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School trips to Catalonia

Catalonia school trips offer teachers an excellent opportunity to educate pupils about a wide range of topics and can provide an enriching learning experience for all students.

Catalonia is known for having its own language and culture distinct from southern Spain; a language school trip to this area will offer a different cultural experience to other regions. Students will have the opportunity to practice their language with native speakers (both Spanish and Catalan), and enjoy workshops at Barcelona Language School. A hidden gem is Montserrat - a monastery nestled in the mountains. It’s accessible by road, train, and cable car. Here students can explore a key centre of spiritual and religious importance in Catalonia, as well as 360° views of the region and unique geographical formations.

School trips to Catalonia can cover a range of both human and physical geography themes. The capital is rich in urban development, regeneration, and cultural diversity. More northern regions of Catalonia, like Garrotxa Natural Park, allow students to explore volcanic landscapes, and boost learning around ecosystems and tectonic processes.

Our school trips to Catalonia highlights include...

Catalonia school trips are a great way for your students to explore these attractions:

  • Poble Espanyol
  • La Sagrada Familia
  • Nou Camp Stadium
  • Park Guell
  • Montserrat
  • Garrotxa National Park
  • PortAventura
  • Las Ramblas
  • Museu Picasso

 

A school trip to Barcelona would be hugely valuable to art and design students. Not only is it home to some of the world’s best galleries, like the Museu National D'Art de Catalunya and Museu Picasso, but the city streets are rich in vibrant architecture and art history. Visits to Parc Guell and the Gothic Quarter showcase some of Gaudi’s best work.

We can tailor your Catalonia school trip to suit the needs of your school or class – get in touch today to find out how we can help plan your perfect trip.

Browse our curriculum-linked school trips to Catalonia

Spanish Language

Spanish Language

Barcelona

A Spanish language school trip to the cosmopolitan city of Barcelona certainly won’t disappoint! The seaside city is steeped in history, offering a diverse range of educational visits and language enrichment experiences. 

Learn more about our Spanish language trips to Barcelona here

 

Southern Catalonia 

A trip to Spain’s ‘Gold Coast’ will give your language pupils the opportunity to explore a diverse area of Catakibua down to Tarragona in the south. With a range of educational visits to choose from, Southern Catalonia also boasts endless miles of golden sandy beaches, lively resorts and PortAventura theme park.

Learn more about our Spanish language trips to Southern Catalonia here

 

Northern Catalonia 

A trip to the Northern Catalonian coastline allows pupils to explore the small fishing ports, mountainous villages, seaside towns and larger commercial tourist resorts. All these differing communities offer alternative aspects of Catalonian and Spanish culture.

Learn more about our Spanish language trips to Northern Catalonia here

Art & Design

Art & Design

An art school trip to Barcelona offers pupils the chance to see amazing architecture, some of the best art galleries in the world and the works of world-renowned artists including Gaudí, Picasso and Dalí.

An art and design study tour to the cosmopolitan city of Barcelona certainly won’t disappoint. The rich history of the city, as well as the talents of many well-known artists, is visible throughout the city’s many museums, landmarks and educational visits. With NST, we'll tailor-make your Barcelona art school trip itinerary to ensure that your pupils have the opportunity to explore this colourful destination whilst building on classroom-based learning and getting the very most from their art and design experience.

Learn more about our Art & Design trips to Barcelona here

Cultural

Cultural

A cultural school trip to the cosmopolitan city of Barcelona certainly won’t disappoint! The seaside city is steeped in history, offering a diverse range of educational visits and language enrichment experiences. NST can tailor-make your study tour itinerary to ensure that your pupils have the opportunity to explore this colourful destination whilst building on classroom-based learning.

During an NST cultural school trip to Barcelona, pupils will experience all things Catalonian. The rich history of the city, as well as the talents of its artists including Gaudí, Picasso and Dalí, is visible throughout the city’s many museums, landmarks and attractions.

Learn more about our cultural trips to Barcelona here


Catalonia trip highlights - our groups love...

Poble Espanyol

Poble Espanyol

A complete village consisting of streets and squares with reconstructions of famous or characteristic buildings from all over Catalonia and Spain. Students can practise their language skills in the many buildings housing working craftspeople, souvenir shops, cafés and restaurants. Interactive workshops on Spanish crafts such as ceramics and leather jewellery, and Spanish cooking are also available for groups at Poble Espanyol.

La Sagrada Familia

La Sagrada Familia

Gaudí’s unfinished masterpiece remains a popular tourist attraction and a world renowned emblem of the city. Students will be amazed by its sheer size and its architectural complexity.

