Sep 13-16.
So far Sevilla might be our favourite city in Spain so far. It might help that the heat wave finally broke as we arrived so it has been perfect weather for exploring this delightful city in Andalucia, in the south of Spain.
The city is three thousand years old and is located in southern spain. I read a book years ago Dancing in the Fountain, by an American ex-pat who moved there with her husband – the book put Sevilla on my radar as a place to visit. It isn’t a place you want to visit in the summer when temperatures stay over 100 degrees. Sevilla is known for being the furnace of Spain, many months of the year.
Tuesday September 13
We traveled by train from Valencia to Sevilla, changing trains in Madrid. Trains are so much easier than flying. Arrive at the station 30 minutes before your flight, minimally intrusive security checks, comfortable seats and no seat belts required.
We were very pleased with our accommodations in Triana – it was a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment on the 1st floor just a few blocks away from the heart of the Triana retail/pedestrian center. Triana is located across the Guadalquivir river from Seville and is accessible by the bridge ‘Puente de Isabel II’. It is a lively working-class neighbourhood that has produced some famous bullfighters and flamenco dancers. Triana is not a district with spectacular sights – rather it is more of an authentic quarter interlaced with small streets where real people live and work.
On our arrival night, we set off on foot to explore Triana and were pleased to discover we were just a few minutes away from a lovely riverside restaurant and the beautiful Isabella bridge and the pedestrian section of Calle San Jacinto where families and tourists alike were out for their evening paseo. At night the Triana Bridge (Puente de Isabel II) is lit up with views in both directions. An expensive restaurant with a roof top bar sits in the middle of the bridge.
Our first meal of the evening was at La Barca de Calderon – an excellent find with tables overlooking the river. The wine and the food were all delicious. See a few pictures below and description further along on this page.
Wednesday, September 14
A city bike tour was an excellent way to get oriented to the city on our first day. Like Valencia, the city is flat and is very bike friendly with bike lanes on most roads. We signed up for an Airbnb experience – the “Hidden Seville Bike Tour” offered by Hop On! Bike Tours located at Calle Arjona 5 near the river on Seville side between the Isabella and del Cachorro bridges. Great value at 25 euros that included bike rental, 3 hour tour, an entertaining guide, water bottle, a helmet and poncho. What was supposed to be a 3 hour hidden tour turned into a 4.5 hour circuit that hit the lessor known sights as well as a stop at must see sights like Plaza Espanya and the narrow alleys in oldest neighborhood of Barrio Santa Cruz. Much of ride was focused on buildings and areas from the 1929 and 1992 Expositions hosted by Seville. In 1992 Sevilla hosted 40 million people over six months to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Columbus reaching the Americas from Sevilla as well as showing off what Spain had accomplished after the death of the hated dictator Franco in 1975.
Our guide Antonio did a good job with our group of seven providing lots of information. He was a bit of an exagerator and I’m not sure how much of his stories were true and how much he just made up for show. Nonetheless it was a great day and easy on the feet.
At the Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporaneo we saw an unusual art creation of a woman, depicting the supposedly miserable lives of woman who are stuck caring for the home.
The Metropol Parasol shown below is popularly known as the Mushrooms of the Incarnation. It is a bizarre wooden structure located in the central Plaza de la Encarnación in the city of Seville. It measures 150 x 70 metres and is approximately 26 metres high. It was the winning project in the competition opened by the Seville City Council to carry out the renovation of the square and market where it is located. There is a viewpoint for excellent sunsets but we decided 15 euros was way too much for a view we already saw from the Bell Tower.
Plaza Espanya was one of my favorite stops on the bike tour. It is an enormous square surrounded by buildings and a park, built for the 1929 international fair. The center includes the Spanish pavilion with a series of tile mosaics representing each region in Spain. Nearby flamenco dancers perform throughout the day for tips – the performers can make 50 euros an hour in this square, far more than they get paid to perform in the various flamenco venues. They were setting up for a concert this weekend – Boy George was on the lineup we saw on a poster in the train station.
After lunch we squeezed in the two must-see sights in Sevilla – the Real Alcazar and the Cathedral.
