When is the best time to take a school trip to Spain?

Steeped in history, culture and geographical wonders, Spain is a stunning school trip destination which attracts groups year-round. But the time of year you decide to travel has a great impact on the price, the learning and the overall experience of your school trip.

So when's the best time to travel? Our experts share some key points to consider when planning your school trip to Spain.

Which term is best to maximise the learning impact of your Spanish visit?

Do you make the most of fresh and enthusiastic new minds with a Spanish trip in the autumn term, or reward your class with an adventure to Spain at the end of the year? Let's take a look at some of the benefits of planning an education tour to Spain at different times of the year and what impact they can have on learning.  

Autumn & spring term benefits

• Confidence boost for the start of the year
• Set the tone for Spanish learning early on
• A collective class experience to refer back to throughout the year
• Introduce and use key vocab and grammar in real life
• Great opportunity for diagnostic assessment

Summer term benefits

• Consolidate the year's learning
• A nice end-of-year reward
• Less rain

Taking a curriculum-focussed Spanish trip early in the school year means that all the rich learning and experience gained abroad won’t be lost over the summer. You can also use your trip as a starting point and reference throughout your curriculum, and make learning relevant and purposeful for the rest of the year.

When's the most comfortable time to visit Spain?

While heat may be your thing on a beach holiday to the Costas, keeping 40+ students safe under a scorching sun is another thing. Temperatures and humidity in Spain can become unbearable and sometimes dangerous if not prepared for.

While staying close to the coast can help to make temperatures milder, you can still experience above 30°C with high humidity. In central Spain, day-time temperatures in Madrid average 35°C May to September and siestas are firmly on the agenda to avoid the midday heat. 

In contrast, autumn and spring offer less intense and more comfortable weather for school groups discovering the myriad of historic sights and exploring outside, soaking up the culture. For example, temperatures in Murcia, the location of our Arbolar Spanish residential centre, average at a comfortable 20°C between November and March, much more effortless for those long, activity-filled days.

 

 

Average temperatures in Murcia

When are flights to Spain the cheapest?

As the way we think about travel changes, we are pleased to offer teachers the option to take a school trip to Spain via coach. Air travel does remain the most popular mode of transport, however, which means that flight prices and availability continue to have a significant impact on the overall cost of your Spanish trip.

Seasonality makes a big difference to the final price of your trip because your school group is competing with holidaymakers for flights to popular Spanish destinations, such as Barcelona, Seville and Madrid.

For example, the cheapest months to fly from London to Barcelona are November and December by quite some way. Students on an educational trip to Barcelona in June could spend twice as much on their flights than a group travelling in November. Equally,  flights for a school visit to Barcelona in July are 75% more than the same trip in December.

Average price from London to Barcelona according to Skyscanner 

Which dates to avoid when planning a learning adventure in Spain?

Large festivals are celebrated year-round in Spain, during which times thousands of revellers place intense demand on transport and accommodation. So, when planning your next school trip to Spain, it's best to avoid the following dates:

• Las Fallas, Valencia – early March to 19 March

• Fiesta de San Isidro, Madrid – typically 15 May

• Carnival Madrid - weekend before and up to Ash Wednesday

• Feria de Abril, Seville – 1/2 weeks after Easter

• Fiesta De La Merce & Festa Major, Barcelona – five days around 24 September

When's the best time to take a school trip to Spain?

In conclusion, when taking into account the potential learning benefits, comfort factor & transport savings – we recommend taking a school trip to Spain between October and February.

• For fewer crowds and much cheaper flights, visit Barcelona in the months of November or March
• Our Arbolar residential centre in Murcia enjoys comfortable temperatures in October and the med is still over 20°C
• Stay at the Spark residential centre in Andalucía in early March to visit Seville before the busy festival season

Speak to our specialists today about the best trip to Spain for your group →

More resources to help you plan your perfect school trip to Spain

• Excursion planning guides for Madrid and Catalonia
• School photo diary from our immersive Spanish language trip to Andalucía
• Explore our full range of school trips to Spain