Based on Gaudí’s plans of 1954, this stunning building is still under construction and is due to be completed in 2026. During a visit here, students can walk up the spiral steps to see the openwork spires whilst at the same time stone snakes, lizards and frogs pop out from the architecture.

Nou Camp Stadium

Nou Camp Stadium

This world-famous football stadium in Catalonia offers students the opportunity to experience the awe-inspiring size of this venue whilst also learning about the heritage and history of Barcelona FC.

Catalonia school trip experts

Hundreds of groups travel with NST to Catalonia every year, and members of our team regularly visit to the region to really get to know the ins-and-outs of the area, from logistics and visits to our range of student-friendly accommodation. Your dedicated Tour Co-ordinator will use their knowledge of Catalonia to create an itinerary that’s tailor-made, perfectly timed and meets your exact school travel needs. They’ll be able to share their first-hand experience, suggest options you might not have considered and give you insight into the feedback other teachers have given us too.

 

Planning your first school trip?

If you're planning your first school trip, our essential guide will take you through each step of the process...

  • Choosing your destination
  • Gaining approval from your Local Authority and/or your Head
  • Promoting your tour in school
  • Confirming your booking
  • Tailor-make your tour
  • Completing your risk assessments (including a sample risk assessment)
  • Quick reference timeline
  • Pre-tour checklist

Additional support, resources & information:

Brexit & your school trip

Brexit & your school trip

How will Brexit affect my school trip?

Following the end of the transition period there are several changes that will affect groups travelling with us to the EU.

For more information on these changes, visit our dedicated Brexit page here.

If you're travelling with NST and have any specific questions. please contact your Educational Travel Advisor.

Tour planning service

Tour planning service

With NST, you’ll get your own dedicated, knowledgeable Tour Co-ordinator who’ll work with you from start to finish. You’ll benefit from their unrivalled destination knowledge, and their experience gained from working with many other groups too. They’ll tailor-make your itinerary from scratch and take care of everything for you:

  • Pulling together an itinerary that runs smoothly
  • Planning the right balance of visits every day with realistic timings
  • Pre-arranging and pre-booking your visits, entrance tickets, passes and meals


You’ll receive your final itinerary a full 4-weeks before you travel too.

Free school trip promotion pack

Free school trip promotion pack

We’ll support you and provide everything you need to advertise your school trip around school and to parents. Our free school trip promotion pack consists of:

  • Parents’ letter & permission slip template for you to complete A3 posters to promote your trip around school
  • PowerPoint presentation templates which you can tailor to your own needs
  • Parents’ leaflets covering how NST manage safety, financial protection and details of our travel insurance
  • Online parents’ video which showcases the benefits of taking a school trip


For selected destinations, we’ll provide a trip launch web page using video footage and imagery. This web page is provided by a weblink and can be shared with pupils and parents in many ways.

Why choose NST...

Here's why thousands of teachers choose NST each year...

  • Unrivalled knowledge

Your dedicated tour co-ordinator will use their unrivalled local knowledge and expertise of Catalonia to create a tailor-made, curriculum-linked itinerary to meet your group’s exact needs.

  • Making it easier for you

With our online school trip organiser, travel appFREE classroom posters and trip launch resources to support in-school promotion.

  • Risk assessment guidance

Our risk assessment guidance will help you to manage group safety on your next educational trip. 

  • FREE group leader inspection visits

We offer a free inspection visit to your chosen destination to support your risk assessment planning. 

  • Value for money

We’re committed to bringing you the best possible value trips to help make every penny count.

  • Peace of mind

Your group’s location can be followed with our trip tracking device - Locate My Trip - plus you’ll have 24/7 support from us whilst you’re away.

  • More than 50 years’ experience

With over 50 years’ experience, with NST you can rest assured that your group is in safe hands.

  • Offsetting carbon emissions

For every trip taken, we'll plant a Maya nut tree in Peru to support reforestation, local communities & biodiversity. Plus, we'll offset an additional tonne of CO2 to guarantee carbon emission reductions. 

 

Looking for protection on your next school trip? 

Booking with a school travel company is the best way for you to protect parents’ money and give yourself peace of mind.  

 

Don’t forget – if your school arranges transport, accommodation and other services directly, you’ll be liable under the Package Travel Regulations – meaning you’ll have all the responsibilities of a travel company, both legal and financial. 

 

Financial protection from the moment you book

NST are fully bonded:

  • ABTA
  • ATOL
  • IATA

Managing safety on school trips

For your protection, NST's independently audited Safety Management System covers:

  • 24-hour emergency cover
  • Audited accommodation & transport
  • Excursions & school visit assessment
  • Group leader preview visits to assist with risk assessment planning

We're LOtC Council’s Quality Badge assured

The Department for Education advises schools to always look for the LOtC Quality Badge when choosing a school travel provider.