What makes a great gap year in Spain? Adventure and opportunities, exploring and embracing a totally new culture, visiting as many new places as possible, new friendships with amazing people and the knowledge that you’re in a safe environment. Spain offers the right ingredients for the perfect gap year, and with Centro MundoLengua’s gap year in Spain program, that awesome living abroad experience is a few clicks away!
Our gap year in Spain program will bring you into the heart of Spanish life with full cultural immersion, language classes to get you speaking like a local, direct work with the community and the chance to live the authentic gap year life in one of Europe’s most magical cities. In vibrant and cosmopolitan Sevilla, you will be surrounded by beauty, culture and history whichever way you turn, but with our activity program you’ll be able to see even more with trips to many other cities in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. There has never been a better time for a gap year in Spain, and with Centro MundoLengua, it’s never been easier.
Well, you don’t have to just picture it. Our pre-AP® Spanish program in Seville offers high school students all of the above and more!
Sevilla is the perfect microcosm of Spain in many ways. Its stunning architecture and vibrant cultural heritage have been shaped by the Roman, Moorish and Castilian eras of the country’s past, and around every corner you will find something worth a photograph, be it a private Arabic garden surrounded in hand-crafted tiles, a bustling tavern selling a great value lunch made with fresh local ingredients or a quaint, secluded plaza offering residents some shade from the midday sun. But even though Sevilla represents the whole of Spain, it also maintains its own unique identity. Citizens of the country view the city’s bold traditions and even bolder people with a great deal of romanticism – so no wonder so many people who do a gap year in Sevilla, Spain find themselves staying forever!
One of the architectural gems of Andalusia, the Sevilla Cathedral is well deserving of its UNESCO World Heritage status. Situated only 5 minutes’ walk from the Centro MundoLengua headquarters, the world’s largest gothic cathedral was originally a Mosque constructed in the 12th century that was then converted into a church following the Castilian reconquest of the city. You can never truly get a good feel for its enormous size until you enter and lose yourself among the 80 chapels that surround the central nave, the outstanding collection of ecclesiastical art inside and the resting place of Christopher Columbus.
But of course, the main focus point of the Sevilla Cathedral is the magnificent Giralda; the 340 foot tool bell tower that is visible wherever you go in the city. Though it may appear daunting at first, the climb up all those stairs to the top is definitely worth the views that await you; a civic decree means that no building east of the Guadalquivir River can be built taller than this former minaret.
Literally next door is another of Sevilla’s most popular tourist attractions. Viewers of Game Of Thrones may recognise the iconic archways, elegant gardens and majestic plazas inside this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Considered one of the best examples of Mudejar architecture anywhere in the world, the Alcázar is one of Europe’s oldest royal palaces still in use and is the official residence of the Spanish royal family during their visits to Sevilla.
Listen hard enough and they say you can still hear the spirits of the former residents of the Old Jewish Quarter whispering at from you from deep within its walls…. No two walks through this mysterious maze of narrow alleyways and cobbled streets are ever the same. The Barrio de Santa Cruz is one of Sevilla’s oldest and most legendary neighbourhoods, and the narrowness of its streets mean that the deeper you walk in, the more you leave the hustle and bustle of the modern world behind you.
One of Sevilla’s most popular attractions may also be its youngest. Constructed as recently as 1928, this semi-circularly plaza is often the first stop for many visitors. The main edifice, central fountain, low bridges, shallow canals and tiled alcoves offer a thousand different photo opportunities and have even been the filming locations of many Hollywood movies. And if the heat becomes a bit too great while you explore the Plaza de España, you can easily take 10 minutes to relax in the cool shade of the 100 acre Parque de Maria Luisa opposite.
The single site that most perfectly captures the old and the new of Sevilla at the same time, “Las Setas” (known to the locals as “The Mushrooms”) is a modern masterpiece built above a site of Roman ruins below ground (which you can still visit!). The extraordinary structure of the Metropol Parasol is the largest single wooden structure in the entire world, and on top is a platform you can visit to take the very best photos of the city around you as the sun begins to set.
But that’s just the beginning! The magic of Sevilla continues with almost too many world class attractions and monuments to count;
If you would like to pay in installments, first click on 4 INSTALLMENT PAYMENTS and then click on APPLY.
The total will be divided in 1 deposit due today and 1 final payment. The final payment will be due 8 weeks prior to the program start date.
FALL SEMESTER Sep 6th – Dec 22nd, 2023 Deadline: June 30th, 2023
SPRING SEMESTER Jan 17th – May 19th, 2024 Deadline: Dec 1st, 2023
The total will be divided in 1 deposit due today and 4 installment payments (with one payment due each month). The final payment will be due 8 weeks prior to the program start date. In the case where it becomes impossible to make 4 installment payments due to late application, students will have to make up any missed payments.
