Barcelona Excursions

One of the benefits of studying abroad is the ability to venture outside your host city and explore the surrounding area. Excursions are offered for all semester, year, and summer programs. You will receive a calendar of the specific CEA excursions offered for your program during orientation. To give you an idea of the possibilities, we have collected typical experiences from some of the tours and trips we have offered to our students in the past.

Girona and Figueras

The charming walled town of Girona is one of Spain's most prosperous and enticing cities. CEA students can explore historical remnants of the different cultures that have marked the city through the ages, walk along the steep, shaded alleyways of the Jewish quarter, visit one of its many art museums, or enjoy the beautiful views of the Onyar river. In Figueres, north of Girona, students will become acquainted with the works of one of Spain’s most internationally prolific artists, Salvador Dalí. Figueres is home to the Museu Dalí, opened by the artist himself in 1974, where visitors can admire his earliest artistic creations, his pieces within the Surrealist movement, and the paintings of the last years of his life.

Madrid

As Spain’s capital and largest cosmopolitan city, Madrid is known for its liveliness, friendly locals and innovation in art and culture. Students can visit at their leisure the Prado Museum which houses Spanish and European paintings from the 12th to 18th century, for modern Art, there is the acclaimed Reina Sofia National Art Centre. Stroll around Madrid’s most famous arcaded squares, the Plaza Mayor. Visit the Royal Palace, the Park El Retiro which is the largest and most beautiful Madrid’s park. Madrid is Spain’s vibrant capital city, its cultural diversity and world-famous art museums guarantee to provide something for everyone’s taste.

Penedés Wine Country

Students will see first hand the region from which the famous Cava (Catalan champagne) originates while exploring the vineyards and underground cellars of the Penedés wineries. Learning about the wine-making process and wine tasting will make this experience a very enriching one for newcomers to the Catalan wine culture. What about finishing the day with the typical Calçotada? – a delicious meal of barbequed spring onions served with “pa amb tomàquet”! While visiting the Penedés Wine Region, students will have the chance to truly experience local culture.

The Pyrenees

Students will visit Aigüestortes National Park, Catalonia's only national park. It is the most remarkable area of the Pyrenees Mountains, dividing Spain and France. The smell of trees and the sights of the Encantats, the Aigüestortes Plateau, and more than 200 lakes are a refreshing escape.

San Sebastian

San Sebastian, or Donosti as it is called in Euskera, the Basque language, invites students to stroll in the half-encircled promenade of the famous and breathtaking shell-shaped La Concha Beach. While visiting the old quarter of San Sebastian, La Parte Vieja, students can meander through its many plazas, narrow streets, medieval buildings, and hundreds of bars where they can sample delicious tapas.

Seville

Seville is known as the final resting place of Christopher Columbus and for its gigantic cathedral. Students will be mesmerized by the beautiful views of ‘Sevilla’ from the top of La Giralda, the world famous land mark and symbol of Seville. They will also visit Los Reales Alcazares, an amazing palace from the 14th century that has many intact features in Mudéjar style.

Granada

CEA students will discover the Moorish influence in Granada as they stroll through the narrow streets in the old Arab quarter of the Albaicín and head up into the hills to visit Spain’s most visited attraction, the impressive Alhambra Palace and Generalife Gardens. Here, they will have the opportunity to admire the beauty of Arab architecture, from the delicately carved ceilings to the ornate tiled walls. Granada is not only the Alhambra, and the city reveals itself as a lively place with a rich cultural heritage. Many other sites and monuments can be visited, such as the Cathedral, the Corral del Carbón, churches, convents and “cármenes” (gardens), not to mention the trace of great poet Federico García Lorca, who spent his last days in this city.