
with more sparkle.
Coinciding with the universal exhibitions of 1888 and 1929, Barcelona would be able to
count on having one of the raciest districts in Europe, and its soundtrack would be flamenco.
From this same district such gems as Carmen Amaya, a gypsy born in Somorrostro and who
prided herself on her Barcelona roots, would shine. She would become the most universal
bailaora – flamenco dancer.
In those days you could hear Manuel Torre or Antonio Chacón coming from the
gramophone in the Ca’l Manquet; the upper echelons of the Bullfighting world would gather at
the Hotel Oriente; and Carmen Amaya, just a girl, who was described by Sebastià Gasch as “the
interpretation of the soul through dance”, would show off her talent in any one of the fifty bars
in the area which offered flamenco.
We will discover the Barri del Portal, nicknamed ‘La Islita’ by Vázquez Montalbán, the
cradle of the Rumba Catalana, where the stars of this musical genre are still living today: Peret;
Los Amaya; Chipen…

9. However, hardly anything remains of the gloomy, sombre and seedy barrio chino
depicted by so many authors. Amongst others: Jean Genet in ‘The Diary of a Thief’; Pieyre de
Mandiargues in ‘La Marge’; Vázquez Montalbán in almost all of his novels about Detective
Carvalho; and more recently Maruja Torres in ‘Un calor tan cercano’.
Discover the little that remains of this
quarter before it’s too late, since a large
part of this cultural legacy will be lost when
its last inhabitants pass away; after that
books and documentaries will be all that we
will have. Today the superheroes of the
district, friends of Camarón de la Isla, and fans of Bullfighting (a dying species) still wander the
streets. Social phenomena like flamenco that live on, surrounded by the multiculturalism that
the district transpires nowadays, which advances are relentlessly extinguishing any trace of
Maritime Barcelona’s street-life past.

10. “BARCELONA: THE MOVIE WALKING TOUR!”
A walking tour mainly based on the locations of the most filmed city. Enjoy with the
great locations of the great “Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona”. Discover its shooting secrets and walk
through your favourite city places by knowing more about Pedro Almodóvar, Woody Allen,
Mario Camus, Tom Tykwer, José Luis Guerín or Bigas Luna’s art and their films “The Parfum”,
“L’auberge spagnole” or “Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona”, among many others.
WHAT IS “BARCELONA: THE MOVIE WALKING TOUR!” ABOUT?
“Barcelona: the movie walking tour” shows the main locations where popular scenes from
“Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona” and other master films have been shot. At the same time, this
route discovers films that used the city as the set to construct other atmospheres, such as “The
Shangai spell” or “The parfum”. You will learn about actors and actresses who have been in
Barcelona while filming: Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall,
Cecilia Roth, Ben Whishaw, Dabiel Brühl, Claudia Cardinale, Rita Hayworth or John Wayne,
among others.

11. Did you know that the first film ever shot in Spain took place in Barcelona in 1896? Would you
like to enter the locations and talk to people who worked in the shootings? Do not hesitate to
discover Barcelona like you have never seen it.
You will walk through tourist and emblematic places with the guide of well-known film
characters. The walking tour focuses on directors’ and actors’ anecdotes as well as filming
situations. The guide provides pictures in order to visualize every scene that is commented.
Visit: Monument to Columbus, Moll de la Fusta (harbour with locations of “The Shangai spell”,
“L’Auberge spagnole” and “Manuale d’amore”), we will get inside the Raval quarter with “En
Construcción”, walking through emblematic squares such as the one of Duc de Medinaceli (“All
about my mother”), Plaza Real (Royal Square), the hundred-year-old herbalist’s “El Rey”,
Ferran St. (“The parfum”), Plaza Sant Just I Pastor, Plaza Sant Jaume, Plaza Sant Felip Neri,
Catedral,Quatre Gats, Palau de la Música Catalana until we get to the modernist Eixample of
Woody Allen in “Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona”.
Meeting Point: Monument to Columbus (Colón). (Metro L3 Drassanes)
Duration: about 2 hours 30 minutes
End of visit: Palau de la Música Catalana (Metro L4 Urquinaona, L1, L3 Pl. Catalunya).

