EF Gap Year - European Horizons

EF Gap Year - European Horizons

Location
Multiple Locations +3
  • Italy
    • Rome
  • Spain
    • Barcelona
  • France
    • Paris
Program Tags
Arts College Credit Cultural Immersion Hands-On Learning Language Immersion Study Abroad
Payment plans

Program Details

Activities
City Exploring Swimming Wine Tasting
Timeframe
Fall Spring
Housing
Apartment Hotel
Age Min.
18
Age Max
22

Pricing

$12,000
Price Details
EF’s Gap Year is a once-in-a-lifetime experience designed for unmatched value. Your $12,000 program covers far more than travel—it’s a fully curated journey. Enjoy immersive language classes in every destination, 2–3 weekly cultural activities, and epic weekend excursions that bring each city to life. All flights, transfers, and airport pickups are seamlessly handled, while premium housing—EF Student Residences—keeps you comfortable and connected. With 24/7 global support, personal mentorship, and built-in travel protection, every detail is covered. From flights and housing to cultural deep dives and lifelong friendships, EF ensures a transformative, world-class adventure worth every moment—and every dollar.
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Airfare Domestic Airfare Airport Transfers Equipment Meals Tour Guide Transportation Travel Insurance Wifi
Jun 11, 2026
Jul 10, 2024
4 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Spend 12 unforgettable weeks abroad with European Horizons, one of EF’s multi-destination semesters through Barcelona, Rome, and Paris—three of Europe’s most inspiring cities. Experience cultural immersion, language learning, and once-in-a-lifetime adventures alongside a supportive global community.

In Barcelona (Weeks 1–4), learn Spanish over tapas, flamenco, and a day trip to Costa Brava.
In Rome (Weeks 5–8), practice Italian while exploring ancient ruins, making pasta and gelato, and visiting Pompeii.
In Paris (Weeks 9–12), grow your French skills as you tour the Louvre, sample pastries, and stroll through Montmartre.

Live in EF student residences, travel with your cohort, and enjoy weekly activities and weekend excursions. With flights, housing, global support, and optional college credit included, European Horizons is more than study abroad—it’s a transformative European adventure.

Program Highlights

  • Earn college credit while traveling the world! With EF Gap Year, you’ll immerse in language and culture, make lifelong memories, and return home with optional accredited credit toward your degree.
  • Our global teams handle all-things accommodations, from activities and excursions to flights, courses, transportation, and so much more! All you have to do is focus on making the most of your year.
  • EF Gap Year is accredited throughout the U.S. by six of the country’s most respected organizations. We are proud to meet their rigorous standards for educational excellence.
  • Exclusive EF Experiences – From curated excursions to cultural festivals, EF Gap Year offers insider access you won’t find anywhere else—turning every trip into a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
  • Flamenco nights to Parisian fashion, experience Europe through unforgettable cultural activities. Along the way, pick up Spanish, Italian, and French by practicing in real-world settings!

Video and Photos

Impact 🌎

Bringing sustainable practices to the heart of our business starts with understanding the full scope of our carbon footprint. To do this, we joined forces with a global leader in carbon accounting and voluntary climate protection projects: myclimate.

Program Reviews

4.80 Rating
based on 5 reviews
  • 5 rating 80%
  • 4 rating 20%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Housing 3.8
  • Support 4.6
  • Fun 5
  • Value 5
  • Safety 4.4
Showing 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Rowan
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

EF immersion in Nice and Internship in Stockholm

The TLDR of my review is it was ultimately worth it because of the experience I had and how much I grew. It opened me up to the possibilities that I hadn't realized were within my grasp.

However, the financial cost was somewhat unexpected as we were encouraged to pay for multiple activities in addition to the trip. I hope in future programs they will be more transparent with this in the future.

While I was with a host family in France, my initial first experience with the family was disheartening to say the least. With my second host family, I really was able to enjoy myself. I was not the only student who had a negative initial experience with the host family.

As for my internship, I was so grateful for what I got. I still keep in contact with my boss and made some great memories while in Stockholm. This is not necessarily something that I thing EF needs to do, but I wish that I had been told that there were so many career opportunities while in Stockholm because I feel some regret after for not having taken advantage of that while there.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Consider studying some of the languages you will be exposed to ahead of time because you will inevitably need it. Plus, you will build a really strong base for building skills in that language. Additionally, try to be mindful of what is socially acceptable. For example, using crass language or being loud is generally not appropriate in most situations.
Pros
  • Résumé building
  • Experience in other languages
  • Exposure to foreign social practices
Cons
  • Negative initial host family experience
  • Expensive extracurriculars
  • Groups were too large
155 people found this review helpful.
Haydn
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Haydn Giedzinska’s review

I traveled Europe because I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. While I was in Europe I found myself and who I wanted to become. I shed my ego and my worries and became someone who wanted to embrace change and help others along this crazy journey we call life. EF gave me that opportunity and also gave me the opportunity to make friends for life. I will be forever grateful for being naive because I am now the person I am to today because of it. I will always be grateful to EF, for ever.

What was your funniest moment?
Dublin Ireland, St. Patrick’s day
Pros
  • Friends
  • Memories
  • Different perspectives
Cons
  • Got stuck in Europe and extra day because of poor flight scheduling
  • That’s about it
163 people found this review helpful.
Annabella
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

EF review

I was so worried about college and my next steps in life after I graduated high school in 2022. I decided I wanted to take a gap year and see where life takes me. In the fall of my gap year, I found EF’s website and fell in love. I decided on the European discovery since I always wanted to go to Europe especially France and Italy! I worked and saved the next few months and in April of 2023, I finally flew to London and met my fellow travelers. And I can’t put into words how amazing it was. I had a great group and tour leaders who made the experience so much better! I felt supported 24/7. It was affordable with insurance plans, a phone bill plan and great hotel/hostel accommodations! I felt safe at all times. We had amazing dinner reservations, wonderful tour guides in the cities we were at and special activities such a cheese factory, a cooking class and more!
I will be returning to EF on my next trip!

224 people found this review helpful.
Chloe
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A million times yes!

I attended the EF Gap finder as a fresh college graduate and this program was everything I could've wished it could be. Although many of my fellow travelers were recent high school graduates, we all came from many different walks of life. This program was perfectly structured to ensure we saw the many highlights that the various European cities had to offer. From seeing the Northern Lights, to taking a cruise along the Seine river overlooking the Eiffel Tower, to tasting authentic Parmesan cheese in the Parma Region of Italy it was perfect. Not only did I learn so much about all of these amazing places, I made incredible lifelong friends who I continue to keep in touch with and am making plans to see again very soon. EF took care of everything so I could sit back and enjoy my trip knowing that everything would be taken care of. The trip was a perfect combination of structured activities and free days, in which you can spend how you choose, which included for me a trip to Stonehenge and a day trip to Dresden in Germany. I would absolutely recommend this trip to anyone wanting to travel, even if they had no real prior travel experience. I would relive my gap semester again in a heartbeat.

Pros
  • Explore
  • Try New Foods
  • Meet new people
228 people found this review helpful.
Alex
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

European Discovery

Overall pretty good! Not the best choices with food, not a lot of variety, but other than that, everything was pretty good! Loved being able to actually go out drinking and have fun with friends, the tours were amazing, loved walking around the cities and learning about the history. The hostels we were in were pretty decent, of course theyre hostels so they're not going to be five star, but they got the job done. Great chance to make friends cus you'll be rooming with different people, its all really fun.

Pros
  • Everything is planned out for you
Cons
  • Not a lot of food variety during group dinners
238 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers