Things To Know Before You Go to Seville

Getting There
I flew on Iberia directly from Paris to Seville. Iberia also flies to Seville from major U.S. cities, mostly connecting via New York and either Madrid or Barcelona. If you're already in Europe and you have some flexibility, be sure to check discount airlines like easyJet and Ryanair for ultra-cheap flights to nearby Málaga.

Where To Take Guitar or Dance Classes
I went to Taller Flamenco, a superbly well-organized school that runs courses in dance, guitar, compás (rhythm), and Spanish. All of the first three are taught in the latter. Class schedules can be tailored to pretty much any length of time, with a minimum of one week. The school also runs special two-week packages several times a year and offers discounts to returning students.

The major professional school in Seville is the Cristina Heeren Flamenco Foundation, which offers yearlong programs in dance, guitar, or singing.

In addition, walking around the streets of Seville, you'll see flyers put up by private instructors, and if you spend a little time in the city, it's not hard to find teachers by word of mouth.

Where to Stay
Taller Flamenco organized my accommodation in a basic shared apartment a 10-minute walk from the school. I liked my neighborhood, La Macarena, but all the central neighborhoods—including La Macarena, La Alameda, El Centro (downtown), El Arenal, and Barrio Santa Cruz—have plenty of street life, as well as hotels, bars, and restaurants. El Arenal and Barrio Santa Cruz are closest to the city's major monuments; Barrio Santa Cruz has the cutest old spruced-up buildings and is more expensive and touristy.

Eating and Drinking
Seville is an excellent city for strolling around and sampling different cafes and restaurants, and with many places serving tapas-sized portions, it's easy to indulge a taste for variety. You're unlikely to go wrong exploring, but a couple of places I liked included: The Café Hercules, on the corner of Calle Peris Mencheta and Calle Guadiana, for a laid back atmosphere that welcomed young Sunday-paper-readers, dignified tweed-clad matrons, and drag queens equally; also the Horno del Duque on Plaza del Duque, for the cakes.

Some bars I tried and liked included El Mundo on Calle Siete Revueltas and El Perro Andaluz on Calle Bustos Tavera. El Mundo has flamenco performances on Tuesday nights, when it charges a cover.

The Alameda de Hércules, a long plaza, is lined with bars and restaurants and has a busy nightlife virtually every night during the winter months. Sevillanos themselves go out in droves, but since the city attracts students from all over Europe, in many nightspots you'll hear a babble of languages.

Seeing Flamenco
Outside shops all over town, you'll see sandwich boards advertising tickets to shows.

Sol Café Cantante, a theater at Calle Sol 5, near Plaza de los Terceros, showcases new talent weekly. Reserve or inquire at (34) 954 225 165 or (34) 687 681 565.

For places where the patrons are the flamencos, try La Andaluza on Calle Arfe on weeknights, or, on Fridays and Saturdays, the Torre de La Macarena peña on Calle Torrigiano. And ask around.

Taller Flamenco distributes a leaflet listing performances and events around town each week.

During Seville's Feria de Abril, in April, and during the Flamenco Biennial (the next is in the fall of 2006), the city is jam-packed, and flamenco is in the very air—and on stage and on the street. During these events, accommodation can be expensive and hard to find.

Buying Music
Go to Compás Sur at Cuesta del Rosario 7-E.

Books
I thoroughly enjoyed Jason Webster's travel memoir Duende: A Journey Into the Heart of Flamenco, set in Alicante, Madrid, and the Andalusian city of Granada. I recommend the Rough Guide to Spain as a guidebook.

Andalusia has produced much fine literature, with the most famous ambassador of local culture the poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca. Many of the pieces in Miguel de Cervantes' Exemplary Stories are set in Seville.

Tips
Most businesses are closed on Sundays and from about 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on other days, though in this foreigner-friendly city, you'll still be able to find restaurants open in the city center.

Spain uses the euro, which is currently worth around $1.30 and rising. If you're coming from more northern parts of the eurozone, you'll find Seville wonderfully cheap. Two euros is typical for a glass of red wine, 1 euro for a café con leche.

Don't miss two local architectural wonders: the Alcázar, the 14^th-century Moorish fortress-palace later used by Spain's Catholic kings, and the Cathedral of Seville, an enormous Gothic structure that incorporates the Giralda, once a minaret, as its bell tower.