Barcelona, Madrid & Andalusia

665 Days until departure
June 19, 2028 - June 28, 2028
Trip ID: Nieto-2726

The Explorica Experience

This program delivers the proven Explorica Experience that teachers and students know and love – now powered by greater flexibility through TourFlex and backed by the WorldStrides legacy of experiential learning and consistent quality.

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A picturesque view of the Plaza de España in Seville, Spain. The ornate building, with its orange facade, stands majestically against a clear blue sky. A tranquil waterway and colorful flowers in the foreground complete the idyllic scene.

Tour Itinerary print itinerary

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Day 1 Overnight Flight to Spain (Barcelona)
Day 2 Hola Barcelona
Meet your tour director and check into hotel
Las Ramblas scavenger hunt
Details: Las Ramblas scavenger hunt
Take interactive learning to another level with a Tour Director-led scavenger hunt of Las Ramblas, the most famous pedestrian street of Barcelona! Complete exciting activities and solve fun clues. Each clue and every activity is built to maximize on-tour experiential learning.
Day 3 Barcelona
Barcelona guided sightseeing tour
Paella dinner
Details: Barcelona guided sightseeing tour
Experience the best of Barcelona, a vibrant city where Gothic churches, colorful mosaics, and bold modernist architecture all blend together in unforgettable ways. Wander through lively streets lined with wrought-iron balconies and buzzing cafés as your local guide introduces you to the city’s most iconic sights. Take in an outside view of La Sagrada Família, Gaudí’s astonishing unfinished basilica, before heading into the bright, imaginative world of Park Güell, where sweeping terraces and vivid tilework overlook the entire city. Then continue up to Montjuïc, the historic hill that has witnessed centuries of battles and later welcomed the 1992 Olympics, offering panoramic views and a perfect look at Barcelona’s mix of creativity, culture, and history.
Details: Gaudí’s Sagrada Família
This breathtaking basilica, widely regarded as Antoni Gaudí’s greatest masterpiece, has been rising slowly over Barcelona’s skyline since 1882. Its soaring towers, intricate façades and dreamlike geometry make it one of the most extraordinary architectural projects in the world, and with completion expected in 2026, you’ll witness a landmark still very much in the making.
Details: Montjuïc Hill
Travel to Barcelona’s mountain of Montjuïc, the focal point of two of the city’s key international events: the World’s Fair of 1929, of which many structures still remain; and the 1992 Olympic Games. Montjuïc features the largest "green zone" in the city with miles of forests and parks.
Details: Park Güell visit
Discover the whimsical world of Park Güell, one of the most iconic elements of the UNESCO-listed “Works of Antoni Gaudí.” This imaginative hillside park blends vibrant mosaics, organic forms, and sweeping city views. Highlights include the famous mosaic lizard, the colorful serpentine bench, and the forest of Doric columns ingeniously designed to function as part of Gaudí’s drainage system. It’s a place where architecture, nature, and artistry come together in unforgettable ways.
Day 4 Barcelona--Madrid
Travel to Madrid via AVE train
Madrid city walk
Details: Madrid city walk
Life in Madrid is centered around talking, toasting and tapas-eating. In a walk through this crowded and social city, your Tour Director will help you get to know the lay of the land. Then stroll over to the Puerta del Sol, the bustling city center. Next, you'll relax at the Plaza Mayor, a grand square where every sort of human drama has taken place—trials of faith, public burnings of heretics, royal marriages, the canonization of saints, and countless balls and bullfights. End at the Plaza de España for a stop at an outdoor café.
Details: Puerta del Sol
Explore the Puerta del Sol, one of Madrid's busiest and most historic squares. While here we will view the Kilometre Zero marker, from which all distances in Spain are measured, and Madrid’s symbol, the Madrono.
Details: Plaza Mayor
Spend time in the Plaza Mayor, Madrid's most famous square. Throughout its long history the square has hosted markets, bullfights, soccer games, public executions, and the Spanish Inquisition. It is now ringed by shops and cafés and is often filled with artists and musicians.
Details: Plaza de España
The Plaza de España is a popular place to gather in Central Madrid. It features a large monument to Miguel de Cervante, author of Don Quixote.
Day 5 Madrid
Madrid guided sightseeing tour
Optional  Toledo guided excursion  $80
Tapas dinner
Details: Madrid guided sightseeing tour
Get a taste of Spain's cultural, political and economic center with a tour led by a licensed local guide. See Madrid's mix of traditional and modern as you visit the Royal Palace, an 18th-century masterpiece. The enormous Baroque palace currently has more rooms (2,800) than any other European palace, but it was originally supposed to be four times as large. The palace is dripping with porcelain, jeweled clocks, amazing ceiling frescoes—the most magnificent, in the Throne Room, was done by the Venetian artist Tiepolo when he was in his seventies. Next take a look at the Neoclassical architecture of the Prado Museum and the Puerta de Alcalá triumphal arch, built to honor Carlos III’s entry into Spain.
Details: Gran Vía
Stroll down the Gran Vía, Madrid’s lively signature boulevard featuring magnificent shopping and cafes.
Details: Cibeles Fountain
The Fountain of Cybele, one of the most recognizable fountains in Madrid, depicts Cybele, a Phrygian earth and fertility deity.
Details: Puerta de Alcalá
See the Puerta de Alcalá, the ceremonial gateway to Madrid commissioned by Carlos III. The Neo-classical structure is located in the Plaza de Independencia and is named for the old path leading from Madrid to nearby Alcalá de Henares.
Details: Royal Palace visit
Browse through the 3,418 rooms in the largest palace in Europe. Art lovers will marvel at the walls lined with priceless paintings, but don’t expect to catch a glimpse of the Spanish royal family—they reside elsewhere.
Details: Toledo Cathedral visit
Enter Toledo Cathedral, a Gothic landmark filled with remarkable art and history. Admire the dramatic Transparente, El Greco’s Twelve Apóstoles, and an exquisite alabaster Last Supper. Then see the famous 500-pound gilded monstrance, believed to contain New World gold and still used in Toledo’s annual Corpus Christi procession.
Details: St. Mary’s Synagogue visit
Visit The Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca, the oldest intact synagogue building in Europe. As it was constructed by the Christian Kingdom of Castile and designed by Islamic architects for Jewish use, it is considered a symbol of cooperation among the three religions.
Details: Sword factory visit
Toledo is famous for its traditional crafts, especially sword-making. Find out more at a local Toledo sword factory.
Day 6 Madrid--Seville
Travel to Córdoba by AVE train
Mezquita guided visit
LEAP Spanish Civil War
Travel to Seville
Details: Travel to Córdoba by AVE train
Race across the country in Spain’s fastest train, the high-tech AVE, which can reach speeds of over 180 miles per hour.
Details: Mezquita guided visit
The Mezquita of Córdoba is a breathtaking monument that showcases one of the world’s most remarkable blends of Moorish and Christian architecture. Its vast forest of columns and sweeping horseshoe arches create a hypnotic rhythm of light and shadow, while the intricate mosaics and gold-adorned mihrab reveal the height of Islamic artistry. This rare fusion of styles, shaped between the 8th and 10th centuries, reflects the rich, layered history that has defined Córdoba for more than a millennium.
Details: LEAP Spanish Civil War
Nationalist? Republican? Argue ideology in a revolutionary roleplay that delves into the causes of the Spanish Civil War!
Day 7 Seville
Seville guided sightseeing tour
Plaza de España, Old Jewish Quarter (Santa Cruz and San Bartolomé), Casa de Pilatos visit, Seville Cathedral visit, Giralda Tower ascent
Flamenco evening
Details: Seville guided sightseeing tour
See the twisted alleyways and cobbled streets of this flamboyant Spanish city with a local guide. Discover the enchanting Plaza de España, the Giralda Tower, within the largest gothic cathedral in the world, and explore the Casa de Pilatos considered the prototype of the Andalusian palace.
Details: Flamenco evening
Originating from gypsy music and dance in Southern Spain, flamenco dancing has become a Spanish institution. Dancers use intricate footwork and elaborate arm gestures to convey the mood of the music, which can range from lamentation to celebration.
Day 8 Seville--Costa del Sol
Travel to Costa del Sol via Granada
Alhambra guided visit
Alhambra gardens, Summer Palace, The Medina, Royal Arab Baths, Alcazaba fortress
Generalife Gardens
Details: Alhambra guided visit
Granada sits on three gentle hills, which are dwarfed on a clear day by the majestic snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada. Atop one of these hills sits the imposing but delicate Alhambra palace. Golden pink hues give this sprawling renaissance gateway an otherworldly aura. One of the best rewards of climbing up to see it is the view of the city mixed in with orchards, tobacco fields and poplar groves. Please note the guided tour will include entrance to the gardens and halls surrounding the palace but entrance to the main palace building may not be accessible at all times due to limited availability.
Day 9 Costa del Sol
Optional  Morocco guided excursion  $150
Details: Ceuta panoramic coastal views
Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on Africa’s northern coast, offers incredible panoramic views. From here, you can see both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The Strait of Gibraltar is also visible, and on clear days, you can even spot the Moroccan coastline.
Details: Tétouan sightseeing tour
Explore Tétouan and its rich culture. Wander through the historic Medina, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, with its winding alleys and bustling markets, the Spanish district, the Jewish Quarter, and the ancient Kasbah.
Details: Lunch included (instead of dinner)
Enjoy an authentic Moroccan lunch. Note that lunch will be served instead of dinner.
Day 10 Flight home from Malaga

