Travel Diary: Seville

Why Seville?
How to get to Seville?
How to get around Seville?
Accommodation in Seville
Eating in Seville
What to visit in Seville?
When to visit Seville
How long to stay in Seville?
What is the atmosphere in Seville?

Why Seville

If Spain is a country rich in cultural terms, Seville is on this point one of its capitals, reflecting the diversity of the country. A meeting point (sometimes stormy in the past) between the Christian world and the Muslim world, between the West and the East, the city draws from its past not only stigmas but an incomparable heritage.

And given its geographical location, Seville is a perfect city to visit when the rest of Western Europe starts to enter into autumn or winter.

Going to Seville

Although Seville is a tourist capital, the quality of transportation to get there from Paris is quite poor. Today San Pablo airport is mostly served from Paris by low-cost direct flights. And as for any city that attracts a majority of tourists, the offer (and the price) also depends on the season. Overall we recommend Vueling or Transavia.

In the summer of 2020 Air France will have its own service to Seville, although it is not known whether this route will last.

And if you want to travel on a “normal” airline and you have nothing against connections we recommend Lufthansa which offers excellent prices in economy via Frankfurt …. and business class fares not much more expensive than the eco of some.

In any case, for a trip in November and regardless of the class of travel, it is undeniably the best we have found from Paris, in all classes of travel.

See the story of my flight from Frankfurt to Seville.

See the story of my flight from Seville to Frankfurt.

Once at the airport the cab ride to the city center is quite fast, count less than half an hour. For private drivers enthusiasts Uber operates in Seville but you can take the excellent “Free Now” (formerly MyTaxi), a subsidiary of BMW and Daimler Financial Services, which is cheaper.

Getting around Seville

In a city like Seville, it would be a shame to abuse transportation and not enjoy the charms of a city that can be visited on foot with pleasure.

Subway and tramway are embryonic but allow to cover the backbone of the city. The bus network is developed and will satisfy your needs without any problem.

Another practical way: electric scooters, which during my stay were at least as plentiful as in Paris, but in a more disciplined way because of the profusion of bike paths and pedestrian zones. Moreover the bicycle remains a very adapted means to the city for those who do not want to walk too much.

But again, full of pedestrian streets and offering an ideal setting for this Seville is in my opinion a city to visit on foot and to do otherwise is almost criminal. Then a poorly located hotel (see below…) or the climate can make you reduce the distance to the city center without too much effort…but that’s another story.

Accommodation in Seville

There is no shortage of hotels in Seville and there are hotels at all prices and for all tastes. It is recommended to be close to the historical center (around the cathedral) in order to be quickly at work and to walk only in a useful way. As far as I am concerned, I tested two hotels.

The first, the AC Hotel Ciudad de Sevilla. Superior mid-range hotel with decent quality for those who don’t care about the thickness of the mattress.

More seriously it has a drawback: at 2,2km from the center it will impose you a small 1/2 hour walk to go to the cathedral without seeing much of interest on your way and even more for sites like the Macarena or the Triana district.

The Alfonso XIII. We are talking about an emblematic building of the city and one of the most famous hotels in Spain. And its location is ideal.

Even if you don’t stay there, it is one of the places to see and visit for an afternoon tea.

If you want to treat yourself, this is the place to be…but you’ll have to juggle dates to find it at affordable prices.

But the offer is so rich that I have no doubt that you will find something to suit you.

Eating in Seville

Seville does not fail the tradition of the country: as almost everywhere in Spain there are ways to eat very well at very affordable prices. Here again there is everything at every price with this golden rule in Spain: the food may not be as refined and fine as in France but it is almost impossible to have a bad meal!

So I tested a little bit all the styles.

In the popular tables series in the good sense of the word: the Orangier! It’s simple, it’s good, the staff is adorable and it’s not expensive.

A popular neighborhood restaurant, therefore, and visibly renowned. A bit out of the way but perfect if you sleep at the AC Ciudad de Sevilla for example.

More sophisticated and trendy, the Ena of the chef Carles Abellan which is a Tapas restaurant located in the Alfonso XIII.

Some rare innovations on the dishes but especially the concept of tapas pushed to a quite interesting level of quality and refinement.

But if you have a good appetite the bill can go up.

A beautiful terrace…which does not spoil anything.

