School Trips to Spain
School trips to Spain offer the chance for a tour rich with educational value, providing an excellent taste of Mediterranean culture for your students, no matter what subjects they study. The rich cultural history of Spain makes it a choice destination for any type of school trip. Whether the focus is language, art, music, business or maths, high school trips to Spain are extremely popular and rewarding for students of all ages.
Why choose an educational tour of Spain?
With an abundance of spectacular cities home to some of the most exceptional attractions and monuments, educational value and inspiration aren’t in short supply when visiting Spain.
Madrid and Barcelona are cities teeming with interesting things to see and do – museums, plazas, architecture, parks and of course, wonderful food. But if you’re looking for a taste of authentic Spain then you should also consider regions such as Andalucia, known for its flamenco dancing, classical guitar and the magnificent Alhambra palace.
Spain is the second largest country in Western Europe, with a host of breathtaking hidden gems and mountainous regions. There really is so much to see, do and learn during your visit that will benefit your students during their educational tour of Spain.
Our Spain school trip highlights…
Across Spain, there are lots of glorious places that will inspire and engage students, leaving them spellbound by their sheer beauty which includes:
- Montjuic - Barcelona
- Fuente De Cable - Cantabria
- Granada - Andalucia
- Prado Museum - Madrid
- Valencia Cathedral - Valencia
- La Sagrada Familia - Catalonia
- Montjuic - Barcelona
This historic, hilly area provides simply stunning views overlooking Barcelona. Students can explore its wide range of attractions, including the Olympic Stadium and the famous Spanish Village, Poble Espanyol, as well as artisan workshops and tapas bars. The Magic Fountain of Montjuïc offers a spectacular display of colour, light, movement, water and music too!
Teleférico de Fuente - Cantabria
Explore the wonders of Northern Spain with a journey up the Picos de Europa and into the heart of the Cantabria mountains. This memorable cable car ride scales an 1850m high summit where students will be astounded by the stunning views and landscape.
Granada - Andalucia
A visit to Granada is a must if your educational tour is targeted at religious studies students. The city is rich in both Islamic and Catholic architecture as well as traditional whitewashed houses and narrow streets. The highlight is undoubtedly the fabulous Alhambra Palace, described by some as ‘the most exciting, sensual and romantic of all European monuments’ - it’s a must for all groups. Groups can also visit the Science Museum, which has fascinating and interactive exhibits that all groups will enjoy.
Prado Museum - Madrid
Located right at the heart of Madrid’s cultural centre, the Prado is home to some of Europe’s most exquisite masterpieces. The extensive collection of historical works by artists such as Goya, Velázquez and El Greco celebrates Spanish heritage and clearly defines links to all the other major European schools.
Valencia Cathedral - Valencia
Valencia Cathedral sits at the heart of the old town of Valencia, in an area called El Carmen. The cathedral has beautiful architecture to admire, and your visit includes an audio tour, available in English, for you to fully appreciate and learn about this fascinating building.
La Sagrada Familia - Catalonia
The astonishing La Sagrada Familia is the unfinished masterpiece of the famous 19th-century architect Antoni Gaudi. It remains one of Catalonia’s biggest tourist attractions and provides students with an inspiring look at one of the biggest cultural sites in the whole of Spain.
Based on Gaudi’s plans of 1954, this stunning building is still under construction and is due to be completed in 2026. During your visit here, students can walk up the meandering spiral staircase to marvel at the openwork spires. If you’re lucky, some of the local wildlife may pay you a visit, with stone snakes, lizards and frogs often found frequenting the impressive structure.
Browse our curriculum-linked school trips in Spain
A school trip to Spain offers the chance to combine different subject areas of study with our selection of fabulous Spanish destinations. We offer educational tours to Spain in the following cities and regions:
- Madrid
- Cantabria
- Valencia
- Barcelona
- Andalucia
- Northern Catalonia
- Southern Catalonia
We have helped hundreds of schools plan their perfect Spain school trip, feel free to get in touch for more information or advice on your best approach.
Barcelona & Catalonia
Barcelona & Catalonia
You can find more information on each trip we offer below, or visit our page about Barcelona & Catalonia school trips.
Primary Tours
A primary school 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 Spanish culture and a diverse range of educational visits whilst also providing a relaxed and budget-friendly base.
Geography
A geography school trip to the popular and cosmopolitan city of Barcelona provides pupils with numerous exciting study opportunities. Our most popular geography tours to the Catalonia region are designed to cover a host of study themes and complement the latest AS and A2 specifications.
Art
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.
Music
Barcelona has a multitude of fantastic museums and galleries, while its historic past provides a wealth of cathedrals and memorable performance venues for a music tour. NST has a wide range of accommodation in the surrounding coastal towns, which provide a fabulous mix of music concert venues, leisure activities and sandy beaches.
Culture
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.
Maths
Visit the vibrant cultural city of Barcelona for your next maths tour and discover the mathematics throughout the city! From the iconic Sagrada Família to modern buildings such as the Agbar Tower, pupils can use the city’s dramatic architecture, as well as a range of attractions and museums, to explore mathematical concepts. We’ll create an itinerary for your group that covers a wide range of learning outcomes.
Language
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. 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.
Northern Catalonia
Northern Catalonia
Language
A Spanish language school 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 Spanish culture and a diverse range of educational visits whilst also providing a relaxed and budget-friendly base.
