Incentive managers whistle stop tour: Planning an incentive in Barcelona

Barcelona is the city that has it all – beaches, shopping, architecture and amazing food. The largest city in Catalonia, it is bursting at the seams with culture, vibrancy and life. I am speaking from experience when I say that there are certain things in Barcelona that you must do.

Possibly the most iconic hotel in Barcelona is the W Barcelona. Located next to Barceloneta beach, it is difficult to miss. Designed to blend into the skyline it boasts roof top bars and an infinity pool, as well as sea and city views. The hotel offers an ‘extreme wow suite’ that includes a king sized rotatable bed that rotates to allow guests to have different view-points of the amazing city.

Once you are settled in it’s now time to get a full view of Barcelona. '360° SkyWalk: Land, Sea and Air', starts with a walk through the streets of Barcelona, followed by a boat trip along the coast; this allows guests to enjoy the panoramic views of the city and also the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, whilst also sampling the finest seafood and wine that Barcelona has to offer. Finally, to end the tour, you board a helicopter that takes you over Port Vell, Barceloneta, the Olympic Port, Olympic Village and the mouth of the Besòs River. Once the helicopter has landed there will be a picnic waiting for you; this will have been hand crafted to include luxury foods from across Barcelona.

Day two begins with an adrenaline invoking drive through the city. The guests will leave the hotel and be greeted by bright red Ferrari California’s. Accompanied by a professional guide, the guests will drive through the city in style, eventually coming to an end at the Sagrada Familia – arguably the most famous building in Spain, created by the famous Spanish architect Gaudi. 

Once you have arrived you will be greeted by local guides armed with a plethora of information about the breath-taking basilica. The whole building will be empty apart from you and the guides, thus receiving an experience that very few get to encounter. The group will be chaperoned around the entire basilica by a guide, who will take you to places that the public will not be usually permitted to see - truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Once the tour has ended you will have a table booked at Oporto Restaurante. This restaurant specialises in Mediterranean and Portuguese cuisine. The chef will be aware that you are coming and will have prepared a bespoke menu that is only available for the group. Immediately upon finishing your meal you will be whisked away to The Beerket. On arrival you will be treated to a cocktail making masterclass lead by cocktail making legend Charles Joly. You will be creating some Instagram worthy cocktails.

For the second day in a row you will leave the hotel and be greeted by vehicles, unfortunately they won’t be Ferrari’s today. Vans adorned with the FC Barcelona crest will be taking you to your next destination. Football is a huge part of the Barcelonan life and it would be rude not to take a tour around the Camp Nou – the biggest football stadium in Europe. Once you have arrived at the Camp Nou, you will be taken on a VIP tour around the stadium, the players changing rooms and much more. As this ends you will be escorted to an exclusive bar in the stadium. We would suggest enhancing the experience by inviting Barcelonan great Ronaldinho, playing at Barcelona FC from 2003-2008, to join you. The footballer will give a small speech and open the floor to questions from the group. He will join you for a dinner, crafted by the teams’ chef, and spend time with you.

Finally, in the evening you will be treated to the breath taking magic fountain show. Arriving there at 9:00pm you will be ready for a cocktail or two, this will be a private viewing of the magic fountain so there will be a popup bar that has been constructed exclusively for the group. A bartender that will be creating original cocktails for each guest, each one totally unique. The whole group will have a drink in hand before the magic fountain begins its show.