Spanish Language Immersion Tour – Sevilla, Spain

Spain's capital city of Madrid lies at the heart of the country. Despite its modern and cosmopolitan culture, the city has preserved its traditional architecture and charm. This is a city of great monuments and great art, all against the backdrop of a rich culture and an exciting nightlife.

We will participate in an orientation session, covering Health and Safety aspects of the week ahead.

Explore the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, which houses the greatest repository of 20th century art in Spain. The museum places special emphasis on the great artists of 20th century Spain: Juan Gris, Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, and Pablo Picasso. A highlight of our visit will be Picasso’s masterpiece, Guernica, which immortalizes the tragic blanket bombing of the Basque town by the German Luftwaffe fighting for Franco during the Spanish Civil War.

Take a Walking Tour and explore the city. Explore the Prado, one of the world’s finest art museums. Inside is a collection of European art from the 12th to 19th centuries based on the Spanish Royal Collection. Our specialistguided tour will focus on the Spanish masters, such as Velazquez, Goya, and El Greco; and we will also see works by Raphael, van der Weyden, Bosch, Rubens, Titian, and Caravaggio.

This evening, we will enjoy a welcome dinner together.

The historic city of Toledo, capital of La Mancha, is a cultural fusion of Christian, Arab, and Jewish traditions from the Middle Ages. With numerous churches, museums, mosques, synagogues, and artistic treasures, the city has definitely earned its World Heritage Site designation.

During our walk, there will be the opportunity to visit spectacular shops that produce and sell Damascene gold jewelry, as well as medieval swords. There will also be some time to relax in the Plaza de Zocodover, a bustling triangular square in the heart of Toledo. We will have some free time for shopping and exploration.

We will have an orientation meeting to provide students with relevant information and useful tools to familiarize them with their host country and the program ahead.

Sevilla is known as one of the great cathedral and university cities of Europe. It is also the heart of bullfighting and flamenco, and an intriguing Moorish heritage. Sevilla continued to grow from its trading relationships with the Americas and today is a bustling, lively city. Our home for the next six evenings will be with our homestay families.

This morning, participate in Spanish Language and Culture classes.

Take a Walking Tour through Seville’s Barrio Santa Cruz, a tiny quarter of narrow streets and whitewashed houses possessing flower-covered patios and ironbound windows.

This museum shows dresses of famous bullfighters, trophies, photos and other objects of the world of bullfighting. Highlights include a cape painted by Picasso and sculptures by Benlliure. DAY 7

This morning, participate in Spanish Language and Culture classes.

We begin with an ascent of La Giralda, the magnificent bell tower, which provides breathtaking views of Seville. We then enter the cathedral, where we will see the Patio de los Naranjos, with its central fountain and orange trees; the Treasury; and the Capilla Mayor, which is dominated by the Retablo Mayor, dedicated to the cathedral’s patron saint. Finally, we will view the grandiose Tomb of Columbus, moved to the cathedral in the 1890s.

A former Moorish fortress taken over by the Christian kings for use as a palace, it remains one of Spain’s best examples of Mudéjar architecture.

This morning, participate in Spanish Language and Culture classes.

Participate in a soccer match this afternoon.

This morning, participate in Spanish Language and Culture classes.

Enjoy a hands-on experience as an introduction into the world of Spanish cooking. Prepare a traditional paella with direction from local chefs. After all the preparation, the food is taken to a private dining room where we will taste each other's creations.

This morning, participate in Spanish Language and Culture classes.

Spend some time at Las Setas - oficially the 'Metropol Parasol', it is a wooden structure located at La Encarnación square, in the old quarter. It was designed by the German architect Jürgen Mayer and is popularly known as 'Las Setas de la Encarnación' (Incarnation's mushrooms).

Our base tonight will be in Granada, where breakfast and dinner will be provided at the hotel. Granada was one of the last major strongholds of the Moors, whose influence is reflected in the design and architecture of the city. This beautiful city sits at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains, as well as at the confluence of three rivers, and this important geography drew Celts, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Jews, and Moors over its long and complex history.

Explore Spain’s finest display of Moorish architecture. Set high upon a hill overlooking Granada, and shadowed by the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Moors built this city within a fortress to be a symbol of power and strength on the outside, and a “paradise on earth” on the inside. Our visit will also include the Generalife, the country estate of the Nasrid Kings, where they could enjoy tranquility high above the city, a little closer to heaven.

Stroll through the old Moorish quarter, the Albaicín, where the city of Granada was born. It is now a maze of steep streets filled with quaint shops and secluded plazas.

Housed in a cathedral built over a former mosque, this royal chapel contains the tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella.

Our home for the next five evenings will be with our homestay families in Sevilla, where three meals will be provided daily.

This morning, participate in Spanish Language and Culture classes.

Learn how to dance Flamenco from local dancers in a lesson this afternoon.

This morning, participate in Spanish Language and Culture classes.

Tonight we will enjoy dinner in a local restaurant.

This morning, participate in Spanish Language and Culture classes.

Explore the Guadalquivir river on a sightseeing kayak tour as we admire the most important landmarks in Seville from the river while enjoying an easy-going kayaking experience.

This morning, participate in Spanish Language and Culture classes.

We will dine this evening in a local restaurant.

Enjoy a Flamenco show this evening.

Stop in Cordoba en route.

Córdoba was the northernmost city of the Moorish empire in Andalusia and is known for its important Islamic architecture and large Judería, or Jewish quarter. The city’s old town preserves its historic character with whitewashed courtyards, patios adorned in hanging flowers, wrought ironwork, and narrow streets.