Let me just start with how much I LOVE Spain! The sun, the siestas, sangria, tapas, how accessible it is, everything! A Seville city break was always something I was desperate to experience and so here we are….
After an easy journey and (actually!!) enjoying playing LFC top trumps card game, we safely landed. Upon arrival, the guy who picked us up (who also owned the apartment where we were staying) was explaining that there were many differences between North and Southern Spain. Much like most other countries I guess then! I read about it generally being hotter in the South so I was sold!
We arrived late ish on a Friday night and the area where we stayed was near many lovely restaurants and bars. So we got stuck straight into our Seville city break! The atmosphere was amazing – everyone eating, drinking, even kids playing out on a playground at 11pm! It had such a chilled out, anything goes vibe.
Day 1
We were up and out early after a delicious (and huge!) pain au chocolat…. Well, we needed energy for sightseeing!
One of the first things we saw was a lady doing a flamenco dance. How apt! I loved watching it and gave her a couple of euros so I could take a video and share with you! (See the bottom of this article)
The sun was shining and the buildings took my breath away. Such stunning architecture. There were horses and carts everywhere too. What a brilliant way to experience such a stunning city.
Some of the main touristy must see’s on a Seville city break:
Santa Cruz was the old Jewish District and is so pretty with small alleyways. You just keep on walking and seeing lovely sights.
The El Arenal Quarter is home to the distinctive Torro del Oro and Seville’s Bullring. Keeping up with the Spanish tradition and supporting the local community, we naturally had to dress up as a senor and senorita for the day… or maybe just 5 minutes!
Specifically – La Giralda, The Alcázarb (Royal Palace) and the beautiful gardens. The stunning Cathedral and Saint Christopher Door where Christopher Columbus is buried apparently. There are too many to list so make sure you do your homework. Everything is in close proximity and easy to walk to and from.
We had some delicious tapas but were made to stand at the bar which wasn’t ideal as our feet were starting to ache. So naturally, we had to go outside and sit down in the sunshine! We stumbled across the market when we needed the loo and found lots of fresh fruit trays to take away. Perfect as a healthy option to enjoy, sat in the sunshine.
We also had a look in the shops. I love treating myself to a bit of jewellery when in a different country and found some bargains in Lovisa. I had never heard of this before but looks like there is one in Manchester.
By the shops is the Metropol Parasol. It’s an icon in Seville and often referred to as Mushrooms. It is apparently the largest wooden structure in the world. You can go to the top and get a lovely view of Seville, especially if it’s a nice day or the bridge looks great when it’s all lit up at night. We went to the bar inside and had a cocktail, why not?!
I also found the best cookies I have ever eaten! At Galletas. If you get chance, you simply must go. Greedy me managed to go not once or twice but three times. The white choc ones.. sooo good! Some fab reviews on Tripadvisor too. What a find!
Because of my cookie munching, I wasn’t too hungry and it was getting late so we went local to our apartment for some food and a couple of drinks and got some rest ready for Day 2!
Day 2
We found a healthy place for breakfast and full of eggs, ham and green smoothies, we headed over to Plaza de Espana.
Again it was striking and rated the number one thing to do on TripAdvisor. I would agree. We had a walk round it, admiring the building and detail; some of the mosaic tiles were stunning.
There were also beautiful gardens and like little canals, bridges and a large fountain. We hired a rowing boat which was cheap and sailed (well I sailed although did do a slight bit of rowing!) across.
Then we hired a two seater bike thing and pedalled round the stunning gardens. What a fun way to spend our morning. We were definitely deserving yet more tapas. And sangria!
We had an amazing meal back near the centre but I didn’t get photos as started eating as soon as the food came out!
LFC were playing so off we went (I got dragged!) to a Sports Bar where we met a variety of people, mainly Americans. Luckily LFC didn’t lose so we carried on experiencing more bars. We were out exploring (and drinking!) for 14 hours – long day!
Day 3 – the end of our Seville City Break
Before ending ourn Seville city break, we wanted to visit a church we were told to see near where we were staying. Again, another breath-taking building.
A few more hours to grab some food, enjoy some sunshine and wander round before we headed back.
All in all an amazing, chilled out, busy city with stunning architecture. I couldn’t fault it.
If I was to go again, I’d love to visit the AIRE ancient baths. However seeing as we were only there for three days and with so much to see, we didn’t want to be inside. So… I’ll just have to go back for longer next time! 😉
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Sweet tooth addict who loves to travel!
