julies

We've been to Seville and Barcelona. Much preferred Seville. Something about Barcelona just didn't grab us. Now we will be visiting Lisbon, and I am wondering what your impressions are if you have visited the other two cities and are able to offer some comparisons. This will help me to make a decision about how much time to spend there. I guess I should also say we are middle-aged and not looking for nightlife. Thanks.

Robert2533

These are three completely different cities, so a comparison would be a bit difficult to make since they have so little in common. Barcelona is very cosmopolitan. Sevilla is very classic and traditional Andalucian. Lisbon is old world Portuguese, traditional and starting to come into it's own.

Intrepid1

I'm sorry but when I visited Seville it didn't "grab" me as much as Barcelona continues to do so I understand how you feel.

I really wish you could tell us more about what is was in Seville that you liked more than what it wasn't in Barcelona.

I agree with Robert that Lisbon is very much old world Portuguese and that it is difficult to compare it to the other two cities but am topping this for you.

NEDSIRELAND

I've been to all three multiple times. Barcelona is the most European and the most modern of the three (but watch out for pickpockets); Sevilla has lots of moorish influence and it can be hotter than the hinges of hell there. The sea approaches to Lisbon rank it in the group of most beautiful ports in the world (along with Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco Sydney and Hong Kong). I found the Portuguese people in Lisbon to be much more 'laid back' and helpful than those (Spanish) in Sevilla.

Lisbon doesn't have Antonio Gaudi's buildings; but overall, I think it is a more attractive city than either of the other two. And Lisbon's seafood is fabulous!

JulieVikmanis

I would venture to say that Lisbon has more in common with Seville than with Barcelona, neither being as modern and foward looking as Barcelona. Lisbon is however, a larger city and a capitol city with all that that implies. It also has areas that are more "crumbly" than the well-kept, touristy seville. I'm just guessing here but think you will probably continue to like seville best of the three with Lisbon coming in second between the two.

julies

We liked the ambience of Seville, hanging out in Seville having tapas, the narrow winding streets, the historic sights etc. We would return again and would love to do so during Santa Semana. As I write this, I think I just started to figure out why this city is more appealing to me. We are really very interested in traditional culture and how it is expressed. We always make it a point to see if there are any traditional festivals going on.

Barcelona was interesting in a way, but just didn't say to us 'come back'. We loved the Gaudi park and taking in a concert at the fantastically beautiful concert hall. Barcelona tends to be more trendy, IMO, and we don't visit Europe to see trendy. Does this help?

p.s. Julie--I've seen other posts of yours. Are you also from MN? I live in Minneapolis.

JulieVikmanis

I used to live in Shoreview, a suburb just north of downtown St. Paul, but moved about 3 years ago to Ft. Lauderdale. I return during the summer for a few weeks each year. Perhaps we can russle up a Fodors GTG if we can find others here who'd be interested. I hosted one in FLL last year and it was great fun.