Destination Spotlight: Seville

Oct 9

Seville and I go way back. My very first venture outside of the United States was a trip through Spain in 2003, when I came with my family while in high school. It was my first glimpse of international travel, and it set the tone for a lifetime of global exploration.

I wouldn’t return until December 2023. This time, I was flying in from Lisbon with just 24 hours to spend before catching a train to Barcelona to ring in the new year. I stayed in a small local hotel tucked into Barrio de Santa Cruz - the perfect base for squeezing every drop out of a short visit. In a single day, I wound through narrow alleys, admired leafy courtyards, and stood in awe beneath the soaring cathedral. That night, I saw my first flamenco show which was absolutely unforgettable (and has since turned into the first of many!). Even with just a day to spare, Seville became my favorite stop on that trip.

And then came April 2024. This time, Seville wasn’t a quick stop but the destination I was moving toward. After a week in Morocco, I took the fast ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar into Tarifa - a windswept little port town where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic. My plan was to get to Algeciras for a rental car, detour through Gibraltar, and then road-trip into Seville.

But travel rarely goes as smoothly as planned. With no rideshares and taxis in short supply, I tried something new: BlaBlaCar, a carpooling service where you book a seat with someone already driving your way. So at 6 AM on a Saturday morning, I found myself carpooling with two locals to Algeciras for just €3. From there, I picked up my rental car (US friends- if you don’t drive stick, this is your sign to learn bc you get the BEST cars in Europe) - crossed into Gibraltar for sweeping views, curious monkeys, and that strange “Britain-in-Spain” feeling.

Then driving through the Spanish countryside with the top down, headed for Seville, felt like its own bucket-list moment.

When I arrived, the city was transformed. It was La Feria de Abril - Seville’s legendary weeklong festival. Imagine streets lined with striped casetas (private tents overflowing with family, friends, food, and music), women twirling in brightly colored dresses, horse-drawn carriages parading past, and Sevillanas dancing that lasts well into the morning hours. The entire city hums with joy, tradition, and community. Feria is immersive, intoxicating, and unforgettable - exactly the kind of cultural heartbeat that makes Seville so special.

In addition to Feria, I also made time for a food tour (because tapas are even better when paired with history) and a boat cruise along the Guadalquivir, watching the city shimmer in the Andalusian sun. Seville, once again, reminded me it is absolutely unparalelled and has my travel heart in a stranglehold.

Looking back, I see Seville as a thread woven through different stages of my life: my first passport stamp in 2003, a whirlwind rediscovery twenty years later, and a full-circle return for Feria that made me fall in love with Spain all over again.