“The Ambassador’s Symphonic Band Concert Tour to Portugal and Spain was the best yet…..We have been to Europe two times before with Cultural Tours and always had a wonderful time performing at the Montreux , Vienne, and the Juan Les Pins Jazz Festivals….but this year’s tour was the best.! Oriol was even more amazing than we remembered…..Being from Spain, I think he had a personal investment in this tour…..which made it even more special. The venues were spectacular (Castles, Roman Ruins, A Mountain top Castle in Barcelona that overlooked the entire City). The audiences huge and very appreciative (at least 2 encores at each stop). Great Hotels, Great Restaurants, Amazing Experience…Thanks, again…..We will Be Back! ”– DAVID

Destination: Spain

If you have only one word with which to describe Spain, it would be “festivals.” From the smallest village to the largest city, the country abounds in colorful spectacles of music and culture. [Read More]

No other country in Europe offers visitors so many opportunities to experience local dance, music, and traditions. Spain is also one of the most diverse and visually stunning countries in Europe. Where do we begin? Although Madrid is the political capital and also hosts several excellent museums, Barcelona reigns as the culture capital of the country. Most travelers begin their discovery of Spain with a stay in this vibrant, quirky, cosmopolitan city. Barcelona has several structures dating as far back as the Middle Ages but it is best known for its magnificent “modernista” (art nouveau) architecture dating from the turn of the last century. Venturing out of Barcelona, you will not have to go far to view exceptional sites such as the Roman ruins of Tarragona, the walled city of Montblanc or the perched village of Siurana, the Monastery of Montserrat, or the jagged cliffs of the Costa Brava coastline. Heading west, your tour can easily include Basque region with its unique culture and language – in a linguistic family all its own! Northern Spain also includes the region of La Rioja where you’ll find the best wines of the country and Galicia on the Atlantic Ocean which, contrary to the common portrayal of Spain, is a land of lush, green, rolling hills. Here you’ll find the rich architectural heritage dating from the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrimage route of the Middle Ages and the best seafood in the country!

In the south of Spain, you may feel you stepped across the Straits of Gilbraltar to North Africa. The Moors occupied the Iberian Peninsula for 700 years and the southern Spanish region of Andalusia is where you will see and hear the Moorish influence the most. From the colorful dresses to the pulsating rhythm of Flamenco. Andalusia is a fantastic destination due to the great variety of sights to see: the Arab palace of Alhambra, the 8th century mosque in Cordoba, dramatically perched “pueblos blancos” such as Ronda, the Cathedral and flower-festooned courtyards of old Sevilla and, of course, the fiestas which, in Andalusia, are too numerous to mention.

The beautiful sites, cities, and landscapes of Spain are too numerous to summarize here. Be sure to visit the website of the Tourist Office of Spain at http://www.spain.info/en_US/ for more information.
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Discover the Unspoiled Treasures

Tour Ideas

The tours listed below are just a few samples of the type of cultural journeys you can take in Spain – but the possibilities are limitless! We can create a tour around your group’s specific passion and ensure it is enriched by all the unique venues Spain has to offer!

Orchestra Performance Tour

If you’ve already traveled with CTC to Spain, you are undoubtedly familiar with Oriol, our “man on the ground” in Spain. Thanks to his insight, contacts, and persistence, CTC is able to offer incredible venues for orchestral groups to Spain. A recent tour included the major Youth Orchestra Festival in Segovia, the Colors de Musica Festival in Andorra, on the “terrace” of the Castle of Montjuic overlooking the city of Barcelona, and a performance in El Vendrell, birthplace of world renowned cellist Pablo Casals in cooperation with the Pable Casals Foundation. Audiences often numbered in the 1000s. When it was feared there would not be enough chairs at a performance in Barcelona, Oriol was seen transporting more on his motorcycle! With this kind of determination and dedication your tour is certain to be a success!

Art and Architecture Study Tour to Barcelona and Catalonia

Barcelona is a city of contrasts: steeped in history while boldly taking the lead toward the future. So much of the city’s art is proudly displayed in its streets. Barcelona is a vast outdoor museum with “annexes” to be found in the outlying towns and villages. An Art & Architecture Study Tour to the area can encompass works from as far back as the Roman Empire and as recent as the works of contemporary architect Santiago Calatrava. Not to be missed: the distinctive Romanesque architecture of the 11th-13th centuries (over 2000 examples in the region); Gothic structures dating from the time when Catalonia was at the height of its power; the garden of Modernisme that is the Eixample District of Barcelona; and, of course the legacy of Antoni Gaudí that includes the Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera, and Guell Park. The excellent art museums will complement your tour: the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya and the Picasso Museum which is the most visited site in Barcelona.

Spiritual Tour Following the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrimage Route

For several hundred years Santiago de Compostela, located near the northwestern Atlantic coast of Spain, was the third most popular pilgrimage route after Jerusalem and Rome. Today, tens of thousands of Christians and non-Christians each year follow one of the several official Camino routes through Spain. As one Camino pilgrim recently said: “You look at the landscape and the world in general through different eyes when walking along an ancient pilgrimage route.” There exists a network of pilgrimage hostels run by local parishes, councils, and pilgrim associations. Accommodations can be in a combination of hostels, monasteries, conventional hotels and the more luxurious Spanish paradors (government owned high-end hotels in historic buildings and former monasteries). A portion of the tour can be on foot, the length of which to be determined by you.