Spotlight on Seville, Spain

Spotlight on Seville, Spain: What It's Really Like to Live Abroad in Sevilla

A conversation with founder Andrew Motiwalla, Community Manager Dawn Risk, and program participants Jay & Judy Robinovitz

Seville has a way of getting under your skin. Ask anyone who's spent real time there — not a long weekend, not a whirlwind tour, but an actual month — and they'll struggle to describe it without their eyes lighting up. The food. The plazas. The people out walking at midnight, three generations deep, laughing and holding hands. The flamenco that sounds completely different once you know what it means.

In our most recent webinar, Spotlight on Seville, Spain, The Good Life Abroad founder Andrew Motiwalla was joined by Community Manager Dawn Risk — a 19-year resident of Spain who has called Seville home for nearly two decades — and Jay and Judy Robinovitz, a recently retired couple from Naples, Florida, joining us live from their apartment in Seville with a glass of wine in hand and nearly 30 days of local living under their belts.

Here's everything we covered.

Why Seville?

Seville — or Sevilla, as the locals call it — is the capital of Andalucía, one of Spain's most culturally rich and storied regions. You might expect a city of that stature to feel grand and impersonal. Instead, it surprises you.

"It's the capital of Andalucía, so you'd think it would be this big, bustling town," Dawn explained. "And it is — but it really has a very intimate feel. You can walk anywhere, day or night, and feel that people are really connecting with one another, with their families and friends in the plazas. Nobody really feels lonely here."

Dawn first came to Seville as a university student 35 years ago. She returned permanently 20 years ago and never looked back. She opened an English language school, spent 12 years teaching, moved into cultural tourism, and eventually became The Good Life Abroad's Community Manager in the city — drawn, as she puts it, by the same warmth and sense of community that first brought her there.

Jay's perspective, coming in fresh as a first-time visitor, echoed Dawn's perfectly. "It's kind of a big town, small city," he said. "There is so much to do, but it's so approachable. The little walkways and paths — it's incredible. Every turn there's something you didn't see. The food is fantastic. The wine is wonderful. We've been eating ourselves silly."

Where We're Located: The Santa Catalina Neighborhood

The Good Life Abroad community in Seville is based in the Santa Catalina neighborhood, situated right on the edge of the historic center. It's the sweet spot that many travelers never find on their own: surrounded by local Spanish residents, neighborhood restaurants, markets, and corner cafés, yet within easy walking distance of the city's most iconic sights.

"Where we are, you're in a community of Spaniards," Dawn said. "The Santa Catalina neighborhood — lots of locals are there, lots of restaurants and bars, plenty of transport options. It's about a 10–15 minute walk into the center, maybe 20 minutes to the river."

And the walk, as Jay discovered, is entirely the point. "We thought maybe we'd have to take cabs everywhere. What we found is — if you go to your phone, it takes longer to take a car than it does to walk." Over nearly 30 days, he and Judy explored the city almost entirely on foot, stumbling onto hidden palaces, sidewalk wine bars, and market stalls they never would have found any other way.

The Apartments: Your Home Away From Home

Participants in Seville stay in clean, recently renovated, modern apartments — most in the same building, with the broader community right around them. The kitchens are fully equipped, the spaces are comfortable, and as Jay put it, after a few weeks you stop calling it "the apartment" and start calling it home.

"Night before last, I made pork tenderloin with sautéed mushrooms, shallots, and truffle sauce," Jay shared. "We have a full-size refrigerator, oven, microwave, coffee maker, food processor — we walked in with nothing and not knowing what to expect, and it's been very livable."

The defining moment, though, came toward the end of their stay. "We were walking the other day and Judy said, 'It's time to go home.' She meant the apartment. That spoke volumes."

Community Life & Curated Activities

The Good Life Abroad is, at its core, a one-month community experience — and in Seville, that comes to life through a curated schedule of activities roughly three times per week, thoughtfully designed to connect you both with your fellow travelers and with the local culture.

Some highlights from this group's month:

Tuesday Lunch Club — A signature tradition across all Good Life Abroad programs. Every Tuesday, the community gathers for a meal chosen intentionally to teach you something about the local food culture and take you somewhere in the city you might not discover on your own. More than anything, it's the weekly anchor that brings everyone back together after a weekend of independent exploring.

Weekly Happy Hour — A chance to connect with the community at the end of the week before heading into the weekend, often with a cultural component woven in.

Flamenco Museum & Dance Class — One of the group's standout experiences. Jay described how the education completely transformed the way they experienced every flamenco show afterward: "They couldn't possibly get out of the second show what we did, having had the knowledge we had — because they didn't understand the history, the different types, the emotions."

Historic Walking Tour with Local Guide Pablo — "The amount of history and passion he brought to the tour was incredible," Jay said. "We think things are old when they're 200 years old. Here, they're back thousands of years."

Tile-Making Workshop — A hands-on dive into Seville's Moorish ceramic tradition. "I thought, I don't know about this. We had such a great time." The payoff came later when they walked through the great palaces and could identify the tile styles themselves.

Cooking Class — A favorite for the foodies in the group.

Sherry Tasting — A deep exploration of the region's iconic drink, from grape to glass, harvest to pour.

Semana Santa (Holy Week) Procession Viewing — A procession passes directly in front of the building, offering a front-row seat to one of Spain's most extraordinary and moving traditions. Dawn's favorite time of year. "It's incredible where we are. They're honoring the tradition — the floats, the music. You don't feel like it's heavy. They honor what they're doing."

Guadalquivir River Cruise — A relaxed float along the historic waterway that shaped the city.

Day Trip to Carmona — A beautiful pueblo blanco (white village) just north of Seville, with a completely different feel and a wonderful lunch.

