After Class Activities

Our program allows you plenty of time to discover your new country, culture, traditions, and everyday life after your class is over. Barcelona offers a wide variety of colorful and intricate architecture created by the world famous Gaudí­, the Gothic Quarter, and the pedestrian street "Las Ramblas" make Barcelona a traveler and art lover s paradise. Its history is beautifully reflected in the famous "Barrio Gòtico", the old town district known as the Gothic Quarter for the treasures house of Gothic monuments found there. It is the site of both historic monuments and modern institutions. It is also the Mecca of Spain for modern art and theatre lovers. Students can admire the work of Picasso, Miró and visit the famous "Sagrada Familia".

Examples of typical cultural opportunities: visit "Sagrada Familia", Ramon Berenguer el Gran Square, Plaza del Rey, Generalitat palace,Salc de Cent and city hall, Santa Marí­a del mar Basilica, Casa Batlló, Las Ramblas, Palacio Nacional de Montjuic, Numerous Museums and galleries. Get yourself started for a trip to Barcelona with the links below:

Gothic Quarter

The Gothic quarter (Barrio Gotico) is one of the oldest and most interesting parts of Barcelona. There are countless ancient buildings to be found, which date back all the way to Roman times. Every year tourists flock to Barrio Gótico and it is still one of the most popular residential areas. The small narrow winding streets as well as the many tapas bars and cafes add a unique charm to this area of the city, which guarantee a wonderful experience.

The roman gate on Plaça Nova is especially worth mentioning. Here you will also come across the Palacio de la Generalitat as well as the Palacio del Ayuntamiento (Town Hall). Other interesting sites to see include Plaça del Rei, Plaça Reial, the Gothic Cathedral as well as the medieval palaces Casa dels Canonges, Pia Almoina and Ardiaca.

"Las Ramblas"

This 2 km-long boulevard – which lies between the Plaça de Catalunya and the port – is probably the most famous walkway in Barcelona. People of all ages, cultural backgrounds, nationalities and social classes, flock to this boulevard. There is also an endless string of cafes, street theatres, stores, galleries, vegetable and fruit stands, flower stands, living statues, jugglers, acrobats and buskers to wonder at.

There are exceedingly interesting buildings to discover. Examples include the Gothic-Baroque Iglesia de Betlem, the Palacio de Moya and the Academia de Sciencias (Academy of Sciences) with its enormous clock dating back to 1868. Other sights to include on your itinerary when strolling along Las Ramblas are the Mercado de la Boquería (the markets), the Palacio de la Virreina (which is currently the seat of the culture department of the regional government) and la Casa Bruno Cuadros.

Antonio Gaudi's Barcelona

Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí y Cornet (1852-1926), was born in Réus, Tarragona (Catalonia), son of a coppersmith. He lived during the wonderful time of the Spanish Art Nouveau movement, referred to as the Modernisme – an artistic and architectural movement comparable to the Jugendstil movement in Germany or the Art Nouveau movement in France. Gaudí mainly built his creations in Barcelona and this city is witness to his creativity. This is where he let his imagination run wild. His unmistakable style and use of forms is evident throughout the city, giving Barcelona a slightly bizarre atmosphere. Some of his most famous masterpieces include Parc Güell, the immense cathedral Sagrada Familia, Bellesguard (the symbol of Catalonia) as well as la Casa Batlló.

La Sagrada Familia

Recently the subject of much controversy over who should pay for its completion, Gaudí s unfinished masterpiece and the city s most outlandish landmark, the Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family, towers crazily above the grid-like streets of the Eixample. Despite being very much a building site the cathedral has a certain beauty that somehow emerges despite the omnipresent construction.

El Ensanche/L Eixample

This part of Barcelona is made up of the city’s modern center, built between 1870 and 1936, joining the old Barcelona (Ciutat Vella) with the surrounding villages. The architect who designed this part of the city with its rectangular style was Cerdá and it was his idea to create a luxurious district for the bourgeoisie. Barcelona was thus enlarged to five times its initial size.

The most famous structures are those designed and built by Antoní Gaudi, such as Park Güell and Palacio Güell, the immense Sagrada Familia Cathedral, the Casa Amatler de Puigi Cadalfach and the Casa de los Punxes. The Plaza de Cataluña is probably the central most square in El Ensanche, and has dimensions that are comparable to the Vatican City. Discover the Paseig de Gràcia, a bizarre boulevard with strange benches and banana trees – adding to Barcelona’s quirky charm.

