PICOTEO LOVER VS. TAPAS LOVER: WHICH IS THE FOOD TOUR FOR ME?

What is picoteo? How is it different from our standard tapas tour? These are some questions that you might be asking yourself when you think about which Food Lover Tour food tour you want to join. In this post we are giving you the scoop on our Picoteo Lover and Tapas Lover food tours, so that you can pick the food tour that’s the right fit for you.

What happens on a food tour?

A food tour is a complete gastronomic experience in which you dive into the local cuisine, history, and culture. Your guide will show you the best spots in town off the tourist track, where the locals themselves love to eat and drink. Knowing that, let’s take a closer look at the differences between our Tapas Lover Tour and our Picoteo Lover Tour.

Baptiste is the tour manager for Seville and Granada and has this to say about the differences in the tours. “Our Picoteo tour focuses on the traditional side of local food; it is a very dynamic tour where we go through the most famous tapas of the city. The Tapas tour is varied and delicious. It is the perfect tour for those who want the most exquisite of the local panorama. On this tour, we start with two stops for a few tapas and drinks and then we sit down in a fine local restaurant for two delicious hours with a tasting menu and wine pairing. It’s a must for foodies who are looking for something different!”

Let’s break it down and look at the specifics of the two tours so that you can decide which gastronomic experience fits your bill.

Tapas Lover Tour

While the restaurants and tours vary a bit from city to city, the essence of the Tapas Lover Tour remains the same. This evening food tour takes you on a gastronomic journey through a beautiful Spanish city over 4 hours. To start, your guide will take you to two tapas bars or restaurants where you will indulge in local tapas specialties paired with drinks.

Next is when the real fun begins, it’s dinner time! Make your way through the city as your guide explains the fascinating history and essential facts of their city until your final destination. This is where you and the group will sit down for dinner, or rather a culinary exploration of the city’s best food and wine pairings. Dinner is held in a trendy area, but not touristy. Our restaurants are selected to deliver not only fantastic food, but an overall experience to help you really dive into Spanish culture. The Tapas Lover Tour is a relaxing, elegant, and authentic way to explore Spanish cuisine, and Spain through a gastronomic lens.

*Our Tapas Lover Tour is available in Barcelona, Seville, Madrid,and Malaga. The Food & Fado Lover Tour in Lisbon is equivalent to this tour. It consists of a 3-stop culinary tour in which you will also explore the exciting world of Portuguese fado music.

See more: Top Spanish Foods to Discover in Tapas Bars in Spain

Picoteo Lover Tour

Our Picoteo Lover Tour, on the other hand, is an upbeat, foodie adventure that takes place over 5 delicious stops. This fun walking tour is an authentic tapas bar crawl in which you will visit the local tapas joints and bars that are fan favorites in the neighborhood. The word picoteo means “to pick,” or to share bites from big plates, and that’s exactly what you’ll do on this food tour. For 3 hours, your guide will show you vibrant, dynamic neighborhoods with buzzing tapas bars and mouth-watering restaurants that really feature authentic Spanish cooking.

The Picoteo Lover Tour is lively, fun, and really gives you a sense about what tapas hopping is all about. Spaniards love to grab a tapa to share at one bar and then move on to the next, and that’s really what we try to recreate on this food tour. We want you to walk away with the feeling that you were really a part of Spain’s foodie scene, if even for just one night!

*Our Picoteo Lover Tour is available in Barcelona, Seville, Madrid, Malaga, and Granada. The equivalent in Lisbon is the Petiscos Lover Tour. This 5-stop hop will take you to 4 traditional neighborhoods in Lisbon to sample authentic Portuguese food, paired with delicious local drinks.

The bottom line

Now that you know a little bit about the differences in our Tapas and Picoteo food tours, you can decide which one sounds like your kind of foodie adventure. Lively, vibrant tapas bar crawl, or a relaxing, gastronomic dinner? Whichever one you choose, you are guaranteed to have an unforgettable culinary experience, all while exploring Spanish culture!