Barcelona Paella Cooking Class & Market Tour

Shop the market, make sangria, cook paella with people you just met

You walk La Boqueria Market with a local chef, learn to make sangria and paella from scratch, taste seasonal tapas and Spanish wine, and eat the meal you cooked with other travelers. The class includes recipes so you can recreate it at home, and runs mornings or evenings depending on your schedule. Just not Sundays.

Step-by-step itinerary

Paella cooking class with market visit

• Visit La Boqueria Market with chef
• Learn to select fresh ingredients
• Attend sangria-making workshop
• Taste seasonal Spanish tapas
• Participate in hands-on paella cooking
• Enjoy paella meal with group
• Have traditional Spanish dessert
• Join farewell toast

The experience

The chef meets you at La Boqueria Market before the crowds thin out, and within five minutes you're standing at a stall while she points out which seafood is moving today, which tomatoes have flavor, why the saffron matters. She asks where you're from. Someone says Melbourne, someone else says Stockholm, and by the time you've picked out your ingredients, you're already talking like you've known each other for hours. That's how these Barcelona paella cooking classes work: the market walk isn't a tour, it's the beginning of a meal you're about to cook together.

Back at GAB LAB, the test kitchen a short walk from the market, you start with sangria. Not watching someone make it: actually making it, dropping fruit into wine, tasting as you go, adjusting the sweetness. Then tapas arrive: jamón, manchego, pimientos de padrón still warm, pan con tomate. You eat standing up, drinking what you just made, and the chef talks about why paella isn't what tourists think it is. No, it's not always seafood. Yes, the rice matters more than the protein. The socarrat, that crispy bottom layer, is the whole point. She shows you how to listen for it, how to know when to stop.

Then you cook. Your hands are in it: stirring the sofrito, adding stock at the right pace, watching the rice absorb everything. The chef moves between stations, correcting your grip on the spoon, telling you about her grandmother's kitchen in Valencia. Thirty minutes in, the smell alone tells you it's working. When it's done, you plate it up, sit down with the people you met at the market, and eat paella you made, with Spanish wine and the recipes printed out so you can do this at home. Dessert is tarta de Santiago, almond cake from Galicia, and someone proposes a toast.

Classes run at 11am or 7pm, and the whole thing takes about three hours. The market is closed Sundays and public holidays, so plan around that. If you eat seafood, chicken, or vegetables only, they've got you covered. Just let them know when you book. Minimum age for the sangria is 18, but non-alcoholic versions exist if that's not your thing.

What’s included

La Boqueria Market tour with your local chef, hands-on paella cooking class, traditional Spanish sangria-making workshop, seasonal tapas tasting, your cooked paella meal with Spanish wine, classic Galician almond cake dessert, all recipes to take home, and beverages including sangria, red wine, bottled water, and juice. Vegetarian and chicken paella options are available on request.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day6 departure times: the first at 10:00, the last at 19:00

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Child (3 to 12 years) · Under 3: can't be included in the booking

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.Operator's directions: “Please arrive early to avoid missing the market visit and important information. Late arrivals may rejoin 40 minutes after the class starts.”

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Wheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Gastronomic Arts Barcelona

Is this one for you?Right for food lovers, couples, and solo travelers who want to cook rather than watch, and who have three hours to spend in a kitchen with strangers who become friends over lunch. The market closes Sundays and public holidays, so plan your Barcelona trip around those days if this class matters to you.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 12 years). Under 3: they can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24h before the start.

What time does the paella cooking class start?

Classes run at 11:00am or 7:00pm. Both end at the kitchen on Carrer de Sant Gil, about a 9-minute walk from La Boqueria Market.

Is the market visit included?

Yes, the class begins with a guided walk through La Boqueria Market with your chef to select fresh ingredients. The market is closed Sundays and public holidays.

What if I have food allergies?

Vegetarian, chicken, and seafood paella options are available. Food allergies are confirmed at the start of the class so everything is made fresh to your needs.

Is sangria included?

Yes. You make traditional Spanish sangria as part of the workshop and drink it with tapas and your meal. Non-alcoholic versions are also available.

Do I get the recipes?

Yes, all recipes are included so you can recreate the paella and sangria at home.

Is this suitable for beginners?

Yes, the class is hands-on and designed for beginners and confident home cooks alike. The chef guides you through every step.

What's the minimum age?

The minimum drinking age for sangria is 18. Children can attend if they skip the alcoholic beverages.

How long does the class take?

The full experience, from market to dessert, takes approximately three hours.