Why should you travel to Seville, Spain?
What are all the attractions to see in Seville?
Which food can you eat in Seville and where can you eat them?
What kinds of drinks are available here?
Where to stay in Seville? Any recommended hotels and cheap hostels to stay?
Is there anything that you can buy in Seville?
I have answered all the questions regarding traveling to Seville. Treat this article as a travel guide to Seville.
At the outset, you should know where is Seville?
Seville is a big city in Spain. It is the capital city of Andalusia province of Spain. Andalusia is located in the Iberian Peninsula, in the southern-most part of Spain.
This means the Andalusia province surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Strait of Gibraltar, and the Mediterranean Sea.
How to reach Seville?
San Pablo Airport is an international airport. It receives flights from all parts of Europe. There are flights from certain cities of Africa too to the city. From wherever you are in Europe, check with British Airways if they operate a flight to Seville, Spain.
Overview of Seville.
The Spanish people, including the Moors, are permanent residents of Seville. They are collectively called Sevillians.
Situated on the delta of Guadalquivir River, Seville is famous for several centuries old lovely buildings built by various reigns including the Moors and the Romans.
As a tourist who can’t take your eyes of the old buildings with astonishing architecture, you would instantly fall in love with the cathedrals and palaces, tree-lined avenues and sunny roadside food stalls. The cuisine is a mixture of Spanish, Italian and Arabic.
However, don’t assume Seville is an old city that lacks the dynamism and comforts of the modern world. You will be astonished to see hotels of supreme luxury, trimly dressed Sevillians, crisp and clean restaurants and the rather relaxed atmosphere that is contagious to the tourists.
Places of attractions in Seville:
Overall, you will see several buildings of repute that include palaces, churches, and museums. I would say there are not many natural attractions of high repute. This is a Spanish city with all the old world charms and the new world comforts.
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Cathedral of St. Mary
What a beautiful church that is all Gothic style. This large cathedral dedicated to the Roman Catholics. Its beauty and age made the UNESCO announce it as one of the World Heritage Sites.
The St. Mary’s Cathedral was built in the early 16th century and is also the third largest cathedral in the world. It occupies a vast area of nearly 2,53,000 sq.ft!
Enlarge the photo of the St. Mary’s cathedral below and see to appreciate the grandiose of the building.
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Alcázar of Seville
It will be interesting to note that some part of this palace is still used by the old royal family members. The sprawling building’s courtyard speaks for the grandiose of the palace.
The UNESCO was wise to bring this ancient beauty under its wings and declared as a World Heritage Site. The Alcázar of Seville is the most visited tourist attraction, Seville.
The gardens inside the Alcázar of Seville should not be missed, folks, as there hundreds of fragrant flowering plants and also orange trees.
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Archive of the Indies
This is the third most visited tourist attraction in Seville. The imposing building is used to store old archived documents that are not of tourist interest but the 16th-century building which is also a UNESCO protected site.
The building is built in the Spanish Renaissance style.
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Torre Del Oro
What do you make of it? It was meant to be a watchtower located right on the banks of Guadalquivir River.
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Canoeing in the Guadalquivir River
It is a rare opportunity for you to navigate the river in a canoe watching the city of Seville pass by. If you do not happen to know canoeing, join another veteran rower in his kayak.
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City Hall
One more impressive building in Seville that was built in the beautiful Neoclassical style. The local Government functions from this building.
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Palacio de San Telmo
Look at the façade! Isn’t that imposing? The main quality of a 17th-century palace in this part of the world is the façade that would stop us in our stride and start it with our eyes fully opened.
From Palacio de San Telmo, the provincial Andalusian Government functions.
Another terrific view of this Sevillian attraction.
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Metropol Parasol
Seville’s most beautiful wooden structure built with astonishing taste and very creative design. It houses a sprawling shopping mall called, “Central Market”. Just above this shopping mall is an open area where a public plaza is the main attraction.
In addition, there is a large restaurant in another level of the building where several viewing platforms are constructed that give breathtaking views of the Seville City below.
Panoramic view of the Metropol Parasol
In the basement, an archeological complex is functioning.
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Maria Luisa Park
An impressive public park built along the Guadalquivir River in Seville is a place of public gathering, especially in the evening.
