Unlike the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years, which were severely affected by the restrictions caused by the covid pandemic, during the 2021-2022 academic year it was possible to carry out all the activities and scheduled visits, which have been a total of 38, from the 25th of September 2021 to the 11th of June 2022.

Of these 38 visits or activities that have been offered to international students to help them get to know and discover both Barcelona and the rest of Catalonia, 14 have been offered in the first term, 12 in the second, and 12 in the third. Of these, 21 activities have been carried out in places of interest in Barcelona, ​​and the remaining 17 have been carried out in places of interest in the rest of Catalonia, including one in Andorra and another in French Catalonia. A total of 27 of these activities took place on a Saturday, 10 took place on a weekday, and one lasted an entire weekend. A total of about 2,300 students took part in them, with more than 3,900 kilometers traveled by coach and more than 16,000 photos posted on our social media profiles (Facebook and Instagram). In addition, as was done every year before the pandemic, this year we have again filmed and published an institutional video of Voluntariat Lingüístic (during the trip we did in May to Banyoles, Besalú and Castellfollit de la Roca), and that can be seen on the VL's Youtube channel.

In addition to the visits and face-to-face activities that have been scheduled throughout the course, a total of 19 messages have also been sent with tips for the weekend, on a fortnightly basis, so that students can also do other activities on their own that would allow them to complete their knowledge of Barcelona and Catalonia and enjoy their experience here. The practice of sending tips for the weekend began last year, on a weekly basis, to substitute face-to-face activities during the months of confinement, but as it was a very positive experience and very well received by students this year we decided to keep the tips for the weekend, albeit on a fortnightly basis.

And finally, the Voluntariat Lingüístic programme has continued to manage the language tandem programme, with strong participation success. Thus, throughout the year, 360 language tandems and trios were matched: 144 in the first term, 155 in the second and 61 in the third, based on applications made by 393 Catalan students and 383 international students. By groups, the fact that many more undergraduate students (75.31%) than postgraduate students (16.63%) took part stands out, while the remaining 8.06% correspond to lectureres, administration and services staff and alumni. By sex, 68.52% of applicants were women and 31.48% were men. In terms of age groups, the vast majority of participants (86.72%) were between 18 and 25 years old, while the remaining 13.28% were over 25 years old. By campus, the Ciutadella one was the campus of most of the participants (74.33%) in the language tandem programme, while 25.10% came from the Poblenou campus, and a very small percentage (0.57%) were from the Mar campus, IDEC, ESCI or Mercè building.

In terms of languages, around thirty languages ​​have been requested or offered, as diverse as English or Catalan, but also Swahili, Polish, Hebrew or Finnish, to name a few. As far as Catalan students are concerned, 4.37% have offered just Catalan, 88.13% have offered both Catalan and Spanish, and the remaining 7.50% have offered just Spanish. English has been both the language most requested by Catalan students (present in 69.87% of applications) and the language most offered by international students (present in 77.29% of applications). In addition, other languages ​​such as French, Italian and Chinese have also had a notable presence during the three terms. Finally, as regards international students, 10.28% have applied for just Catalan, 19.98% have applied for both Catalan and Spanish and the remaining 69.74% have applied for just Spanish.

We detail below all the visits and activities that have been offered during the 2021-2022 academic year:

