Spain - Activities & Trips

Around Spain, Around the Town  Our activities and excursions reach beyond the classroom to explore and enjoy all that Barcelona and Madrid and the surrounding areas have to offer. Spain’s two largest cities have it all: beaches, mountains, incredible natural and man-made monuments, amusement parks, museums, amazing architecture and great nightlife! 

Students will be able to visit countless historical locations as they learn all about Spain's rich, cultural history. La Rambla, Sagrada Familia, Girona, Monserrat, Toledo, and Plaza Catalonia are just some of the places that you will visit.  

Weekend Road Trips (Included in Tuition)

Barcelona

La Rambla:  Enjoy great people watching, shopping and street performers on La Rambla, one of Europe’s most famous pedestrian thoroughfares. It features thousands of people strolling past stores, stalls for books, cd’s, food, birds, and more.

Sagrada Familia:  Antonio Gaudi’s unfinished architectural masterpiece dominates the skyline of Barcelona. Gaudi began work on this remarkable church in 1848, and worked on for 43 more years. When finished in 2020 it will have 18 monumental post-modern tree-trunk like spires, the highest rising nearly 300 feet.

Girona:  The historic city of Girona is situated on the Costa Brava, near the French border. It is a beautiful city where you get a real feel for its history just by walking through its ancient streets. Its a walled city which dates back to the Roman period, the old Jewish quarter is located within the city walls. There is a well known stretch of houses, built in the 19th century, which make up the part of the city wall destroyed by the French in 1807 while the city was under siege.

Montserrat:  For many, a trip to Montserrat, Spain is the highlight of their visit. Montserrat is a spectacularly beautiful Benedictine monk mountain retreat about one hour from Barcelona .Not only is Montserrat Monastery of significant religious importance but the natural beauty surrounding the monastery is simply breathtaking. Take a fascinating walk through the mountains and experience magnificent views of some of the most unusual rock formations in Catalonia.

Madrid

Holy Toledo!:  The ancient city of Toledo, once capital of Spain, is about an hour south of Madrid. The city has 2,000 years of history.

Magnificent Museum Triangle:  These three museums, offer some of the world’s most spectacular artistic masterpieces. The Prado, one of the largest museums in the world, features greats like Goya and El Greco. The Reina Sofia features more contemporary Spanish masterpieces by Dali, Miro and Picasso. The Thyssen- Bornemisza is one of the world’s greatest private art collections with an eclectic mix of old masters and new wave artists.

Activities On & Off Campus

 Barcelona (3 weeks)

• Plaza Catalonia The heart of Barcelona, where commerce, people, food, and fun all meet.
• El Raval and El Born Two ultra-trendy neighborhoods that combine East Village bohemian style with Soho chic.
• Parc Guell Perhaps Europe’s coolest park. Designed by Gaudi, whose avant-garde designs can be seen in animal themed fountains, and whimsical buildings.
• La Boqueria Market Spain’s oldest and liveliest food marketplace features hundreds of stalls of everything under the sun.
• FCB Futbol Club Stadium tour of this famous club's facility, where many players from Spain's World Cup Championship Team play. 
• Olympic Village The 1992 Olympic Games revitalized this part of the city and the beautiful white sand beaches that are adjacent to this area of modern architecture and trendy restaurants and clubs.
• Flamenco Night Fever Enjoy this homegrown Spanish art form of fiery guitar and percussive dance. 
• Picasso Museum and MACBA Contemporary Art Museum Two of Europe’s most dazzling collections.
• Barcelona Tibidabo Amusement Park An old fashioned, traditional amusement park at one of the highest points in Barcelona. In addition to great rides it offers a spectacular vista of the entire city and the Medditeranean Sea beyond. 
• Toro, Toro, Toro Witness the traditional Spanish sport of bullfighting.
• Euro Dance Club Barcelona style.
• Beaches, beaches, beaches Barcelona boasts miles and miles of beaches on the warm Mediterranean coast. 
• Farewell Dinner We say adios to Spain with our final night’s celebration.

Madrid (1 week)

•  Plaza Mayor One of the largest open-air squares in Europe with trendy cafes, tapas, great street musicians and people watching.
• Chueca and Villa Magna Two of Madrid’s most famous shopping areas. Chueca is the most hip and Magna is the most traditional.
• Palacio Real Visit the real Royal Palace of Spain.
• El Parque Retiro One of the world’s most beautiful city parks features wonderful outdoor cafes, and even a lake for boating.
• Plaza del Sol It all happens here. One of Madrid’s busiest areas for dining, theater, shopping and entertainment.
• A Broadway or Off-Broadway Show in Spanish Test out your new language skills watching a show in Español.
• Madrid Xanadu Ski and Snowboard Park Winter fun after summer sun! The New York Times hailed it as a “Snowy Pleasure Dome” when it opened in 2003, the 18,000m2 of snow has been divided into two areas to provide for both expert and beginner ski and snowboarding enthusiasts. The illusion of reality has been heightened with faux pine trees and outcrops of rock, but ski and snowboard enthusiasts alike will be relieved to discover that the chairlift is very real. Madrid Xanadu Snow Park is not just a place to go and ski and snowboard, it is also one of Europe’s largest shopping centers, and it includes a 15 screen cinema, mini-golf, and bowling lanes.