Spain
Independent Seville: A Mosaic of Ancient Cultures
Program No. 2391160MEADV-0219
Discover the rich cultural legacy of Seville as you explore the city alongside local experts, visit UNESCO World Heritage Sites and learn about Moorish architecture and Flamenco dance.
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This date is available to book as a private experience for your group!
9 days
8 nights
12 meals
7B 3L 2D
At a Glance
Welcome to Seville, where history flourishes around every corner and vestiges of ancient cultures are abundant in the Moorish architecture, Gothic cathedrals and centuries-old neighborhoods you’ll learn about on this educational adventure. In the south of Spain, join local experts on a journey through this bustling city’s cultural legacy, from its Ancient Roman origins to its role as the capital of Andalusia today. With plenty of time to explore on your own, gain insider’s knowledge of Seville’s rich past, visit breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage Sites and learn about the Old and New World traditions of its lively people.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
I like to spend much of the day exploring. Whether walking through historic neighborhoods at a moderate pace or out and about on a coach, I prefer to keep my days full. Stairs don’t bother me, and I love to keep up with the group.
Independent City Discoveries
Learn with a Group Leader and enjoy educational programming while also getting substantial independent time to explore on your own. Most Independent City Discoveries include lectures, self-guided excursions and passes for public transit and museums.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Explore the Alcázar Royal Palace with a local historian and attend a traditional Flamenco dance performance.
- Discover Córdoba, an important Islamic center from the Middle Ages, and study the Islamic and Jewish landmarks that still stand tall today.
- Learn how to make traditional Spanish paella during a hands-on cooking class with a professional chef.
General Notes
Program includes independent time to explore the city and most meals will be on your own to enjoy what you like. Group Leaders will provide directions for self-directed excursions. Suggestions for free-time activities are provided in preparatory materials.
Suggested Reading List
(12 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Independent Seville: A Mosaic of Ancient Cultures
Program Number: 23911
A day in the Life of Spain
This splendidly illustrated volume in the Day in the Life series and the first to focus on a European country depicts Spain on May 7, 1987, as captured by 100 international photojournalists. The photographs contrast modern and traditional life: the Iberia Airlines shuttle between Madrid and Barcelona that carries 3000 passengers a day; farm laborers and fishermen; topless sunbathers; a punk-rocker; men playing dominoes; the stock exchange; produce markets and coal miners; steelworkers and gypsy children; an assembly line and a subway-turnstile jumper; a bullfighting school and a flamenco dancer; windmills turned into weekend homes. Among the 275 color and black-and-white photographs, some images are brilliantly artistic, others amusing, moody, throbbing with hustle, charming or solemn, providing a lively close-up of a day in the life of this Iberian land.
https://www.amazon.com/Day-Life-Spain-Rick-Smolan/dp/0002179679/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=a+day+in+the+life+of+spain&qid=1571304931&s=books&sr=1-1
Contemporary Spain: A Handbook
This handbook to contemporary Spain and the Spanish language is packed with essential information on politics, economy, and institutions, covering the basics that are taken for granted by most Spaniards. Intended for readers without specialist knowledge in any of the subjects concerned, this is a valuable handbook for English-speaking students of Spanish.
https://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Spain-2Ed-Christopher-Ross-dp-0340762152/dp/0340762152/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1571305398
The Time in Between: A Novel
The Time in Between takes place in the 1930s and follows the story of a young Spanish woman who is suddenly abandoned by her lover in Morocco and has to forge a new life and identity for herself there. The Spanish Civil War is about to erupt and she cannot return home, so she begins using her skills as a seamstress to support herself. She soon becomes wrapped up in the politics of the time when she is approached to become a spy for the Allied Forces.
While the first part of the book doesn’t take place during Spain, it’s a different perspective of the Spanish Civil War, written by a female Spanish author as opposed to an expat man.
https://www.amazon.com/Time-Between-Novel-Maria-Duenas/dp/1451616899/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1571309683&sr=1-1
Ghosts of Spain: Travels through Spain and its silent past
The appearance, more than sixty years after the Spanish Civil War ended, of mass graves containing victims of Francisco Franco’s death squads finally broke what Spaniards call “the pact of forgetting”—the unwritten understanding that their recent, painful past was best left unexplored. At this charged moment, Giles Tremlett embarked on a journey around the country and through its history to discover why some of Europe’s most voluble people have kept silent so long.