As Dawn emphasized, the activities aren't fixed — they're tailor-made to the time of year, the month's festivals, and the interests of each group. No two programs are ever quite the same.

The Optional Excursion: Deep into the White Villages of Andalucía

For those who want to venture further, Dawn leads an optional overnight excursion through the legendary pueblos blancos (white villages) of Andalucía, culminating in Ronda. This is far more than a day trip — it's a full cultural immersion into the traditional Andalusian countryside.

Highlights include scenic drives through mountain passes and whitewashed villages, a stop at a local truck stop for regional sweets and coffee, a visit to a working family bull ranch, a Spanish guitar concert with local musician Paco, drinks at a rooftop bar overlooking Ronda's historic bullring, and a final stop through the extraordinary cave village of Setenil de las Bodegas — where homes are literally carved into the cliffside.

"You should not miss it," Jay said simply. Beyond the organized excursion, he and Judy independently visited eight destinations around Andalucía — Málaga, Puerto Banús, Antequera, Córdoba, and more. "I'd tell anyone: the Mezquita in Córdoba is an absolute must-see."

Living the Festival Calendar

One of Seville's most distinctive gifts is its year-round calendar of festivals and civic celebrations. Dawn intentionally builds activities around whatever is happening during your month — meaning the experience is always current, always alive, always local.

A few highlights across the year:

• Semana Santa (Holy Week) — Dawn's personal favorite. Deeply moving, deeply communal.

• Feria de Abril — Six days of dancing, rebujito (Seville's signature drink), food, and music at the fairground. Dawn arranges a sevillanas dance class beforehand so everyone can participate.

• Cruces de Mayo — The Festival of Crosses.

• Velá de Santa Ana — A neighborhood fair along the river, more intimate than the Feria, full of food and live music.

• Día de la Hispanidad (October) — Spain's national day, celebrated with parades and fanfare.

• Christmas Lights (November) — Seville doesn't decorate with trees. It decorates with light. "If you're lucky enough to be here in November, it's just a festival of lights."

• Reyes (Kings Day, January) — The Spanish version of Christmas, celebrated with parades, gifts, and multigenerational joy in the streets.

"There's always something going on around the corner," Dawn said. And she means it.

Your Community Manager: Your Local Friend in the City

At the heart of every Good Life Abroad experience is your Community Manager — and in Seville, that's Dawn. Think of it less like a concierge and more like having a deeply knowledgeable local friend who genuinely knows the city, and genuinely takes the time to know you.

At the start of every program, Dawn meets individually with each participant or couple to understand who they are, what they want to get out of their month, and helps build a plan to make it happen. This is the kind of personalized local knowledge that no Google search can replicate.

Beyond the organized activities, Dawn is available via WhatsApp Monday through Friday, 9am–5pm — a direct line to a local expert whenever you need a restaurant recommendation, a shortcut through the city, or just a little reassurance.

"Every place we went and every experience was real," Jay said. "It wasn't the one everybody goes to. It's the one the locals know. We walk in and they know Dawn, and everybody says hello and everybody hugs." He added with a laugh: "Once we learned how not to be loud Americans, it kind of just settled right in."

A Few Things to Know Before You Go

The Good Life Abroad is genuinely life-changing — but it's designed for a specific kind of traveler, and we believe in honesty about that.

This is not a tour. There's no bus, no fixed schedule, no hand-holding. You navigate the city on your own, with Dawn's guidance and the community around you.

Walking is part of the experience. Seville is a walkable city, but that means cobblestone streets, narrow passages, and uneven surfaces. Plan for a few miles a day — and bring good shoes.

Technology helps. WhatsApp and Google Maps are your best friends. Dawn will show you how to use both effectively.

You live like a local. Spanish mealtimes are different. Streets are lively at night. The pace is slower — and that's the entire point.

Language is no barrier. Neither Jay nor Judy spoke Spanish before arriving. "We learned to communicate. Google Translate is fantastic, and people here are incredibly kind and willing to help," Jay said. Dawn also provides a helpful cheat sheet of key phrases and tips for getting around.

This program is designed for adults 55+ who are mostly retired or semi-retired and ready to explore a different way of experiencing the world. It's not for digital nomads working full-time, and it's not for families with young children. It's for people who have earned the time and freedom to live life more fully — and want support doing it.

What Does It Cost?

The program fee covers everything that makes a month in Seville truly livable: 30 nights in your fully equipped apartment, all scheduled activities (cooking class, walking tours, flamenco experience, happy hours, Tuesday Lunch Club, and more), weekly apartment cleaning, Community Manager support, and travel medical insurance. Airfare, airport transfers, and optional excursions are booked separately.

Budget tip from Jay: "A bottle of wine and dinner at our favorite little place on the street corner — if it costs 35 euros for two people, that's a lot." Many participants budget roughly $1,000 per person for the month to cover meals out, a few independent tours, and some home cooking. Seville is, by most American standards, genuinely affordable.

Is Seville Right for You?

If you're mostly retired, curious about the world, and ready to trade the packed itinerary for something that goes deeper — Seville may be exactly what you're looking for.

"We've traveled extensively," Jay reflected near the end of our webinar. "But it was always a week or two and you just had to move through things quickly. This is different. You get to go back. You know the inside of the cathedral and its history. It gives it more meaning."

The Good Life Abroad runs Signature Month-Long Programs in Seville during most months outside of summer. To explore available dates, pricing, and apartment configurations, visit thegoodlifeabroad.com/location/seville.

And as Dawn always says — See you in Sevilla.

Missed the live webinar? Watch the full recording on our Previous Webinars page. Ready to explore what a month abroad could look like for you? Request your free catalog or get in touch with our team.