Sailing and Wine Tour in Barcelona with SeaBookings

The capital of Catalonia, Barcelona, is one of Spain’s most popular cities for a short break. Home to some really stunning architecture by Gaudi, lovely beaches, delicious food, a host of sights & attractions and a very cosmopolitan, vibrant feel make Barcelona a must-visit destination.

We recently visited Barcelona with Jet2holidays and what a fantastic holiday it turned out to be. In addition to exploring Gaudí’s most famous works, we also tucked into yummy food, watched a Flamenco show, visited a cemetery full of art & emotions and went on a sailing and wine tour with SeaBookings.

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We have in the past been on SeaBookings' Caves & dolphin watching tour in the Algarve (during our holiday in Albufeira) and were impressed with it. It was well organised. As expected, the sailing and wine tour in Barcelona was equally well organised and the tour itself exceeded our expectations.

SeaBookings Sailing and Wine Tour in Barcelona

SeaBookings, founded by two sisters - Bo and Femke Irik, is a website where you can search, compare and book the best water sports and boat tours across the globe.

In Barcelona, they have a number of fun tours like brunch sailing tours, sunset sailing tours, full moon boat cruise, Vermouth sailing tour, private catamaran experience, boat tour with jazz music and many more.

The tour that we went on, departed from the Moll de Mestral wharf, and allowed us to admire Barcelona skyline from another perspective while also allowing us to enjoy a relaxing e-bike ride along the Catalan Coast and then sampling some lovely wines in a local vineyard. Yes, it was a 3-in-1 tour and I thought it was ideal for sea lovers, travel lovers and also for those who enjoy wine!

When we booked this tour with SeaBookings, we immediately received a confirmation email from them with all the details relating to the tour,  like the location from where the tour would depart, the tour operator's contact details etc. Subsequently we received an email from Sailing Experience Barcelona with detailed information on the meeting point, the start time of the tour etc.

Sailing Experience Barcelona

Sailing Experience Barcelona have been in business for many years now and are known for their boat trips. They offer many different types of boat trips lile private yacht charters, shared yacht experiences and Catamaran trips. Whichever type of trip you choose, you can be assured of clean, comfortable and safe boats and professional skippers who are well trained and friendly too.

E-biking, Vineyard Tour, Wine Tasting and Sailing Experience from Barcelona

The E-biking, Vineyard Tour, Wine Tasting and Sailing Experience we went on, was launched at the beginning of 2022 with an aim to offer participants a unique experience of Barcelona. And I must say they have succeeded in that as it was an unforgettable experience.

E-biking

The starting point of the tour was the Moll de Mestral wharf (at Port Olímpic). Our guide for the e-bike tour, Stefano, gave us a quick briefing on the e-bikes. The briefing included things like how an e-bike works, the different modes on the e-bike, how to ride an e-bike etc. Stefano also answered questions that we had. 

When asked about his thoughts of the tour, this is what Stefano said, "For me it is very satisfying to do this kind of tour, because it shows that a different kind of tourism is possible and compatible with the city of Barcelona! It's great for the guests because they are able to enjoy the great views of the Catalan coast while being good for the environment! I also truly believe that wine tastes better after some fresh air and a relaxing bicycle ride!"

We were a small tour group on that day - myself & Bhavin and Gabriel & Ani, two lovely people with whom we enjoyed experiencing this tour.

After all of us had arrived, and after the briefing, we set out on the e-bike tour along the lovely Catalan coast to Alella (where the vineyard is located).

The route (around 20 kms) was mostly flat and along the coast for the most part. Stefano (pictured below with me) was a fabulous guide, talking to all of us as we rode along and ensuring that everyone was comfortable and had a good ride to the vineyard. 

There was an uphill section towards the end of the route as we neared Alella, and this is where the battery power of the e-bikes came into picture. I did not feel up to the level of incline in some places but the powered modes on the e-bike offered support. E-bikes are not like motor scooters so we had to pedal for active motor support but it made the ascents easier to manage. Plus, thanks to the motor support, we could also enjoy the surroundings with all our senses.