Tour Includes

  • Round-trip airfare and transportation to activities in the itinerary
  • Hotel accommodations
  • Breakfast daily except on arrival day
  • Dinner daily except on departure day
  • Guided sightseeing tours and city walks as per itinerary
  • Visits to select attractions as per itinerary
  • WorldStrides Tour Director: An experienced education and destination professional, trained in LEAP, who engages students with hands-on learning opportunities.
  • Traveling educators can earn professional development hours/CEUs.
  • Earn high school credit (grades 6–12) or college credit (grades 9–12) — available to travelers who complete the program and WorldStrides coursework.
  • WorldAssist staff members available 24/7/365 should your group need extra help
  • Tour Diary™
  • LEAP – Learning through Exploring and Actively Participating increases engagement, critical thinking, understanding of diverse perspectives, and personal growth.
  • Tips for local guides and drivers are included (except multi‑day bus drivers). Tour cost doesn’t include optional pre‑paid tips for the Tour Director or multi‑day bus driver unless the pre‑paid tip option has been purchased.
  • Note: Tour cost does not include airline-imposed baggage fees.
  • Note: Tour cost does not cover entry requirements or related fees. This includes, but is not limited to, REAL ID, passports, visas, and travel‑authorization fees.
  • Note: Tour cost does not include optional excursions and other individual and group customizations will be listed as separate line items in the total trip cost, if included. Listed inclusions may not apply if the program is customized.

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