High School Homestays Programs in Madrid

My great time spent in Barcelona started from being picked from an airport and transported to accommodation, to accommodation i have only one con and thatt was a little complicated communication with staff, the school looked really good from outside and inside so it was nice being there, with the school i had a little problem and it was that i had a feeling i learnt almost nothing and from the trip i think i have improved more in emglish than spanish, but maybe that might be my fault too. After all i really enjoyed and made some friends and it was totally worth it.

Expanish responded to this reviewSeptember 09, 2026

¡Hola, Marie! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us and for your 5-star rating! We’re very happy to hear that you enjoyed your stay in Barcelona, liked our school, and, most importantly, made some great memories and new friends along the way. We really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience and feedback with us. Your comments help us continue improving and providing the best possible experience for our students. We’re glad to hear that, overall, you enjoyed the experience and felt that it was worthwhile. We hope to see you again at Expanish in the future! ¡Un abrazo!

I spent two weeks of July in Barcelona with Expanish School and it was one of the best experiences of my life. In two weeks I learned a lot thanks to the teachers and the trips we did during the week and in the weekends. I got to know some amazing people that became my friends and with them I shared this magnificent experience. My host family was so lovely, they immediately made me feel comfortable and at home. Now that my experience has finished I find myself thinking about the days spent in Barcelona with Expanish. I already recommended the school to my friends because I think it is really really valid.

Expanish responded to this reviewAugust 23, 2026

¡Hola, Sofia! What a beautiful review to read — thank you! :) We're so happy your two weeks in Barcelona turned into one of the best experiences of your life! It's wonderful that you learned so much thanks to our teachers and all the trips along the way, and even better that you made friends who shared it all with you. Hearing that your host family made you feel so at home too just makes this even more special. Thank you for already recommending us to your friends — that truly means so much to us. We hope to welcome you back to Expanish soon! ¡Un fuerte abrazo!

My host family was amazing, the teacher was very nice and helpful and I could learn a lot. The activities were fun and were helping me learn more about the place and the culture. Unfortunately not many people my age were attending them but they were still very fun

Expanish responded to this reviewAugust 23, 2026

¡Hola, Teodor! Thank you for sharing this with us! :) We're so glad the program let you dive into the city, culture, and language all at once — and it's wonderful to hear your host family and teacher made such a positive impact on your experience. We're happy the activities added to that too, and we hear you on wanting more people your age around — we'll keep working on bringing in a wider crowd! Thanks again for choosing Expanish — hope to see you again soon! ¡Un fuerte abrazo!

Last summer, I spent three weeks in Spain, and it honestly changed the way I see things. Being in a totally new place pushed me out of my comfort zone in a good way. I had to figure things out on my own, try new foods, get used to the language, and adjust to a completely different lifestyle. What I loved most was how social and laid-back everything felt. The people there really take time to enjoy life, food, and each other. I met so many kind people and learned a lot just by being present and open. That experience helped me grow more confident, independent, and open-minded. It wasn’t just a trip for me. It was a moment that helped shape who I am now. Hopefully I can go back!

Personally I found that the program was an amazing way to improve my Spanish skills while also enjoying my summer break. My language class teacher and all other staff were really friendly and always willing to help me out when I needed anything. Even though, I came to Expanish without knowing anyone it was really easy to connect with my classmates and make friends. Many of them lived in the same student residence as I did which was very convenient since we could take the train together to go to class or meet up in the lobby to do some sightseeing. Overall, I can really recommend this program!

Expanish responded to this reviewAugust 24, 2025

¡Hola, Josefine! Thank you for your comments! We are really happy to know you've enjoyed your time with us and made friends during your Young Adults program! Hope we get to see you again someday! ¡Un abrazo!

IT WAS GREAT LOVED IT MET THE BEST PEOPLE AND MET MY NOW BESTFRIEND LOVE THEM LOVE BCNㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Expanish responded to this reviewAugust 24, 2025

¡Hola, Tomas! We are really happy to know that you not only enjoyed your classes but also met your best friend in your Young Adults program! :) Hope we get to welcome you again in the future! ¡Un fuerte abrazo!

