Barcelona: City Experience

Itinerary

• Day 1: Overnight flight

  Board your overnight flight to Barcelona and try to stay awake as long as possible—it’ll come in handy when you’re eating dinner at like, 11pm with the rest of the city.

• Day 2: Arrive in Barcelona + Welcome Dinner

  Get ready for a week of fun in the Mediterranean sun. In Barcelona, architecture doubles as art, people siesta as hard as they fiesta, soccer (sorry, fútbol) is practically a religion, and there are two official languages—Spanish and Catalan.

  Today's highlights:

  • Meet an EF representative and fellow travelers as they arrive at the airport.
  • Transfer to your hotel to check in and check out your room.
  • Enjoy a Welcome Dinner with fellow travelers at an authentic local spot.
• Day 3: Explore the city + tour Sagrada Família

  Admire Barcelona’s unique architecture, vibrant atmosphere, and charming streets. This historic city is home to nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites, seven of which were built by Gaudí. And lucky you—you’re experiencing two of them today!

  Today's highlights:

  • Hit sights like the Gothic Quarter, Montjuïc, and Las Ramblas with a local guide.
  • Visit colorful Park Güell, one of Antoni Gaudí's greatest works of modernist art.
  • See the 1992 Olympic Park with views of the Mediterranean Sea.
  • Enter the soaring Sagrada Família cathedral, an unfinished Gaudí masterpiece.
• Day 4: Free day + included dinner

  Do Barcelona your way, whether that means exploring a new neighborhood, lounging on a beach, or kicking back with all the tapas and a pitcher of sangria. In the evening, meet up with your group for an included dinner.

  Free time suggestions

  La Boqueria: Visit this famous market just off Las Ramblas, bursting with everything from fresh fruit to meats, flowers, and sweets.

  Pick a beach: Barcelona’s coast is lined with beaches, each with its own personality. Try the energetic Barceloneta, the quieter Nova Icària, or the sporty Mar Bella.

• Day 5: Free day or optional excursion

  Another wide-open day in this sunny city by the sea. Or, depending on the time of year, you can choose to check out the northern coast or head west into the mountains. Life’s looking preeeetty good right about now.

  Free time suggestions

  Passeig de Gràcia: Pop into the high-end boutiques and cafes of this famous boulevard, and don’t miss another whimsical Gaudí building, Casa Batlló.

  Picasso Museum: This museum’s permanent collection, housed in five adjoining medieval palaces, features over 4,000 of Pablo Picasso’s earlier works.

  Girona & Costa Brava (extra cost)

  Note: This excursion is seasonal and only runs from April through September. Availability is subject to your tour’s departure date.
  
  Spend the day strolling medieval streets and breathing in the fresh sea air of the Mediterranean coast.

  Montserrat & cava winery (extra cost)

  Take in sweeping countryside views, then sip Spanish sparkling wine on a tour of a cava winery.
  
  Why wait? Save money by booking this optional excursion before your trip departs.

• Day 6: Free day + Farewell Dinner

  Your time in Spain is winding down, but who says you have to? More beaches, more tapas, more art—pick your pleasure and go where the Mediterranean breeze blows you. Then share some laughs (and maybe shed a few tears) at a Farewell Dinner with your group.

  Free time suggestions

  Camp Nou: Tour the stands, field, press room, and more areas inside the second largest soccer stadium in the world and the home of beloved FC Barcelona.

  Labyrinth Park: Find your way through twists, turns, and statues of a storybook hedge maze set among historic landscaped gardens, ponds, paths, and waterfalls.

• Day 7: Fly home

  ¡Adiós, amigos!
  Translation: Goodbye, friends! Your next destination awaits—home. But this isn’t goodbye. It’s “See you later.” The only question is, where?