Southern Catalonia
Southern Catalonia
Language
A trip to Spain’s ‘Gold Coast’ will give your language pupils the opportunity to explore a diverse area which extends from the city of Barcelona to Tarragona in the south. With a range of educational visits to choose from, the area also boasts endless miles of golden sandy beaches, lively resorts and PortAventura theme park. A language trip to this picturesque region is ideal for groups seeking a budget-friendly base to explore the area.
Andalucia
Andalucía
Language
During a language tour to the colourful region of Andalucía, groups will have the opportunity to sample traditional Spanish lifestyle and culture, whilst gaining an understanding of local people and their customs and putting their language skills into practice.
You can find more information about our school trips to Andalucia here
Madrid
Madrid
The capital of Spain makes a wonderful destination for pupils of all ages and interests. You can find more information on each trip we offer below, or by visiting our page about Madrid school trips.
Art
Soak up the Spanish culture and explore the many museums, monuments and parks during an art school trip to this colourful city.
Music
Home to a wonderful cathedral, church venues and a warm climate, Madrid is a truly memorable destination for your music group tour.
Culture
Soak up the Spanish culture and explore the many museums, monuments and parks during an cultural school trip to this colourful city.
Language
During a language school trip to this exciting and cosmopolitan destination, your pupils will be able to practise their Spanish language skills whilst enjoying a range of language-focused and educational visits, and soaking up the vibrant Spanish culture of this city.
Cantabria
Cantabria
We offer several trips to the stunning Cantabria region of Spain, detailed below.
You can find more information on each trip we offer below, or visit our page about Cantabria school trips.
KS2 in Cantabria
This tiny province in the north of Spain provides some of the most spectacular scenery in the whole of the country and offers a range of great opportunities to bring your primary school pupils closer to Spanish life, history, culture and language.
Music in Cantabria
This beautiful province in the north of Spain is increasingly popular for music groups looking for a new destination on a limited budget. Cantabria’s rich history and blend of peaceful coastal towns and mountain villages provide a number of unique performance venues for your pupils to enjoy.
Culture in Cantabria
This small region in the north of Spain is rich in history and stunning scenery and is the ideal place for a fun filled cultural school trip experience. Traditional mountain and coastal villages portray a strong heritage and contrast against the lively capital city of Santander. A school trip to Cantabria is ideal for groups seeking to share a truly authentic Spanish experience together whilst enjoying a range of educational visits.
Language in Cantabria
Combined with an array of memorable visits, a language trip to Cantabria enhances classroom-based learning by giving pupils the opportunity to practise conversational Spanish, listening skills and increase confidence in their ability.
Valencia
Valencia
You can find more information on each trip we offer below, or visit our page about Valencia school trips.
Language
A language visit to Valencia, the third largest city in Spain, will reinforce your classroom based learning by surrounding your pupils with native speakers and immersing them in the culture and daily rhythms of the city they call the ‘mini Barcelona’.
Music Tours
On a music tour to Valencia students can soak up the Spanish culture of this colourful city, whilst enjoying a range of cultural and performance experiences.
Geography
On a geography visit to Valencia students can consider coastal processes and landforms, tectonic processes, ecosystems and the impact of tourism and sustainability.
Experience the culture of Spain in our 2-minute video
Spain school trip experts
Hundreds of groups travel with NST to Spain every year, and members of our team regularly visit Barcelona, Cantabria, Madrid, Andalucía, Valencia and Seville 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 coordinator will use their knowledge 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.
There’s a lot to contend with when travelling abroad, and many teachers find the service of NST’s Representatives in Barcelona, Cantabria and Madrid invaluable. We can arrange for your representative to meet you on arrival, assist you with hotel check-in, advise on points of interest and public transport and provide your group with 24-hour emergency assistance. With NST, you can be safe in the knowledge that you’ll never be on your own on your Spanish educational tour.
They’ll also be happy to discuss your programme of visits, offer an insight into your destination and suggest popular evening activities too.
Planning your first 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
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.
Risk assessment support including preview visits
Risk assessment support including preview visits
Risk assessment plays a vitally important part in the planning and organisation on any school tour.
Our risk assessment guide aims to help you understand more about your obligations and how you can more effectively manage group safety on your next educational visit and provide you with risk assessments for your trip.
Planning your first school trip
Planning your first school trip
Organising your first school trip can appear to be a daunting process. If you're planning your first school trip, our guide will help to take you through each step of the planning process, answering frequently asked questions and providing tips and support along the way. Our helpful guide covers the following:
- 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
View our essential guide to a successful school trip here.
Get live updates on your tour group's location
Get live updates on your tour group's location
Locate My Trip uses GPS technology and is the easy, convenient way for your school to follow your location whilst on tour. Specifically designed to provide reassurance to both parents and teachers, NST will know where your group are 24/7. If your schedule needs to change, we’ll put plans in place to keep your tour on track.
With Locate My Trip your group can also share photos and videos with the school and parents, via a secure link, to keep them updated on your experience whilst you’re away.
Watch our short Locate My Trip video here.
My Tour Manager
My Tour Manager
Save time and stay on track with your school trip admin with our online orgnaniser - designed to help busy teachers like you.
With My Tour Manager, you'll be able to download FREE resources and access trip paperwork online and in one place. Your personalised checklist details what you need to do and by when, plus you'll receive fortnightly reminders too.
What's more, you can take all your trip documents on the go whilst on your tour with our app, My Tour Manager-On-the-Go.
Find out more and watch out short My Tour Manager video here.
Free classroom resources
Free classroom resources
We've created a range of free resources and educational posters to brighten up your classroom!
Take a look at our downloadable posters here.
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.
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 Spain 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 app, FREE 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.