Montjuic

Montjuïc Hill overlooks the Barcelona city center and is one of the city’s greenest areas. Its buildings display typical Spanish architectural styles and it is where in 1929 the Poble Espanyol (a replicated Spanish village displaying art and architecture) was built and also where main sites for the 1992 Olympic Games were constructed.

Tibidabo

In order to get to this 350-meter-high summit of this mountain you will have to take the Tramvia Blau tram, which runs people up the hill on weekends only (except in the summer months when the tram runs on a daily basis). Once at the top, you’ll come across the most famous and fascinating amusement park in all of Europe, the Parc d’Atraccions. You will also be able to enjoy one of the best views of Barcelona.

Santa Maria del Mar

Santa Maria del Mar is generally considered to be the most beautiful church in the city and a prime example of Mediterranean Gothic architecture. It is located just to the northeast of the Barri Gòtic in the Ribera district. A fifteenth-century rose window adds colour to the simple harmony of the columned interior.

Casa Milá

Casa Milá - also known as La Pedrera (the stone quarry) - is an undulating apartment block on the corner of Passeig de Gràcia. The building, inspired by the ocean, is an incredible testament to Gaudí s ability to make stone malleable. Apartments (not open to the public) are arranged around elliptical patios with no square corners in sight. The roof terrace is watched over by sentry-like chimneys and offers an excellent view across the city to the spires of La Sagrada Familia.

Block of Discord

A series of extraordinary houses by Montaner, Gaudí and Puig i Cadafalch comprise the Block of Discord (Mançana de la Discòrdia) on the Passeig de Grácia between Aragó and Consell de Cent.

Sitges

A popular resort town 25 miles south (40km) from Barcelona. Renowned for its nightlife, Sitges attracts thousands of visitors, including day-trippers from Barcelona, many of them young and well-heeled. The city has a reputation for being gay-friendly, expensive, and decidedly arty, having been the town where the modernist movement began when it attracted artists such as Bohemian mystic Santiago Rusinol and later the likes of Salvador Dali.

Rusinol s home in the town has been turned into a museum, displaying some of his works. Most people, however, visit Sitges for the beautiful sandy beaches it offers. Between the church at one end of the town and the Terramar Hotel at the other extremity there are nine breakwaters, each sheltering gently sloping golden beaches equipped with showers, refreshment kiosks and sun-loungers for rent.

Montserrat

This spectacularly beautiful mountain, located to the north of Barcelona, is one of Catalonia s most important religious sites. The peaks are shaped like fingers pointing to the sky and you ll find an impressive church, monastery and museum on the summit. According to legend, a shepherd found a statue of the Virgin in a cave here and that s why they built the church and monastery on the mountain.

Figueres

Figueres, county capital of Alt Empordà, extends over a river plain situated inland in the province of Girona. Known as the home of Salvador Dalí, this town with deep Catalan roots offers visitors the chance to go to the Dalí Theatre-Museum, dedicated to the genius of surrealist painting. It is a cultural range completed with various museums and a calendar full of festivals and events divided up throughout the year.

Girona

Girona is 103 Km North East of Barcelona. The so-called “City of the Four Rivers”, shows us a historic centre dominated by medieval buildings and reminders of Romans, Arabs and Jews. Inside the walled enclosure of "La Força Vella" you can find the culiminating works of its historical destiny. Its excellent position between the Pyrenean chain and the Costa Brava makes a multitude of trips possible, for example, to natural areas which are worthy of mention. Everywhere, the traveller will have the opportunity to try the regional cuisine which brings together in its recipes products of the sea and the mountains.

Party in the island of Ibiza

Ibiza is the party capital of the world and it can be easily reached from Barcelona. Ferries leaves daily from the port of Valencia to the ports of IBIZA, MALLORCA & MENORCA. The ferry normally leaves a few times daily during the week and once at the weekend, the price per person varies depending on your destination.

La Sagrada Familia

Recently the subject of much controversy over who should pay for its completion, Gaudí­ s unfinished masterpiece and the city s most outlandish landmark, the Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family, towers crazily above the grid-like streets of the Eixample. Despite being very much a building site the cathedral has a certain beauty that somehow emerges despite the omnipresent construction.

Santa Maria del Mar

Santa Maria del Mar is generally considered to be the most beautiful church in the city and a prime example of Mediterranean Gothic architecture. It is located just to the northeast of the Barri Gótic in the Ribera district. A fifteenth-century rose window adds colour to the simple harmony of the columned interior.

