Here you can find our recommendations on the top 5 destinations for those interested in a summer Spanish courses combined with a perfect vacation in Spain. Learn Spanish and have a lot of fun, with all summers in Spain have to offer: sun, coast, culture, festivals and plenty of nightlife.
Alicante
Alicante airport is the arrival point for millions of tourists each year on their way to a summer holiday on the Costa Blanca with Benidorm being the major attraction. A city with a population of just over 300,000 is not on the tourist map making it the perfect place to study while at the same time having a great holiday.
Sitting under the fortress of Santa Barbara, a castle built originally by the Moors in the 10th century Alicante’s beautiful La Explanada de España made up of over six million colored tiles in 1867 is where people come to stroll along the marina or to meet up with friends before a night of bar hopping in the medieval El Barrio district.
This small city on the sea is easy to navigate with almost all you need to see being within walking distance of the city center. If you feel the need to explore the coast you can take the tram north stopping at El Campello and Vilajoyosa before reaching Benidorm.
For a day at the beach skip Alicante’s Playa de San Juan, and take the tram ride up to El Campello or better still if you do not mind watching airplanes taking off and landing catch the number 27 (Santa Polo) bus to Ubanova where you will discover the most beautiful beach without a tourist in site, and while catering to only Spanish clientele all the prices at the beachside bars and restaurants are very reasonable.
Ibiza
Now who would not jump at the chance to study Spanish in the worlds party capital Ibiza with beautiful beaches and all the top DJ’s from around the world Ibiza is a mecca for every fun loving 18-30 year in Europe, who each summer pack their bags and head off to the sun for what for most is a week of partying all night and sleeping during the day. Of course studying and partying do not exactly go together yet there will be plenty of time on the weekends to hit the clubs.
Ibiza is one of the Balearic Islands that include Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera sitting in the Mediterranean Sea a couple of hundred miles off of Spain’s Eastern seaboard between the cities of Barcelona and Valencia. The Island is easily reached by low-cost airlines from all over Europe or by ferry from the mainland.
Ibiza of course is much more than just beaches and nightlife with the island having an amazing history dating back to the Phoenician’s who established a port on the island in 654 BC, while later becoming a quiet outpost of the Roman Empire. The island fell briefly into the hands of the Vandals, and later the Byzantines, before being ruled by the Moors for centuries until Aragonese King James I banished the Moors back to Africa 1235 repopulating the island with Christian colonists from Girona.
Ibiza town remains as it has for years unspoiled by the tourism on the beaches where enormous medieval walls surround a maze of cobbled streets protecting the old town quarter of Dalt Vila a UNESCO World Heritage Site with amazing views of the harbor. Ibiza town is the perfect place to stay and study giving you an authentic feel for the Spanish way of life, yet is still only a short stroll to the beaches on San Antonio or the club scene of Playa d’en Bossa.
Valencia
Valencia is Spain’s third largest city after Barcelona and Madrid yet remains Spain’s best kept secret that has had many people calling it the new Monaco following the success of the Americas Cup and a formula one race through the City’s streets. It is also famous for its sweet oranges and for being the birthplace of paella which you will find all over the city.
Valencia grew up on the Turia River which over the centuries was prone to flooding which it did in 1957 submerging the city center under nearly three meters of water killing 81 people. The city knew that something needed to be done, and decided to divert the river further to the south now leaving a green oasis winding its way to the sea through the city like a giant serpent.
The Turia Gardens as the river bed is called today is a 10 kilometer long park with a bike path with activity areas for football and other outdoor sports along with beautiful gardens and fountains that includes the futuristic looking Arts & Science museums.
Valencia is also a very easy city to navigate, with the city center and shopping areas all very walkable along the wide boulevards that surround the Plaza Ayuntamiento, and its elegant art nouveau building and marble covered pavements. If going further afield make use of Valencia’s excellent metro system that also runs to and from the airport. Valencia is also on the Mediterranean making a day out to the beach not a problem the closest beaches are the Playa de Malvarrosa and Playa e Levante both located just north of the port, and you can get there by metro or tram getting off at Eugenia Vines or Arenas station.
Valencia is also on Spain’s high-speed AVE rail network which means if you fancy a day trip to Madrid to visit the countries famous Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen museums you can be there in one hour and thirty five minutes aboard a comfortable train speeding across the Spanish countryside at up to 186 miles per-hour.
Barcelona
What more needs to be said about Barcelona that has not already been said, with this chic cosmopolitan Catalan capital having everything, and then some. Whether it is rambling on Las Ramblas watching some of the best street performers from around the world or gazing in awe at Gaudi’s Sagrada Família you will never be bored for one minute while in Barcelona.
Barcelona is also known as a city that likes to party late into the night with clubs to suit all tastes including La Terrrazza is a hedonistic open-air club that sits above Barcelona overlooking the city on Montjuïc mountain. It also has some fantastic restaurants and tapas bars not to mention international specialties that you would not find in other parts of Spain.
If there was to be a downside to Barcelona and it really is hard to find one in a city that Leo Messi calls home, is that during the summer months the city is taken over with tourists and prices are more than what you would pay in Valencia, but you would expect that in most big cities in Europe.
If you want to spend some time at the beach while in Barcelona do what the locals do and head south to the town of Sitges, Spain’s very own Saint-Tropez where all the rich and beautiful come to play for the summer . While being only a small town Sitges each year hosts an international film festival and has seventeen beaches to suit everyone’s tastes. To get to Sitges take one of the frequent trains from Sants station to Sitges with a journey time of 45 minutes.
Cadiz
Cadiz is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe tucked away in the southwest corner of Spain Cadiz enjoys a wonderful year round climate, and is steeped in history being first settled by Phoenician merchants from Tyre as early as 1100 BC. After which came the Romans and then the Moors. Christopher Columbus sailed from Cadiz on his voyage to discover the New World which helped to make this city one of the richest in Spain as the main port for the treasure ships returning from South America.
Cadiz was also the home of the famed Spanish Armada that attacked England in 1588 in an attempt to overthrow the protestant queen Elizabeth I only to be defeated by Sir Francis Drake. Cadiz is also where another famous sea battle took place between Admiral Lord Nelson and a combined French and Spanish fleet off of Cape Trafalgar in 1805 that the British won effectively giving them the freedom of the seas for the next 200 years and stopping any notion Napoleon had of trying to invade England.
Today Cadiz is a modern city that still has its historical charm to be found in the many narrow streets of the Old Town where you can enjoy an ice-cold glass of Cruz Campo beer while you enjoy some wonderful Andalucian seafood tapas. The beaches in and around Cadiz are all sand, and kept in immaculate condition, and being on the Atlantic Ocean rather than the Mediterranean it is a great place to learn how to surf.
The nearest airport to Cadiz is Jerez de la Frontera the sherry capital of the world also known for its horsemanship, and flamenco you can catch a frequent bus directly from the airport to Cadiz for 2.60€ the bus makes one stop in Jerez before going on to Cadiz a journey time of 1hr 15min.
Not being your typical Spanish Costa destination Cadiz would be a perfect choice for anyone who wanted to immerse themselves in the Andulucian culture while also enjoying the benefits of being by the sea.