Ghosts of Spain is the fascinating result of that journey. In elegant and passionate prose, Tremlett unveils the tinderbox of disagreements that mark the country today. Delving into such emotional questions as who caused the Civil War, why Basque terrorists kill, why Catalans hate Madrid, and whether the Islamist bombers who killed 190 people in 2004 dreamed of a return to Spain’s Moorish past, Tremlett finds the ghosts of the past everywhere. At the same time, he offers trenchant observations on more quotidian aspects of Spanish life today: the reasons, for example, Spaniards dislike authority figures, but are cowed by a doctor’s white coat, and how women have embraced feminism without men noticing.
Drawing on the author’s twenty years of experience living in Spain, Ghosts of Spain is a revelatory book about one of Europe’s most exciting countries.
https://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-Spain-Travels-Through-Silent/dp/0802716741/ref=sr_1_1?crid=29EZYTAR3HIV6&keywords=ghosts+of+spain+travels+through+spain+and+its+silent+past&qid=1571306235&sprefix=ghosts+of+spain%2Caps%2C221&sr=8-1
Art of Spain (Video)
Video.
Art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon travels from southern to northern Spain to tell the story of some of Europe's most exciting and vital art. Here, he presents an exploration of Moorish Spain.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b008wthr/episodes/guide
3 episodes
Only in Spain: A Foot-Stomping, Firecracker of a Memoir About Food, Flamenco and Falling in Love
In this exuberant memoir, an enthusiastic young Australian discovers a passion for Spanish culture (especially flamenco) as she explores Seville and Madrid.
https://www.amazon.com/Only-Spain-Foot-Stomping-Firecracker-Flamenco/dp/1402293852/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=only+in+spain+a+foot-stomping&qid=1571307498&s=books&sr=1-1
The world's strangest borders Part 2: Spain (Video)
Video (00:05:31)
There are some really weird borders in the world, and Spain is probably the cause of some of the strangest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6tJ-mvhznU
Andalus: Unlocking the secrets of Moorish Spain
Spain's Moorish past is evident everywhere you look. For centuries, Christians, Muslims and Jews lived in Spain side by side in peace, and it was home to some of the greatest minds in the world. After the Moors' expulsion in the seventeenth century, much of their knowledge, skill and artistry was lost. Jason Webster originally travelled to Spain to play the flamenco guitar. A qualified Arabist, he now embarks on a quest for Spain's forgotten Arab legacy, and gets embroiled with characters who are as wild and original as those he described so vividly in Duende. What lessons can we learn today from the harmony that existed for so long in medieval Spain - and from the subsequent expulsion of its Muslims and Jews?
https://www.amazon.com/Andalus-Unlocking-Secrets-Moorish-Spain/dp/0385605072/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=andalus+unlocking+the+secret&qid=1571305122&s=books&sr=1-1
We saw Spain die: Foreign correspondents in the Spanish Civil War
The war in Spain and those who wrote at first hand of its horrors. From 1936 to 1939 the eyes of the world were fixed on the devastating Spanish conflict that drew both professional war correspondents and great writers. Ernest Hemingway, John Dos Passos, Josephine Herbst, Martha Gellhorn, W.H. Auden, Stephen Spender, Kim Philby, George Orwell, Arthur Koestler, Cyril Connolly, André Malraux, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and others wrote eloquently about the horrors they saw at first hand. Together with many great and now largely forgotten journalists, they put their lives on the line, discarding professionally dispassionate approaches and keenly espousing the cause of the partisans. Facing censorship, they fought to expose the complacency with which the decision-makers of the West were appeasing Hitler and Mussolini. Many campaigned for the lifting of non-intervention, revealing the extent to which the Spanish Republic had been betrayed. Peter Preston's exhilarating account illuminates the moment when war correspondence came of age.
https://www.amazon.com/We-Saw-Spain-Die-preston-paul/dp/1845299469/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1D3JDK03444NF&keywords=we+saw+spain+die&qid=1571309824&s=books&sprefix=we+saw+spai%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C212&sr=1-1
The New Spaniards
Modern-day Spain is a country changing at bewildering speed. In less than half a century, a predominantly rural society has been transformed into a mainly urban one. A dictatorship has become a democracy. A once-repressed society is being spoken of as a future ‘Sweden of the Mediterranean’.
