Off-Campus Study & Touring

Upcoming Music Department Tour!

To learn more about the trip, please email Dr. Carson (wcarson@coe.edu). 

Registration Deadline is November 15, 2025.

Trip Itinerary

• Morning arrival at El Prat Airport in Barcelona, Spain. 
• Head to the city centre of Barcelona and take in the sights!
• Visit the Magic Fountain, the Gothic Quarter, or even the Santa Maria del Mar Basilica!
• Enjoy free time to explore La Rambla.
• Later, check into our hotel and enjoy a group dinner!

• Enjoy your first Spanish Breakfast
• Guided tour of Barcelona
• Entrance into La Sagrada Familia
• Enjoy time at Casa Batllo, designed by by Antoni Gaudí

• Take a trip to Montserrat and take the Railway to the Monastery, one of
  Spain's key religious sites, we ascend together with our guide aboard the
  cog wheel train. Enjoy amazing vistas and a bird’s eye view of Barcelona in
  the distance. Visit Benedictine Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey and the
  Royal Basilica of Montserrat.
• That afternoon, perform the first concert of the trip at St. Gaieta Church in Barcelona!
• Enjoy a free evening for dinner before heading back to the hotel.

• Depart in the morning for Valencia! Travel down the coast to a city known for its culture, history and gastronomy!
• Check into the hotel.
• The group will get a guided walking tour, including the Cathedral and the Lonja de la Seda (silk market). Also visit the Central Market, where you will find the highest expression of the Modernist Architecture style!
• Enjoy a free evening for dinner and exploration!
• The group will ring in the New Year together!

• Enjoy a free morning and afternoon in Valencia!
  • Enjoy the Outdoors & Parks: Visit Jardí del Túria, Malvarrosa Beach, Gulliver Park, Street Art & Historic Squares
  • Experience Culture & Architecture: Mercat Central, La Lonja de la Seda, City of Arts and Sciences, Torres dels Serrans.
• In the afternoon or early evening, the ensembles will perform a concert!
• Enjoy a free evening for dinner and exploration!

• Leave for Madrid in the morning!
• Arrive and check in to the hotel!
• Afterwards, depart for the city center for a guided tour of Madrid! Explore all of medieval origins, Renaissance and Baroque buildings, and Habsburg Madrid. We will visit the Royal Palace, Neptune Fountain, Calle Mayor and much more!
• The Ensembles will perform a concert in the Antonio Machado Cultural Centre!
• Enjoy a free evening for dinner and exploring Madrid!

• After breakfast at your hotel, load the coach and depart for Segovia!
  • Segovia is a UNESCO heritage site with an impressive Cathedral, Alcazar, and Roman aqueduct. 
• Arrive in Segovia and enjoy a three-hour guided tour, including entrance to Segovia Cathedral
• Enjoy some free time for lunch before returning to Madrid. 
• In Madrid, enjoy a Farewell Dinner and Flamenco Performance!
• Return to the hotel and pack for the flight home in the morning!

• Enjoy breakfast at the hotel.
• Load Coach and depart for Madrid Airport
• Depart Madrid for Chicago! 
• Arrive back in Chicago — pass through immigration and customs.
• Head home!

Past Music Department Tours!

Netherlands and Belgium
June 2- 12, 2023

Day 1: Friday, June 2, 2023 • Departure
Coe - O’Hare - Amsterdam

Day 3: Sunday, June 4, 2023 • Amsterdam
Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum, First concert

 

Day 4: Monday, June 5, 2023 • Delft - Ghent - Bruges
Royal Delft Pottery Factory, guided tour of Ghent, Bruges

 

Day 5: Tuesday, June 6, 2023 • Bruges
Bruges sightseeing, climb the Belfort of Brugge, free time.

 

Day 6: Wednesday, June 7, 2023 • Flanders Fields, Ypres, Bruges
World War I Battlefields, German Military Cemetery,  Last Post in Ypres

 

Day 7: Thursday, June 8, 2023 • Brussels
Grand Place and Market Square, “Butter Street,” the Atomium,

the Chinese Pavilion and the Japanese Tower

 

Day 8: Friday, June 9, 2023 • Antwerp – Brussels

Antwerp train station, Rubenshuis, Red Star Line Museum, Belgian French fries

 

Day 9: Saturday, June 10, 2023 • Namur – Bastogne - Brussels
Waterloo, Seneffe, Namur medieval fortress, Bastogne, World War II Museum

 

Day 10: Sunday, June 11, 2023 • Brussels
Free time, Brussels Musical Instrument Museum, concert, dinner at Chez Léon

Day 11: Monday, June 12, 2023 • Return
Brussels - O’Hare - Coe

Inclusions:

• Pre-tour rehearsal camp housing (for students), some meals
• Transportation to Chicago
• Large instrument transportation
• Flights to Europe and back
• Hotels
• At least one meal per day provided
• Ground Transportation
• Tour guides
• Museum admissions

Any questions or to learn more information, email Dr. William Carson: wcarson@coe.edu