The Private Table

Discover Barcelona through the people who shape it.

I host a small number of private encounters for visitors and new residents who want to understand Barcelona beyond its monuments.

This is not a guided tour. It is a way of exploring the city through its history, politics, institutions, tensions and ambitions—and through conversation with people who participate in its public, cultural, intellectual and business life.

Each experience combines an informed discussion, a carefully chosen visit, and dinner in a private room with somebody who shapes the city.

Private groups of up to 8   ·   Barcelona   ·   By arrangement

How a Table Unfolds

The Conversation

I begin by placing Barcelona within the wider history and geopolitics of Catalonia, Spain and the Mediterranean, while discussing the forces shaping the city today.

The Place

We visit a carefully chosen institution, private residence, collection or part of the city that brings the conversation to life.

The Insider

A guest whose experience is relevant to the theme joins us. Depending on the Table, this might be someone from public life, diplomacy, business, law, academia, journalism, architecture, culture or civil society.

The Table

The experience culminates in an aperitif and private dinner in one of Barcelona’s historic clubs or cultural institutions. The conversation continues informally around the table.

The objective is not to cover landmarks. It is to connect ideas, places and people in a way that offers a deeper reading of the city.

Possible Tables

Who Runs Barcelona?

Who has held power in Barcelona—and how has that changed?

We move from the medieval merchant elite and the institutions of commerce, through the industrial bourgeoisie, the great families and business networks of the 19th and 20th centuries, to a more fragmented Barcelona of today.

Possible places

La Llotja de Mar, Ateneu Barcelonès, a private business institution.

Possible guest

A senior lawyer, business leader, journalist or former public official.

Barcelona and Spain

Why has Barcelona’s relationship with the Spanish state remained so politically charged?

We trace the tension from 1714 through industrialisation, Catalan nationalism, dictatorship, democracy and the independence movement.

Possible places
El Born archaeological site, historic municipal spaces, Montjuïc Castle.

Possible guest

A constitutional lawyer, former politician, senior journalist or academic.

Revolutionary Barcelona

Why has Barcelona repeatedly become a centre of revolt, anarchism and political experimentation?

We move from the 19th-century bullangues and the Jamància to the Tragic Week, the CNT, the Civil War and political repression.
Possible places
La Model, Refugi 307, sites connected to Barcelona’s anarchist and workers’ movements.

Possible guest

A historian, journalist, political figure or labour specialist.

Barcelona: City of Empires

How has Barcelona been shaped by commerce, empire and its position in the Mediterranean?

We move from medieval maritime expansion and colonial fortunes to industrialisation, global trade and Barcelona’s contemporary role as a Mediterranean port.
Possible places
La Llotja de Mar, Drassanes Reials, the Port of Barcelona.

Possible guest

A diplomat, port executive, trade lawyer, shipping executive or geopolitical analyst.

These are examples rather than fixed programmes.
A Table can be built around a different question entirely.

Who the Table Is For

The Private Table is designed for intellectually curious visitors and new residents who want to understand Barcelona through its people, ideas and institutions.

Your Own Table

Come with friends, family, colleagues or clients and I will create a private Table around your shared interests. Children/teenagers can have a parallel tailored experience and rejoin for dinner.

Join a Curated Table

Individuals and couples may also express interest in joining one of the small Tables I occasionally assemble.

I bring together guests whose backgrounds, interests and perspectives are likely to make for a particularly engaging conversation. Each guest is invited personally and the group remains deliberately small.

I personally host the entire experience—from the opening conversation and visit through to the aperitif and private dinner. The continuity matters: each part builds on the conversation that came before it.

About Your Host

I was born in Barcelona and am half French. I previously served as senior adviser for international relations to the President of Catalonia and have spent my career across banking, diplomacy, conflict, international development, philanthropy and emerging technology.

I hold a PhD in War Studies from King’s College London, a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University and business degrees from ESADE. My international work has included Afghanistan, where I was embedded with the US Marines, as well as senior roles across Europe, Africa and Asia.

I currently lead an international healthcare foundation and do not work as a professional guide. I host only a small number of Private Tables each year because I enjoy sharing Barcelona, bringing interesting people together and creating conversations that would not otherwise happen.

For me, the pleasure lies as much in meeting the guests as in introducing them to the city.

– Eduard Peris Deprez

You can also just send me an email at eduard@thetable.expert. I read every one of them

Request An Introduction

Tell me a little about yourself. I read every request personally and will come back to you directly.

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