We took a few breaks enroute - a refreshment stop near the Estatua de Anís del Mono sculpture (a bronze seated monkey figure looking seaward and holding a bottle of a licorice-flavored liqueur produced at the Anís del Mono factory nearby).

And then another stop near a bridge which offered views of the Les Tres Xemeneies (the Three Chimneys), which was constructed sometime in the 1970s as a part of a thermal power station that was eventually shut down in 2011.

It was a fun ride overall and we soon reached the Bouquet d’Alella winery near the village of Alella.

Vineyard Tour & Wine Tasting

We took a little longer than anticipated to reach the winery but managed to join the vineyard tour for the last leg. The guide shared interesting details about the vineyards and the winery. The soil is called Sauló as it is from granitic rock and the guide mentioned that the main varieties planted in the vineyard are local ones like Pansa Blanca, Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Monastrell and Syrah.

The estate has two country houses. Can Boquet d’Alella, located next to the town of Alella and surrounded by vineyards is the one we visited. It dates back to the 15th century and is a Gothic style house. Housed on the lower floor of this building is the Bouquet d’Alella winery, where tradition and technology coexist. The expert guide shared how the grapes are grown using organic methods and then undergo a range of processes like fermentation, blending, aging etc. to create a selection of wines.

After the informative tour, it was time for the wine tasting. We sampled a couple of Bouquet d’Alella's white wines and a couple of their red wines. We were also served Pan con tomate (Spanish bruschetta), olives and meat & cheese boards.

We enjoyed the wines and snacks, relaxing on the stunning grounds in great company and taking in the beautiful views of the vineyard and the village. And then it was time to make our way back.

It was a short (around) 10 minute e-bike ride to Port Masnou (pictured below) where the Sailing Experience Barcelona yacht was waiting for us.  

We bid adieu to Stefano, our e-bike tour guide, as he made his way back to Barcelona along with the bikes (in a van).

Sailing Experience

For the third leg of this wonderful tour, our guide was to be the skipper of the yacht, 'Captain Spaghetti'.

After a security briefing by the skipper, we set sail towards Barcelona on the 12-metre sailing yacht with Captain Spaghetti regaling us with stories of his adventures and experiences as a skipper. 

We were offered light snacks such as olives, cheese & crackers and a choice of drinks to choose from - beer, wine, cava, soft drinks etc.

The weather was perfect and the sea wasn't choppy, so it was a lovely sailing experience. We had a great time and it was lovely to see the city from the water.

Our experience

We enjoyed this tour very much. It was informative, fun and the perfect mix of adventure, the ocean and wine! All the staff/guides were experienced & friendly and did an amazing job. They made sure that every member of the tour was looked after well.

The tour was structured very well too. We started off with some active adventure on the e-bikes with out efforts being rewarded with some relaxing time and great wines at the vineyard. And the sailing experience in the end was the perfect way to round off the tour! We thoroughly enjoyed it and have no hesitation in recommending it.

Ani Fahradyan, who was also on the tour with us, has shared her views on the tour.

She says "it was a great experience an a really unique tour for me as it included different activities such as biking & sailing. I really enjoyed biking along the beaches of Bareclona. I enjoyed the guided tour and degustation of Spanish wines in the wine factory in the villaeg of Alella. After the degustation and having a bite of the typical Spanish bread with tomato, we left the village of Alella with great emotions and memories. At the harbour, the sailboat was waiting for ys and it was another great epxerience. The sailboat tour with the invitation of Cava and some tapas was nice. At the end of the tour, I was full of emotions and good memories. I recommend tourists visiting Bareclona to experience this exciting tour."

Book your tour with SeaBookings

The Sailing and Wine Tour in Barcelona is one of the most popular tours available on SeaBookings. The tour lasts approximately 5.5 hours - 6 hours with prices starting from €139/person. You can book the tour www.seabookings.com

Some quick facts

The tour includes:

• One-way e-bike tour between Barcelona and the winery
• One-way sailing between the winery and Barcelona
• Professional skipper
• A safety briefing by a multilingual guide
• Snacks such as olives, cheese, salami and crackers
• Beverages such as soft drinks, beer, wine, cava or sangria
• Visit to a vineyard
• Wine tasting

Do check out www.seabookings.com for all their boat tours and watersports activities.