John Hooper’s masterly portrayal of the country and its people explores the causes behind these changes. Focusing on issues that affect ordinary Spaniards – from crime to education and from gambling to changing sexual mores – it paints a fascinating picture of contemporary Spanish society. This revised, updated edition incorporates some 70,000 words of fresh material and three new chapters, including sections on immigrants and Romanies and the Spaniards’ efforts to come to terms with their past. It is the essential guide to understanding twenty-first-century Spain: a land of paradox, progress and social change.
https://www.amazon.com/New-Spaniards-2nd-John-Hooper/dp/0141016094/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1JF800OQAF8QI&keywords=the+new+spaniards&qid=1571309508&s=books&sprefix=the+new+span%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C212&sr=1-1
Arabs in Spain (Video)
Video (00:29:11)
Award winning documentary.
Fascinating and beautifully shot documentary which examines the spread of Islam and how its crusaders finally took most of Spain, arriving from Morocco in 711. In one summer the "Arabs had taken half of the peninsular and in five years controlled almost all of the country".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gqrBXG6ec4
10 Things you MUST know before coming to Spain (Video)
Video (00:14:22)
How does tipping work in Spain? What are tapas? What time to do shops open? What are the Spanish eating hours? Do Spaniards take siestas? James Blick answers the top 10 Spain travel tips so you can explore Spain like a local!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPBzlSvp_Nk
Program
At a Glance
Duration
9 days
Program Begins
Seville
Program Concludes
Departure
Meals
12
| 7B |
3L |
2D |
Activity Level
Welcome to Seville, where history flourishes around every corner and vestiges of ancient cultures are abundant in the Moorish architecture, Gothic cathedrals and centuries-old neighborhoods you’ll learn about on this educational adventure. In the south of Spain, join local experts on a journey through this bustling city’s cultural legacy, from its Ancient Roman origins to its role as the capital of Andalusia today. With plenty of time to explore on your own, gain insider’s knowledge of Seville’s rich past, visit breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage Sites and learn about the Old and New World traditions of its lively people.)
Best of all, you'll...
- Explore the Alcázar Royal Palace with a local historian and attend a traditional Flamenco dance performance.
- Discover Córdoba, an important Islamic center from the Middle Ages, and study the Islamic and Jewish landmarks that still stand tall today.
- Learn how to make traditional Spanish paella during a hands-on cooking class with a professional chef.
General Notes
Program includes independent time to explore the city and most meals will be on your own to enjoy what you like. Group Leaders will provide directions for self-directed excursions. Suggestions for free-time activities are provided in preparatory materials.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
I like to spend much of the day exploring. Whether walking through historic neighborhoods at a moderate pace or out and about on a coach, I prefer to keep my days full. Stairs don’t bother me, and I love to keep up with the group.
Independent City Discoveries
Learn with a Group Leader and enjoy educational programming while also getting substantial independent time to explore on your own. Most Independent City Discoveries include lectures, self-guided excursions and passes for public transit and museums.
Suggested Reading List
View Full List
(12 Books)
You can also find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
HAVE QUESTIONS?
Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone?
We can help. Give us a call, and we can answer all of your questions!
Call
800-454-5768
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
9 days
8 nights
What's Included
12 meals | 7B | 3L | 2D |
2 expert-led lectures
9 expert-led field trips
1 hands-on experience
1 performance
An experienced Group Leader
7 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
Day
1
In Transit to Program
Location:
In Flight
Day
2
Arrive Seville, Check-in, Orientation, Welcome Dinner
Location:
Seville
Meals:
D
Stay:
NH Sevilla Plaza de Armas
Activity Note
Hotel check-in available by 3:00 pm. Walking approx. 1 mile; about 1/2 hour; cobblestones and narrow streets
Morning:
Upon arrival, leisurely check into your room before orientation.