Catedral de la Seu

Catedral de la Seu was built in the fourteenth century on the site of an earlier basilica, but the spire and fatade were not added until the end of the last century. Highlights include the spiritual space of the cloisters, the carved choir stalls and the Capella de Lepanto.

Stone Quarry

Casa Milá - also known as the stone quarry (La Pedrera) - is an undulating apartment block on the corner of Passeig de Gràcia. The building, inspired by the ocean, is an incredible testament to Gaudí­ s ability to make stone malleable. Apartments (not open to the public) are arranged around elliptical patios with no square corners in sight. The roof terrace is watched over by sentry-like chimneys and offers an excellent view across the city to the spires of La Sagrada Familia.

Barcelona Football Stadium Tour

The most popular tour in Barcelona, If you intend going to the Barcelona FC football stadium tour we recommend you book this tour in advance of arriving in Barcelona. If you re a football fan this is the tour for you - visit the Barcelona FC museum which is packed with trophies and cups and photos of players from Barcelona FC s history, see what it s like behind the scenes at the club with a visit to the VIP room, and players changing quarters as well a chance to sit in the VIP box in the Football stadium itself. This is a fascinating tour for all football fans interested in Barcelona football.

Block of Discord

A series of extraordinary houses by Montaner, Gaudí­ and Puigi Cadafalch comprise the Block of Discord (Mançana de la Discòrdia) on the Passeig de Gràcia between Aragó and Consell de Cent.

National Museum of Catalonian Art (MNAC)

The Palau Nacional on Montjuíc was the focus of Barcelona s International Fair in 1929 and now houses the National Museum of Catalonian Art. The museum boasts a stunning collection of Gothic, Romanesque and Medieval treasures and religious artefacts. The most impressive approach to the Palace is up Avinguda de La Reina Maria Cristina from Plaza Espanya; the Avinguda is lined with fountains that are floodlit at night.

Picasso Museum and Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA)

The Picasso Museum is devoted to the artist s early work, including a large number of Rose and Blue period paintings, exhibition posters and childhood sketches. The delightful collection is housed in two fifteenth-century palaces close to the Parc de la Ciutadella.

Looking rather incongruous in the down-at-heel surroundings of the Raval district to the west of La Rambla, the brilliant-white Museum of Contemporary Arts is at the forefront of efforts to regenerate this traditionally seedy area of the city. The museum opened amid a blaze of publicity in 1995 and houses a permanent collection of post-1940s international art and various temporary exhibitions.

Parc Güell

With Parc Güell, Gaudí created a fantasy land that seamlessly combines the natural and the man-made, as well as offering good views back over the city. The park, originally conceived as a garden city, covers a hill to the north of the centre. The gardens are enlivened by fantastic pavilions, stairways, columned halls and an organic plaza decorated with stunning broken-mosaic work (trencadís) by Gaudí s assistant, Josep Maria Jujol.

Ciutadella Parc

This parc should not be left out of any itinerary if possible. Filled with interesting sites and monuments, it stands on what was once a military fortress. One of Barcelona’s “green” areas, this park harbors all sorts of plant species as well as the Barcelona Zoo. Museums are also to be found within this park, such as the Museu de Ciències Naturals, among others and the park is also known for its lake and monumental fountain in the northeast corner.

The Park is also home to the Catalan Parliament. Used in 1888 for the Universal Exhibition when many of its beautiful buildings were constructed, many of the designs involved input by Gaudí, who at that time was still a young architect looking to make a name for himself.

Barceloneta Beach

Metro stop "Barceloneta" (Yellow Line, L4) Turn right on leaving the metro and cross the main roads, continue walking straight for about 10 mins. Barceloneta is the first of the Barcelona Spain beaches and can therefore get quite busy during the summer months. There are plenty of things to do on the beach besides swim. Windsurfing and kite surfing are popular. You can also enjoy a refreshing drink from one of the many beach huts.

Icaria Beach

Metro stop "Ciutadella Vila Olimpica" (Yellow Line, L4). Turn right on exiting the metro and walk towards the twin towers. 10 mins walk from metro.

Marbella Beach

Metro stop "Poblenou" (Yellow Line, L4). You ll have a 20 min walk from Poblenou metro station to Bella Beach. Although this is unofficially a nudist beach there are many people that go here that are not nude. In fact Spanish law says that it is permissible to be nude anywhere as long as it does not cause a disturbance. But this is not recommended. So there is no such thing as an official nudist beach in Spain only one s where people unofficially elect as nudist.

Sitges Beaches

This beach is outside Barcelona and you ll need to catch a train from Sants station - journey time approximate 30 mins.