Spanish Cooking Classes: 15 Worth an Afternoon

1.Barcelona Paella Cooking Class with Market Visit, Tapas & Sangria

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,531 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $114Our pick

Start with a chef-led visit to La Boqueria, then return to GAB Lab near La Rambla for tapas, sangria, and hands-on paella. Guides including Maria, Hugo, Yaya, Bibi, and Mateo lead the class in English, with seafood, chicken, and vegetarian options.

“Amazing experience! The highlight of our Barcelona trip! Very accommodating of allergies (gluten) and food preferences.”

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2.Spanish Cooking Class Paella Tapas and Sangria in Madrid

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,340 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $102

Spend about four hours cooking Spanish food in a small group of up to 12. Morning classes include a market visit, paella, gazpacho, and sangria. Evening classes focus on tapas such as tortilla, garlic shrimp, patatas bravas, and crema Catalana. English-speaking chefs guide every step, with dietary needs accommodated.

“Cooking class with Elisa was lots of fun. Clear instructions were given for this hands on class. Tapas recipes were simple. Enjoyed meeting other class participants.”

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3.Valencian paella cooking class, tapas and visit to Ruzafa market.

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 828 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $78

Meet Jose and Ana near San Valero Parish, walk through Ruzafa Market, then cook chicken-and-rabbit paella in a small group. You will mix sangria, share tapas, and help prepare lunch before sitting down with salad, wine, dessert, sweet wine, and coffee. The class is hands-on, social, and offered in English.

“Anna, the chef/instructor was cheerful, attentive and knowledgeable. She was well organized and did a great job of explaining how to prepare everything. We had a fun time and learned a lot, and enjoyed the meal at the end.”

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4.Madrid Tapas & Paella Cooking Experience with Local Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 432 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $114

Start at Madrid’s century-old Antón Martín Market with an English-speaking guide, shop for fresh ingredients, then cook tapas, croquetas, patatas bravas, and paella in Huertas. Guides such as Andrea, Daniel, Danielle, and Arantxa have led sessions. The class includes an aperitif, drinks, lunch, dessert, and recipes to recreate at home.

“So much fun. Andrea was awesome. Food was great but meeting other participants was the best! Awesome!”

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5.Taste of Spain: Tapas Cooking Class with Bottomless Wine Pairing

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 414 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $151

At The Cooking Clubhouse near Atocha, you’ll cook four Spanish tapas in pairs with a professional chef, then sit down for a six-course dinner with five Spanish wines. Cava starts the evening, recipes are provided, and the friendly hosts, including Ines, Benjy, Benito, Jaime, and Javie, keep the class relaxed and social.

“What a fantastic place! They were welcoming and accommodating at every step, and went out of their way to make sure solo travelers were at ease and having fun. If, like I did, you feel overwhelmed by the cooking class options in Madrid, this is the one to pick!”

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6.Alicante Paella Cooking Class, Tapas, Drinks and Marketplace

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 349 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $59

Meet your English and Spanish-speaking guide at Alicante’s Central Market, shop for fresh paella ingredients, then walk to a cooking space for tapas, wine, and hands-on rice making. Guides including Andrea, Cristina, Marina, and Sandra lead the class, with seafood, meat, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options available.

“Walked around the market learning about the history and food being sold at the stalls where the food we were going to be making was purchased. Then we took a short walk to the tasting club’s location where we got to work. We were shown how to clean and cut the veggies and meats/seafood… then we got to work while drinking wine and chatting. Once it was all ready, we sat down and ate our paella. It was 5 of us so we made one seafood paella and one chicken paella. Both were absolutely delicious. As a solo traveler this was the best experience, as most restaurants require minimum 2…”

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7.Seafood paella cooking class, tapas and visit to Ruzafa market.

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 328 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $78

Meet guide and chef at San Valero Parish, shop for paella ingredients in Ruzafa Market, then walk eight minutes to the kitchen. Chefs such as Ana, José, Cristina, and Valentín lead a hands-on seafood paella and sangria class with tapas, local wine, salad, dessert, coffee, and mistela.

“This cooking class was one of the absolute highlights of our trip to Spain. Guillermo (?) led our market visit, and Jose and Christine were the fantastic chefs who taught our class. They are absolute stars! We opted for the seafood paella option, and all the participants had a chance to prepare the ingredients and cook. Jose gave great instructions and lots of useful tips, and Christine showed us how to make delicious sangria. They had a great rapport and really seemed to enjoy teaching. We enjoyed meeting the other participants, and there was great conversation and a lot of laughter. We highly recommend this class!!”

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8.Premium Paella Cooking Class & 10 Spanish Tapas

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 312 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $145

Meet your chef in Plaça Reial, tour La Boqueria, then cook seafood paella, Spanish omelette, and crema Catalana in an 18th-century apartment. The class runs in English for about four hours, with 10 tapas, wine, and a small group of up to 12 people. Claudia and other professional chefs lead the session.