The cathedral in Sevilla is the world’s largest Gothic church and the third largest church in Europe (behind St. Peter’s in Rome and St. Paul’s in London). It isn’t possible to capture the feeling inside with a camera. We arrived less than an hour before the church closed. After negotiating some senior discounts – he took one look at Bill and said senior discount okay – we headed straight to the Giralda Bell Tower. It was a long way up a ramp (330 feet – maybe 30 stories) but worth the exertion for the city wide views. The spiral ramp was used by horseback riders who galloped up five times a day to ring the bells for the Muslim call to prayer. Construction started on the cathedral in 1401 on the site of a Moorish mosque and took 120 years – compared to Sagrada Familia which has been under construction for 140 years with access to modern building technologies.
The Real Alcazar is a palace originally built by the Moors in the 10th century. It was revamped in the 14th century by the Christian King Pedro I in a Moorish style and still serves as a residence for royalty. The public can wander through the ground level courtyards, gardens and empty rooms adorned in colorful tiles.
We had a mediocre dinner at the only restaurant we could find a table at 9pm but it filled the hole. By the time we got back to our apartment, I was done and had to take a breather the following day.
However, we enjoyed a couple of excellent meals in Sevilla.
Altara on Santa Maria La Blanca after the flamenco performance. We were able to get a table outside in the square where the weather was perfect for evening dining. We tried their octopus, a grilled vegetable platter and a pesto pasta with shrimp. It has taken us almost two weeks to learn to order less food and leave satisfied but not satiated. Eating out two times a day has not been kind to the waistline.
La Barca de Calderon was a real find. Just a few minutes away from our apartment on the Guadaliri River. We got there before they opened but they welcomed us to sit on the terrace and order drinks. Before you knew it we had an array of amazing tapas on our table, some of the best food we ate in Sevilla, worthy of photos. We tried the grilled octopus, tortillita with shrimp, variety of croquetas, and tuna tartare with truffle mayonnaise and potatoes brava with spicy sauce. The wine was good – it is an economical drink throughout spain. A glass of wine is typically no more than 4 euros and a bottle around 20. Sangrias are popular and gin and tonics are generous and served with Fever Tree tonic.
Our bike tour host escorted us to a “locals” restaurant for lunch – El Manijero. Hopefully he got a complimentary meal from the owners. We had a very slow waiter who spoke no English. Zoe’s Spanish has been quite sufficient for us to get by. We had fried codfish, an egg dish served with fresh mushrooms and jamon, and a salad with tuna. Eggs are typically not eaten for breakfast in Spain but are readily available for lunch and dinner
Our most mediocre meals were had on pedestrian road in the Triana core area. Everyone was out at night with their kids enjoying the first hint of fall and the ambiance. The area is charming at night but a closer look at the food, the trash and the smells was less so during the daytime. The challenge at night was finding a restaurant with an open table without a reservation. However we didn’t try hard enough to find the highly rated restaurants.
Sevilla is known for being the home of flamenco dancing and a variety of venues across the city offer evening performances. We went to a low key free show at La Carboneria in the old town. It is simple venue in a metal shed with no AC but lots of fans. Drinks and snacks are available – cash only. A trio performed for 30 minutes – a guitarist, an excellent male singer and a dancer. The show didn’t rival the one we saw in Barcelona – but it was a nice way to spend an hour before dinner. If you go, get there at least 30 minutes before showtime and sit on benches furthest away from the bar to get the best view. Great vibe. Not sure I would go in the heat of the summer but mid-September it was just fine.
Finding good places to eat on this trip has been hit and miss. You can have recommendations for books, locals and fellow travelers but it really all boils down to where you are when you are hungry and ready to eat. During this trip we made some reservations at places that were recommended but mostly we just took our chances and wandered till we found a table. We did use Google Maps a lot and looked at reviews of places before we committed. And we found that those revies were really spot-on.
Sevilla Restaurants Recommended by a Local
- Bodega Santa Cruz “Las columnas”
- Taberna Alvaro Peregil
- Bodega Casa Morales
- Bodega Diaz Salazar
- Bodeguita El Acerao
- Bar Baratillo “Camillada”
- Los Coloniales “Solomillo al Whisky”
- Bar Restaurante Donald
- El Manijero
- Los Dardos
- Bar La Cantina
- Jaleo Guadalquibeer & Tapas
- Las Golondrinas