When choosing my study abroad location I struggled to choose between Barcelona and Seville. Ultimately, I ended up in Barcelona, but Seville remained at the top of my travel wish list. Luckily, my trip coincided with my 21st birthday so I had a great time celebrating and I thought I would write a blog post about what I did during this week. 

For the most part Seville can be explored by walking, and we spent most of the week exploring this way. There are so many pretty plazas, churches, and parks in the centre of the city. Visiting in May meant it wasn’t as unbearably hot as it gets in summer so it was so nice to explore this way. 

As I had not been organised prior, some of the key landmarks were fully booked during our stay, for example the key landmarks such as the Alcazar and Catedral sell out two weeks in advance! But this actually came as an advantage as it led us to explore lesser-known palaces in Seville, which, despite their smaller size, had similar architect and design. These were Casa de las Dueñas and Casa de los Pilatos. 

Casa de las Dueñas was very pretty and the family that still holds residence, has some connections with old Scottish royalty which was interesting. Casa de los Pilatos was also so pretty and has intricate Moorish details and Renaissance influences which is quite different from palaces i had seen before in other parts of Spain. 

One of the most memorable experiences was the boat trips we did. Firstly, we rented the little row boats in Plaza de España which are only 6 euro per boat and were a fun way to see the amazing structure of the expo there. Another highlight was a boat trip down the river, offering views of the city’s skyline and iconic landmarks. It was nice to do these trips and they were definitely some of the highlights. 

We naturally also indulged in some great food on our trip. There are so many traditional tapas bars in Seville, notable in the La Alfalfa neighborhood, and although sometimes overwhelming with the huge variety of dishes on the menu, they are a great way to try lots of different Spanish delicacies. We also went to the iconic Hotel Alfonso XIII on the evening of my birthday for the jazz band they have every Tuesday and Thursday. This was so fun, and although we didn’t stay here, it was great to experience some luxury! 

As much as I love Barcelona, Seville offered a change of pace and showed slightly different aspects of Spanish culture which I loved. Flights internally in Spain are so cheap, and I have loved the chance to see different parts of the country during my time studying here. 

~ Eliza (Go Abroad Ambassador 2023/24)