This is a destination that provides cross-curriculum experiences. It’s a city that ticks off so many educational experiences that you are bound to find a worthwhile out-of-the-classroom experience no matter what your discipline. Our most popular tours here range from football trips to art to history to music.

Whatever the subject focus that motivates your school trip here, your pupils will encounter the art and architecture of a city where new artistic movements were conceived. If, however, you are an Art or Art History teacher then you’ll know that the Catalan capital is simply a must. Unlike many destinations, you won’t have to bury your students in museums to experience the art. In Barcelona it is part of the city’s fabric, and this provides a unique opportunity to teach about art as function as well as art as aesthetics. In addition, the styles are particularly accessible with their funky colours and playful imagery so most young art historians will be attracted to it. The aspiring practical artists will also find endless inspiration from the monuments, buildings, and street sculptures. On our History & Culture tours of Barcelona, the group will have the chance to explore the main styles and movements that were incubated in the city with visits to a variety of attractions and collections.

• Gaudí Highlights: Sagrada Família, La Pedrera
• Cubism: Fundació Joan Miró, Picasso Museum
• Contemporary Spanish: MACBA

Choosing this destination for a history school trip gives teachers the opportunity to illustrate some fundamental historical concepts. As the Catalan capital, the city has played (and indeed continues to play) a pivotal role in the separatist movement. History teachers love to use Spain as a great example of a nation forged from multiple autonomous principalities by a monarchical dynasty. A visit to Barcelona is an education in the consequences of unity imposed by a ruling family who sidelined regional identities and political power. One of the historical attractions that we recommend to history teachers when they plan a tour here is the Montjuïc Castle. This bastion makes a good centrepiece for lessons that cover some of the key moments in Spanish history: the War of Spanish Succession, the Civil War, and Franco’s regime.

This is an excellent destination if you’re looking for a place to take your young musicians. Not only does the city have a thriving culture of music, but it also welcomes groups who want to play in designated public spaces. This gives you and your class multiple opportunities to put on live performances during your visit. Against the backdrop of a musical tradition that embraces classical, opera, jazz, Catalan, and Spanish pieces, Barcelona provides young musicians with an inspirational atmosphere. The city boasts several prestigious venues: the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona’s oldest theatre and opera house; the Palau de la Música Catalana; and L’Auditori, the home of the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra. When we help teachers organise a music tour to the city we suggest that they take advantage of 2 to 3 opportunities to get students to perform. You’ll have a choice of public and more private venues:

• A shopping centre plaza for a chance for a very public performance that challenges your group to contend with background noise when they are playing
• Santa Maria del Mar provides an opportunity to learn how to manage the unusual acoustics in a church

• Poble Espanyol, a unique neighbourhood designed in 1929 to showcase different Spanish architectural styles and to provide a cultural hub
• The resort where you are staying for a more intimate and private show

The range of venues has been chosen so that students can experience and adapt to the changing acoustics, ambiance and environment in which they are performing. There are few school trip destinations where music teachers can expose their classes to such a variety of performance conditions.

Barcelona is a melting pot for many skills both cultural and sporting. If you want to organise a school sports tour and you are focusing on football then this is the perfect destination. Teachers, youth coaches, and community group leaders have been coming here for many years with their students so the facilities and experiences are top notch. An enduring favourite (for us, for teachers, and for their children), is the Football Tour to Barcelona. Young players are enthralled by the chance to tour the Camp Nou facilities that host the famous club Barcelona FC. However, it’s not just a sightseeing trip. The budding football players will participate in master classes run by a local coach, and they will have a couple of chances to try out their new skills in a friendly with a local team. There’s no doubt that your students will return from this experience with renewed commitment to the rigours of training and with some new techniques to try out at home.