Catalan Jewish Heritage Tour

Overview

Your representative will be waiting for you at the cruise port, where you will board your private transportation.

Your full-day program kicks off with a drink in Barcelona's old Jewish quarter. Rather than racking your brain with information on the fly, your expert guide will assist you in ordering your morning drink while providing you with the perfect introduction to Catalan Jewish history.

After the stage is set, you will embark on a 45-minute walking tour around Barcelona Call (old Jewish quarter) and learn first-hand the importance of this area to the history of the Catalan Jewish community. In the heart of this neighborhood, you will find the Ancient Synagogue of Barcelona which is one of the oldest in Europe.

The building dates back to the 4th century Roman-Visigoth era and a brief tour inside will provide a lasting impression of how early congregations celebrated their beliefs.

A scenic 1.5-hour drive outside of Barcelona will take you to Girona, a very well-preserved medieval town of about 90,000 people that has a stunningly beautiful old quarter and Jewish Call. It is full of tiny, winding cobblestone streets, pedestrian bridges, colorful houses, and buildings lining the Onyar River, great shops, charming cafes, and restaurants.

Your primary destinations will be the Jewish Heritage Museum of Bonastruc Sa Porta and the Romanesque bridge into the Jewish old city in Besalu. A stop for a traditional Catalan lunch will provide the perfect moment to reflect on the stories of hardships and triumphs that have crossed your path. After lunch, you will continue to the antiquated town of Besalu, about 30 minutes to the northwest of Girona. This magnificent historic-artistic site known for its beauty and 11th-century Roman architecture epitomizes the charm that Northeastern Spain is known for.

You will spend the majority of your time in the ruins of the Jewish quarter which date back to the 9th century and is home to one of the few Jewish ritual bathhouses in all of Europe. Before heading back to Barcelona you will finish your day in the local public gardens where villagers grow herbs for their traditional homemade liqueur, ratafia.