A Comprehensive Guide about Living in Seville

Life in Seville

Education in Seville

The public education system in Spain is free of charge for all children up to 16 years; private schools are also an option and are preferable for pupils that are still not fluent in Spanish.  Expats can choose to enroll their children either in schools with a Spanish curriculum or an international curriculum. Spain’s international schools are highly regarded and usually employ mostly experienced international teachers. The most common international schools, where some locals also send their children, are American, British, German, and French schools.

There are three public universities in Seville: the Pablo de Olavide University, the University of Seville and the International University of Andalusia. The international university was founded in 1994 and offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses as well as Summer school academic activities. There are also several language schools and good primary and secondary education institutes.

Culture and Leisure

The Feria de Sevilla (Seville Fair) and the Semana Santa (Holy Week) are Seville’s most famous festivals, people flock from far and wide to attend.

Holy Week has relations to Easter, and is celebrated two weeks before the Christian festival. It’s a huge celebration which includes a parade or procession of pasos, floats of very accurate and lifelike religious icons in wooden sculpture form – events from “the Passion” or images of the grieving Virgin Mary.

The Seville Fair comes two weeks after Holy Week and lasts for six days, ending on a Sunday. During the proceedings, the whole town is covered in tents with people dancing, chatting, drinking and eating tapas. Aside from tapas, the most popular fast food option is a sandwich called a “serranito”.Seville is also known for deliciously indulgent desserts like the torrijas; fried slices of bread with honey, and roscos frittos; deep fried doughnuts coated in sugar. Of course, one can’t speak of the food in Seville without giving a mention to Seville oranges. They’re the most sought after fruit come marmalade season and are often exported in their droves to the rest of the world.

If you’re a fan of the arts, you’ll likely feel right at home in Seville as its home to a few theatres and a vibrant music scene.

Transportation in Seville

Seville is very easy to get around and is certainly well connected with neighboring cities. Many local people travel using the buses which are operated by a company called TUSSAM, there are two bus stations – Plaza de Armas and Prado de San Sebastián – with buses that will take you all around Seville and to destinations further afield.

Another popular mode of transport with commuters is the simply bicycle, they’re available for low cost hire from places all around the city and the roads are very accommodating to cyclists. The Santa Justa Train Station is Sevilles local railway station operated by an organization called Renfe.

Seville is on the Red Ci�s AVE which connects it to 17 other major cities on a high speed rail network. San Pablo Airport is the local means of catching a plane and is very easy to get in and out of – it’s the second busiest airport in Andalusia so make sure you’re prepared for crowds! You can also travel throughout the city via metro, tram, or of course on foot.