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[lar4290]

Hey everyone,
I'm going to be spending 6 weeks in Sevilla while studying this summer. There's so much information out there on Madrid and Barcelona, but I'm having trouble finding really specific information on Sevilla. Does anyone know of neat neighborhoods for young people to hang out in (other than right around the university) or of uncommon day trips/weekend trips (i.e. not Malaga, Sevilla, Granada, etc.)? Also, I do want to see both Madrid and Barcelona - how would you recommend getting to each (especaially Madrid - would you take the train or bus? I'll probably have to fly to Barcelona since it looks like train/bus rides are 10-12 hours and I'll only have a 2.5 day weekend!).
Any help/advice is welcome and much appreciated for this first-time traveler to Spain!

[starlagurl]

Can't say I've ever been to Spain, but it looks lovely. I think if I was traveling in Europe, I would always take a train, just because it seems like more of an "authentic" way to get around.
But, probably a bus is cheaper.

Have you checked out some of the blogs yet?

What about a weekend trip to Portugal instead? It's pretty close and just as beautiful.

You could probably even go to Morocco for the weekend...

Uncle Davros went to some off-the-beaten-path places, you could check those out here: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entri...08500/tpod.html

[mlb662]

Hey everyone,
I'm going to be spending 6 weeks in Sevilla while studying this summer. There's so much information out there on Madrid and Barcelona, but I'm having trouble finding really specific information on Sevilla. Does anyone know of neat neighborhoods for young people to hang out in (other than right around the university) or of uncommon day trips/weekend trips (i.e. not Malaga, Sevilla, Granada, etc.)? Also, I do want to see both Madrid and Barcelona - how would you recommend getting to each (especaially Madrid - would you take the train or bus? I'll probably have to fly to Barcelona since it looks like train/bus rides are 10-12 hours and I'll only have a 2.5 day weekend!).
Any help/advice is welcome and much appreciated for this first-time traveler to Spain!

The quickest way to get from Sevilla to Madrid is by the TGV (very fast train; I forget the Spanish name for it). I took a bus from Granada to Sevilla, and the bus was very nice. Clean bus, clean waiting room, comfortable, etc. If you do go to Granada, it is now a timed-entry to the Alhambra. We loved the province of Extremadura, right next to Andalucia. Also, I would recommend visiting the so-called "white villages" on the ruta de los pueblos blancos. We enjoyed Jerez, where you can visit the sherry bodegas. Malaga is over-developed, or I might even say ruined by the urbanizacion. As for Barcelona, as you note, it's very far away! If you fall in love with Andalucia, you may want to leave that for another trip. I must say that Sevilla is my favorite city in Spain and you are very lucky! I am a big flamenco and spanish guitar fan and hope you are too...or will be soon.

[lar4290]

Thanks for your advice! I wasn't there long enough so I didn't get to do all I wanted, but I did get to spend a weekend in the Algarve in Portugal, visit Lisbon, go to Cordoba and Granada, spend a long weekend in Morocco, travel through Extremadura (great advice - well off the tourist path), Huelva province, and go to Madrid for a weekend. We ended up taking the bus to Madrid, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone else reading this - it's only 32 Euros round trip - which is a lot cheaper than the AVE, which is about 150 round trip. We took night buses there and back (i.e. midnight-6am, so the six hour ride wasn't a problem). I'd definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to go back and forth on a budget - www.socibus.es. Everyone who visited Barcelona did fly, as trains/buses take 11-13 hours. I'll have to save that trip for next time!