Seville or Madrid?

Question

I am spending a year abroad and my college offers two Spain programs, one to Madrid and one to Seville. I have only been to Madrid, and like it, but I have heard Seville is one of the most beautiful places in the country. I am going abroad mainly to improve my Spanish.

Answer 1

Go for Seville. It is smaller than Madrid and a lot more cultural. I recently spent a semester in Caceres, another smaller town, and enjoyed it immensely. You will be able to experience more culture if you go there. Madrid is more of an international city and the cultural expereince is just not the same. I believe that learning to speak Spanish is not enough, you also have to learn about the culture.

The nice thing about Sevilla, like Madrid, is there are a ton of things to see and do. The catedral, alcazar, toro de oro, etc. are all rich in history and beauty. Plus it is well networked to travel. Granada, Madrid, Cordoba plus many other places are well linked by bus. Check out auto-res.net or alsa.es for bus information. I imagine that if you are spending a year abroad you would also like to travel to other countries. Ryan Air is the one of the cheapest airlines in Europe and they have a hub in Sevilla.

On improving your Spanish, Sevilla might be more difficult at first because of the Southern "Spanish lisp."  However, from my experience I feel that once I mastered understanding their speech, it was easier to understand other speakers as well.

My last piece of advice is to stay with a host family, if possible. It might be scarey at first but it was one of the best experiences of my life. Being forced to speak Spanish at home encouraged me to speak and to listen, as well as experience the culture first hand.

Oh and take advantage of SIESTAS!!

Enjoy your experience and take every opportunity that presents itself! You may not have the opportunity to spend a year abroad again.

Answer 2

Seville, Beautiful Andalucia Capital very hot in Summer nice most of the rest of the year.

Answer 3

I'm from Andalucía (its capital is Seville) Seville is a nice city, smaller than Madrid and quite different. It is lovely place and very hot.

The only problem you'll have is the accent but i think it is good for you to listen to other Spanish accents, expressions and so on.

If you finally go there i would recommend you to go to Córdoba, that is very close to Seville and I think is even a more beautiful city.