Lunch:
On your own to enjoy what you like.
Afternoon:
Orientation: The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures and answer questions. This is a Road Scholar Independent program. It is designed for participants who want high-level Road Scholar instruction, a few group activities, and who are capable and comfortable setting out on their own for a significant part of the day/night. There will be several hours of educational content most days. Most meals will be on your own (excluded from the program cost) to enjoy what you like. Dinner in Spain generally takes place later than in North America and meal opportunities on your own will provide ample free time for personal independent exploration. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to make suggestions. During many of our visits we will encounter winding, narrow and cobblestone streets and some uneven ground, stairs and steps. Comfortable and sturdy footwear is highly recommended. There will be extensive daily walking, often up to 4 miles, approx. 1-4 hours, at a steady pace. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. After orientation we’ll set out with our Group Leader for a walking exploration of the area around the hotel, as we get our first taste of the city of Seville.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant in Seville we´ll enjoy a welcome dinner with a delicious set menu with a choice of one beverage included; other beverages are available for purchase
Evening:
At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.
Day
3
Cathedral, Moors & Andalusia Lecture
Location:
Seville
Meals:
B,L
Stay:
NH Sevilla Plaza de Armas
Activity Note
Walking up to 3-4 miles; periods of standing, cobblestone streets and some uneven ground, stairs and steps. Steady pace; Sturdy comfortable footwear is highly recommended. Extent and duration of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
Hotel buffet.
Morning:
We will depart by walk to meet a local historian who will walk us into the Cathedral, one of the world´s largest and packed with historic treasures and art. The 343-ft bell tower, the Giralda, the symbol of Seville, is in fact all that remains of the mosque built before the Christians conquered the city in 1248. It was used as a cathedral until earthquake damage caused the Christians to start building a Gothic cathedral on the site in 1401. Construction lasted more than 100 years, paid for partly by gold and silver from the New World. One altar is made entirely of Mexican silver.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant in Seville we´ll enjoy a a delicious set menu with a choice of one beverage included; other beverages are available for purchase
Afternoon:
After lunch, at the Center for Cross-Cultural Study headquarters we will enjoy a cultural class on the importance of the Moors’ presence in the region. The Moors ruled parts of Andalusia from the early 8th until the late 15th centuries – 800 years of history. Their legacy, especially in terms of what we can see today, was considerable, with two of the region’s most important monuments – the Alcázar of Seville and Granada's Alhambra - dating from Moorish times. Both are UNESCO World Heritage sites. These tribes from North Africa left an outstanding cultural legacy behind them in Al-Andalus, or Andalucía as it is today. Free time for personal independent exploration.
Dinner:
On your own to enjoy what you like. On-site staff will be happy to make suggestions.
Evening:
At leisure.
Day
4
Alcazar Royal Palace, Jewish Quarter, Meeting locals
Location:
Seville
Meals:
B
Stay:
NH Sevilla Plaza de Armas
Activity Note
Walking up to 3-4 miles; cobblestone streets and some uneven ground, stairs and steps. Steady pace; Sturdy comfortable footwear is highly recommended. Extent and duration of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
Hotel buffet.
Morning:
We will depart for walk with our Group Leader to the extraordinary Alcázar Royal Palace and gardens and meet a local expert who will guide our explorations. This UNESCO Royal residence incorporates architectural and artistic influences from its beginnings as a Moorish fort into the Middle Ages and on through the Renaissance and Baroque eras to the 19th century. Still used by the royal family, it is the oldest royal palace in Europe and one of the most beautiful with its striking Mudéjar (Moorish influenced) design and ornamentation.
Lunch:
On your own to explore the local fare
Afternoon:
Meet with local families, learn all about the realities of family life in Spain, as you enjoy lunch an afternoon at their homes.
Dinner:
On your own to enjoy what you like. On-site staff will be happy to make suggestions
Evening:
At leisure.