What you see above is the Plaza de España adjoining the Maria Luisa Park. It is a sprawling complex for the people of Seville to stroll leisurely.
Here is another view of the beautiful Plaza de España.
I think this one place is worthy of your trip to it. Absolutely gorgeous!
Food and drinks in Seville.
Let us see what a tourist can find it interesting and appetizing in the food and drink scene in Seville.
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Tapas bar
You will find them all over Spain and Seville is no exception. ‘Tapa’ means ‘snack’ or an appetizer or a starter in Spain. You must have heard about the Tapas bar’ in your city where the main theme is based on the typical Spanish eating and drinking joint.
Certainly, there will be about 25 or 30 tapas outlets in the city. Two of the Seville Tapas Bars are highly recommended.
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La Azotea Tapas
It is noted for friendly service and attractive presentation of food.
Visit their site to read the menu and the location.
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Plaza de la Gavidi
Address: Bodega Dos de Mayo, Plaza de la Gavidia, 6.
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Jamón ibérico
This is unique to Seville’s food scene. It is a pork dish that is also known as “Iberian Ham”.
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Gazpacho
Is it a stew or soup? The floating pieces of vegetables indicate it is a stew. In Seville, its people eat this stew cold.
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Serranito
The bigger portion on the plate is ‘Serranito”, a sandwich that is quite popular lunch and dinner time food.
An Andalusian food specialty, Serranito is mainly made of grilled pork, cured ham, tomato, and bell pepper. These make the filling and are sandwiched between two slices of locally made bread.
To make the meal full, French fries with mayonnaise sauce accompany the Serranito.
Surprisingly, Seville’s dessert list is rather big and interesting. Honey liberally used in the sweets that go by the names:
- Torrijas
- Roscos fritos
- Pestiños
- Magdalenas
- Yemas de San Leandro
Drinks in Seville
From what I gathered thus far, gin-based drinks and cocktails are the favorite drinks of Sevillians. Beer is also consumed in gallons because of the heat in Seville.
As far as the bars are concerned, you will find bars with different themes such as American, rooftop, and poolside.
If you want to know a 100% Sevillian drink, try Manzanilla. It will be amusing to know it is a ‘sherry’.
Another drink that is unique to Andalusia province of Spain is “Vino de Naranja”, an orange wine that tastes sweet!
Vermouth is also liberally used in Seville’scocktails.
Hotels to stay in Seville
I found the hotels in Seville charge unreasonably high price. It is not Madrid or Madrid; it is not yet earned a bright dot on the tourist radar.
Yes, there are budget-friendly hotels too but none that impressed me.
Whatever I liked are palace-converted hotels and big mansion that serve the tourists.
I will just mention a few hotels here that I foresee you will like.
Gran Meliá Colón Hotel
The reason why I like this cozy hotel is its location which is close to the popular shopping district. The Gran Meliá Colón is fairly large with 180+ rooms of various sizes and amenities.
Mercer Sevilla Hotel
The hotel looks posh and rich but the neighborhood has put me away. Otherwise, the hotel is sleek in interiors with marble and all.
The barman is adept in mixing creative cocktails. Whether you stay in this hotel or not, try to visit its fizz bar at least.
For animal and bird lovers:
Fauna
The Iberian Peninsula where Andalusia is located houses all the birds and animals that belong to the three seas namely the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and the Strait of Gibraltar.
Hundreds of species of migratory birds find it convenient to roost in Seville.
As far as the mammals are concerned, The Iberian Lynx is unique to this region.
Other wild animals seen in Seville:
Iberian Wolf
European Badger
Least Weasel
Looks pretty cute!
Common Genet
Avifauna:
Greater Flamingo
What can you buy in Seville?
The first choice would be buying several ‘abanicos’. Don’t have any clue as to what they are? The picture below will tell you.
Abanicos are paper fans. The moment you see hundreds of those paper fans in incredible colors, you would buy a minimum of 50 to be given away as gifts.
Apart from this colorful abanicos, other items that displayed in small shops are good to look at but they don’t entice you into buying.
My conclusion of traveling to Seville:
If you are a big admirer of Roman, Gothic, and Renaissance style of architecture, if you have a fine taste for gin-based innovative cocktails, you can plan a short trip to Seville, Spain.