12. Barcelona Gourmet Tour
Gastronomy shapes our culture and with this tour we offer you a spicy itinerary that
will allow you to discover Barcelona from another point of view. The itinerary begins in
the Boqueria market where one can admire the shapes and colours of our food and
you can try some of the exotic fruits sold in this emblematic market.
From there we will wander around the gothic quarter admiring the most reputable
gourmet shops. A sweet and salty itinerary that ends in the Ribera Quarter next to
Santa Maria del Mar. This tour can be completed with a wine tasting session and a
“pinchos” appetizer.
Tapas Tour in the Gothic Quarter
Whether the Gothic Quarter (or Barri Gòtic as it's called in
Catalán) is truly Gothic is the subject of endless debate, but it
is one of the most evocative neighborhoods in Spain and
hides lots of bewitching places with many stories to tell.
Discover this Gothic Quarter enjoying tapas and pinchos
during your walking tour.

13. Modernist designs and colors!
No architect in Europe was as fantastical as Antoni Gaudí y Cornet, the
foremost proponent of Catalán modernism. Barcelona is home to many works of this
extraordinary artist, all of which UNESCO now lists as World Trust Properties. A recluse
and a celibate bachelor as well as a fervent Catalán nationalist he lived out his own
fantasy in his work. Nothing is more stunning than his Sagrada Família, Barcelona's
best-known landmark, a cathedral on which Gaudí labored for the last 43 years of his
life. Work to complete the landmark cathedral still continues today, and when it will be
finished, "The Sacred Family" will be Europe's largest cathedral.
This guided walking lecture tour concentrates on his three other most well-known
works in Barcelona including La Pedrera, Casa Batlló, and Park Güell. We are
introduced to the genius – including his historical and artistic influences, his social life
and his thinking.

14. Contemporary Architecture Tour
Barcelona has lots of faces: apart from the Gothic quarter and the modernist
one, there is a contemporary city that looks to the future, another Barcelona where
the most renowned architects all over the world have been challenged to build their
buildings. The purpose of this itinerary is to discover the recent patrimony of both 20th
and 21st centuries.
We start visiting the Pabellón Mies van der Rohe, initially conceived for the
Universal Exhibition in 1929. We continue along Montjuïc Mountain having a look at
the Olympic ring and the Sport facilities where the Olympic Games where held in 1992:
the Stadium, Sant Jordi Palace by Arata Isozaki, the Tower by Santiago Calatrava. The
tour will continue with the Miró Foundation, a beautiful Mediterranean construction,
inaugurated in 1976 and designed by Josep Lluís Sert. We will stop in a window of the
bay to enjoy the views of the harbor and the city from the heights. Arriving to the
entrance door of Barcelona’s harbor, there is the World Trade Center, inaugurated in
1999, a work by Li Pei’s.

15. Following the maritime façade we arrive to the Olympic Village, a new neighborhood
by the sea, where we can find masterpieces by, Bohigas-Martorell-Mackay (Olympic
harbour, Folch’s Chimney), Franck Gehry (hotel Arts and Golden Fish Sculpture), Álvaro
Siza (Meteorology Centre), León-Ortiz (Mapfre Tower), Enric
Miralles and Benedito-Mateos (The Temple of Abraham). We
will walk across, where the new icon of Barcelona is situated,
Torre Agbar by Jean Nouvel.
Finally we will traverse the new and modern Diagonal Mar
quarter where the Centro Internacional de Congresos de
Barcelona was built, the biggest in the South of Europe,
inaugurated in 2004 and designed by Mateo & Asociados and
the Forum Building by Herzog y De Meuron. We can go inside.
Century-old shops
One of our star tours, this itinerary visits the
interior of century-old shops still alive and part of the
sentimental geography of the city. In neo-classical,
modernist or traditional style, with home-made products,
the shops and their secrets are shown by their owners.
Some of the shops are El Rei de la Màgia, El Indio, Cereria
Subirà and El Cafè de l’Òpera.

