Mini stay in Alcalá de Henares

Spanish courses for groups and schools in Alcalá de Henares

General information

• Age limit: None (closed groups)
• Starting date: Any day
• Minimum level of Spanish: Beginner
• Students per class: 12 max.

The city of Alcalá de Henares

Known as the “City of Knowledge” and for being the birthplace of Don Miguel de Cervantes, Alcalá de Henares is situated in the Madrid Community, just thirty minutes from Madrid city. It has been coveted as a perfect destination for the study of the Spanish language owing to its excellent connections to the whole of Europe and for being one of the main cradles of Spanish Literature. With a population of around 205.000 inhabitants and nurturing a culturally rich historical heritage, Alcalá de Henares is a must-visit area for tourists visiting the Spanish Capital.

Alcalá de Henares combines the modernity University town with an enormously rich historical legacy, for which it has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Few cities in Spain can boast such a clear diversity of architecture through its different neighbourhoods. In the outskirts, the Complutum Roman ruins take us back to the origins of the city from the 1st Century AD; while a tour through the medieval streets and the narrow cobbled alleyways reveal examples of buildings from the three main cultures in Spanish history: Arabic, Judaic and Christian.

The school

Our school in Alcalá de Henares is located in a residential neigbourhood, beside a commercial area, very close to the historical city centre and a five minute stroll to the train station.

The brand new premises itself is recently built and suitably furnished, boasting modern air-conditioned classrooms equipped with high-end audiovisual equipment. You can even bring your laptop, if you wish, and enjoy free Wi-Fi broadband connection to the internet

The Spanish course

The students will receive 15 hours of Spanish per week in the mornings. The lessons will be taught by highly-qualified, native teachers with a wealth of experience in teaching Spanish as a foreign language. The lessons focus on developing the students’ communicative skills through dynamic activities that will facilitate learning and encourage students to participate actively in class. Furthermore, students can choose a tailor-made course for them, whether that be general Spanish or on particular Spanish themes.

• General Spanish + History: The Conquest of America, El Cid, The Reconquest
• General Spanish + Literature: Don Quixote, Lazarillo de Tormes
• General Spanish + Art: Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Gaudí, etc.
• General Spanish + Spanish culture: festivals, Spanish cuisine, etc.

Homestay accommodation

All students will be accommodated with host families, in twin or triple rooms, on a full board basis (including a packed lunch) and we strive to select families with similar interests to the students. Living in a Spanish home is the best way to improve your language skills and experiencing everyday life with our carefully selected, locally based host families, the welcoming and supporting atmosphere only a Spanish home can create will allow every student to thrive.

All of our host families are within easy reach of the school and regularly supervised by our Accommodation Officer.

The activity and excursion programme

Groups that take part in Top School’s mini stay in Alcalá de Henares will be able to choose from a wide range of exciting activities that are listed as follows:

• 
  Afternoon and evening activities
  • Guided tour of Alcalá de Henares
  • Sports
  • Treasure hunt
  • Museums
  • Bowling

  Half day excursions

  • El Prado National Museum
  • Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
  • Las Ventas Bullring
  • Panoramic tour through Madrid
  • Madrid Wax Museum

•  

   

  • Shopping
  • Disco
  • Cinema
  • Karaoke

  Full day excursions

  • Toledo
  • Segovia
  • Ávila
  • El Escorial + Valley of the Fallen
  • Madrid amusement park

The mini stay includes

• 15 or 20 general Spanish lessons or general Spanish + themed project
• Accommodation in host family or hotel
• Full board in homestay and half board in hotel
• Course material
• Certificate of attendance
• Activity and excursion programme
• Bus pass
• 1 free leader per 15 students

Sample timetable*

*This timetable is subject to changes depending on the activities chosen by each group.

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