Was going to make a stand alone post but saw this one from a while back I'll just post our experience and tips on here for anyone interested in going to Seville!
We spent six days based in Seville, mixing sightseeing, food, a La Liga match, flamenco, and day trips to Cdiz and Crdoba. Some of our favorite experiences ended up being the food stops, historic sights, and simply walking through Seville's different neighborhoods.
Day 1
We flew into MAD, arriving Saturday morning, and then connected on Iberia to Seville (SVQ). The taxi service at the Seville airport was excellent and made getting into the city very easy. Allow a 3 hour layover. If you're checking bags you will have to retrieve, go through customs, then re-check. the APM train gets busy you'll likely have to go from Terminal T4S to T4.
We stayed in an AirBNB on
Calle Enladrillada, which was super walkable to everywhere. We got settled, rested, and picked up groceries at Lidl before heading out for the evening.
Beer of choice here in Seville is Cruz Campo - they have a Radler which is a great summer drink as well.
On the way to the game, we had dinner at
Entre Dos Aguas, ribeye steak was the highlight there.
We went to the
Sevilla FC vs. Barcelona soccer game which was pretty insane. It was packed. Our tickets were accidentally purchased in the Barcelona section. We didn't realize how segregated away team sections are for soccer matches. They have their own entrance/exit and the section if blocked off by plexiglass barriers and police.
Day 2 Seville Food Tour & Flamenco
We started with the
Ultimate Food Tour through Viator, meeting at the Archivo de Indias at 11:45 a.m. The tour lasted until around 2:30 p.m. and gave us a good introduction to Seville's food scene.
Sal y Gorda The
ensaladilla and croquetas were standouts.
Kukuchurro Chocolate churros.
After the tour, we walked home and relaxed before heading back out for an evening of flamenco.
We booked dinner and the 7:00 p.m. flamenco show at
Tablao El Arenal, arriving at 6:00 p.m. for dinner.
What we would do differently: We would absolutely recommend seeing the flamenco show, but next time we would book
the show only and then go out afterward for tapas. We were still full from the food tour at 6pm. And that would give you a chance to experience more of Seville's restaurant and tapas scene.
Day 3 Cdiz Day Trip
We took an early train from Sevilla-Santa Justa to Cdiz, departing at 7:45 a.m.
We ate breakfast at
El Colibr, but in hindsight, we would just do a light breakfast on the train instead. Cdiz has quite a bit to see, and the extra time would be better spent exploring the city.
Places we would prioritize in Cdiz include
Plaza de San Juan de Dios, the Roman Theatre, Cdiz Cathedral, Plaza de las Flores, the Central Market, and Torre Tavira. We would also stop at
Taberna Casa Manteca for chicharrones.
We walked along the sea wall and eventually made our way to Puerto Amrica for a
12:003:00 p.m. catamaran tour.
Ate at Calachica Beach Club The osso buco paella was a standout meal.
We had a private transfer back to Seville at 4:45 p.m. using Transfer Generalife
That evening, we had an
in-home dinner prepared by Chef Ana who I found on Take a Chef. Having a private chef at the house was one of the memorable experiences of the trip. She made an assortment of apps and then a short rib and mushroom paella.
Day 4 Shopping, Wandering Seville & Rooftop Drinks
We started with breakfast at
Cafetera Aromas, trying the men del da, La Gourmet sandwich, and Sevillista sandwich. Juan is the owner and is super friendly and hilarious. There can be a wait here though as its a small place and fairly popular.
From there, we walked to
Mercado de Feria and along Calle Feria to shop for souvenirs.
One of the more unique stops for me personally was
Cabeza Montiel, a father-and-son-owned guitar and luthier shop. Diego speaks English and shared the history of the shop as well as information about traditional Spanish guitar making. It was a great stop for something beyond the typical tourist attractions.
We spent the rest of the day walking through the
Alfalfa, Encarnacin/Las Setas, Cathedral, and El Arenal areas.
Bar El Comercio A great stop while shopping for a vermut and tinto de verano - two very Sevillian drinks. (Another we had was called a Rebujito which is more common in the spring but think a mojito made with Sherry)
Querencia de Sevilla Rooftop drinks and Tapas with a beautiful nighttime view of the Cathedral. Definitely worth doing.
We finished the evening with dinner at
Casa Morales - nothing too amazing here to write home about but a very popular place.
Day 5 Cathedral, Alczar & Santa Cruz
We spent the morning walking through the
Macarena and Feria neighborhoods.
Breakfast turned into a much more substantial food stop at
Vizcano which was OK but around the corner was Bar Vizco, which had the friendliest staff and one of the best food stops we had on our trip. We tried solomillo al whisky, pig's feet, shrimp, wings, and a fried egg with truffle oil.
Seville Cathedral
Make reservations and purchase tickets ahead of time. Go Up the Giralda TowerAfter, we stopped at
Bar Antigedades which had a really unique ambience. The highlight food there was the spanish tortilla.
Real Alczar
Another must-see in Seville.
Reservations and advance tickets are important here as well. You can spend a while here. The Gardens are huge and you'll want to see the extensive interior rooms.Afterward, we walked through
Barrio Santa Cruz on the way toward
Plaza de España.
Day 6 Crdoba Day Trip
For our final full day, we booked a
Viator day trip to Crdoba. The meeting point was at Calle Trajano 6 at 8:45 a.m. this is one excursion where you definitely do not want to be late- everything else was on "Spain Time" but here we were 5-1min late and they left without us. Another guide was able to get us to catch up with them at another pickup spot.
The drive was about 1 hours and included a stop in
Carmona.
Tip: Eat breakfast during the Carmona stop because lunch in Crdoba isn't until around 2:00 p.m.
In Crdoba, we started near
Calahorra Tower, crossed the
Roman Bridge, toured neighborhoods and patios around
Calle San Basilio, and walked through the
Judera, the historic Jewish Quarter.
Casa Pepe
One of our favorite food stops of the entire trip. We had bacalao confit, salmorejo, vermut, and carrillada de ternera.
Mosque-Cathedral of Crdoba was incredible as well before returning to Seville around 7:00 p.m.
La Casa de Mara
Dinner back in Seville with a view of the Guadalquivir River. Standout food items here hda to be the paella, sea bass, spanish tortilla, and tomato topped with cheese.
What we would do differently: If returning to Crdoba, we would skip the organized group day trip and arrange a
private transfer. That would give us more control over the day and time to add the
Crdoba Synagogue and
Calleja de las Flores. I would go to Cordoba just to eat at Casa Pepe.
What We Would Do Next Time
There are several things we didn't get toor would make more time foron another visit:
- Explore the Triana neighborhood
- Spend time in Parque de Mara Luisa
- Take a day trip to Granada
Food & Drinks for Next Time
Our list for another visit to Seville is already pretty long.
Traditional / Tapas: Espacio Eslava, Bodega Santa Cruz Las Columnas, El Rinconcillo, and Mercado de la Encarnacin for jamn.
Special Occasion / Fine Dining: Abantal, Cañabota, Tribeca, Restaurante Yo, and Restaurante La Cochera del Abuelo.
Return to Bar El Comercio: Next time, try the churros con chocolate and bocaditos rabes.
Candelaria: Go for cocktails or vermut and try the pring and montaditos.