My favorite: the De La O.

A little out of the way in Triana it’s creative, it’s good, it’s passionate, it’s committed, it’s beautiful, the staff is lovely and the bill is sweet.

I will return without any questionning..

My half disappointment: the San Fernando.

It is the “fine dining” restaurant of the Alfonso XIII and as such one expects a lot from it.

So yes it was good but I expected dishes with a little more pep, here I had to deal with a cuisine that was too much purring on its certainties and was content to be good where we expected to have a little dream.

Due to the Arab influence, you will be surprised to see a lot of Middle-Eastern restaurants in the good restaurants of the city with a bit of rip-off in my opinion when I looked at the menus of some pseudo-Lebanese.

But don’t worry, you will find good restaurants at all prices, but be careful to avoid the few tourist traps mainly located around the cathedral.

What to visit in Seville?

The cultural offer of Seville is such that it is impossible to be exhaustive. I didn’t necessarily get to see everything I had planned but here are the essentials.

The cathedral of Seville and the Giralda

It is impossible to miss the Cathedral of Seville, a Unesco World Heritage Site, as well as the Giralda, a minaret located next door and an emblem of the Muslim presence in Seville.

The cathedral was built between the 13th and 16th centuries in the Gothic style. The Giralda, its bell tower, is the remnant of a mosque that stood in the same place.

It is one of the largest Catholic cathedrals in the world and the largest in Spain.

Take your time to visit its 500,000 m2.

The Cathedral is only open 4 to 5 hours a day outside of July and August and to avoid queues I recommend buying your ticket online in advance.

Fortunately it seems that the influx of visitors is well controlled and if the tourists are numerous it is not oppressive and you have enough room to visit without stepping on each other’ feet.

Visits are free on Mondays…not a good day if you didn’t buy online and don’t want to wait in line for 2 hours.

If you buy your tickets online you will see that various tours are proposed.

If you take a guided tour and it starts too late in the afternoon to allow you to see the rest quietly, know that in this case you can come and finish your visit the next day upon presentation of your ticket.

After weighing the pros and cons I took the guided tour of the terraces.

A choice that I did not regret because it allows you to know much more about the construction of the cathedral and allows you to visit areas of the cathedral invisible otherwise.

Another interest of this “aerial” visit, a unique view of the Giralda.

Finally, I would like to point out that the stairs used during this visit are very well maintained, rarely too steep and in the end pose no problem for a person in average or even inferior physical condition.

Negative point: at the end of the visit I only had time to see the cathedral and not the Giralda. The next day was my last day and for once it rained a lot in the morning which prevented me from finishing my visit. The Giralda will be for another time and I do not regret this choice at all, on the contrary.

If I had to do it again, I would book my tickets before leaving to be able to visit as soon as it opens and thus have a full day on the site.

The Alcazar

Another emblematic building of the city it is located just in front of the cathedral. However, this is not a reason to have both in the same day, two main courses in one meal is a bit much. I therefore advise to visit them on two separate days and to complete each day by some less demanding sites.

If the first building dates from the 8th century, it was constantly enlarged and improved until the 13th century, first by the Arabs and then by the kings of Spain. Over the years, new rooms and gardens were created.

Again, online booking is recommended to avoid unnecessary queues. And don’t make the same mistake I did: take the package that includes the “royal high room”.

For the anecdote, the Alcazar has long been the residence of the royal family when they stay in Andalusia. Now they prefer to reside at the Alfonso XIII.

The Plaza de España

If the cathedral and the Alcazar are the highlights of Seville, my favorite is the Plaza de España.

Designed for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, like the Alfonso XIII, it was built between 1914 and 1928 and covers an area of 50,000 m2.

The towers at each end of the palace are miniature replicas of the Giralda.

The square is 200 meters long and the canal that separates it from the palace is spanned by bridges that are references to the kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, Navarre and Leon.

The bas-reliefs on the facade of the palace represent 48 of the 50 provinces of Spain with its coat of arms, its map, and a mosaic illustrating a moment of its history.

The Church of the Divine Savior (Iglesia collegial del Salvador).

Built ( too ) on the site of a former mosque, it is the second largest church in the city after the Cathedral.

Its construction took place from 1674 to 1712.

