Catalonia and Barcelona 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 since 2001, 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 and take care of our clients.
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 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 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 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 local licensed guides?
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 in Barcelona
We care about our city and region, plus Barcelona is our home. We are active members of the Tour Guides associations AGUICAT and APIT 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.
We 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.
Biosphere Tourism Certification
This 2021 at STLB we are taking advantage of the break in our profession caused by the global pandemic. We are working to get the Biosphere Tourism certification.
What is the Biosphere Active Tourism Certification?
Biosphere for active tourism is a certification of tourism sustainability designed for entities that offer experiences (sports, nature or cultural), improve their performance and reduce the negative impacts of the development of their activity, guaranteeing an adequate balance between economic, socio-cultural and environmental dimensions.
Within this category are classified as welfare entities those that offer, for example, relaxation circuits, Spa, Wellness, coexistence in nature and therapeutic activities. Sports and Nature entities are those that offer activities such as mountaineering, climbing, hiking, diving or other of the same nature. Cultural entities are those that offer guided visits, routes, tours, transfers, local shows or similar.
The certification guarantees the fulfillment of requirements based on the principles of sustainability and continuous improvement, ensuring that certified Active Tourism carry out new non-aggressive tourism models, satisfying the current needs of their customers and users without compromising future generations. The Biosphere Active Tourism report significant benefits for themselves, the society and the environment.
Why?
Because we want to be more sustainable and put our grain of sand in the transformation towards responsible and sustainable tourism. We hope to get it soon and be able to share it with all of you!!