Discover 5 strategies to teach Spanish from scratch with a pedagogical approach and learn about the best certification to become a Spanish teacher.
Interchange in Mexico, but need to take an intensive Spanish course? Learn why students from all over the world take Spanish courses at Alegre Spanish Schools and continue with your professional preparation at Universities in Mexico.
Still don’t know the Cancun beaches, here you can have some tips to start preparing your journey in this Quintana Roo paradise. Read more
Bogota, the capital city of Colombia is far larger than most of us imagine, the size of this city it’s comparable with New York City or Mexico City. Visit Bogota and learn Spanish in our Spanish school Bogota. Read more
To enjoy the local gastronomy, the best option are the usual fondas mexicanas (inns), these little kitchens in the streets close to the commercial zones.
Yucatan, Cancun and Playa del Carmen, are one of the most demanded touristic places in Mexico not just by the Americans, but many Europeans.
The paradise beaches, the natural and historic richness, and the delicious Mexican gastronomy are the reason for many tourists around the world to visit Mexico, and if you are interested in travel to Mexico, here you have some tips to enjoy the cities.
Pay with cash and local money
Buy the souvenirs with cash its cheaper than pay with a card or another currency, thanks to this you will avoid the bank taxes and a type of change not so good for you. In addition, many establishments like inns, doesn’t have another way of payment.
Change your money in the downtown
Change your Euros or Dollars in a currency exchange house in the downtown, like the Fifth Avenue in Playa del Carmen or Tulum Avenue in Cancun, the competence in this area make that the commissions get to low. It will be cheaper than take the money out of the ATM (many of these hold the cards). You can use a digital tool like an app to know the real price of the Mexican peso and go to the currency exchange house that most suits you.
Negotiate the price its part of the Mexican culture
If you going to buy a product like a souvenir for friends or family, never accept the first price that the locals give you, this is because the always going to try to sell it more expensive just because you are a tourist. One more reason to learn Spanish while you’re in Mexico. In the “flea markets” in Cancun the bargaining it’s an always task.
Be careful when you take a taxi without taximeter. Ask first the price to your destination.
Compare and pay for the excursions in the place
The hotels and agencies from big cities offer tours to Chichen Itza, Tulum, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Holbox, etc. in a very expensive price. The advantage is that they pick you up in the hotel and they do almost everything for you. However, if you can arrive to the place of excursion by your own, you will see that excursions are 50 or 70 % cheaper than the ones in the agencies or hotels.
Visit Chichén Itza with time and with a guide
One of the top cities in Yucatan its Chichen Itza, the “mayan jewel”. The route take like 2 hours, but consider more for the other extra tasks like get the tickets, enjoy the place, take photos, eat, shopping, and more. Have in mind that Chichén Itzá closes at 17 h, so is not recommendable arrive after 13 hours.
Eat in an inn
To enjoy the gastronomical experience, your best option quality-price are the typical Mexican inns. This places to eat are a few steps from the commercial zones, in markets like 23 from Cancún or in the villages aside the highways, the best to eat and learn spanish or practice it.
Learn more vocabulary in our Spanish courses in Riviera Maya. The typical dishes are:
- Tacos
- Burritos
- Quesadillas
- Birria
- Chilaquiles
- Salbute
- Salpicón
- And more
There’s an entire world beyond resorts
Cancún and the Riviera Maya are known by the tourist for their hotel resorts, but actually there are many options for accommodation in the zone.
If you want to visit the Riviera Maya and explore all the culture around the city, visit alegrespanishschools.com and enjoy from the best places and the opportunity to learn Spanish while you stay in one of the most touristic places in Mexico.
Do you want to teach Spanish? Get more information about our Spanish teacher training course
If you prefer an English teacher training course, we also have options for you with our CELTA courses for beginners or advanced teachers and TKT.
One of the best ways to speak Spanish in México its by doing it with the locals, talking with them about the ordinary themes like the local food, the traditions, the culture about the city, etc. Take Spanish courses will help you to get more confident about the language and speak fluently
¿What are the best cities in Mexico to learn Spanish?
Mexico City is one of the best places to learn and speak spanish in Spanish schools our at the same time that you enjoy the culture.