16. Discovering the artistic heart of Barcelona
Barcelona has been a reference for many artists through its history. Nowadays
lots of them work in our city. The possibility of visiting their studios is as exceptional as
knowing their works of art presented by themselves.
Three different itineraries will take us through these studios located in The Old Town,
The Born and The Raval quarter.
After careful selection we have chosen artists and works of art including painting,
sculpture, ceramics, installations...
After a brief introduction to the
tour in a typical café, we will visit
their workshops, know their
personality and discover their
works of art: content and
meaning.
The itinerary can include a break
for an appetizer or a cheese and
wine tasting session...
It has been planned for groups up to 8 people. We can organise two visits at the same
time.

17. Discover a new city: Barcelona from the
heights
It is always amazing to look at things from a different point of view, especially if
we are referring to a city. This tour lets us see Barcelona from its heights, moving
around terrace rooves and high points of the city from where we can admire
Barcelona.
Brief description of the tour: we are going to begin walking from different
terrace rooves, such as the Cathedral roof, the roof of the Batlló house, and the roof of
the Park Güell. Then, we are going to climb even up to the Collserola Tower and
Montjuïc, among others.
Transport is needed.
Timetable depends on the schedule of the different sites.
It lasts from 3 to 4 hours.

18. Shopping & Design
First and Last Names
The city and its business is one of the most perfect unions that Barcelona can have when
expressing its economic activity and its most
intimate personality. Because, in Barcelona, selling
is not only a commercial transaction, it is also a way
to express pleasure, fashion, and tendencies. In
short, and without blushing when saying it, it is an
art. We should not forget that Modernism, one of
the architectural and artistic tendencies that has
defined the city was externally expressed with an
impressive force in different commercial
establishments.
Trade in Barcelona has a democratic vocation. A
common nexus exists among the simplest stand in a
neighborhood market and the sophisticated store in its smartest streets that is expressed in
the presentation of the product and in the human
treatment. Because in Barcelona, whenever you enter
any shop, the sale is also a public service. A
shopkeeper in Barcelona is like a doctor or a fireman:
a professional dedicated to his community. And, next
to the good shopkeeper, we find the good buyer who
demands redress when the service or product does
not match the price.
Because more than in any other city, the shops here

19. have names. And not only the name on their entrance sign, but also that of the manager or
assistant who establishes a relationship with the clients and gets to know their likes and
dislikes. And next to the name, there is also a surname.
Many premises are known for their architects, their interior designers,
their window dressers or their graphic designers. Trade in Barcelona is a wide expression of
the idiosyncrasy of the city: economic progress, innovation coexisting with tradition,
competition, risk and a sense of pleasure.
We will build a tailor made tour based on your preferences, please
have a look to the options we propose. Please choose some of them, it’s impossible to visit all.
Vinçon; Bd Ediciones de Diseño; Sephora ; Camper; Polopelo; Custo Barcelona; ArtQuitect;
Bisazza; Cortana; Desigual y Vitra.

20. Capture Barcelona & Remember
your trip forever!
Barcelona is one of Spain's most beautiful cities: the graceful lines of the cathedral La
Seu, deep in the heart of the Barri Gòtic (Gothic
district), the urban whimsy of Park Guell, and
the shops and cafes of Las Ramblas all
combined to make a destination that is rich,
lively, and very photogenic.
We want to help you to take home the
best memories of Barcelona with our walking
photography tours. Our experienced
professional photographer will lead you on an adventurous route through the city, showing
you the most famous sites and some of the most hidden areas, while at the same time
teaching you the art of great photography. Learn about Barcelona and local Spanish culture
while picking up great advice and tips on how to use your camera and getting fantastic photos.
Whether you are an amateur wanting
to learn more about photography, or a more
experienced ‘pro’ keen on finding the best
places to take photos in Barcelona this tour is
for you!