First term

  • Route through Roman and medieval Barcelona + 75-minute boat ride to discover Barcelona from the sea (25 September 2021)
  • Visit to central Costa Brava: L’Escala, the ruins of Empúries and the medieval town of Pals (2 October 2021)
  • Visit to the Torre Bellesguard, one of the first and most unknown buildings by Antoni Gaudí (9 October 2021)
  • Guided tour of Park Güell to get to know Antoni Gaudí’s figure and work (16 October 2021)
  • Visit to the city and the monastery of Ripoll, “the cradle of Catalonia” + ‘pa amb tomàquet workshop’, celebration of the “castanyada” + excursion to the volcano of Santa Margarida, in the volcanic area of ​​La Garrotxa (23 October 2021)
  • Visit to the MareNostrum supercomputer, one of the most powerful in the world (25 October 2021)
  • Visit to the Biblioteca de Catalunya, the national library of Catalonia (4 November 2021)
  • Visit to the old Hospital de Sant Pau, the largest modernist site in the world (6 November 2021)
  • Walk and breakfast in the vineyards + visit and wine tasting in a winery (Can Bas) in the Penedès (13 November 2021)
  • Guided visit to the monastery of Pedralbes and to Sarrià (20 November 2021)
  • Guided tour of the city of Girona and to the city's two cathedrals (27 November 2021)
  • Visit to the Fabra Observatory + walk along the Carretera de les Aigües (4 December 2021)
  • Christmas traditions in Catalonia tour + glass of cava and Christmas celebration at the Casa dels Entremesos, Barcelona (10 December 2021)
  • Hiking from Barcelona to Sant Cugat, crossing the Collserola mountain range (18 December 2021)

Second term

  • Tour around modernist Eixample (15 January 2022)
  • Visit to the Roman aqueduct of Les Ferreres and the city of Tarragona (22 January 2022)
  • Visit to the Ateneu Barcelonès (3 February 2022)
  • Visit to Figueres + Sant Ferran fortress + Dalí Museum (5 February 2022)
  • Theoretical and practical workshop to get to know the sardana, the national dance of Catalonia (10 February 2022)
  • Visit to the Colònia Güell and the Gaudí crypt (12 February 2022)
  • Visit to the walled town of Montblanc and a wine cellar of the Conca de Barberà appellation of origin + “pa amb tomàquet”, “calçotada” and “porró” drinking workshop (19 February 2022)
  • Tour around the mountain of Montjuïc, Barcelona (26 February 2022)
  • Touristic and skiing weekend in the Principality of Andorra (4-6 March 2022)
  • Tour around Picasso’s Barcelona + visit to the Picasso Museum (12 March 2022)
  • Walk to discover Els Tres Turons hill tour: the Turó de la Rovira (‘the bunkers’), the Turó del Carmel and the Turó de la Creueta del Coll + end-of-term international brunch (19 March 2022)
  • Visit to the town and castle of Hostalric + “pa amb tomàquet” workshop + “porró” drinking contest (2 April 2022)

Third quarter

  • The “reinvention” of the Gothic Quarter + visit to the Palau Requesens (7 April 2022)
  • Visit to the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar and its panoramic terraces + celebration of Sant Jordi (22 April 2022)
  • Visit to the mountain and the monastery of Montserrat + hiking to the top of Sant Jeroni, the highest point of the mountain range (30 April 2022)
  • Trip to French Catalonia, with a visit to the Cap d’Ona brewery in Argelers and the town of Cotlliure (7 May 2022)
  • Visit (and boat trip) to lake of Banyoles, the medieval town of Besalú and Castellfollit de la Roca, the village built on a basalt cliff (14 May 2022)
  • “The Barcelona of 1714”. Guided tour at El Born Centre for Culture and Memory to get to know the Barcelona of the beginning of the 18th century (19 May 2022)
  • Discover the Collserola mountain range: hiking to Tibidabo, the Vallvidrera water reservoir and the Vil·la Joana (21 May 2022)
  • Visit to the Institute for Catalan Studies and the historic building of the University of Barcelona (25 May 2022)
  • Visit to Vall de Núria, in the Pyrenees (28 May 2022)
  • Guided tour of the Gràcia district and the anti-aircraft shelter in Plaça del Diamant (1 June 2022)
  • Visit to southern Costa Brava: Tossa de Mar + boat trip (4 June 2022)
  • Visit to northern Costa Brava: Roses + boat trip to Cadaqués (11 June 2022)

And here are the tips for the weekend that we shared with international students this year:

