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 price, learning and the overall experience of your school trip.

So when's the best time to travel? With three immersive language programmes in Spain, we asked our Spanish destination experts what to consider when planning a school trip to Spain.

When's the most comfortable time to visit Spain?

While you may seek hot sunny conditions for your next beach or villa holiday, keeping a group of 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 the summer term. While 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 local culture. The chart below shows the average daytime temperature in Murcia, the location of our Arbolar Spanish residential centre, where groups enjoy a comfortable 20°C between November and March, perfect for those long, activity-filled days.

 

 

Average temperatures in Murcia

When is the cheapest time to visit Spain?

Though we do offer flight-free school trips to Spain, air travel does remain the most popular mode of transport, which means that the availability of flights can 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.

The chart below shows the comparative price for an average flight from London to Barcelona, the destination airport of our popular Mas Pages language centre.

It shows that the cheapest tickets are for flights in November and December, and by quite some way. For example, the same group could pay 75% more for their flights in July compared to December. Equally, schools taking an educational tour of Barcelona in June could spend twice as much on their flights than a group travelling in November. 

Average price from London to Barcelona according to Skyscanner 

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

Our research shows that a Spanish language immersion trip can significantly boost students' confidence and progress and yet 50% of all our overseas trips are taken between May and July meaning students don't have the opportunity to fully capitalise on this progress before heading off for their long summer break. 

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.

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.  

Benefits of taking a school trip in the Autumn or Spring terms 

• Boost confidence and build relationships at 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 Spanish vocab and grammar in real-life situations
• Great opportunity for diagnostic assessment

Summer term benefits

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

We believe that these valuable learning experiences shouldn't just be an end-of-year treat—they should be integrated into the school calendar as a vital part of the syllabus. Watch our short video of the 4 compelling reasons to take your trip in Autumn to find out more.

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

So, when is 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

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