I recently went on a road trip in the South of Spain. We started off our trip in Seville. From Eindhoven (where we live) you can fly to Seville in about 3 hours. As you don’t need a car in Seville, we didn’t rent our car until the day we would leave and we took a taxi into the city center. A taxi from the airports costs a little over € 20, so this was cheaper than renting a car. We stayed in Seville for three nights and I think two days to explore this beautiful city is the absolute minimum.
Where to stay
We stayed in barrio Santa Cruz, which was my favorite neighbourhood of Seville. Here you will find the beautifully tiled and decorated houses with potted plants and everything is within walking distance. We switched hotels during our three night stay as the price of our hotel Las Casas de la Juderia varied enormously between days. After Las Casas de la Juderia we checked into Hotel Rey Alfonso X, which had a better breakfast and more sunbeds compared to the number of guests, but was also significantly less charming. Hotel Las Casas de la Juderia is situated in old houses, which are connected by a tunnel and several patio’s. It is worth visiting if only for wandering around; enjoying the beautiful plants and patio’s. There is a beautifully decorated roof top swimming pool, but the sunbeds were completely occupied early during the day, which was a great disappointment. Especially for the price we paid to stay in this hotel! Note that the water was still really cold in May, so it might not be worth paying extra for a hotel with a swimming pool (this does inflate your cost of staying significantly). Hotel Rey Alfonso X looks more businesslike, the hotel could be located everywhere and does not really breathe Seville like some other hotels do. However we booked it for good value and really enjoyed the scenic views of Seville from the rooftop terrace and pool. If you stay in a big hotel, with lots of facilities, expect to pay at least € 100 per night per room. Of course you can also book airbnbs!
Things to do
When you are done with strolling the beautiful streets of Santa Cruz there is lots of other activities you can do in Seville.
Real Alcazar: This was like a mini preview of the Alhambra for us. The Real Alcazar is the royal palace of Seville which is completely in Moorish style. The royal family still uses a part of this palace when they stay in Seville. Luckily you can visit parts of the palace and its gardens. Make sure you book your tickets online (€ 15), you will get a time slot and will be able to avoid the long ques. I couldn’t decide whether I loved the interiors or gardens more…
Plaza de Espana: This is a square/monument that is the beacon of Spain. The provinces of Spain are depicted in colorful tiling and it also features a canal, for which you can hire a rowing boat. It is a perfect site to stroll around for a few hours to enjoy the craftmanship. The park next to it is also worty of a visit and had lots of beautiful rose gardens in June.
Cathedral & Giralda: This is a beautiful cathedral with a tower (Giralda), it is located in the heart of Seville and you can see it from afar. You have to pay to enter the church, but then you will be able to climb the tower and visit the patio with oranges.
Metropol Parasol: This is a wooden construction in the shape of a big parasol. We wanted to visit the roof, but first we couldn’t find the ticket office and then there was a super long que. So be sure to plan better 😉 It is located in a less touristy neighborhood and just watching the structure is a cool activity.
Cycling: You can rent bicycles in several locations in the city. Sevilla has some nice neighborhoods to go cycling. You can cross the river to go to Triana and the banks of the river and the Maria Luisa park are also cool locations for cycling.
Food
Of course you also go to Seville for the food. Seville is full of tapas restaurants and I thought it was a really affordable city for food and drinks. Two of our favorite restaurants were:
Ovejas Negras: This is an uber-cool tapas restaurant. They have original tapas and classics with a modern twist. The wine is delicious, service is quick. Price-value was really good! We went back several times. Even if you “just” get a bar location, you should still stay because it is worth it.
Mammaracha: This restaurant features a cool plant wall and serves tasty meals as well. It is really popular, so you might have to wait a while. They mainly serve some light meals, it is not really tapas oriented.