Mexico City or the City of Mexico is the capital of Mexico and the most populous city in North America. It’s the biggest urban core in the Mexican republic and the principal political, economic, social, academical, financial, business, touristic, cultural, fashion and more… center.
The culture in Mexico City
Being the capital of one of the biggest prehispanic empire, the richest viceroyalty in the spanish empire and finally the capital of the actual Mexico, this city has a very rich story and many artistic and cultural expressions. Learn more about the Mexican culture and live it through the language, understanding every word and sentence with our Spanish courses.
The Mexican culture, since the pre-classic Mesoamerica era, has been surrounded by art. Art that we still can see in the different museum around the city. The most important museums about the story of Mexico are:
- Museo Nacional de Antropología
- Museo del Templo Mayor
Many ceramic pieces still are in good state but the most of them were destroyed in the conquest of Mexico.
Other museums where you can find the cultural meaning of Mexico are:
- Museo de Arte Moderno
- Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo
- Museo Soumaya
- Museo Frida Khalo
- And others
If you want to walk more by the downtown, you can find more and more cultural spaces, like Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros, El Teatro de la Ciudad “Esperanza Iris”, the Arena Ciudad de México, Auditorio Nacional and many others.
If you want to have a conversation about food, the guajolota it’s a typical dish that you can consider to talk about, it’s the traditional lunch and consist in a torta of tamal.
The mexican gastronomy is one of the most famous around the world, the tacos, the tortilla, and the meat are the usual food for every person in the capital.
Best Spanish school in Cancun
But if you want to taste another dish, you can do it here too. In other parts from Mexico City you can find international restaurants and coffee shops of haute cuisine from regions like France, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Spain, Thailand, Japan, Korea, China, Lebanon, Peru, Argentina, Brazil and more. In the Spanish classes you will learn Spanish through attractive activities such as sports or cooking. Ask for this new way of learning languages in our Spanish schools. And of course, there are establishments dedicated to the Mexican gastronomy from all country.
So, if you want to learn Spanish, or practice it, come and visit alegre Spanish schools. Learn Spanish while you spend your vacations in Mexico City.
Spanish teacher training courses
Do you want to teach Spanish? Get more information about our Spanish teacher training course
If you prefer an English teacher training course, we also have options for you with our CELTA courses for beginners or advanced teachers and TKT.
Known as the South American Athens, the city of music and sometimes called a paradise for the gastronomy, Bogota is the capital city of Colombia and has many faces awaiting for you to discover them. If you want to know more about the city, check the next information and learn Spanish in Spanish school Bogota.
Arriving at Bogota
Bogota is the usual city to get into Colombia for tourists, this is because the International Airport el Dorado is located there. The capital city has the greatest airways with countries and other cities from Colombia. There’s a lot of flies every day and at good cost, you can even learn how to negotiate in our Spanish classes at one of the best language schools in the zone: Spanish school Bogota.
The airport its 12 km away from the city, if you’re lucky you can arrive to the city in 30 minutes approximately, but that’s only if you’re lucky, because the traffic in the city its chaotic, and easily you can make an hour and a half.
From the airport you can arrive to the city by public transport, taxi or an executive transport like apps. The combination and frequency of the bus called Transmilenio it’s wide. It’s a very cheap transport and perfect if you stay close to some bus stop.
About the taxi, the system its comfortable and fast. You should go to the window, ask for the destiny and they will give you a ticket with the cost of the ride. The cost it’s usually cheap, but if you don’t want to complicate yourself with all this process, you can easily ask for a private or executive transport to visit many places and go to the Spanish school Bogota.
Transport in Bogota
The traffic in Bogota it’s an authentic chaos, but there’s a lot of transport that you can use to move in the city.
Taxi in Bogota
Uber and other apps of private transport are one of the best solutions for tourists, in Colombia works better because it’s cheaper than the usual Taxi, and safer. If you use the traditional taxi, make sure to ask for this service in your hotel or some touristic place, like in a restaurant or museum, this is a good recommendation for your safety. Speaking Spanish in Colombia will allow you to transmit the right message and communicate correctly when you need to; for this reason we recommend you to take Spanish courses.
