Seville or Jerez or other home base

Hola Pepita,

Since you will be in the Andalusian region for 3 to 4 weeks, I would go for Jerez as a home base. Jerez has the same Andalusian charm as Seville without all the crowds plus accommodation will cost you less then a big city like Seville. Jerez also has the famous cherry wine wineries in town and create more of an opportunity to bond with the local Spaniards living there. The kids will make friends fast and learn Spanish. Transportation wise, Seville is less then 1 hour by train or bus from Jerez. You have the option to visit and explore Seville anytime and return to a quiet setting in Jerez. Last but not least, you are very close to the Pueblos Blanco villages such as Arcos de la Frontera, Zahara, and the city of Cadiz from Jerez.

Hasta Luego

Either Sevilla or Jerez are good choices. They are both well connected to each other via a rail line and have good connections to other interesting towns like Cádiz or Córdoba too. I recall that in a previous post you mentioned you are interested in horses? In that case, Jerez is home to the Royal Andalucian Equestrian School, located in a historic nineteenth-century palace, so that may tip the scales in favor of Jerez. However, I think that a splendid idea would be to stay two weeks in Jerez and maybe another two weeks in Sevilla or Córdoba, just so that your children can compare and contrast two different towns.

Not certain which time of year you’re considering or the reason you’re headed to Andalucia, i.e., work, vacation, or immersion. Of the two places you mentioned, I’d probably choose Jerez. If you simply want to afford opportunities for the children and you intend to remain pretty much in your base town, then you could consider a smaller town like Rota, Arcos de la Frontera, or Chiclana. If you intend to do a lot of day trips, then maybe select Sevilla, but not necessarily in the historic center. Possibly stay in a town like Moron de la Frontera which is a short drive outside of Sevilla. I assume that with 3 or 4 weeks you’ll have a rental car, and there are many places within a hour or so drive from Sevilla. If you trip is in the June-August timeframe, then places like Rota or Chiclana will be more expensive since they are tourist destinations.

We don't have kids. I found Jerez to be more spread out and less pedestrian-friendly (I mean, distance-wise) than Seville. But maybe you're used to chauffeuring them around all day! You will have to look into whether there is enough for them to do there, but if I were going again (adults only ... ) I might stay at the Pousada in Carmona, which was just lovely, and would be even nicer at night.

Ronda is quite expensive, but it has a substantial base of local residents. And it's a beautiful place. As a New York City native, I would rather stay in Seville than in Jerez. Month of the year?

Pepita if you decide to choose either cities as a home base, you will have the opportunity to take day trips to Portugal, the Algarve region. It is not far from Seville or Jerez. Less then 4 hours by car. You can visit picturesque Algarve towns like Albufeira and Lagos.

Here's Pepita's earlier thread, from which I gathered that there would probably not be a rental car.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/where-to-live-in-spain-for-a-month-next-summer

Thanks for these great replies. I had to dash off but let me explain better ... I have the same cost for a long term stay apartment in either city. The one in Jerez is near the center (5 min walk) and the one in Seville is in the Triana area (15 min walk). I could look more but these are both acceptable and affordable.

I am fluent, the children are one-month of immersion away from fluent. :) I want them to have lots of opportunities to be around Spanish kids in local camps, local soccer pick-up, local play areas, local lessons. We will sightsee, but that is secondary to having a "living" experience and Spanish immersion. I want them purchasing our food at a good local market and ordering pastries at a good bakery. (A good fresh market and bakery are a must!). A good book store or library and public pool is always nice too. Horseback riding a bonus. We need to have things to do aside from drinking wine, as none of us drink. :)

I also want the train/bus service to be good because we would certainly make day, or longer, trips - definitely Portugal, the White Villages, Cordoba, and others.

You are all super kind and helpful! I am always so grateful for the time, attention and good help I receive here.

We will be there in June.

The first thing I thought of is that Cadiz and its beaches are a 30-40 minute train ride away from Jerez. The train station in Jerez is about 1-1.5 km from the center - depends on where in the center. The beach is walking distance from the Cadiz train station. Jerez is definitely more low key and fewer tourists. On the other hand, Sevilla has lots of interesting sights.