Our Seville Highlights and Recommendations

If you haven’t been to Seville, you really must go. At the end of each of the three days Ian and I spent there, I said that if the holiday were to end then, it would have been the best of my life.

Las Casas de la Juderia

I’ll start with the hotel. Las Casas de la Juderia is, as the name implies, set in the beautiful Jewish quarter of the city. It has 134 unique rooms within 27 traditional Sevillian houses which are connected by passages, tunnels and courtyards. The grounds and public areas are adorned with fountains, statues, pedestals, columns, amphorae and beautiful planting. In certain areas, it feels like a museum. It is the most spectacular, quirky place I have ever stayed in.

The bedrooms are all completely different in both style and size at Las Casas de la Juderia, so the best option is to look at the website to get a better idea. Ours was a superior double and it was huge. A 7ft bed with acres of space and the cutest wardrobes which had louvred doors. The furnishings were of the “faded glamour” genre. Absolutely gorgeous. These photographs do not do it justice.

We stayed on a room only basis but actually added breakfast on two of our three mornings. A small (ish) but excellent buffet with the all important Cava and cheeses. The dining room is very stylish with pillars, metal wall tiles and ghost chairs.

The hotel doesn’t have it’s own car park but there is one very close by which the hotel uses for valet parking. We pulled up outside of the hotel and checked in with our luggage, then a staff member took the keys and parked our hire car. We didn’t use it for the rest of the time we were in Seville, but they would have fetched it from the car park if we had have wanted it.

The staff were excellent throughout- friendly and efficient. We would return in a heartbeat.

Sights of Seville

We were only in Seville for three days, so there is a lot of the city we didn’t see. Everything below is within a thirty-minute walk of our hotel. A quick word about food and drink. There are so many tapas bars, restaurants and cafes that I feel I can’t recommend the best places to eat in Seville. Every place we tried was excellent but I think that would be true of the vast majority of places. However, one of the absolute highlights of our stay was a trip to a Mercado, more of which below. I think the following photographs sum Seville up very well.

Real Alcázar

Real Alcázar is one of the oldest palaces in Seville. It is a welcome refuge from the searing afternoon heat- chance to cool down and just spend time looking at the beautiful and intricate tiling throughout the palace. The gardens are absolutely gorgeous too. We spent a couple of hours there and were able to pay on the day without having to queue.

Flamenco

Flamenco originated in Andalucia so Seville is the place to see a show. A quick online search will bring up numerous options. Some include a meal and are part of an organised trip, others are more low-key, (if low-key Flamenco isn’t an oxymoron). Perhaps authentic is a better description.

We wanted an authentic Flamenco show within walking distance of our hotel so went to La Casa del Flamenco. This is an intimate show with seating for 65 around three sides of the stage affording everyone an excellent view. There are several performances per day with two dancers, two singers and guitarist. They perform without microphones or amplifiers for a natural, authentic sound.  The show lasts for an hour and it absolutely flew by. The passion from each performer was absolutely incredible- it gave me goosebumps.  Photography isn’t permitted during the performance apart from towards the end when the performers tell the audience know they may take photos and video.

Mercado Lonja Barranco

Ian and I are passionate about good food and wine. We visited an excellent Mercado in Madrid when we were there a few years ago, so finding one in Seville was a top priority.  Mercado Lonja Barranco opens at noon although some of the vendors didn’t start serving until 1pm. We didn’t know where to start. There are seafood counters, jamon, cheese, olives, pastries, cakes, ice-cream. I honestly could have stayed there all day. It is absolutely immaculate inside and very airy, so again, a nice escape from the afternoon heat. However, there is plenty of shaded seating outdoors with views over the river. This is without doubt, one of THE best things to do in Seville.

How Seville compares to other Spanish cities

More of my posts about Spain

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