Open Enrollment Tour

Madrid and Barcelona

Spain's two great capitals anchor this eight-day tour, and the contrast between them is the point. Madrid is imperial and land-locked, its wide boulevards lined with Bourbon palaces and world-renowned art museums. Barcelona faces the Mediterranean, its skyline shaped by Gaudí and its neighborhoods still carrying the distinct energy of Catalan identity. Moving between the two cities mid-tour gives your group a rare chance to read Spain not as a single story but as an ongoing conversation between different histories, languages, and ways of life.

Departure dateWednesday, June 23, 2027

Duration8 days · 7 nights

CountriesSpain

Cities2 stops

Group size6 – 80+ travelers

Destination guide: Madrid →

Arrival Madrid

Arrival transfer

Dinner

Overnight

At a glance

Days8

Countries1

Cities2

OvernightsMadrid 3, Barcelona 3

Linked activities1

Curriculum fit

Analyze the political and cultural legacy of the Spanish monarchy as reflected in Madrid's urban architecture and civic design.
Compare the regional identities of Castile and Catalonia by examining the linguistic, architectural, and historical differences between Madrid and Barcelona.
Interpret flamenco as a cultural and artistic tradition, connecting its Andalusian roots to broader patterns of Spanish social history.
Evaluate how Antoni Gaudí's architectural works in Barcelona reflect the intersection of modernist aesthetics and Catalan nationalist sentiment.
Examine the role of tapas and paella as expressions of regional culinary culture and their relationship to Spanish social customs.
Trace the influence of Spain's imperial period on the layout, institutions, and public spaces of Madrid.

Drafted from the day-by-day. Use as a starting point for your syllabus.

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