The Best of Spain: Barcelona and Madrid

After you enroll, we’ll ask you to provide or update your personal information and preferences, which includes your health information, lodging and meal preferences for your program.

A passport is required for this program. It must be valid for at least 6 months after your return date.

This information about travel documents pertains to participants holding U.S. passports. Non-U.S. citizens should refer to their country's requirements to ensure they have the necessary documentation for travel.

United States citizens don’t need a visa for any of the countries you’ll be visiting. Non-U.S. citizens should refer to their country's requirements to ensure they have the necessary documentation for travel.

Face masks will be required where obliged by local laws

If Road Scholar is arranging your air travel to and from the program, and you travel on the scheduled start and end dates, you’ll receive free round-trip transfers from the airport to the hotel.

Arrival day is on October 18, 2025

Meet the group at Abba Balmoral in Barcelona

Start of Trip:  3:00 p.m. hotel check-in; 6:00 p.m. Welcome Reception & Orientation; 8:00 p.m. Welcome Dinner.

Getting to the site: An arrival transfer is organized for all participants who purchased an air inclusive program and arrive on the group arrival date. Transfer vehicles vary by group. Program Only Participants (POPs) or participants who are arriving early must make their own way to the hotel in Barcelona at their own cost. Taxis are readily available at the Barcelona-El Prat airport, and can be found outside the arrival section of all terminals. Take the official Barcelona black and yellow taxis, and avoid unsolicited cab rides which may be offered inside the terminal. A ride to the hotel should take approximately 35 minutes and cost 35-45EUR, but this may vary depending on traffic and the arrival time of your flight (taxis are more expensive early in the morning and/or late at night). UBER and similar services are also widely available in Barcelona and Madrid. Credit and Debit cards can be used to pay for taxis in Barcelona & Madrid.

Getting to the site by train or bus: Inter-city trains and buses to/from Barcelona are available to/from most Spanish and other European cities.

Your trip ends on: Sunday, October 26, 2025 in Madrid at Hotel Catalonia Atocha

End of Trip: 10:30 a.m. after breakfast; 11:00 a.m. hotel check-out.

Getting to the airport: A departure transfer is organized for all participants who purchased an air inclusive program and depart on the group departure date. Transfer vehicles vary by group. Program Only Participants (POPs) or participants who are departing late must make their own way to the Madrid-Barajas airport at their own cost. Please reach out to your Group Leader and/or hotel staff during your program to make the necessary reservations. Taxis from downtown Madrid to the Barajas airport cost 33EUR (fixed rate)

Information if you are purchasing your own airfare: Participants who have not purchased airfare through Road Scholar are responsible for making their own transfer arrangements to the first site at the beginning of the program, as well as from the last site at the end of the program. The Information Packet Road Scholar sends in advance of the program includes details needed to make your transfer arrangements. If you wish to purchase airfare through Road Scholar, please call (800) 241-1404. Please note: In the unlikely event Road Scholar must make changes to the program's arrival or departure details, we will notify all participants as soon as possible. Participants who have purchased Road Scholar airfare are protected against airline change fees; however, anyone who has not purchased Road Scholar airfare will be required to make their own adjustments and may incur fees imposed by the airline.