Transmilenio
This is the name of the buses from Bogota, and its one of the biggest line of transport in the city. There are different types of transport: corriente, expreso and superexpreso. The advantage for this transport is that counts with an exclusive track. It’s a good way to know the city and spend less.
Accommodation in Bogota
One of the best things about travel to Colombia is that the level of life it’s very cheap, even the accommodation. Is not hard to find very good options in less than 20 USD (or less) per night.
What to do in Bogota
Below you can find the best places to visit while you’re in Bogota and learn the language with our Spanish Courses.
Climb the Cerro de Monserrate
The views from the Cerro de Monserrate are amazing. One can’t imagine the size of this big capital cities until you see them from the sky, and that’s the point of el Cerro de Montserrate with 3.1 km of height.
You can climb the Cerro, or get to the top by cable car.
- Schedule: from Monday to Saturday 6:30 – 23:30; Sundays 5:30 – 18:30
- Fee: 3 – 6 USD round trip in cable car.
Alleys in downtown
This city has nothing to do with the Colombian cities like Medellin. Bogota has a lot to discover, and one of the best way of do it, it’s by walking for some of the most iconic streets, like the 10 street or 11 street. The historic center has its maximum exponent in the neighborhood of la Candelaria with narrow and leaning streets, with colonial houses of color. Learn more about the architecture and history of these places with our Spanish courses.
Visit the Gold’s Museum
The Gold’s Museum it’s an imperative plan to do in Colombia. The entry its cheap and with the different levels in the building, you can discover the past of the ancient pre-Columbian civilizations, and the legend of El Dorado. All of this thanks to the golden pieces (a collection of more than 30,000 pieces).
- Schedule: Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 to 18:00; Sundays and festive days from 10:00 to 16:00
- Fee: 1 USD approx.
Walk by the Plaza de Bolívar
One of the best places in the city. This giant square like most of the big cities in Latin-American, full of life and beauty. The monument that highlights over all the others is the Cathedral Primada de Colombia, a big temple of neoclassical style from the XVIII century. But this is not the only place to visit, we have the Capitolio Nacional, the Palacio de Justicia and the Ayuntamiento.
If you want to know more about Bogota and study spanish at the same time, check our services and enjoy the life in the city of El Dorado.
Do you want to teach Spanish? Get more information about our Spanish teacher training course
If you prefer an English teacher training course, we also have options for you with our CELTA courses for beginners or advanced teachers and TKT.
Located at the heart of Jalisco state, we found Guadalajara, the second biggest city in Mexico and one of the best places to visit in this country, where the mariachi and tequila born and where you can find every kind of lifestyle, like a big city or a small town.
What to know in Guadalajara?
Guadalajara is a city where you can navigate on your foot, this is because its to small and you can go wherever you want in just a few minutes, this is good, because the public transport like the subway only has 2 lines of coverage over the city.
If you come from the US, you can arrive to Guadalajara easily, this is because many airlines have direct flight routes from west and east coast like New York and Los Angeles.
What and when should I visit Guadalajara?
From September to the end of the year, you can find a lot of events and fairs, starting from September, where the International Mariachi Festival begins, continuing with the Mexican Independence Day on the 16th. After, on October the celebrations of art, food and culture merge into the Ferias de Octubre.
On November the festivals of the Day of the Dead and the Feria Internacional del Libro (the world’s second biggest book fair) are must.
And if you’re thinking about the weather, its favorable all the year. Experience the local language by learning Spanish with our Spanish courses.
What to do in Guadalajara?
As common it is, you can star by navigate the city from the historic center, where you can find the plazas, the parks and more.
Watch the Palacio de Gobierno in Plaza de Armas while sitting on an iron bench, admire the twin spired cathedral from plaza Guadalajara, visit the Teatro Degollado with his 9 muses and his sturdy Corinthian pillars.
In the east of the city you can find too Hospicio Cabañas, where you can find some of the murals from José Clemente Orozco, and if you´re looking for traditional merchandise or souvenirs while you’re in the area, visit the Mercado San Juan de Dios, the largest indoor market in Latin America.
