Sunny skies, quaint cobblestone streets, amazing tapas, and of course Spanish historical sights and traditions… Seville should be your next vacation spot! Seville is located in southern Spain in what is known as the Andalucía region. This destination came as a suggestion from a family member who knew how much I loved smaller cities. Without entirely knowing what to expect of Seville I was pleasantly surprised at just how much I truly fell in love with the city.
I visited in September, and it was absolutely perfect. The weather in southern Spain can be quite hot during the summer months. Therefore, visiting during the earlier months such as April or May or the later months of September and October would be ideal for those looking to avoid temperatures above 100.
This blog post will touch upon where we stayed, things we did, and favorite places we ate. Hopefully this will help to plan your upcoming trip to Seville.
Where To Stay in Seville
Hotel Boutique Casa del Poeta
I have to say there is a thing about staying in a boutique hotel in Europe. From all my experiences they are super charming, detail oriented and go above and beyond when it comes to service. Hotel boutique Casa Del Poeta was no exception. Greeted with a welcome drink and snack, we were shown a map of the area and offered additional help for making daily plans as well as dining reservations.
The hotel is located in the heart of Seville only three minutes from the cathedral and just steps away from the Royal Alcazar Palace. The Hotel has only 17 rooms thus making it a very personalized experience. Our room was super cute, simple but chic with high ceilings and wonderful amenities. The morning offers a breakfast in the open-air lobby for those choosing to dine in as well as a cocktail hour in the same open-air lobby each evening accompanied by a live guitarist. I would absolutely stay at this hotel again when returning to Seville.
Things To Do in Seville
Visit the Royal Alcazar of Seville. WOW just WOW this palace was unbelievable… I guess that is why it was selected to be the location of Dorne in the Game of Thrones series. The palace itself is absolutely stunning, the attention to detail in the walls and ceilings with such intricate tiling is jaw dropping. The palace has Moorish and Christian history and is one of the oldest palaces still in use in Europe. We booked a tour of the palace through “Not Just A Tourist” so we could learn about the history. Once the tour was finished, we spent time on our own to reexplore the palace and the immaculate gardens. (Make sure to book tickets ahead to avoid the line)
Visit Plaza de Espana which is what I’d consider the major plaza in Seville. The plaza dates to 1929 and is a half-circle complex with four bridges, a canal and tiled alcoves representing each province of Spain (all different and unique). The building in the plaza is used nowadays by the government but the plaza itself hosts many events for the people of Seville including festivals and concerts. You can also find rowboats on the canal for fun!
Visit Parque de Maria Luisa, the most famous park of Seville located beside Plaza de Espana. This is a public park donated by Maria Luisa and used for locals and visitors to walk, run, bike or simply relax. Definitely worth walking through before or after visiting Plaza de Espana.
Visit Cathedral de Sevilla which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the center of town. We took a tour of the Cathedral where we learned the original building was a mosque, later converted into a Gothic Cathedral.
Climb La Giralda (access via Cathedral de Sevilla). This is the bell tower attached to the cathedral and can be climbed using the sloping corridor 104 meters high (originally created to allow horses to climb upwards).
Visit the Metropol Parasol otherwise known as the “Mushrooms of Seville.” The mushrooms are claimed to be the world’s largest wooden structure appearing 490 ft by 230 ft and feature a walkway through the middle.
Visit Plaza de Toros de La Real Maestranza de Callaberia otherwise known as the Bull Ring of Seville. Depending on when you visit you can buy tickets to attend a bull fight or if that’s not up your alley you can still visit the ring and museum to learn more about the fighting, equipment and costumes. The stadium itself was rather impressive…maybe I had low expectations, but it was well maintained with beautiful details. Definitely something different that is worth visiting!
Watch a Flamenco Show. Flamenco is the tradition dance, song and music of southern Spain. Traditional shows will include guitars, vocalists and both male and female dancers to story-tell anger, sadness, passion and happiness. There are so many shows to pick from in Seville, so we went with the hotels recommendation and saw the Flamenco Dance Museum show (which is a little more touristic as there is a stage and beautiful costumes). More local shows can be found across the river in Triana with equally talented dancers but no stage and less extravagant costumes so it’s absolutely personal preference.
Best Places to Eat in Seville
Of course, Spain is widely known for its tapas style food. Each day we would randomly pick a spot for lunch where we could dine outside and enjoy some local tapas. I didn’t specifically write down any of the places we chose for lunch, but they were all located on C. Mateos Gago (the street in front of the cathedral always packed with people). All the lunches were great so you really can’t go wrong.
El Pinton is a chic and innovative tapas restaurant serving fantastic small plates and cocktails. Kevin loved the drinks so much we ate here for dinner and returned for lunch another day. The interior is simple, modern and trendy and the food was a great start to our trip. I’d recommend the muscles, salmon and ribs.
El Traga serves traditional Andalusian cuisine of the highest quality in an upscale environment. The staff are super friendly and attentive, and the food was delicious. We shared the shrimp tartare; each had a steak and finished it off with a deconstructed cheesecake (Wow!)
El Pasaje Santa Maria La Blanca is Mediterranean cuisine featuring a menu offering a range of matured meats. Dining is offered both indoor in simplistic/modern environment or outside on the patio amongst the bustling streets of Seville. Kev ordered a steak from the impressive menu while I opted for salmon and we both thoroughly enjoyed our meals. To top it off we indulged in the chocolate molten cake with vanilla ice cream, and it was yummy!!
L’Oca Giuliva is a small Italian restaurant located steps away from the Cathedral on C. Mateos Gago. Yes…I know we’re in Spain, but can you really go wrong with Italian? This restaurant is owned and operated by a family from central Italy and the food proves it! We shared the caprese salad and ordered individual pizzas and they were beyond delicious! It is definitely a popular pick as there was a line forming outside before the doors opened and they turned away most walk-ins, so I highly recommend making reservations!
