With its Mediterranean climate and abundant sunshine, diverse landscapes from beaches to mountains, rich cultural and historical heritage, renowned hospitality and cuisine and developed infrastructure, Spain is one of the preferred destinations for team-building retreats.
According to some sources, Spain is in the top 3 destinations for team retreats.
While it has always been a popular tourist destination, the corporate retreat market has significantly grown in recent years. Spain has positioned itself as a prime destination thanks to its richness in terms of culture, landscapes, and range of activities, as well as its ability to adapt to more corporate needs with better infrastructure and a wider range of venues.
Spain is a travelling hub, with Madrid and Barcelona boasting two of Europe's busiest airports and flights to four continents. Within the country, the AVE high-speed train network efficiently connects cities.
The digital divide between rural and urban has significantly narrowed, allowing more and more rural retreat venues to offer high-speed internet access to their guests.
With the growing demand for company retreats, the range of venues in Spain has drastically increased, offering a very wide selection, from luxurious villas to historical places or eco-resorts. All of them propose modern meeting rooms and event spaces, wellness options, and catering services.
Spain is a multifaceted country with endless outdoor activities, such as hiking, sailing, kayaking, or cycling, combined with authentic cultural immersion through tastings, traditional dance workshops, historical tours by local guides, and more.
This abundance of experiences offers the perfect smörgåsbord of team-building activities for remote teams with varied backgrounds.
Regardless of where in Spain you decide to go, you will find strong local traditions and festivals to attend and ways to immerse your team in the country's history and culture.
Nevertheless, Spain celebrates its heritage while embracing new working methods and keeping up with the latest innovations, making it an ideal destination for diverse teams searching for meaningful connections
As mentioned above, the whole country and its islands are worth a visit. However, there are some destinations that we highly recommend for your next team-building offsite.
Barcelona is the ideal location to combine work, culture and play. It is also very accessible, making it a top destination for team-building retreats in Spain.
The city is world-famous for its architecture thanks to Antoni Gaudí's work, particularly landmarks such as La Sagrada Familia or Park Güell. These are must-sees and great opportunities for cultural treasure hunts or "non-boring" guided tours.
With its old town, modern centre and direct access to the beach, the city offers activities that will please everyone, from historical walks and water sports to museum tours and culinary experiments.
As a renowned artistic city, creative workshops, from DIY arts and crafts to dance classes, are available all over Barcelona.
Being the Hub it is, Barcelona has modern conference facilities, a wide range of accommodations, and a well-connected transport system. These promise a smooth event and allow teams to easily move from one setting to another throughout the retreat.
Do you want to discover Barcelona with your team? Check out our venue, Barcelona Eco Resort - Spain's first 100% ecological resort!
The capital's royal heritage and a cluster of world-renowned museums, from the Prado to Reina Sofia, make it a great contender for corporate team retreats.
From urban escape games and treasure hunts to more traditional food market tastings and flamenco workshops, Madrid offers a wide range of team-building experiences that embrace the city's richness of culture and creativity.
Of course, being the capital, Madrid boasts state-of-the-art venues with cutting-edge facilities for corporate events. Let's not forget that Madrid is not only very well connected to the rest of the world but also very centrally located and easy to travel to and from different parts of the country for day trips to more rural landscapes.
The name says it all: "The Coast of the Sun". Costa Del Sol offers a year-round favourable climate with about 320 days of sunshine, allowing for outdoor activities at any time, regardless of the season.
The southern region of Spain offers stunning beaches and mountain peaks, sometimes all accessible in a one-day hike, an opportunity for fantastic team building and memory-making.
Despite being famous for its coastline, which attracts many beachgoers, the region is also known for its traditional Andalucian white villages, where one can learn a lot about the area's culture.
Retreats can be hosted in historical haciendas or modern resorts, offering teams a range of options depending on their needs, budgets, and group size.
The city of Malaga, the 6th biggest in the country, has an airport, making the area easily accessible to all international teams.
If the Costa Del Sol has caught your attention, we recommend checking out our partner location, the Spanish Monastery. This boutique country estate uniquely blends luxury and rustic charm with carefully designed spaces that encourage creativity and team collaboration.
Valencia is a beautiful example of how Spanish cities combine traditions and modernity elegantly.
Over 2000 years old, the old town offers gorgeous UNESCO-listed buildings filled with history. It rubs shoulders with the city of arts and sciences, an iconic complex and one of Europe's largest centres for science and culture.
Built-in 1996 in a converted riverbed turned urban park, the city of arts and sciences is the perfect playground for outdoor team buildings combining nature and culture.
Like Barcelona, the city offers direct access to the beach and plenty of water activities. It also has a vibrant street art scene and a strong food culture, with several fresh produce markets and, let's not forget, being the birthplace of paella!
