Open Enrollment Tour

Madrid and Barcelona

Spain's two great capitals sit at opposite ends of the country and opposite ends of a certain argument about what makes Spanish culture tick. Madrid is imperial and land-locked, its wide boulevards radiating out from a royal palace that once governed half the known world. Barcelona faces the Mediterranean, guards its Catalan identity fiercely, and moves to a different rhythm altogether. This eight-day tour plants your group squarely in both cities, giving students enough consecutive days in each to stop being tourists and start paying attention.

Departure dateMonday, June 5, 2028

Duration8 days · 7 nights

CountriesSpain

Cities2 stops

Group size6 – 80+ travelers

What makes us different

City-center hotels
Authentic local meals
Career Tour Directors
4.9★ on Trustpilot
Family-owned since 1992

Destination guide: Madrid →

Arrival Madrid

Arrival transfer

Dinner

Overnight

At a glance

Days8

Nights7

Countries1

Cities2

OvernightsMadrid 3, Barcelona 3

MealsAll breakfasts & dinners

Linked activities1

Curriculum fit

Analyze the political and cultural differences between Castilian Madrid and Catalan Barcelona as experienced across both cities.
Compare regional Spanish culinary traditions by examining the role of tapas culture in Madrid and paella in Barcelona.
Evaluate flamenco as a cultural and artistic expression rooted in Spain's Andalusian heritage, observed during the Day 3 performance.
Interpret the historical significance of Spain's imperial capital by examining Madrid's urban geography and monumental architecture.
Examine how regional identity and language shape civic life in Barcelona relative to the centralized Spanish state.
Trace the evolution of modern European nation-state identity through the contrasting histories of Spain's two largest cities.

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

What teachers say

Verified by teachers — two ways.

On the left, the public Trustpilot reviews any group leader can write — and any future group leader can read. On the right, quotes from the private post-tour evaluation that every group leader fills out after their trip ends. See all teacher evaluations.

Reviews on Trustpilot are public and verified. Trustpilot prohibits companies from paying to have them removed — so what teachers say here is exactly what teachers said about traveling with Passports.

Read every review on Trustpilot

Overall

“Truly, this was a trip of dreams. The company worked with me to specialize a few things. The balance of planned activities and free time was PERFECTLY balanced.”

Passports post-tour evaluation · Group leader · April 2026

Overall

“We had a FANTASTIC experience with Passports this year! From the beginning, in the planning stages, the difference between Passports and EF was clear, and that difference bore out over the course of the trip. We are so thankful we found you guys and really felt that the whole experience was better than what we've had with EF.”

Passports post-tour evaluation · Group leader · March 2026

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