Gothic Quarter photo walk with a local photographer, with a camera or your phone

Two and a half to three hours through the Gothic Quarter with a photographer who lives in Barcelona and who, instead of telling you the history of every stone, teaches you to look at it: where to stand in a three-metre alley, what to do with a shadow that cuts across the façade, when to lower the camera to ground level. There are three or four of you, each with whatever you have, from a reflex camera to a phone. It costs €40 per person, or €80 if you want it just for yourself or your partner.

What you learn in narrow streets

The Gothic Quarter is a good classroom because it forces you. The streets are narrow and the light comes in in patches, so you work on composition in enclosed spaces, the contrast of light and shadow, historic architecture without the lines falling over, and the textures and details that are lost by looking only upwards. You also practise urban visual storytelling: telling a neighbourhood in a series of photos, not in a single one, something that is useful for the rest of the trip.

From the cathedral to Plaça Reial

The route passes the cathedral, the Pont del Bisbe on Carrer del Bisbe, Plaça de Sant Jaume, Plaça de Sant Felip Neri, Plaça Reial and the medieval streets and hidden squares between them. The photographer decides the order by the light of the day. The meeting point is given when the booking is confirmed, which is made with the website form, where you state the date, how many of you there are, how many cameras you have and of what type. It does not include tickets or transport, and the website does not publish the cancellation policy: ask when booking.

If you prefer it private and longer

Aperture Tours, a photo-walk company with professional photographers in 26 cities, runs in Barcelona a three-hour private street walk that leaves from the Palau de la Música Catalana and passes through the Gothic Quarter, works by Gaudí and everyday neighbourhoods, from €200. It is the option for those who travel with equipment and want the photographer to themselves.