I can not even begin to say how awesome this trip was! In all of my 20+ years with EF Tours, this trip tops them all. From the food to the hotels to the guides it was absolutely fabulous! It is a must for everyone!!! show less

This was my third EF Tour and definitely my favorite! I would do it all over again, and again, and again if I could. My tour director was amazing, the tour guides were informative, and the cities were beautiful. From free time in Nice to a super fun scavenger hunt in Granada, every second of the tour was perfect. show less

From Lisbon to Barcelona, I don't think there's much that we didn't do -- we saw flamenco, played on the beach, and inadvertently fed the monkeys in Gibraltar (they stole our snacks!). We learned about culture, food, languages, history, architecture, and art. We literally sang and danced and tried all sorts of new things. All along the way, our TD did a fantastic job keeping us on track and having fun with us. show less

Our first stop was in Lisbon where we met our tour director and the two other schools we were with. Our tour director was spectacular and went the extra mile to accommodate us. All the sights were beautiful and our tour director managed to get us to places before all the heavy tourism actually came in. We learned a lot of history about Portugal and it was very beautiful to explore. Then we went into Spain and were able to explore the grandeur of it all. We went into Gibraltar and got to see the monkeys who were pretty cute! The best part however, was when our tour director managed to snatch us a private tour of La Sagrada Familia even though only a few of us actually wanted to go. It was beautiful at the time of day we went in and the guide also gave us a bit of exclusive access. Overall it was an amazing trip and would do it all over again! show less

This experience through Portugal and Spain was so amazing I can hardly believe it. The tour had a perfect balance of free-time and educational experiences. Not only did I expand my knowledge as far as history and culture, I also learned more abut myself as a human. With that being said, everyone must go on this trip so that you can truly see the beauty that the world has to offer. You'll see everything from the most gorgeous beaches in the world to magnificent cathedrals to the coast of Africa. show less

I recently got back from an EF Tours trip to Portugal and Spain and it was amazing. As I think back to the trip now, my heart is warming up and I want to shed some tears of joy. From the moment we landed in Portugal our tour guide greeted us and she was amazing. We were a small group of ten so that meant that we had to partner with two other groups. They could sometimes be annoying but as I look back they did not bother me too much and they added some flavor. I did not even know all of the students from my school but since we were so small I got to know all of my group members so well and now (two weeks after coming back ha) we speak in school. Our first stops were in Estoril and in Lisbon- our hotel in Estoril was nice and Estoril was so pretty. Everywhere was pretty haha. I will make this shorter by talking about my favorite places in Portugal. Lisbon is definitely a great city its so cute and we walked up so many hill in Barrio Alto. I loved it there- the streets are narrow and full of so many small shops. Another favorite was Sagres- Sagres is at the edge of Portugal and basically that is the edge of Europe. It was so pretty and we got to walk around the area- and see the water it was beautiful. Evora is another great city- from the outside it looks like what... I was surprised that they would take us here and I guess a gypsy also walked on our bus and said she was the tour guide (how funny). But the city is actually surrounded by walls so once you are in the walls it is amazing. We started in the city garden and then made our way more into the city. There are Roman ruins and cathedral. The best part is getting lost. We split up and my group walked down some more narrow streets and we found this small pastry shop. There were lots of people in there enjoying their Sunday brunch. Everywhere has caffe con leche (milk with coffee) so you have to try that and then an AMAZING Portuguese sweet called Pastel de Natta- remember that because its delicious. We only had it once but I wish I could have had it again. Finally we had the opportunity to stay in villas in Tavira they were timeshares for some people so it was like a little community. The villas were a bit creepy but nonetheless they were still fun. It was like I had my own house. We took a twenty minute walk (they have a trolley) to the beach and just sat and enjoyed each others company. NOW, onto Spain! We started in Seville and we were lucky enough that we were there when the Feria de Abril was happening so we got to see a bunch of men and women dressed in the fanciest attire and riding on HORSES AND CARRIAGES. Marbella/ Costa del Sol is amazing. We got to lay on the beach and just soak up the sun. We went to Granada and also had a tour of the Alhambra and it was beautiful. In Granada we also went to a flamenco night and I got to get up and dance. The dancers had so much passion and soul and it was glorious. Next was Valencia and here we stopped in a bookstore and the locals love it. Two old men were sitting in there and they spoke to us in Spanish and shared some information about some Spanish poets. Finally Barcelona, its such a lively city!! We did the bike tour to see the full city and boy was it packed. We had to maneuver around everyone but that just showed the realness of the city. OK now since this EF (education first) tours I have to share that every moment is a leaning moment. The learning is meshed greatly into the tour and it seems like very light learning. Our tour guide filled us with information about wherever went. And not to mention that on the trip you are constantly learning about who YOU are. I learned so much about myself. How to live without your parents, how to interact with people. And just being in a new country is learning about different culture. You have to use the language that the natives use. Especially as a student learning Spanish it was great to use my skills and just say basic things. You will constantly be learning about the places you are and their history and it is great. I am so happy that I was able to go on my second EF tour and I would recommend it to EVERYONE. show less

I did not expect the amount of free time that we had, we were kind of just let out into the cities such as Lisbon, Barcelona, Sevilla, and Costa del Sol alone with our classmates. Our tour guide was very passive aggressive and disrespectful to chaperones and atudents. Tour guide seemed to rush all of our tours and enjoyed when we had free time so that they could go to the bars and shop. One time a chaperone was late for the bus and she left them at the resort without even notifying them that we were leaving. She consistently would not wait for students during walking tours and walked across the streets during green lights. show less

The tour guide was the most unpleasant and unprofessional person I have ever met. The tour was absurd. Why were the students given so Many hours of free time? Why did the tour director treat my students and me like we were small children? She withheld information throughout the trip and wouldn’t let us advocate for ourselves. Our tour director was sarcastic and rude. This was my first and last trip with EF. show less

The overall experience was amazing. Only a couple things I didn't like. I did not like dining in the hotel every night...very poor. The hotel accommodations were not the best in several locations. I thought some of the excursions were very high priced. The tour guide was fantastic. Very knowledgable, funny, helpful etc. Everything you could ask for in a tour guide. The sites were unforgettable. Wish we could've had more time in Seville. Overall, fabulous vacation. show less

This was a great tour for my school. As a participant I found the ebb and flow to be easy and fun. Our guide was EXCELLENT, as most EF guides are at least very good.

The only issue we had as a group was the constant dinner option of french fries, we had them all but one night. show less