“great experience. the tour of the market was great while it is the touresty market it is all great. The food was amazing and well throughout and easy to follow. Great family activity. The couples were fun and everyone participated the unlimited wine was also great”

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9.Valencian Paella Cooking Class, Tapas & Sangria – Evening

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 303 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $78

At My First Paella in Valencia, you’ll mix sangria, eat tapas, and help prepare Valencian paella with chicken, rabbit, and vegetables. Instructors such as Jose, Ana, Guillermo, and Lilli bring humor and practical tips to the kitchen. The evening ends with paella, salad, wine, fruit, Valencian cake, sweet wine, and coffee.

“We had a wonderful time!! Jose and Valentin were fantastic hosts and teachers! A great way to meet people and eat delicious food.”

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10.Alicante Paella Cooking Class, Tapas, Drinks and Market

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 301 reviews · 3.5 hours · from $58Best value

Spend 3.5 hours exploring Alicante’s Central Market, choosing ingredients, and preparing Alicante-style rice with guides such as Cristina, Andrea, or Marina. You’ll make meat, seafood, or vegetarian dishes, share tapas and local drinks, then sit down to eat what you cooked. Recipes are included.

“It was a great experience! Starting from the walk though the market and learning about local flavors.. cooking the food together to sharing wine and the meal! Our guide was super friendly and shared a lot of insights from local perspective! Amazing! :)”

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11.Real Paella Cooking Class – Market Visit & Sangría Workshop

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 291 reviews · 3.5 hours · from $77

Meet Anna, José, Guillermo, Christina, or another local chef at San Valero Church, then visit Ruzafa Market before cooking paella in a hands-on class. You will make either meat and vegetable or seafood paella, learn the secret of socarrat, prepare sangria, and share tapas, wine, dessert, coffee, and mistela.

“Magnificco! What more can you say, the knowledge, passion and friendliness of the staff made this. At the end it was like a family meal with people we’d only just met. We honeymooned here 20 years ago and it was a perfect activity to celebrate the Valèncian life.”

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12.10 Tapas 2.5-Hour Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 222 reviews · 2.5 hours · from $80

At A Punto Cooking School on Calle de la Farmacia, you’ll prepare 10 Spanish tapas in English with a professional chef, working in small teams of three or four. Make regional favorites such as Basque gilda skewers and Catalan pan tumaca, then eat together with sangría. You’ll take home the recipes and an apron.

“This was a great way to spend a couple of hours and learn some tips and tricks for making some of the classic Spanish tapas. I particularly appreciated that many of the tapas were vegetarian and that the host chef, knowing I didn't eat meat or shellfish, was conscious of providing non-meat options along the way. I especially liked the tips he shared that came from his family's traditions. I have made tapas at home before but now will do so with a richer sense of the tradition I am tapping into.”

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13.Barcelona Culinary Experience: Paella & Tapas Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 189 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $90

Join Cook&Taste Barcelona for a four-hour, English-language cooking class in the Gothic Quarter. A local chef such as Pamela, Marco, Mariona, or Carlos guides you through two seasonal tapas, paella, and a traditional dessert. You cook, eat, drink wine, learn Catalan food customs, and take home printed recipes.

“Chef was laid back and super knowledgeable. Would go and take a class again in a heartbeat! All of the dishes were delicious, my personal favorite was the chicken paella.”

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14.Tapas & Paella Cooking Class in Madrid with a Professional Chef

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 177 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $107

Join Chef Lola at a private cooking studio near Madrid’s Retiro area for a hands-on Spanish class lasting about three and a half hours. You’ll prepare ham croquettes, Russian salad, ajoarriero cod, and black rice with squid, then sit down to eat with unlimited wine, beer, soft drinks, and water. No cooking experience is required.

“Lola provided a wonderful experience for our family! She provided great information to learn and prepare about traditional dishes of Spain. This was a great way to spend time outside of the hustle and bustle of the city and still learn much about the Spanish culture. We were fortunate to also have other children with our group which was also nice! If I could give her 10 starts I would!”

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15.10 Tapas Cooking Class Experience in Madrid with Sangria

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 137 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $82

At A Punto Cooking School, you’ll spend about 2.5 hours making up to 10 Spanish tapas with an English-speaking chef such as Gustavo or Rosa. Work as a team, learn dishes like tortilla, gambas al ajillo, gildas, and patatas bravas, then sit down to eat with included sangria. The class meets at 4:00 pm in central Madrid.

“We had the best time with Gus and his team! We made lots of dishes and some new friends and were sent with food and leftovers after. Would highly recommend for an interactive evening!”

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