C’était une très bonne expérience, mon niveau en espagnol s’est vraiment amélioré. Mon expérience avec la famille était vraiment géniale et les activités proposées par l’école étaient vraiment bien choisies que ce soit sur le plan culturel ou historique. Merci beaucoup pour ce séjour !

Expanish responded to this reviewAugust 16, 2025

¡Muchas gracias por tus comentarios, Clément! Nos alegra mucho saber que has disfrutado tu tiempo con nosotros! Esperamos poder volver a verte algún día. ¡Un fuerte abrazo!

I had an amazing time… I met a lot of new people and did a lot of new things. I also got the chance of talking with locals and improve my skills and also I enjoyed a lot all the activities that the school offered. Can’t wait to come back again

During my summer holidays, I flew to Barcelona solo for a week. I throughly enjoyed my time there. From the moment I arrived, the staff were welcoming, friendly and well-organised, which is a key element to cultural success! The itinerary was a perfect mix of educational activities, cultural immersion, and free time to explore. Due to the course being a new program, I'd recommend next year more activities for students, as because I was only there for a week I wasn't able to participate in as much. The professors were excellent, a shoutout to Rani, the best week in her classes! The group dynamic was great too. There was a mix of nationalities and backgrounds, which made for really interesting conversations and friendships. I made lots of new friends too which I was nervous about, so don't worry about that! . I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to combine language learning with cultural discovery. It was an incredible & unforgettable experience. I hope to visit Expanish again, whether it's in Barcelona or in one of their partner schools.

Expanish responded to this reviewJuly 28, 2025

¡Muchas gracias por tu comentario, Ruairidh! We loved having you as our student and look forward to welcoming you again in any of our schools! ¡Un fuerte abrazo!

I would be likely to recommend the program to a friend or peer because it has broadened my horizons linguistically and culturally. There are great opportunities for scholarships and classes for the right levels. However, I would argue that there should be more variation in levels, such as adding more options for those in between two different levels.

I would recommend it because I think learning a language is extremely important and the best way to do that is to be immersed. Also I think learning about other cultures in incredibly valuable because it opens your mind to other ways of life. I loved going to Valladoild and seeing Chichen Itza y los cenotes!

I think that the program is an incredible accessible way to explore the world, build independence and skills, and learn about yourself. Especially if someone is look to grow their language skills, this is the program to do.

I absolutely loved my trip to Spain. I found that the interactions we had with our Spanish peers were one of a kind, and we connected with them more deeply than I could have imagined. I appreciated the intense cultural immersion we had, and I truly feel like I know Spain and Spanish culture. I especially liked that I walked away from this trip feeling like I could give my family a tour around Granada or Guadix if I wanted to. I was really able to get to know the places we stayed in and the people we got to know. I would definitely recommend this trip to others!

This was undoubtedly one of the best experiences of my young life. The whole application was extremely easy and the team was amazing. I got to visit places I could never imagine and meet incredible people. Honestly, I didn't want to leave. Going to Granada and Guadix gave contrasting yet starking experiences of spanish life. The people I met in spain are some of the most amazing and inspiring I have ever met and I am still in contact with many even now. Throughout the trip I also got assilamed into spanish culture. My spanish is hundreds of times better now than it was before and I can now confirm that siestas are amazing. The first half of the trip involved our group going to the cities of Madrid, Toledo, and Granada. We spent a few days in Madrid getting orientated and meeting our amazing guides from CELEI. We ate some typical spanish meals and toured the city. Next we went to the historic city of Toledo which is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen. We wandered around the city and saw the cathedral which was stunning. after leaving Toledo we went to Granada which is where we were for two weeks. There we met local kids and did all kinds of activities in the city. We saw the ancient alhambra and went to a flamenco show among other things. We also took part in interactive spanish lessons where we would go one the street and learn spanish first hand. After taking day trips to Cordoba to see the cathedral-mosque which was one of the highlights of the trip, we went to guadix where we took flamenco lessons along with spanish cooking and pottery lessons all in spanish. In guadix we spent a ton of time with the local kids and went out to the city for food or to play soccer a lot. In guadix the focus was much more about Spanish culture and we spent more time exploring culinary and home life aspects. We even spent a day with a spanish family. As a whole it was an amazing experience and one I will never forget and I thank the people at the experiment as well as the amazing teachers and guides at CELEI. I would highly recommend this program for someone looking to have an immersive experience in spain.