21. Stories and legends of the Gothic Quarter
Legends, traditions, stories passed down from
generation to generation heard in our streets…Those
will come alive in our tour.
We will walk the narrow medieval streets of the
Gothic quarter, discovering how our ancestors lived and
how their relation was with this part of the city.
BARCINO:2000 years of History told by the
city
Tour with theatre around the Gothic quarters of
Barcelona
Barcelona is a city with more than 2000 years of
history. Despite owing its name to the Romans:
IULIA AUGUSTA ROMANA PATERNA BARCINO, the
city enjoyed its splendour during Medieval times.
We will travel through time to discover the secrets,
legends and old stories that belong to the
laberinthine streets of the old city centre.

22. The main character of the story will accompany us on our trip into the past. She will
explain the hidden secrets of the court, the gossip in the streets and show us the
mystery of hidden squares and secret places inside the old city walls of Barcelona.
An unforgettable way to discover the history of Barcelona...
The Tavern
BOTH tours can include a perfomance in a
medieval Tavern!
The Tavern is the history of a strange romance
between a medieval gentleman and a tavern
maid in the XVIIth century. The brief
performance offers us moments of emotion
and humour that, together with a tour full of
medieval legends, will make an uforgettable
experience.

23. THROUGH THE PAGES OF
BARCELONA: A LITERARY CITY
“The shadow of the wind” enchanted
Barcelona
All books are read but some offer the possibility to walk into... We present a
unique opportunity to wander around the amazing Barcelona shown in “The shadow
of the wind”, a novel that has captivated thousands of readers all around the world.
From writing to words, from the imagination to reality.
Like Daniel Sempere, Julian Carax, Fermín Romero de Torres, and the other
characters in the novel, we will walk through a labyrinth of mysteries and surprises
turned into a charming tour, set in a bewitched Barcelona.
We will be the characters of the novel ourselves and we are going to move
around the places that still today keep the charm and mystery of early 20th century
Barcelona. Most of these places can be easily recognised, such as : Santa Anna street,
The arch of the Theatre, King’s square, Las Ramblas, Sant Felip Neri square and

24. Montcada street. However, we will discover hidden treasures like Quatre Gats
café, the Ateneum of Barcelona, the gorgeous Santa Maria del Mar, Santa Llucia
asylum, Saint Gabriel school in Bonanova quarter, Aldaya Palace and Tibidabo Avenue.
It is rare that we have the possibility to turn fiction into reality and this is one such a
chance.
Literary tour, "La Catedral del Mar”
From the top of Collserola Mountain, in the old Roman way that connected the
northern city Ampurias with the southern city of Tarragona, Bernat discovered for the
first time the freedom and the immensity of the sea! He had never imagined
something that had no end.
14th Century: the city of Barcelona
was a prosperous city and had
grown towards the shore. The
humble new district of fishermen
decided to build, with their own
money and efforts, the greatest
temple ever to have existed: Santa
Maria del Mar.
The history of its construction runs parallel to the history of Bernat and his son
Arnau, both servants who escape from the abuses of their fedual lord and arrive in
Barcelona, where they become free citizens for the first time in their lives. The young
Arnau works as a dock worker, soldier and moneychanger. However, his life, always
under the protection of the cathedral dedicated to the sea, will change when he
changes his misery for nobility and wealth.
This literary tour will allow you to discover the scenes of this exciting novel whilst
admiring the Gothic Barcelona.