The Hospice of the Venerable Ones (Hospital de Los Venerables)

Baroque building of the 17th century built to serve as a home for poor retired priests, it now houses the headquarters of the Velázquez Center dedicated to the painter of the same name.

The building can of course be visited as such.

But there is also an exhibition of paintings by Velasquez and other painters like Murillo on the ground floor. On the floors there are exhibitions of contemporary artists.

The house of Pilate (Casa de Pilatos)

Aristocratic palace built in the center of Seville in the 15th and 16th century and incarnation with the Alcazar of the Andalusian architecture.

Basilica of the Macarena

It is a Catholic church built in the middle of the 20th century. It is located next to an old city gate that is still standing, even though the walls have since disappeared. It is also called the “Macarena Gate”.

The Plaza de Toros

Or in other words, the city’s bullring. For many it is the most beautiful and elegant bullring in Spain.

The visits are done in guided tours at fixed times and I had to skip my tour because of a time incompatibility with my visit of the cathedral.

The Golden Tower (Torre del Oro)

This military observation tower was built in the 13th century by the Almoravids, a Berber dynasty.

After the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus it was used to store the precious metals brought back from the new continent.

Since then the walls that surrounded it have been destroyed and it has become a maritime museum.

The Indies Archives (Archivo de Indias)

The archive was born from the will of Charles III to gather in one place all the documents related to the Spanish colonization in South America, probably with the will to take advantage of it to rewrite the history under a more flattering angle.

As for the building that houses them, it was built between 1584 and 1598.

Today you can visit a very nice exhibition made of films and various objects about the discovery of the new world. On a personal note, if it is interesting for children (it seems to have been conceived for them) it is of little interest for an adult with a little education, the main interest of the visit being the building itself.

The Museum of Fine Arts

It is the most important exhibition of paintings in Seville and one of the most important in Spain.

There is an impressive collection of paintings by Sevillian artists as well as paintings by Velazquez, El Greco or Goya.

On presentation of your identity card, entry is free for citizens of a European Union country.

A very nice “small” museum, very pleasant to visit, which it would be really wrong to miss.

The Metropol Parasol

Wooden structure very controversial because of its aesthetics and cost that was built as part of the rehabilitation of the Plaza de la Encarnación.

You will surely see it while visiting something else so there is no reason to go specifically to visit it.

1 minute will be enough for the pictures before moving on.

Santa Paula Convent

Convent of the 15th century too often ignored by the guides.

The sisters are very friendly and make, it is worth mentioning, an excellent jam.

Please note that the convent is only open for visits from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 1 pm.

Do not hesitate to ring the bell because the place is very little promoted.

You can also take advantage of being in Seville to extend your stay in Spain to Cordoba or Granada where there are also things to see and do.

When to visit Seville?

For many people Seville is still a destination that is booked during the summer vacations and we think that this is a big mistake.

In summer the temperatures are very high. As a comparison, they are as high or even higher than in Dubai and no one in their right mind would think of visiting the Emirates at this time of year!

At this time the city of Seville stops from the end of the morning to the beginning of the evening, the sun obliges to seek the shade and that is really not optimal conditions to visit.

In our opinion, the best seasons are autumn and spring, even winter, but especially not summer.

For your information, during my stay, at the beginning of November, the temperatures oscillated between 20 and 26° with a beautiful sunny blue sky. Ideal for visiting.

How long to stay in Seville?

There are cities and even European capitals that can be visited over a weekend. Seville is not one of them. Once you know it, you can of course go back for a short stay but for a first discovery a longer stay is necessary.

In my opinion a minimum of 3 days on site is necessary, 4 being what we recommend.

As suggested above, you can also consider extending to Cordoba and Granada, or even Malaga if you really want to finish in “beach and lazy” mode.

What is the atmosphere in Seville?

This is certainly one of the most important factors. What’s the point of having a favorable climate and sites to visit if you don’t feel comfortable there.

Seville is, as we said, a city where it is pleasant to walk and stroll. We are in Spain: the bars and restaurants are numerous, lively, welcoming.

The local population is very friendly. The atmosphere is relaxed, people do not look down on you or treat the tourist…. like a tourist.

Seville is a pleasant city to live in, where it is essential to go for cultural reasons, but where it is also a pleasure to return simply to relax and enjoy the climate.