By far the best experience I have ever had the privilege of being apart of. Not only did I gain a better ability to speak Spanish and experience another culture, but I also was gifted 5+ absolutely amazing role models, who opened my mind and altered my ways of thinking for the better. We visited the most beautiful cities and sights: Madrid, Toledo, Granada, Guadix, Cordoba, Castril, and the beautiful Alhambra palace and fortress. There was definitely a lot of walking, which I enjoyed; In Granada, most of the neighborhood streets are paved in river rock and the architecture is stunning, the 100+ years old stone walls, the archways, and homes, everything was absolutely breathtaking. Our residence had the most beautiful view of the Alhambra. While in Granada we went to school, both teachers were absolute delights, they were understanding, funny, and really cared about our educations and well beings, Im really grateful I was able to meet them. During our stay in Granada we did many activities: our guides took us on a graffiti tour of the neighborhood ( the artwork was skillful and beautifully crafted, the locals admired the murals greatly), we walked up to a gorgeous viewpoint to watch the sunset over the entire city, hiked a mountain path to overlook the landscape and get to know some of the local teens, traveled to the river to have a survival skills class, visited the Alhambra and toured the grounds with an amazing and knowledgeable tour guide, visited multiple Cathedrals, and roamed the neighborhood and shops. While Granada was packed with adventure, Guadix was equally great. Our activities included Flamenco, Art, Cooking, and Ceramics classes, we spent our days with local teens from the area, whether we were swimming,on the trampoline, playing connect four or uno, or just hanging out, we were always making new friends and getting to know each other. Due to Covid-19 we were unable to have host families, but we did each go with our friend/s to their homes and spent the day with them and their families. On the last day of our stay in Guadix we all participated in a talent show for the residents living where we were staying, there was skits, dancing, and music. While on this trip I made some amazing friends and even more amazing role models, people who truly wanted to help others and see change in their communities. We were taught to "Act Local, Think Global" when it comes to making a change in our communities. I left this trip with a completely different mindset than I had come with. I have truly grown so much as a person because of this trip and I could not be more thankful to The Experiment for allowing me to experience something I never thought I could.

The Experiment in International Living gave me so many opportunities I wouldn't have gotten anywhere else. I learned so much about a beautiful country with such a rich history and culture. I can confidently say I learned at least one new thing everyday, and I did that not only by touring places and walking around the cities, but also from the people I met along the way. I got to form many incredible relationships with the other American students I traveled with, my amazing group leaders that supported me throughout the whole trip, and all of the people I met in Spain. It was truly amazing to get to look into how people my age live and do things differently in different parts of the country. The experience as a whole was so eye opening and pushed me out of my comfort zone just enough to really get a life changing experience. In addition to learning about the history, culture, and Spanish language, I also learned a lot about myself. What I can do when I push myself, new likes (and dislikes) and what I want to do in the future. Getting to live in Granada for those 12 days was just so amazing and I almost immediately knew I had to go back there. After talking to one of my group leaders, I learned about the University of Granada and decided I want to study abroad there in college. I got to learn and grow so much and I will be forever grateful for this trip.

This summer I went with the experiment to Spain. I had a lot of fun with my experiment group, and made what I believe to be long lasting friendships. I was very immersed in the Spanish culture, and was able to learn the Spanish language as well. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is worried about leaving the country without any guidance. It’s also great for people who do not have the means/experience to travel on their own or with family. It is a fantastic first step for seeing the world.