The seventh largest island of the Mediterranean and largest island of the Spanish Balearn Mallorca is well known for its natural beauty and diverse outdoor activities, making it the perfect backdrop for a relaxed team-building outing. The island offers hiking, cycling, paddleboarding, kayaking, sailing, or simply beach volleyball.
Mallorca also has a rich historical and gastronomical culture, and despite being an island, it is very well connected to the mainland with an international airport and fairies options. The island has been a favoured touristic destination for years and offers a wide range of quality accommodations perfect for teams and large groups.
The Blue Island is our favourite venue on the island, on the less touristic side. It offers a serene and inspiring setting for corporate retreats, nestled in one of Mallorca's least developed coastal areas. The hotel's minimalist Scandinavian-inspired design creates a calm atmosphere conducive to focus and creativity. With just 53 rooms, the intimate size of the venue allows for exclusive use during corporate events, ensuring privacy and fostering team bonding. The proximity to the beach (just 150 meters away) offers a perfect backdrop for team-building activities or brainstorming sessions in a refreshing environment.
Escape rooms are very popular for group and team activities; however, they might not be to everyone's taste. Being locked in a room with your colleagues is a nightmare to some of us. The good news is that many companies now offer an outdoor version of the Escape rooms where the goal is still to resolve a challenge or puzzle in teams but by doing a quest through an area of a city/village. Several companies now offer some based on Spanish history or literature, combining fun with culture.
If your team is particularly interested in art, an art challenge inspired by Spanish masters such as Gaudi or Dali is a great way to get creative together.
And if it is food in your colleague's favour, how about a tapas competition with no losers, as they all get to eat in the end?
It might not be everyone's cup of tea, so make sure to adapt to your team's needs and expectations. Still, adrenaline and exploration can fuel your team's bonds and collaboration while helping them safely out of their comfort zone and creating shared experiences and stories. If you'd like to explore that with your colleagues, hiking the restored trail of Caminito del Rey, about 1-hour drive from Malaga, is a must. Not for the fainted-hearted, the path was once considered the most dangerous in the world! That is one way to build up trust between teammates!
White river rafting in the Valencia region will be a memorable experience for those who prefer water sports. Beyond the "obvious" fun and amazing sightseeing, rafting demands teamwork and coordination, which works on communication, listening and collaboration skills.
Canyoning is also an exciting outdoor activity that can be done at different levels of ability in various locations across Spain.
Learning together is a great way to create connections.
In this area, dancing or cooking classes are the team's favourites. They are a fun (and delicious) way to promote coordination, delegation, following directions, and collaboration towards a finished dish or performance that the team can be proud of at the end (and consume!).
While "taught" cooking or dancing classes are "light" enough activities that they do not make people feel like they are back in school, they give enough freedom for expressing creativity and teach skills that can be repeated later, back at the office, for a team dinner or celebration!
While not specific to Spain, giving back through solidarity projects during a team retreat can be a great way to bond over contributing to a cause.
Projects such as reforestation, beach clean-ups, mural paintings, or workshops for underprivileged youth can really boost your team's morale and have a lasting positive impact on their bonds.
Cold or sunny, we love all seasons and believe they have perks and downsides. However, Spain in the fall or spring is particularly ideal for team retreats.
It combines pleasant weather (not too hot nor too cold), less crowded towns, and better prices for accommodation and activities away from the peak of the tourist season.
That being said, the south of the country or the Canarian islands are perfect locations for winter team retreats, during which everyone can forget it is actually winter for a few days.
Something else to keep an eye out for is the calendar of festivals and cultural events. Spain is famous for its celebrations, and attending one could be a very special highlight. On the other hand, you might want to avoid these periods to beat the crowds and rising prices.
Spain offers a wide range of venue types when it comes to team retreats. To avoid decision fatigue, keep in mind the purpose and objectives of your offsite. This will help you stay on track and pick the location relevant to your event. Whether it is a luxury hotel and all-inclusive resort, a countryside estate, a historical building, a beachside villa, or a more urban venue, do not let the beauty of the spaces make you forget to ask the right questions!
If sustainability and eco-friendly activities are at the heart of your company's ethos and mission, Spain is a great country to go to on a team-building retreat. Indeed, the country is becoming increasingly recognised for its eco-friendly and sustainable venues. From waste reduction to biomass heating, solar panels, and water preservation, Spanish retreat venues are at the top of the sustainability agenda.
As mentioned earlier in this piece, one of our favourite venues for this and many other reasons is Barcelona Eco Resort, Spain's first 100% ecological resort!
There is a reason Spain is so popular among tourists and offsite planners. It perfectly blends cultural richness, accessibility, scenic beauty and modern amenities, making it an ideal location for teams wanting to combine relaxation,team-building fun and productive work.
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