5 Reasons Why Sevilla is the Best Place to Study Abroad

Where to study abroad—the question many lucky American colligiates ask themselves before going on one of the biggest adventures of their young lives.

Well, I am here to tell you that Seville, Spain is hands down the best place you can study abroad.

Why you ask?

Where do I even begin?

1. You'll actually learn a language.

Trust. Me. Few other cities allow this. Your friends who study in Florence will not learn Italian. Your friends in London might start saying "football" or "cheers". No one will have the full immersion quite the way you will in Sevilla (oh, you'll also only say Sevilla).

In Barcelona, they speak Catalan, and Madrid is a very international city where the average person is more likely to speak English. Sevilla, on the other hand, will not just encourage you to speak Spanish, it will force you to. So, if you're thinking of going to Spain to learn Spanish, Sevilla is easily the best option. That's because, when the average bar tender doesn't understand English, you'll need to learn how to say "¿hay wifi?" (pronounced wee-fee) if you want to Skype your mom any time soon.

2. You'll experience a new culture.

People who go to Sevilla to study abroad get a unique taste of traditional Spanish culture. All those things you stereotype Spain to have—siestas, bull fights, women dressed like that red dress emoji—these things are present in Sevilla.

So while you're chatting it up with your new Spanish friends over a great big lunch, you can look forward to going home and taking a nap (great for those days when you had too much sangria the night before). Or maybe just go home and relax, maybe do some homework (people sometimes do homework when they study abroad). You won't miss anything, because the whole city is doing the same thing!

Flamenco dresses during Feria de Sevilla

In the Spring, enjoy cultural festivities like Semana Santa or Feria de Abril (Holy Week and April Fair, respectively). Feria de Abril (pictured above) will allow you to see beautiful women dressed in beautiful dresses. The whole city seems to go back in time, as the streets fill with families riding in horse-drawn carriages, and men and women wear more traditional clothing. Oh, and there will be so many amazing parties at night, with Spanish people of all ages drinking and dancing.

During Semana Santa, communities build and carry entire scenes from the Bible. If you're not religious, or practice a different faith, don't worry, it's still an interesting sight to behold. Many people who participate do it for pride in their local community (as each community builds one of these), not for religious fervor.

Semana Santa on the Puente de Triana in Seville.

During the spring, it's also possible to see a bull fight, to add to the list of Spanish cultural activities you can partake in. Sevilla is one of few Spanish cities where bull fights are still legal. In fact, you may see many protesters outside of the Plaza de Toros in April, as people are divided on whether this is a cherished cultural and historical tradition, or a brutally inhumane torture that's better left in the past.

If you decide you want to see a fight, be aware. You're going to see an animal die, and this can be difficult for people to watch. Decide if it's worth it to you to see this while the tradition is still legal.

3. The cost of living isn't too bad.

In Sevilla, the average drink or meal is not too bad, especially compared to the rest of Europe.

In Spain, it's common to drink the leftover chocolate you get with churros. Now, that's a culture I want to be a part of.

Let me illustrate this with a story. The April I was studying abroad, everyone I knew studying in Europe seemed to go to Barcelona at the same time. One night, I found myself having beers with a friend studying in London, and one studying in Barcelona. Upon reflection of the price of the beers, in a true Goldilocks and the Three Bears tradition, my friend from London said, "Wow! These beers are so cheap!" While I said "these beers are so expensive!" and the friend from Barcelona said, "the price of these beers is just right."

Okay, no one literally said that last part, but you get the idea.

What does this story tell you? Well, how relatively each of us views the world, but also that other cities are more expensive compared to Sevilla. From London, a notoriously pricey capital, other cities seem cheap. For me, anywhere I travelled outside of Sevilla seemed expensive.

So, would you rather spend most of your time paying less, with a few expensive weekends thrown in, or expensive life all semester-long? I'll take the siestas and €2 beers, gracias.

Besides, enjoying the whole day by the Rio Guadalquivir getting sunburned are free!

4. The weather is nice.

Sevilla will also be one of the warmer places to study abroad. Southern Spain has a reputation for getting quite hot (did you know that's why the siesta exists?), and it'll be very pleasantly warm in the Fall or Spring semesters.

Plus, Sevilla is only about an hour bus ride to the beach. When you don't want to spend a Saturday by the river, try out a nearby beach, and enjoy the hot Spanish sun from there!

Kissing camels in Morocco is only a short bus and boat ride away from Sevilla!

5. You're close to the rest of Europe (and Morocco!).

Alright, I know some of you smartypants were rolling your eyes for some of these, saying "But Tess! I can speak Spanish and eat churros in Buenos Aires!" or "Tess! What about Australia? Maybe you've heard, the weather is great there, too!"

Yes, I know, and eating and enjoying Argentina sounds awesome! So does sunburning, I mean, sunbathing, in Australia!

But, these other places that offer these things don't come with everything else on this list. In addition to the unique cultural traditions, low cost, and language, Sevilla gives you even more by being within the limitless possibilities of Europe.

I mean, travelling throughout Europe is every American's quintessential dream, isn't it? While you're studying in Sevilla, you can easily take a weekend trip to Portugal by bus, or take a cheap flight to Paris. The rest of Europe is at your fingertips (via cheap flight or train), and Morocco is a close and cheap country to visit as well! In Sevilla, you can easily knock off a handful of countries off your travel bucket list.

So what are you waiting for? Vamos a Sevilla!

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