First term

  • 1-3 October 2021: discover the museums of Barcelona for free on the first Sunday of the month; discover the Sarrià district and “patatas bravas”; recipe of the week: “pa amb tomàquet”
  • 15-17 October 2021: visit a modernist building on Passeig de Gràcia for free; enjoy the best views from the bell tower of the church of Saints Just and Pastor; don't miss the exhibitions at the Palau Robert; take advantage of the Open House BCN 48 h
  • 29-31 October 2021: discover the cathedral of Barcelona and the basilica of Santa Maria del Mar; take a nice bike ride from the Port Vell to the Parc Fluvial del Besòs or to Badalona; take a look at 360upf, UPF’s institutional magazine; recipe of the week: toasted chestnuts and pine nut “panellets”
  • 12-14 November 2021: discover some of the most curious and original shops in Barcelona; visit El Born Centre de Cultura I Memòria; visit the Marès Museum
  • 26-28 November 2021: discover the castle of Torre Baró and the eastern part of the Collserola mountain range; visit the Casa de l’Ardiaca (House of the Archdeacon); stroll through the Baluard gardens and pass through the portal of Santa Madrona, the only part of the medieval wall of Barcelona that has survived to the present day
  • 10-12 December 2021: discover some of the most important bookshops in Barcelona; make sure to visit two of the main markets in Barcelona: the Mercat de Sant Antoni and the Mercat de la Concepció

Second term

  • 21-23 January 2022: visit the Labyrinth of Horta park; discover the gardens of the Palau de les Heures
  • 4-6 February 2022: enjoy Llum BCN, the Poblenou light festival; visit the exhibition on Gaudí at the MNAC; enjoy the Festes de Santa Eulàlia, Barcelona’s main winter festival
  • 18-20 February 2022: discover the neighbourhood of Gràcia and its squares; visit the second-hand Sunday market of the Mercat de Sant Antoni
  • 4-6 March 2022: discover the natural space of the final stretch of the Llobregat river; visit the Palau Güell for free; find out in which cinemas you can watch the films in their original version
  • 18-20 March 2022: cross the Collserola mountain range by metro and discover the beautiful natural space you will find there: the Vallvidrera water reservoir and the Jacint Verdaguer House Museum; discover the Tibidabo, the Carretera de les Aigües and the monastery of Pedralbes; recipe of the week: Lent fritters
  • 1-3 April 2022: visit CaixaForum; discover Caldes d’Estrac and visit the Palau Foundation; discover some bakeries in Barcelona where you can find the best traditional ‘coca’ flat cakes

Third term

  • April 2022: 12 places in Catalonia to visit during Easter
  • 22-24 April 2022: celebrate Sant Jordi; dance and enjoy at the Sant Jordi Musical music festival
  • 6-8 May 2022: Barcelona, ​​the best city in the world according to The Telegraph; discover the seafront of Barcelona; enjoy the spectacle of water, music and light offered by the magical fountain of Montjuïc
  • 13-15 May 2022: sing and dance at Meridiana Rock, the Catalan music festival; discover amazing spaces thanks to Model architecture festival; don’t miss the Nit dels Museus
  • 20-22 May 2022: take the opportunity to enter Park Güell for free with your library card, this will be over soon; walk along the Carretera de les Aigües and discover the beautiful neighbourhood of Sarrià; discover Sant Cugat, on the other side of the Collserola mountain range
  • 3-5 June 2022: discover the impressive monastery of Pedralbes and the Parc de l’Oreneta; make sure to taste the “orxata”; go spend the day in the beautiful town of Sitges
  • 17-19 and 23-26 June 2022: don’t miss “L’Ou com Balla”, the dancing egg tradition; enjoy the magnificent views from the terrace of the Museum of the History of Catalonia; visit the Casa Seat for a small exhibition on the thirtieth anniversary of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games; enjoy the festival of Sant Joan; make sure to drink water from the Canaletes fountain if you ever want to return to Barcelona