Sevilla Travel Forum

Hi everyone,

I'm planning a trip to Sevilla for la Feria de Abril next year and am looking into places to stay. I stayed in a hostel in Madrid recently and as my first experience in a hostel, I had a really great time. The only thing that disappointed me was the obvious, it was full of tourists, which meant the majority of the people I met and went out with, as I was travelling alone, were other Westerners. I speak Spanish and am truly hoping to have some more direct contact with Spaniards this time around.

Can anyone recommend a cheap place to stay in Sevilla where I could stay but with a more cultural rather than international feel? I'm looking for somewhere where I'll find more Spaniards than foreigners, basically, although I'm sure at that time of the year there will be tourists everywhere you look. Either way, you get the idea...any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Also, if you could recommend other places in Andalucia that are off the beaten track and shouldn't be missed, I'd love to know about them!

Thanks in advance! Ashley

Definitely book far in advance no matter what place you pick - the feria is one of the biggest attractions of the year in Seville and pretty much every accomodation is booked solid at that time. I don't really know much about accomodations themselves since I lived with a host family and later in an apartment, but most of the hostels are in the historic downtown area and surrounding districts - Barrio Santa Cruz, Arenal, La Macarena, etc.

Also, you might meet Spaniards during the feria - there are lots of public casetas where everyone is allowed in, and when I was there, I met a group of guys on the first day who took me around to other casetas (private ones where I would normally not be able to enter). Then again, it also helped that I was wearing a flamenco outfit like most of the women and knew how to dance Sevillanas. I miss the magic of the feria...