Cultural Activities

Immerse yourself in the fascinating culture of beautiful Barcelona

Barcelona is not only famous for its stunning architecture and vibrant atmosphere but also for its diverse range of cultural activities. Immerse yourself in the local culture, make new friends, and enhance your language skills while enjoying the city's unique offerings. Every activity is open at any level; the only limit is the number of places, and the hiking trips require good physical fitness. Here are just a few exciting cultural activities to experience during your time in Barcelona:

The cultural programme, month by month

There is a cultural workshop every month, and it comes to you: it runs in class time with your whole group, so there is nothing to book and nothing to pay. Some months that means a festival, some months a writer, and some months it means cooking. Whichever month you arrive in, you join the programme where it is.

January

Catalan festive traditions

Catalan culture

February

Carnival in Spain and Latin America

Hispanic culture

March

The traditions of Semana Santa

Hispanic culture

April

Sant Jordi, with an exhibition on Cervantes

Catalan culture and literature

May

Andalusian romerías in Catalonia

Hispanic culture

June

La verbena de Sant Joan

Catalan culture

July

Los Sanfermines, and the festivals of today

Hispanic culture

August

La Festa Major de Gràcia

Catalan culture

SeptemberThis month

La Diada and La Mercè

Catalan culture

October

The graphic novel in Spanish, and Barcelona's Saló del Còmic

Hispanic culture and literature

November

Día de Muertos and Tots Sants, with a panellets workshop

Hispanic and Catalan culture

December

A Christmas sweets workshop

Hispanic culture

Ready to Experience Barcelona to the Fullest?

The whole year’s programme is above, month by month.

Thursday 1 October 2026

Language Exchange

Language exchange in the Iberia Language Academy library, from 18:00 to 20:00. A great chance to practise your Spanish and English naturally, meet fellow students and have a good time. A teacher will guide the session and run fun, dynamic activities to s…

Time:: 18:00 – 20:00
Cost:: Free
Included:: Snacks
Meeting point:: Biblioteca del centro
Accompaniment:: With a teacher from the school
Minimum number:: 3
Places:: Places are limited

The school can cancel the activity if the minimum number of participants is not reached. If that happens we tell you at least 24 hours in advance. If you cannot come after all, let us know at least 24 hours before so that someone else can take your place.

Book now

Saturday 3 October 2026

Day Trip to the Medieval Market of Peratallada and Púbol

Tucked away in the province of Gerona, in the Baix Empordà, Peratallada is a tiny medieval village of 500 inhabitants whose name comes from the moat carved into the rock that surrounds it. During the first week of October, the village hosts its medieval…

Time:: 09:00 – 20:00
Cost:: 30 €
Included:: Return coach included. Food and castle entry not included.
Meeting point:: Torres Venecianes, Plaza España
Accompaniment:: Without a teacher from the school
Minimum number:: 3
Places:: Places are limited

The school can cancel the activity if the minimum number of participants is not reached. If that happens we tell you at least 24 hours in advance and refund you in full. To cancel your own place, let us know at least 7 days before: the coach and the tickets are booked in advance, so with less notice we cannot refund you.

Book now

Activities at the school

These come round at different points through the year, outside class time, and joining is up to you. Our own teachers run them, all levels are welcome, and each one lasts two hours. Some are free; where there is a cost it covers the food, the drink or the ticket, and you see it before you sign up.

Wine tasting: An introduction to Spanish wine, with the vocabulary to describe what you are drinking and a dossier to take home.
Business Spanish workshop: The formal register, professional correspondence and the situations you meet at work.
Tapas workshop: Spanish tapas, made and eaten at the school.
Merienda workshop: The Spanish afternoon snack, region by region.
The language exchange: Once a term we hold a language exchange in the school library, from 18:00 to 20:00. It is free and there is something to eat. We invite all our Spanish students and the English students from our sister school, TEFL Iberia. Everyone in the room is learning the other's language, so the practice runs both ways.

Guided tours & challenges

Our own teachers lead these, with materials we prepare ourselves. Each one is a guided tour of somewhere in the city with a set of challenges to complete along the way, so you use Spanish the way you actually need it, asking, buying and getting yourself understood. All levels are welcome and each one lasts two hours.

The neighbourhood: The streets around the school, with challenges to complete in the shops and public spaces you walk past every day.
Barcino: The Gothic quarter, and the Roman city still standing underneath it.
The market: A municipal market, with real shopping to do while you are there.
The MNAC: The Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.
The Sagrada Família: The outside of the temple and the streets around it.
Sant Jordi: A route across the city on the day of Sant Jordi itself.
Modernisme on Passeig de Gràcia: The modernista houses along Passeig de Gràcia.
Medieval Barcelona and its walls: The medieval city, and what is still standing of its walls.

Excursions and days out

Barcelona is our base, but there's much more to explore beyond the city. Some activities take us out for the whole day, to the Costa Brava, the Pyrenees or towns and landscapes nearby. Others are closer to home, taking place in the city in the afternoon or evening.

A day trip to Girona, Besalú and Castellfollit de la Roca
A day trip to Cadaqués, on the Costa Brava
A day trip to the Pyrenean villages
Hiking at Montserrat (requires good physical fitness)
Mont Rebei (requires good physical fitness)
Girona in flower, for Temps de Flors
The Palau de la Música Catalana
A flamenco show at Palau Dalmases
An evening at the Font Màgica de Montjuïc
A flamenco workshop
A paella workshop

ILA students on the Barcelona Medieval tour

An ILA student looking over the Mont Rebei gorge

These are booked with outside providers rather than run by the school, and the provider guides them. You go with your classmates, and all levels are welcome.

FAQs

Many of them are free. Others have a small cost that covers the food, the drinks or the entrance ticket, and the price is always shown when we announce the activity. Taking part is always voluntary.

Yes. They run in class time with your whole group, so they take none of your own time and there is nothing extra to pay. Your teacher adapts the tasks to your group's level.

Through the ILA portal, which manages the places and, when the activity needs it, the payment. You can also sign up at reception. We announce every activity in class, in the portal and on the noticeboards in the school.

In most cases yes. Ask when you sign up.

Each activity needs a minimum of three people. If we do not reach it we cancel the activity, tell you at least 24 hours in advance and refund you in full. If you have signed up and then cannot come, let us know at least 24 hours before and we refund you. For the day trips run with an outside provider the deadline is 7 days, because the coach and the tickets are booked in advance; with less notice we cannot refund you.

Ready to Start Learning Spanish in Spain’s most exciting city?

Our experienced and passionate team at Iberia Language Academy are ready to help you every step of the way in Barcelona.

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Cultural Activities

The cultural programme, month by month

Ready to Experience Barcelona to the Fullest?

Language Exchange

Day Trip to the Medieval Market of Peratallada and Púbol

Activities at the school

Guided tours & challenges

Excursions and days out

FAQs

Do the cultural activities cost anything?

Are the monthly workshops part of my course?

How do I sign up for an activity?

Can I bring a friend to an activity?

What happens if an activity is cancelled?

Ready to Start Learning Spanish in Spain’s most exciting city?