Browse in the complex for leather products (ground floor) and clothes and shoes on the second floor. The standard tourist souvenirs like chains and magnets are everywhere, the real deal in the market is not getting lost. You will meet more people in these places, so we recommend you to learn the language with Spanish courses to live the best tourist experience.
But if you want a time to be relax and not that much of people, you can go to Barranca de Huentitán or Bosque Colomos, the nearest and greatest places to hike and take a view of the surrounding, while feed the squirrels in the Japanese garden and have a peaceful time. Learn more about the history of this place while learning the language at Alegre Spanish Schools.
Learn while you stay
If you’re thinking about visit Guadalajara for more than two weeks, you can learn while you´re there, one of the best options is to learn Spanish, this is because it can help you to understand the basics of the language and be more in contact with the culture.
Alegre Spanish Schools is where you can learn Spanish at the same time that you discover the city, since we’re located in the center of town where you can find all the attractions mentioned before.
Contact us and learn Spanish in our Spanish schools while you live your best Mexican experience in Guadalajara.
Do you want to teach Spanish? Get more information about our Spanish teacher training course
If you prefer an English teacher training course, we also have options for you with our CELTA courses for beginners or advanced teachers and TKT.
Spanish is the second largest language spoken in the world which means it comes very helpful for traveling around the globe, so, learn Spanish in our Spanish schools! Read more
Spanish, one of the most spoken language across the world, the second just behind the Mandarin Chinese.
Over 6% of the population speak it and more than 60 million speak it as a second language. Spanish speakers find it easier to learn other languages like Italian, French, and Portuguese, because of the Latin roots.
One of the best options to learn Spanish is to study with native people, even better if you can study in a country that speaks Spanish as a first language! This is why Mexico is one of your best options. Mexico is a big country with rich cultural traditions, beautiful landscapes, and great gastronomy!
Places to visit in Mexico while learn Spanish
International House Mexico is one of the best Spanish schools, we pride ourselves in the quality of our teachers and we have campus all over the country.
Would you like to learn Spanish and practice with locals by the beach? Come to International House Riviera Maya.
Would you like to spend an afternoon shopping in one of the most famous and cosmopolitan areas in America? Come to study to International House Mexico and explore the Condesa area.
Would you like to try the best tequila in the whole world? Enroll for lessons at International House Guadalajara and book a tour to take the train to Tequila (yes! there is a town called Tequila, it is real).
Explore the traditions and culture of this magical country and learn Spanish at the same time in our Spanish courses!
Guadalajara
Now going back to the tequila topic… Guadalajara is one of the most visited cities in Mexico, because of two reasons: tequila and mariachi.
Those are two great reasons if you ask me!
Tequila is one of the most popular liquors around the world. Here are some interesting facts about it you probably didn’t know:
-Tequila is drank without lime and salt by Mexicans. When they want to add these to their tequilas their request a margarita.
-It takes 8 to 12 years for Agave plant to mature enough to make tequila, and tequila must be made of at least 51% of Blue agave.
-Must of the tequila work is done by hand. Agave is hand is harvested by hand.
Mariachi is a type of music that dates back to the 18th century. The band can consist from 7 to more than 20 band members. Their clothing is very distinctive and they wear big hats. It’s the most representative musical gender from Mexico. Experience the local language by learning Spanish with our Spanish courses.
Guadalajara is the second biggest city in Mexico, and one of the biggest urban centers from North America. Regarding the culture, at downtown you will find the colonial roots in the most emblematic buildings: houses, museums, theatres, etc.
The weather is soft and warm like the people from Guadalajara.
The Spanish school in Guadalajara
There’s no better location that our school in Guadalajara. It’s close to Chapultepec, an area full of coffee shops, libraries, concerts, pubs, and activities for everyone.
Our school has 10 classrooms with natural light, a beautiful garden and a terrace where you can spend a relaxed and wonderful afternoon with your classmates. Enjoy our free Wi-Fi!
If you want to receive more information about our spanish courses and the best places to visit in Guadalajara, check our blog and contact us!
Come to Guadalajara and see the real Mexico! You will never forget this experience.
Do you want to teach Spanish? Get more information about our Spanish teacher training course
If you prefer an English teacher training course, we also have options for you with our CELTA courses for beginners or advanced teachers and TKT.