Day
5
Contemporary Spain Lecture, Plaza de España, Free Time
Location:
Seville
Meals:
B
Stay:
NH Sevilla Plaza de Armas
Activity Note
Walking up to 3-4 miles; periods of standing, cobblestone streets and some uneven ground, stairs and steps. Steady pace; Sturdy comfortable footwear is highly recommended. Extent and duration of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
Hotel buffet.
Morning:
We will walk to the Center for Cross-Cultural Study headquarters where we will enjoy a cultural class on contemporary Spain, learning about the changes to Spanish society since the death of Franco and the advent of democracy in 1975. We’ll discuss family structure, schooling, social care, the current economic and political situation, and what lies in store for the future. After the lecture you can take this opportunity to join our visit to Plaza de España & María Luisa Park with our Group Leader: María Luisa Park is the most famous park in Seville. Formerly the private gardens of a palace, the land was donated to the Seville citizens after the death of the princess, and reformed with a romantic touch inspired by the gardens in Granada and Seville. In 1910 the park was chosen as the main location for the Ibero-American Exhibition of 1929, and many pavilions were designed and built in this area of the city. Framed in the park, Plaza de España was the centerpiece of the exhibition and consists of a magnificent structure in a large semi-circle, built in the style of Moorish Revival architecture. Surrounding the building there are 48 sets of tiled benches, each dedicated to a province of Spain. This plaza-palace is unique in the world and it is, without a doubt, one of the most imposing squares in Spain.
Lunch:
On your own to enjoy what you like. On-site staff will be happy to make suggestions
Afternoon:
Free time for personal independent exploration
Dinner:
On your own to sample the local cuisine
Evening:
At leisure.
Day
6
Córdoba Great Mosque, Synagogue, Jewish Quarter
Location:
Seville
Meals:
B,L
Stay:
NH Sevilla Plaza de Armas
Activity Note
Driving approx. 175 miles total throughout the day. Walking up to 4 miles; periods of standing, cobblestone streets and some uneven ground, stairs and steps. Steady pace; Sturdy comfortable footwear is highly recommended. Extent and duration of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
Hotel buffet.
Morning:
Departing from the hotel by private bus for a full-day field trip to explore some of the most important sites in Córdoba, the crossroads of civilizations and mainstay of Islamic and Jewish heritage in Spain. While here, we’ll enjoy expert-led explorations of the Great Mosque and Cathedral, and one of the last-standing ancient synagogues in Spain. We’ll stroll through the geranium-filled Judería, once Córdoba's Jewish Quarter, and site of a monument to the famous philosopher Maimónides.
Lunch:
At a typical restaurant in Córdoba, we’ll have a set menu with one beverage selection included; other beverages available for purchase.
Afternoon:
A short free time in Córdoba to explore on your own after lunch. We will return to Seville late afternoon.
Dinner:
On your own to sample the local cuisine.
Evening:
At leisure
Day
7
Itálica, Flamenco show
Location:
Seville
Meals:
B,D
Stay:
NH Sevilla Plaza de Armas
Activity Note
Driving approx. 15 miles total throughout the day. Walking up to 3 miles; periods of standing, cobblestone streets and some uneven ground, stairs and steps. Steady pace; Sturdy comfortable footwear is highly recommended. Extent and duration of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
Hotel Buffet
Morning:
We will depart via private bus for a field trip to the Roman ruins of Itálica, just outside Seville, for an expert-led exploration with a local historian of this birthplace of two Roman emperors. This Roman city 10 minutes from Seville was founded in 206 BC and shows today a 25,000-seater amphitheater which has partially survived, as well as some remarkable mosaics. Afterwards, we will return to Seville to have some free time and enjoy the city.
Lunch:
On your own to enjoy what you like. On-site staff will be happy to make suggestions
Afternoon:
Free time. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Afterwards we will depart from the hotel for a walk to a local “tablao” and see flamenco come alive at an intimate show.
Dinner:
At a restaurant, we’ll have a set menu with one beverage selection included; other beverages available for purchase.
Evening:
At leisure.
Day
8
Triana Quarter, Paella Cooking Class, Free Time
Location:
Seville
Meals:
B,L
Stay:
NH Sevilla Plaza de Armas
Activity Note
Walking up to 3-4 miles throughout the day; cobblestone streets and some uneven ground, stairs and steps. Steady pace; Sturdy comfortable footwear is highly recommended. Extent and duration of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
Hotel buffet.
