Description
Are you ready to become a local runner thru this 21km circular tour?
Your running guide will wait for you at plaza Catalunya, the big square- and the commercial heart of the city. This is also where the famous Rambla begins. This iconic avenue, now very crowded due to tourist and commercial activities, is our route to the beach. During this 1,5 km downhill, we will observe the Liceu Opera House, la Boqueria and the Gaudi Palace (Unesco World Heritage). If booked as morning tour, we will not be slowed down by the crowd and we can fully enjoy this wonderful tree lined avenue. The monument to Columbus will redirect us to the famous sail shaped hotel (W hotel), right on the beach. If lucky enough we can run a few kilometers along the Barcelona beaches enjoying the sunrise. The morning lights are simply amazing, making Barceloneta, the fishers’ quarter, a work of art.
It is now time for a jump into the past, during the middle ages and the Gothic period. We will be running in the old city, passing by Santa Maria del Mar Church (yes, the one of Ildefonso Falcones great book “Cathedral of the Sea”) and the “real” Cathedral of Barcelona.
Leaving behind the past, its now Modernism’s show time. Barcelona is the world capital of modernism thanks to many artists, among whom is the great Antoni Gaudi.
Through the Palau de la Musica we will reach the incomplete masterpiece of Gaudi: la Sagrada Familia: there are no words to describe it, I will let you be surprised. Can be a good time to take a rest and take some photos. In this area, the Sagrada is not the only Unesco World heritage monument, in fact, Hospital de San Pau is just few hundred meters away.
We can now reach the famous Passeig de Gracia, one the most expensive and most beautiful streets in Spain which hosts luxury shops, 5-star hotels and gems of Catalan modernistic buildings, among them, Gaudi’s “Casa Batlló” and “La Pedrera”, both UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Once back to our starting point in Plaza Catalunya, you will be ready to enjoy the city as a “local”, have some tapas and sangria (or take a deserved siesta).
Jen Murray –
I booked the 21k to get a long run in during a conference, it was a great way to see the sights with a local guide while putting in some miles. Mattia is a great guide who timed our run to catch the sunrise at the beach and avoid crowds. I highly recommend Mattia and will run with him again if in Barcelona!
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Omar Malik –
I met up with Salva to do the 21k tour and it was amazing. Hands down one of the best parts of my trip to Barcelona. We met and he went the pace I had emailed about and was open to stopping, taking pictures, or just running and talking. Salva had no issues maintaining the pace while still keeping it conversational and showing me the city of Barcelona that many tourists will never get to see. We started out running down Las Ramblas, then made our way to the Hotel W and sea boardwalk, then we went through some really cool neighborhoods of Barcelona and I learned all about the Gothic district and the University of Barcelona, after which we went to the Arc and then finished with an epic site of La Sagrada Familia! He was knowledgeable about city facts and the history of Catalonia and Barcelona.
He was articulate and his English was superior. I would highly recommend Salva and his team at this company to do your running tour. It is a great way to see the city in a different way and get a nice workout in before you indulge in all of the great food and beverages the city has to offer.
Highly recommend doing the 21k tour and going early in the morning around 7am as most of the city is asleep and you can run freely in places that you would not be able to in the afternoons.
I would make sure you confirm the exact location of your meeting spot a couple days before your run as my pickup was on Las Ramblas and there are two Las Ramblas as I learned so I had a little hiccup in the morning finding him, but luckily I had my phone on me and he called me and it was easy for him to find me once we talked. Otherwise, besides this small hiccup, it was an amazing experience and I can’t wait to do it again when I return!
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Steve –
Ran the Barcelona XL tour with Mattia and really enjoyed it. Covering La Ramblas, the waterfront, the Gothic old town, the Sagrada Familia, 2 Gaudi houses and plenty in between it had everything. Running by along the beach at sunrise was a highlight and a great start to the day. Mattia was a great guide and was full of information and chat and was well prepared with water and gels in case I needed them also.
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