Over the summer, I had the privilege of taking part in the Experiment in International Living's Spanish language and culture program. While abroad, I had the opportunity to learn things about myself that I never thought I would. I got to broaden my horizons and see things from a lot of other people's perspectives. I often found myself taking what felt like literal leaps into what was easily out of my comfort zone, but these experiences changed me for the better. The way I view myself as a leader has definitely changed. I have become much more confident in my decisions, and have also found it easier to voice my opinions to those in my group. Thanks to the comforting yet exciting environment that was established from day one in our groups, I was able to ease into the entire process of becoming a leader. Another way this trip helped me become a better leader was the fact that I was able to improve my communication skills. Through this program, I learned how to properly share ideas and converse with my peers in a way that pushed us towards our goals. I also learned the importance of asking questions in a group setting, while also asking questions in a more private one-on-one setting. In this way, I could get an accurate opinion of what the group wanted as a whole, while also getting individual thoughts and ideas from people that weren't influenced by a large group setting. I also developed my skills in regards to coming to a compromise, finding myself being better able to discuss and reach an agreement in terms of what the group wanted to do. With my fellow experimenters working to reach compromises as well, there never seemed to be a dull moment as we worked together to pick out the most enjoyable activity for the group. It was through these activities that we picked out together that I got to step out of my comfort zone and enjoy new experiences. We came to many decisions together as a group. Whether it was on what to do during our free days or the best place to get dinner, there would always be a new experience just around the corner. We went on a variety of excursions that had me feeling hesitant at first, but then later embracing them and the fact that I actually did them in the first place. With these brand new experiences came an expansion of my comfort zone. I often found myself trying brand new foods, swimming in an ocean that was completely foreign to me, being placed in situations where it was just best to accept the awkwardness of them. Although easily the biggest stress on my comfort zone was becoming a part of someone's family and getting perspective on their lives. The idea of going into a homestay made me incredibly nervous at first, and that feeling had persisted until I actually met them in person. It was through them that I got to see what Spain was really like, what teens my age did, what the nightlife was like, and the best places to get tapas, as well as seeing the most famous sites in the area. It was through my wonderful homestay family that I got to truly go out of my comfort zone and experience life in Spain. The trip was a first in many ways for me. It was my first time traveling to Europe or even a new continent, my first time traveling alone without a parent, my first time visiting Spain (although hopefully not the last!), and my first time truly taking a leap and traveling abroad to learn about the life and culture in another part of the world. Beforehand, it had only ever been an activity that I could dream about doing, and I was lucky enough to have my dreams realised during this amazing trip. Over the course of this trip I felt the level of confidence I had in myself grow, as well as my ability to be a leader. It was through this that I let myself go out of my comfort zone, in doing so I only added to the amount of growing confidence I had in myself. After each new experience brought its challenges, but thanks to the previous ones, I felt better equipped to handle them. Even now, I still sometimes think back to what I did in Spain, and the challenges and personal victories I had in order to bolster the amount of confidence I carry with me today. It was through the trip that I gained an amazing friend group that I carried back with me to the U.S, while also still having another incredible group of friends (and family) in Spain. If I had another opportunity to do this trip, I'd take it in a heartbeat. This trip was an experience that I plan on carrying with me for the rest of my life.

I had such an amazing time abroad. I met the greatest people that i've met, experienced a gorgeous country, and practiced a language. My peers were so open and supportive and i found a sense of home with them. I had such a great time exploring the cities for miradors, or souvenir shops, or just places to eat. The local teens are amazing and so welcoming, and will always be willing to talk to you-- It's super easy to meet friends outside of the program. Our homestay families were all so sweet, and the freedom to hang out with them outside was amazing as well. The freedom in general really helped my experience. Of course the planned activities were helpful as they encouraged immersion and learning about the history of Spain, but nothing can beat actually going out, exploring, and living like a local.

I loved the Experiment trip Spanish Language and Culture! I learned so much about the culture there and improved my speaking skills way more than I would have if I didn’t go on this trip. I met people I will never forget! I am so grateful for the opportunity to attend this program.