Spanish & Culture, Gastronomy and Wine

With this course you will enjoy the Basque Country in all its glory. You will learn not only Spanish language but also the culture and gastronomy of the Basque Country. We have several programmes to choose from depending on your preferences and necessities.

Individuals or groups up to 10 people

• 1-week or 2-week Spanish course.
  Accomodation at host families or 3-star hotel.
• Breakfast and lunch everyday.
  Lunch Monday to Friday at EIDE’s restaurant.
• Activity programme: 4 half day trips.
• One full day trip to La Rioja.
• Reservation and tickets for all the activirties.
• 15€-ticket for metro, bus and train.

Groups From 5 to 19 people

• 1-week or 2-week Spanish course.
• Accomodation at host families or 3-star hotel.
• Breakfast and lunch everyday.
• Lunch Monday to Friday at EIDE’s restaurant.
• Activity programme: 4 half day trips.
• One full day trip to La Rioja.
• Reservation and tickets for all the activities.
• 15€-ticket for metro, bus and train.
• A local guide for every activity.
• 30€ pintxos dinner (Basque tapas).

Spanish and Horse Riding Course

This course is ideal for learning Spanish and enjoy the Basque Country nature while learning how to ride a horse. It is aimed at people aged 14 and older. It includes:

• 20 Spanish lessons per week with native teachers.
• Horse Riding Course: In one of the best places to enjoy nature.
• Accomodation with Host families: One of the parts that our students like the most. They are openminded families, who like to meet people from other countries. The students will be welcomed as a member of the family. All families have been selected and visited personally.
• 3 meals per day: Students may choose either having their meals in the School´s restaurant, or picnic or a family meal. In EIDE we have a Hospitality School with a restaurant serving traditional and modern Basque cuisine dishes during the weekdays.

Basque Nature

In the Basque Country you will find small havens where to enjoy nature at its best. Proof of this is the capital, Vitoria, has been awarded with the 'Green Capital Award'.

In Bizkaia we can find La Arboleda, the most iconic place from the magnificent mining past, and one of the most visited natural sites in the Basque Country. Its most prominent feature is its lakes, formed by the flooding of old mines.

Horse Riding Course

If you like to be in touch with nature and horseback riding, or simply enjoy new activities, this is the perfect program for you. Learn how to ride a horse at a wonderful place called 'La arboleda', surrounded by nature, mountains and lakes. The families will have to accompany the student to the course. The course consists of one class per day, Monday to Friday.

Accommodation prices

Accomodation Managed by EIDE

*20 € extra price per week, November to April. 300 € deposit required for stays longer than a month.

**One-month deposit Required. Expenses (water, electricity, gas..) not included in the price.

Accommodation Managed by External Companies

Youth hostels

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There are several youth hostels in Bilbao, all of them new:

• Bilbao Akelarre Hostel: in the suburb of Deusto, in Bilbao. Quite near the school, 20 minutes by metro from Deusto Metro Station.
• BBK Bilbao Good Hostel: in the suburb of Bolueta, Bilbao. To arrive at EIDE, students have to take the metro from Bolueta Station. It takes about 30 minutes.
• Gambara Hostel: near Bilbao Old Town. cerca del casco viejo de Bilbao.To arrive at EIDE, students have to take the metro from Bolueta Station or the train from Abando Station (25 minutes to EIDE).

They are a very good option for young people and groups. The BBK Bilbao Good Hostel is also available for children.

Students who wish to stay at a hostel in July, have to book in time, as while the Bilbao BBKLilve Festival takes place this hostels are usually fully booked.

Students Residence

The Dorm is located in Bilbao, less than 200 metres from the train station to EIDE. It takes 15 to 20 minutes to arrive at EIDE. It was opened in September 2004. Students can stay from one week to a whole year, for individuals but also for groups in summer.

The residence has 196 single rooms and 10 double rooms with a kitchen. All the rooms have their own bathroom, telephone, heating, computer connection with Internet access, television aerial and a satellite receiver. The residence hall also has special rooms, adapted for disabled people. It also has an apartment with a capacity of 4 people.

Accommodation

We offer different types of accommodation for students doing a Spanish course at EIDE:

• Host families. We consider it is the best choice for short term students and for the first weeks in the case of students who come to do a long course.
• Room in a shared appartment. We offer rooms at our own appartment next to the school but also help the student find room in other shared appartments.

Room in Shared Appartment

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Students can choose to hire a room in EIDE’s shared apartment. The apartment is 50 metres from the school. The building is modern, and the apartment is made of quality materials and very well preserved. There is a patio, sitting room and a shared kitchen, where students can socialise. There is the possibility of individual bedrooms and shared bedrooms with twin beds.

Once the long-stay students are here, EIDE can also help them find their own apartments or rooms in apartments shared with Spanish students. An average apartment usually has three bedrooms, a living-room, a kitchen and a bathroom. The rent of an apartment is usually between 700€ or 900€ per month. If three students share it, the price per person would be 250 € -300 € per month. Electricity, water supply, cleaning, etc. are not included in the price.

Host families

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Host families are the best choice, no matter the age of the student. It is the best way to learn Spanish in Spain, as the students can practice their Spanish each and every day. At the same time, they learn the culture and the way of living. Students living with host families are also the ones who get to know the area better, as the families are usually the best guides.

We take great pride on our host families. They have been been carefully selected and we have visited them all. They will make students feel like a member of the family and help them make the most of their stay here.

We try to find the most suitable family for each student, in terms of age, hobbies, tastes, location and several other criteria.

Spanish Language in Bilbao

Spanish is the common language in Spain but there are other languages spoken in some regional areas. In regions such as Cataluña, Galicia or the Basque Country, both Spanish and the regional language are official languages. Even though the number of bilingual speakers in Bilbao is growing, Spanish is still the most widespread, it is know by everyone and used by the vast majority of the population in everyday life.

As for the variant of Spanish spoken in Bilbao, it is notable that people neatly articulate each vowel of every word, with the only exception of participles ending in – “ado”, which never fail to lose their “d” and lose one syllable: “comprao” instead of “comprado”(bought); “Olvidao” instead of olvidado (forgotten).

At grammatical level, the language in Bilbao meets morpho-syntactic standards and it is free of examples of “laismo” and “loismo”, so prevalent in Castilla and La Mancha. There is only a noticeable misuse of tenses in conditional sentences involving the “pretérito imparefecto del subjutivo” which is replaced with a conditional:

• “Si sabría la respuesta te la diría” (If I would know the answer I would tell you) instead of “Si supiera la respuesta te la diría” (If I knew the answer I would tell you)

This also refers to the “pretérito perfecto”:

• “Si habrían sabido la verdad te lo habrían dicho” (If they would have known the answer they would have told you) instead of “Si hubieran sabido la verdad te lo habrían dicho” (‘If they had known the answer they would have told you…’)

But the highlight of Spanish spoken in Bilbao is the very intonation and rhythm of all oral exchanges, the clarity of diction and superb correction.

At a socio-linguistic level, there are also peculiarities of the speech in Bilbao. The most important (shared by all the Basque Country) is the restricted use of formal ways of addressing involving ‘usted’ (only used in the Tourism and Hospitality industry). The use of ’tu’ is widespread in the whole Basque Country, which makes daily communication easier for foreigners.