Barcelona Movie Walking Tours

The very first time I visited New York City, I was amazed at how much of the buildings and streets I "recognised". Countless films and sit-coms have brought the Big Apple to the big and small screen, and it was amazing to visit a city and find instantly recognisable places.

Barcelona in recent years has seen an influx of film crews and movie makers, with the council lowering the costs and taxes for film-makers in an attempt to draw them in and give the city a bigger global presence. Many of the filming sessions are for small TV adverts, and not all are shown in Barcelona (last week, then new Renault ad was shot in front of "La Confiteria" Bar, which has also been used for other TV ads.


There have also been some Big Screen Productions in the city - most notably the recent Woody Allen film Vicky Cristina Barcelona, filmed in 2007. Other Big Screen hits have been "Salvador", Pedro Almodovar's "Todo Sobre mi Madre" (the 4th highest grossing European film of all time), and the two French productions of "Perfume" and the very funny "L’Auberge Espagnole" amongst others.

So it's come as no surprise that, just as cities such as Rome and Paris have their Da Vinci Code and angels and Demons tours, Barcelona has jumped on board. The tourist board of the city have organised Barcelona Movie Walks, taking you to the same locations that are featured in the film (which it has to be said are many of the sights you would visit anyway), and offer anecdotal facts about the filming and story along the way. If you like any of the movies on the tour, or want to see the Barcelona of recent times, go and see the movies and take the tours!

Image rights Barcelonatourisme.

Many apartments for rent in Barcelona are also in prime locations near to the filming in Barcelona's old town, close to Sagrada Familia, Park Güell and other attractions. Why not stay in one of these apartments for a really close-up view of the city?!