Study Abroad in Salamanca: Cultural Excursions

London, England (3 days)

Included only for students on the AIFS Flight Package

Begin your semester with a 3-day visit to London en route to Salamanca. This will allow you to relax, recover from jet lag and get to know your fellow classmates while touring England’s capital.

Take a sightseeing tour with a professional guide who will point out some of London’s most famous landmarks including Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and the Tower of London. Have time to explore the city on your own where you can take in the gorgeous parks and gardens, see a play in the West End or shop for vintage clothes at Camden Market.

Includes accommodations, breakfast, sightseeing tour and local guide. Lunch and dinner are not included.

Andalucia (4 days)

Included in program fee

After orientation, depart for a 4-day visit to the south of Spain including Seville, Córdoba and Granada.

Start off in the Moorish town of Córdoba. Then visit the Mezquita, a renowned 8th century mosque famous for intricate Moorish, Christian and Jewish architecture and also the old Jewish quarter. Continue to Seville, a beautiful city on the Guadalquivir River. Accommodation at the hotel and free time for the rest of the day.

The next day take a tour of Seville visiting the famous La Giralda tower, the Alcazar, María Luisa Park and the Barrio de Santa Cruz. Evening free to explore Seville.

On the third day travel to Granada, the Moorish capital in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We’ll visit the spectacular Alhambra and the Genralife Gardens. Free time to explore Granada. Optional evening flamenco performance. Overnight in Granada.

Morning departure from Granada via Madrid. Stop in the La Mancha area to see the windmills that inspired Miguel de Cervantes in his masterpiece novel: Don Quixote de la Mancha. Continue on to Salamanca.

Includes accommodation and breakfast (but not lunch and dinner), transportation, entrances to museums and monuments and professional guides.

Madrid (2 days)

Included in program fee

Take a sightseeing tour of Toledo, known as the “town of three cultures: Moorish, Jewish and Christian”, to visit the Synagogue, the 13th century Cathedral, considered the most important cathedral in Spain, adorned with paintings by El Greco, Tiziano, Rubens, etc. and the St Tomé Church, home of the El Greco masterpiece “El Entierro del Conde Orgaz”. Depart for Madrid and enjoy free time to explore.

Start the day with a sightseeing tour around Madrid, the capital city of Spain. View classic boulevards and fountains in the center of the city. At the Prado you will see world-acclaimed art by El Greco, Goya and Velázquez. Visit the Puerta del Sol, the famous Don Quixote statue, the Royal Palace and the Plaza Mayor. Evening return to Salamanca by private bus.

Includes all transportation, accommodations, breakfast (but not lunch and dinner), professional tour guides, and entrance fees to the sights described.

Optional excursion to Barcelona (3 days – $595)

Fall semester only

Night departure by private bus from Salamanca to Barcelona, the second largest city in Spain and capital of Catalunya on the Mediterranean coast.

Arrive in Barcelona the next morning and enjoy a free day to relax or explore. The following day, take a sightseeing tour of Barcelona including: Las Ramblas; Parc Güell, and la Sagrada Familia amongst other famous sites plus free time to explore on your own before your morning return home.

Includes all transportation, accommodations, breakfast, guides, and entrance fees to the sights described.

If a minimum enrollment of 15 is not met, the tour may be cancelled.

Optional excursion to Lisbon, Portugal (3 days – $495)

Spring semester only

Travel by private bus from Salamanca to Lisbon, capital city of Portugal making a stop on the way stop in the lovely coastal village of Cascais as well as the Boca do Inferno, a natural cavern on the coast. Evening free to explore Lisbon.

The following morning take a sightseeing tour of Lisbon - visit Tower of Belem, Monument to the Discoverers, Monastery of Jerónimos, Plaza del Rocio and Sao Jorge Castle. Free time to explore on your own.

On the last day head to Nazaré (a small village on the coast) or to Fatima (a famous church dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima) and Batalha (an impressive Monastery) before returning to Salamanca.

Includes all transportation, hotel accommodations, breakfast, guides, and entrance fees to the sights described.

If a minimum enrollment of 15 is not met, the tour may be cancelled.

Optional excursion to Marrakech, Morocco (4 days – $725)

Travel by private bus from Salamanca to the Madrid airport to fly to Marrakech, Morocco. Arrive in Marrakech and transfer to the hotel by private bus. Sightseeing tour of Marrakech, Morocco’s most cultural city, with a professional guide, visiting the fantastic square Djemaa el Fna, the colorful “zoccos” (markets), the Koutoubia Tower, etc. Dinner at the Hotel. Overnight in Marrakech.

Friday: breakfast at the hotel and then depart by private bus to the beautiful village on the ocean named Essaouira. Sightseeing tour with a local guide. Lunch and free time to explore on your own, visit the beach and/ or shop. Overnight in Marrakech.

Saturday: Breakfast at the hotel. Professionally guided sightseeing tour around Marrakech visiting sights not seen the first day and free time to shop. Overnight in Marrakech.

Sunday: Breakfast in the hotel and free time until transfer to the airport and flight to Madrid. Bus from Madrid to Salamanca.

Includes all transportation, accommodations, breakfast, guides, and entrance fees to the sights described.

If a minimum enrollment of 15 is not met, the tour may be cancelled.

Once paid for in the U.S., all optional excursions are non-refundable.

NOTE: If you are NOT a U.S. citizen traveling on an American passport, you are responsible for informing yourself of any requirements necessary to visit Morocco and/or Portugal as well as acquiring a visa with ample time to participate in these excursions.

Dates and Itineraries for all excursions are tentative and subject to change.