Seville, Spain

Ola Reader,

Seville, what a city!  I always knew I wanted to visit there, no, not because of the Seville marmalade I hasten to add, but there was some mystique about it, sun and history! Seville is the capital of the Andalucia region of Spain. Seville is influenced by Arabs, Jewish and Roman visitors and you will notice this in the city by the wonderful buildings and statues.

When I visited, I didn’t know what to expect.  

I went for a city break for a few days with my Mother who is a seasoned traveller. Unsure where I get that from 😉

We stayed in the Old Town in Seville which was located in the Jewish quarter which had narrowed and cobbled streets.   The Seville Cathedral could be seen from the  top of our hotel roof.  It was lovely to see the golden lights of the clocktower at night.

Our hotel was called Hotel FonteCruz ,Luxury Hotel Seville | Fontecruz Sevilla Seises | Official Site (fontecruzhoteles.com) Our hotel was fantastic, different, roomy and a wonderful breakfast to boot. Nearby, there were lovely bars with alfresco dining and fun people to chat too and get local tips from. I made friends with the local waiters and they gave me free local wine and tapas.

The first hour we had arrived in Seville, we found a restaurant with Flamenco and rioja. It was a local bar, no tourists and seemed more authentic and raw. Loved it.

Seville is easy to walk about, be mindful of the trams! Like all cities, there is  a Hop off, hop on tour which is useful to get a good view of the city.

We did a walking tour, it was fantastic, luckily we had our walking sandals on and enjoyed taking in the sights of many things including the below:

We visited the  Church of San Buenaventura which is in the centre of Seville which was a new baroque feel to it.

Onwards, we went to see the Setas which is a tall wooden structure, it’s called the mushroom.  It’s ok if you like that kind of architecture. I found it a bit disappointing Las Setas | Tourism of Seville (visitasevilla.es) It costs 3 euro.

After visiting the disappointing Setas, we went  to Plaza D’Espana, all I can say is wow.  It is free to goto and wander about. It opens at 8am and closes at 10pm.   Plaza De Espana  was built for the Spanish -American Exhibition in 1929. The beautiful ceramic tiles on the benches represent the 49 regions of Spain-it’s also a great instagram photo opportunity too.  Make sure you find it!  The building styles are different. Look out for the two towers and make sure you look all around you and up as you will see the lovely ceilings!  There is also the opportunity to hire a boat too that will take you on the semi circled lake.  You will recognise Plaza De Espana being used in film locations for many films/programmes or you can make your own travel video! There are lovely gardens to wander about in too.  We had some tasty tapas and a glass or two of rioja and took in the view. 

 We also went to the Real Alcazar de Seville which was a beautiful palace  located  in the old part of Seville. This is a wonderful palace to explore and is one of the oldest used palaces in the world.  You’ll notice the influences of all the cultures of Seville in the architecture, the Moorish designs, intricate carvings and the beautiful views of the gardens.  There is a lovely aura to the place and the tickets are reasonable, it is advisable to get to the castle early! We had a bit of a queue, but the nearby heladeria helped to cool us down. The website is: ▶ Real Alcazar of Seville – Official Website and Ticket Sales (alcazarsevilla.org)

On Mondays, admission is free. If you are a senior or student under the age of 25 you can get in for a discounted rate when you provide proof of an ID card/Uni card at the ticket office. There are ample opportunities to take photographs.

I loved Seville, exploring the city, I enjoyed the rich history and all the influences, I loved the people and the food too. Such a warm welcome, can’t wait to visit again soon.