Morning:
Free time for personal independent exploration. You can take this opportunity to join a visit to the Triana Quarter with our Group Leader: Old and modern shops, traditional bars and trendsetting places harmoniously mingle in the streets of Triana, thus creating a lively microcosm inside Seville. This historic neighborhood is located on the banks of the River Guadalquivir, and since Roman times it has been the cradle of artists, sailors, bullfighters and potters. A Gothic-Mudejar church (the oldest Christian temple in town), colorful waterfront buildings on calle Betis, a ceramics museum, or the old headquarters of the Spanish Inquisition underneath a renowned fresh-produce market, are some of the sights of the most photographed district of the city. The area is also home to some of the city’s last remaining authentic ceramics manufacturers. Then we will have a hands-on cooking class led by a local chef. We will learn about and cook the most popular traditional Spanish dish: Paella
Lunch:
Share your favorite experiences with your new Road Scholar friends over a tasty Paella for your Farewell lunch with sangria and water included
Afternoon:
Free time. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
Dinner:
On your own to enjoy what you like. On-site staff will be happy to make suggestion
Evening:
At leisure. Be sure to prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Day
9
Program Concludes
Location:
Departure
Meals:
B
Activity Note
Hotel check-out by 12:00 Noon. See your program’s travel details regarding transfers.
Breakfast:
Hotel Buffet
Morning:
If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
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MEALS
12 Meals
7 Breakfasts
3 Lunches
2 Dinners
LODGING
Lodgings may differ by date. Select a date to see the lodgings specific to that date.
Showing Lodging For:
- Oct 14, 2024 - Oct 22, 2024
Participant Reviews
Based on 6 Reviews
Sort By:
I found the program very helpful and educational. The Group leader was very helpful and knowledgeable. I would highly recommend both the program and the group leader.
— Review left September 29, 2024
This was my sixth Road Scholar program and did not disappoint. Seville is a beautiful, fascinating city and my partner and I enjoyed both the planned activities and the free time exploration. Highest praises!
— Review left May 24, 2024
I loved this trip, but found it a little more challenging than described. "Walking up to 4 miles a day" should be "at least 4 miles a day." According to my tracker I walked at least 4 miles a day, one day 6 miles. My cane with the folding chair seat was a life-saver. At least taxis were easily available when I needed them to return to the hotel.
Our guide Lucia was wonderful, she made the trip very special. She accompanied us on many of the free time activities and took us to restaurants that natives used, rather than ones catering to tourists, so we got to experience an authentic atmosphere and cuisine. Her recommendations for sights and activities during our free time were very helpful.
The educational lectures were outstanding. The professional guides in the Cathedral, Alcazar, and Cordoba were very informative and helpful.
I fell in love with Seville, and look forward to returning.
— Review left May 24, 2024
It was a very comprehensive and enjoyable program. Had a lot of fun too. Great group. Seville is beautiful.
— Review left May 24, 2024
This program is an outstanding way to get to know one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in the world. There is just enough balance between structured tours, lectures and activities and free time.
— Review left May 18, 2024
We’d been looking forward to this trip for months and were not disappointed. Seville is absolutely enchanting, with history and beauty around every corner. Road Scholar ensured we saw all the major sites and left plenty of time to see others that appealed to us. We appreciated the two lectures that helped us better understand the city’s history and culture. And the specialist guides who took us around Seville Cathedral and the Cathedral/Mosque of Cordoba were excellent. We emerged with a genuine appreciation of the many layers of Andalusian culture.
The small size of the group meant that we were pretty cohesive. We were fortunate to have a guide (Lucia) who herded us all over the city with great panache. Her ability to relate to every member of the group and her willingness to make special arrangements for individuals were greatly appreciated. She ensured every day was an adventure.
Were we to do another Road Scholar trip, we would make our own travel arrangements. At one point, when health concerns forced us to change our travel arrangements, Road Scholar made the whole process unnecessarily costly and complicated.
— Review left October 26, 2023
