podtour
The Gothic Quarter That Was Built in the Twentieth Century
You start in the Plaça Nova with a Picasso drawing his own hand never touched, and with the only two round towers left on the Roman wall: those really are old.
The Gothic Quarter: Saints, Kings and the Call: audio walk in Barcelona
The Gothic Quarter you know, told differently: the saint who may have been two, the peasant who wounded Ferdinand the Catholic, Gaudí arrested at 72, two balconies in 1931, the Call, Barcelona's old Jewish quarter, and a stone that gets its century wrong.
See the walkFree route
What this walk is about
You begin in front of the Cathedral with Saint Eulàlia: her geese, the stolen finger already carved in stone in 1339, and the question of whether she ever existed. In Plaça de Sant Iu you look for Hebrew-inscribed stones set into the wall of the palace once shared by the Inquisition and the courts. In Plaça del Rei, the peasant who wounded Ferdinand the Catholic as he left his palace in 1492, a few months before Columbus arrived. In Plaça de Sant Just, the morning in 1924 when the police took Gaudí away; in Plaça de Sant Jaume, two balconies and an April afternoon in 1931. Then the Call, the old Jewish quarter: a church built over a synagogue, a street named after the saint whose feast fell on the day of the 1391 attack, and a rabbi's stone that speaks of charity. You finish at the Pi, with a wrong date carved in stone, next to the gallery where Ramon Casas hung 132 portraits, which an 18-year-old Picasso answered in a café. The attack, the Inquisition and the executions are told without graphic scenes.
- Start
- The saint of the thirteen geese
- Finish
- The boy who answered his teacher
- Who it is for
- A good starting point for your first visit. A walk for anyone curious about history, kings and legends. For anyone looking for the Jewish quarter. You don’t need any prior knowledge.
- Languages
- Spanish and British English
The route, stop by stop
An outline of the walk. The full stories are in the app.
Loading the map…
Open a marker to see its page. Use two fingers to move the map on mobile.
- 1
The saint of the thirteen geese
- 2
Hebrew stones in the judges' wall
- 3
Seven stitches in the king's neck
- 4
The morning Gaudí was arrested
- 5
Two balconies, one afternoon
- 6
The synagogue beneath the parish church
- 7
The violence on St Dominic's Day
- 8
The rabbi's stone
- 9
The slope and the barrel
- 10
The wrong date carved in stone
- 11
The boy who answered his teacher
Walking directions are based on mapped pedestrian routes. Check local access and signs; the route is not an accessibility guarantee. Times are approximate.
Barcelona, before you go
A city worth looking up for, with pavements worth watching too. Between narrow lanes, long avenues and a break by the sea, leave room in the day to sit down.
More walks nearby
From the Palau de la Música to Ciutadella Park
You start on the most musical corner in the city, the Palau de la Música, and on the night a banned song ended up before a military court.
Santa Maria del Mar and the Born
You start under the colourful roof of Santa Caterina, the market a royal decree wanted to name after Isabella II, and that nobody ever called by that name.
Good to know
What is Podtour?
An app for self-guided audio walks. Choose a city and a route, then listen to the stories behind its streets. You decide when to start and when to stop.
When can I download the app?
Podtour is coming to iOS and Android. There is no confirmed launch date yet. Join the waitlist and we will let you know when it is ready.
Does Podtour include attraction tickets?
No. Street walks and monument audio tours do not include admission tickets, transport or a guide accompanying you.
Can I listen without an internet connection?
Download the audio in the app before heading out, then listen offline. Loading the online base map and calculating a new route from your location require a connection.
What languages are included?
Every route includes Spanish and British English. The English version is adapted for English-speaking travellers, rather than translated word for word.
How do I get a whole city for free?
Join the waitlist, choose a city and confirm your email address. When the app launches, we will email you with access details. No card is required. You can also try one free route in every city.
Can I buy for myself or for a group?
Yes. Your own access is included and you can choose 0–5 guests: up to 6 people including you. Each guest saves up to €0.50 on a walk, €1 on a pack or €2 on a whole city compared with buying separately. The counter shows the total before you confirm one payment.
How do I share, and when must guests accept?
After paying, share your purchase’s invitation link. Each guest opens it in Podtour and accepts their place on their own iPhone or Android phone. They must redeem it within 30 days of purchase. Unclaimed places then expire and cannot be recovered or renewed. Access accepted in time is kept. Opening the link does not use a place; one account takes just one place, and no more people can join once all places are taken.
Can I add guests after buying?
No. Choose all your guests before confirming the first purchase. Afterwards you can share the places you paid for, but you cannot increase their number or restart the 30-day deadline.
Your first city,
on Podtour.
Join the waitlist. When we launch, your chosen city is yours to explore.
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A little welcome gift
Your first city,
on Podtour.
Join the waitlist and get one whole city free when Podtour launches. You choose where.
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One city per person. All its Podtour routes in Spanish and English. Available at launch. Offer details.