How to Live Like a Local in Seville, Spain

Story by Polly Shattuck

Why live like a local in Spain? The answer is, because life can be amazing when you are part of the rhythm of Spain. You don’t have to do the same thing that every other tourist is doing when traveling. You can feel like you are on the inside looking out instead of the opposite. Vale? That means "okay" in Spanish.

Learn the Language

One dynamite way to experience more of a place is through a language school. My friends and I chose Centro de Lenguas e Intercambio Cultural (Center of Languages and Cultural Exchange) or more easily known as C.L.I.C. The school has wonderful staff and great cultural events to sign up for most evenings and every weekend.

C.L.I.C. provided “field trips” to authentic flamenco dance shows, tours of museums and nights out at tapas bars. No, I didn’t say topless bars (a common mistake with my U.S. friends.) There was a weekend excursion to Morocco, and even snowboarding trip into the Spanish Sierras. All of these events came with a student discount card and your card will get you discounts at various places.

My friend and his brother also signed up for classes at C.L.I.C. One of their teachers taught about Semana Santa (Holy Week) and why she loved it so much. Having an insider’s view of Spanish culture is like having a key to the city.

Living on Spanish Time

The first key to fitting in to this culture is adjusting to Spanish time. In Sevilla, or Seville in English, people rise early. We were amazed, my traveling companions and I, when we were off to C.L.I.C. at 8:30 in the morning and people were taking their kids to school. Were these the same people that we saw having dinner at ten-thirtyish the night before? They were, but the key to these early risers and late night connoisseurs is…siesta. Ah, thankfully there is some rest for the “playful.”

Town shuts down from about two thirty until about five thirty. Then Seville comes to life again, slowly after about six, as people go shopping for dinner or stroll up and down the boulevards and parks.

Sevillanos love to be seen out in public, so if you want to be a part of the community you must go out and promenade. Dinnertime is not till ten p.m. and if you go out earlier you will not see any locals having dinner. People in Seville eat this late to avoid the heat in the outdoor patios that are abundant in Seville. So to really experience life with the locals you have to be able to stay up late and the key is a long nap at siesta.

Find a Festival

In Spain this is not hard to do. Spring time in Andalusia has a full calendar and the month of April is a great time to be in Seville. Semana Santa is the week before Easter and it is filled with community activities and traditions. This event takes sacrifice and hard work from the people who participate in, and those being a spectator of, Semana Santa. People viewing the celebration will wait for hours to get a seat close to the procession.

The smell of incense and candles travel through the crowds and children make wax balls from tin with wax poured over it. There are silent processions, and also the Niños/Niñas procession full of adorable children.

Use Your Language Skills and Taste Buds

After studying a little Spanish, or speaking in English because many Sevillianos want to practice their English with you, you are ready to explore local “tapas” bars. Sevillanos love to tapas “bar hop” but insist on taking their time as they savor life, food and friends.

Tapas bars are actually small restaurants and alcohol is not a requirement hen you eat. Be aware, when you tell your U.S. friends about tapas bars. Some people hear “topless” bars instead of “tapas” bars. Our favorite tapa was the “jamon,” or cured ham.

See the Sites

The Cathedral is the center of town, its heartbeat, and has an amazing view of Sevilla from the thirty-sixth story of the Giralda tower. This was originally a Moorish tower, but Spanish royalty were smart enough to appropriate the building and not tear it down.

The Alcazar also dates back to the Moor, Roman, Lebanese and Greece occupations in Spain. It is now a palace for Spanish Royalty. The garden in the back is so romantic that I wanted to come back, and picnic, but ran out of time.

A visit to the Hospital los Vunerables is magnificent example of Rococco art work and it has a beautiful pipe organ. We were lucky enough to catch an impromptu concert being played.

Taking a carriage ride or a boat tour of the Guadalquivir river are two touristy things you can do and they save some walking. Take a carriage ride to the plaza Espana and see artistic depictions, in tile, of every major town and city in Spain.

So living like a local is easy if you follow these tips. Just remember a good way to get on the inside is to try a language class or a few travel phrases. Next, learn to live on Spanish time and use siesta to rest. Remember to take a stroll and soak in the beauty in the evening and then taste lots of Tapas. And finally, find a festival in Spain. Sevilla has two in April, Semana Santa and Feria de Abril.

Sevillanos are warm and fun people. It is all right to act like a bit like a tourist but follow these tips and you will not feel like an outsider looking in. Vale?