25. Following the steps of a genius: the secret
Barcelona of Gaudí
“The most brilliant architect, inexhaustible
creator, always unpublished, and always
logical, but in his own world”
ICONO presents its new itinerary: we would like to invite you to discover the
secrets hidden behind Gaudí’s creations and his time. Beginning in the place where he
met his death run over by a tram, we will introduce ourselves to the universe of Don
Anton, a charismatic character not only for his strange behaviour, but for his incredible
imagination capable of turning dreams into stone.
Anecdotes, secrets and the passion for his job are the three pillars that will lead
us on this tour that introduces us to the Gaudinian universe. Do you dare to follow a
genius?

26. EXCURSIONS OUTSIDE BARCELONA
Tours of a duration of 8 hours. For other destinations please contact us.
Caves and vineyards in the Penedès
The Penedès offers us lots of rich possibilities: its wines,
landscape, restaurants, small and charming vineyards, wine
tasting with dinner or lunches, monuments form the Middle
Ages...
Girona and Figueres/Dalí Museum
Transfer to Girona and a walking tour of its impressive ‘Call’ or Jewish Quarter. Visit to
the Cathedral and medieval Arabian Baths. Transfer to Figueres and visit to the Dalí
Museum, an unmissable collection of Surrealist art.

27. Girona: its impressive cathedral
& Jewish quarter.
Girona is a jewel of culture and history acquired over 2000 years. The medieval town
(called Força Vella) is surrounded by a magnificent wall which is preserved almost in its
entirety. The Jewish quarter, known as the 'Call', spreads out in a maze of small, narrow and
very often steeply sloping streets which still maintain their medieval atmosphere. Its
magnificent cathedral boasts the widest Gothic nave of its kind in the world, with an
impressive Baroque façade. The delightful narrow
streets and alleyways of the old city provide an insight
into another era, a time when life was moved at a
different pace.
In this tour, you will learn important,
humorous and interesting facts about the history of
the city, its various churches and convents, bridges, narrow streets, impenetrable walls,
squares and, of course, Girona's trademarks - the Cathedral and the Jewish quarter.
This walking tour is a great way to gain an overview of the city.

28. Montserrat tour
45 kms. out of Barcelona the mountain and monastery of Montserrat is a
symbol of Catalan identity. The Monastery houses the famous Moreneta or black
virgin. Montserrat has been home to the Benedictine Community, now numbering
some eighty monks, since 1025, and to the Patron of Catalonia, St Mary of Montserrat,
who is worshipped by hundreds of visitors daily. The monastery contains one of the
most important libraries worldwide, a fine collection of art and the escolans, the oldest
boys choir in Europe who attract visitors from all over the world to listen to their
famous virolai.
Costa Brava Tour
The car leaves Barcelona in the direction of Pals, province of Girona, a popular
medieval town. The trip then takes you along the coast road to the famous small
beaches of Begur: Sa Tuna, Sa Riera and Aiguablava.

29. Transfer to Calella, an impressive seaside town, and Palamós. Lunch at Sant
Feliu de Guíxols and a dirve along the coast to Tossa de Mar (views of its impressive
castle). This is a tour of magnificent views and a coastal scenary.
Romanesque monasteries
Modernist Catalonia
Gastronomic Catalonia
And many others...

30. CULTURAL SERVICES AND SPECIAL
ACTIVITIES
 The workshop of the traditional Catalan culture: visit to a giants and big-heads
studio.
 Special dinners in special restaurants and other special locations.
 Gymkhana of the Gothic Quarter/General Barcelona
 Wine tasting and lessons
 The tour of the Gastronomic Barcelona: tapas, unique restaurants and
gastronomic conference
 Speech by a dressed-up actor on any of the tours
 Bicycle tours
 Art visits to museums and exhibitions
For other special activities please contact us.

31. OTHER SERVICES
ICONO Serveis Culturals provides:
 Tickets to museums and other acts and events of Barcelona and Spain.
 Transport in private cars with chauffeur, minivans and cars.
 Restaurants and special menus for groups.
 Aperitifs in special places related to the tour.
 Speakers, conferences guides and escorts.
 Cultural programs for congresses.
 Customized services.