Licensed & local guides

Let us introduce ourselves; our names are Begoña, Carolina and Albert, and we are the guides at Skip the Line Barcelona.
We are licensed and professional tour guides, and all of us are local Barcelonians who are really eager to share Barcelona and Catalonia with our visitors.
Of course, we love being tour guides.
We all started our careers in other areas of tourism, but our primary goal has always been to show our beautiful city and its surroundings to our visitors from all around the world.
We are proud members of AGUICAT and APIT, the two leading Guides associations of Catalonia.

Carolina S. Cobos
Carolina S. CobosLicensed Guide Id: 2021
Carolina is a native of Barcelona. She always wanted to be a guide, so she studied Tourism and Languages and has a degree in Tourism. She speaks English, French, and Italian, and is now learning German. She is really enthusiastic about art and architecture and has been working as a local licensed guide since 2001. She enjoys strolling through squares, markets and all the little alleys of the Barri Gotic or Old Quarter. In her free time, she loves hiking and being in contact with nature.
Begoña Blanco
Begoña BlancoLicensed Guide Id: 1213
Begoña was born in a small town on the coast of Barcelona. She holds a degree in Tourism and speaks English, French, and Italian. As a former au pair and Disneyland cast member, she is great with kids and families. She loves history and is passionate about Gaudí’s architecture. She enjoys guiding the tapas and food tours. She is the former President of AGUICAT, a Catalan Guides Association.
Albert Prados
Albert PradosLicensed Guide Id: 2374
Albert was born and raised in Barcelona. He holds a degree in Law and is fluent in English and French, as well as Spanish and Catalan. He is passionate about history and sports and is well versed in political and economic affairs. He worked as a marketing and purchasing manager in a multinational for 11 years, but his dream of being a guide finally came true in 2003 and he’s been working as a guide ever since.

Why should I hire a local licensed guide?

Well, that’s a very easy question to answer:

  • Mostly, because you are hiring a professional, someone who has passed an exam set by the regional government, proving his/her knowledge of our art, history, culture, and traditions.
  • Every year we attend many different courses organized by the University of Barcelona and some of the city’s most important museums and sights, and of course by the two leading tour guides associations in Catalonia, Aguicat and Apit. So, you know you are hiring someone who has studied to become a guide and whose life revolves around it.
  • With a licensed guide, you’ll have Priority Access to the most important monuments and sights.
  • There’s no intermediary, so when you contact us through our website, we are the ones answering the emails, writing what you’re reading now, and leading the tours.
  • All our tours are exclusive for your party; no one else will join your private city tour.

Sustainable & responsible tourism

We care about our city and region, plus Barcelona is our home. We are active members of the Tour Guides associations that are working together with both local and regional administrations to build the best city for ourselves and our visitors. Begoña was the President of the biggest tour guides association, Aguicat, for 2 years.

The restaurants that we recommend and those we take you to during the tour are all ones we have been to before; this means we take you to the same ones we go to ourselves, making sure that local businesses get promoted and rewarded for their passion for our gastronomy.

The same goes for souvenirs and shopping, we have contacts with many local businesses that will offer you a variety of hand/locally-made products.

If your group is bigger than 15, we’ll use audio guides. You’ll be able to hear your guide even in crowded streets, or if we are in a narrow alley early in the morning, the neighbors will not be disturbed by a guide shouting out loud to be heard by everyone. Plus, the audio guides will give you the freedom to take pictures while you are listening to your guide’s explanations.