If you have ever wondered why city of Seville is on the list of every top traveler visiting Spain, then you need to know Seville is quite a charming city. There is magic spread in every tiny corner here. You must be thinking what kind of magic am I talking about? As soon as you start exploring Seville you will understand that it does make one feel immensely happy. I cant explain it simply it words, it is something you can only feel as soon as you step in this city.
Seville is the capital city of Andalusia. What do you mean by Andalusia? The southern region of Spain is also known as Andalusia so that means Seville is the capital of Southern part of Spain. This city is located on the river of Guadalquivir and is super popular for its tapas, flamenco dances and also the fact it is one of the important location in the TV series Game of Thrones. If you are a fan of the TV show you must have heard of the province of Dorne. Yes it has been shot here in Seville! Amazing isn’t it?
TOP THINGS TO DO IN SEVILLE:
1) Plaza de España:
Built in 1928, Plaza de España can be best described as a castle along with an open air area located within the Maria Luisa Park showcasing all the main cities of Spain through drawings & pictures on typical Sevillian azulejos (painted tiles). The tiles are painted in such a way as if they are narrating a historical story about each city and along with the same it also shows about the main highlights of each city. You can visit here anytime throughout the day however I would highly recommend to visit here in the evening to view the magical sunset. In front of the castle you will find a long canal filled with small boats and you can also take a canal ride here.
Price: Entrance is free of charge
Timings: Open 24 hours
2) Royal Alcazar de Seville:
Ever imagined visiting any of the game of thrones location? if yes then imagine no more once you are in Seville. The Royal Alcazar de Seville is a beautiful Alcazar which has been featured in this top series as the castle of Dorne in many of the episodes. Originally, this palace was built in the 11th century for Christian king Peter of Castile and is today one of the oldest royal palace still used in Europe by the Royal family. The royal family stays in the upper levels of Alcazar even today. It is definitely one of the best place to visit in Seville however there is a limited number of visitors that can go inside the palace just like Alhambra in Granada and hence it is absolutely essential to book your tickets on their official website in advance and find more information about the entrance prices there.
Timings:
October to March: 09.30 to 17.00 (Mondays to Sundays)
April to September: 09.30 to 19.00 (Mondays to Sundays)
Admission is free on Mondays during the final hour of the day.
3) La Giralda:
La Giralda is an UNESCO World Heritage Site located right next to the Cathedral, in the heart of Seville. It is bell tower made of Gothic architecture which gives the visitor a 360 degree view of the city of Seville. The tower is of the height of 100 meter and has the greatest number of bells i.e. there are a total of 24 bells.
Timings:
September – June: Mon-Sat (11-17:00); Sun (14:30-18:00)
July-August: Mon-Sat (09:30-16:00); Sun (14:30-18:00)
Price: General ticket – 09 Euros and reduced price – 04 Euros (Pensioners & students up to 25 years)
4) Parque de Maria Luisa:
The park that also hosts the Plaza de España is a huge green space located in Seville along the Guadalquivir River. It is free to enter in the park and have a refreshing walk among all the greenery and around numerous ponds and fountains.
Timings: 08.00 to 22.00 everyday
Price: Entrance is free of charge.
5) Torre del Oro:
Torre del Oro is a 13th century tower built by the Muslims mainly to keep a watch and to control the activities on the Gualdalquivir river. The tower is now converted into a maritime museum and inside the tower there are 3 floors and each floor of the museum shows the sailing history of the city and provides plenty of information regarding the ships.
Timings:
Monday to Friday: 09:30 to 18:45
Saturday to Sunday: 10:30 to 18:45
Bank Holidays, closed.
Price:
General Tickets: 3 €
Children over 6 years, students and retired people: 1,50 €
Monday: Free Entrance.
6) Las Setas de Sevilla:
Las Setas de Seville also known as Metropol Parasol is one of the most popular attractions in Seville. It is nothing but an award winning wooden structure which looks like a mushroom and was built by the architect of Berlin which contains five levels within the structure. The levels contains tapas restaurants, anti-aquarium showing the archaeological remains, market and the top most level contain the view point from which one can observe the entire city.
Timings:
Sunday to Thursday – 10.00 to 22.30
Friday & Saturday – 10.00 to 23.00
Price: 03 euros.
HOW TO REACH?
Seville can be easily reached if you are coming down from the main cities like Valencia, Madrid, etc. also all the Andalusian cities are connected to Seville, so you can easily reach Seville from Cordoba, Malaga etc.
BY ROAD: You will find buses from all the nearby main cities in Spain to come to Seville. The bus is the cheapest way to travel between cities however, it takes many halts and goes through many villages which is why it is a time-consuming journey. Apart from that one can also carpool with the other people doing the same two cities through this website called as BlaBla car. It is quite safe and the best way to have a road-trip along with some strangers going in the same way. I would not recommend taking a bus from Madrid or from Valencia as it would take around 10 hours approx to reach this city. My recommendation would be to take the train.
BY TRAIN: If you are low on time you should hop on to the Renfe trains of Spain. These are high speed, inter-connected trains running through the entire country. You can check the time-table and book your tickets online on www.renfe.com But the price of the tickets of these high speed trains are quite expensive so as per my suggestion, only doing the long distance journeys would be cost-effective.
BY AIR: Seville Airport is the sixth largest & busiest international airport of Spain. Having said that the transport is well organized from the airport. Taxis are available from the airport. There is an express buses from the airport that reaches the city center in 30 minutes depending upon the traffic.
BEST TIME TO VISIT AS PER THE CLIMATE:
Winter season (October-January): The winter season could be a great time to visit Seville. It is during this season, the number of tourists are significantly lower, the lodging offer & the airfare is cheaper. The only disadvantage to coming in the winter is that winters here are relatively humid and it can rain quite a bit (or even a lot, sometimes!). This doesn’t mean you won’t be outside exploring the city during most of the day because the temperatures are generally mild.
Spring season (February-May): The spring season in Seville hosts two very important and extremely popular events namely – the Semana Santa and the Feria de Abril. Out of which the dates for Semana Santa vary each year. It usually takes place at the end of March or during April. Two weeks after Semana Santa, the Sevillanos celebrate Feria de Abril. This festival lasts for six days and seven nights wherein Sevillanos spend most of their time outside on the streets celebrating the festival. Further, from late March to late October, Spain benefits from extremely long days meaning that the day lights lasts until late evening allowing you plenty of time to explore the city. Hence, spring is definitely the best time to travel to Seville because of the nice weather, the incredibly long days and, most of all, the local festivals.
Summer Season (June – September): The summers of Andalusian region are renowned to be super hot & sunny and Seville is no exception to it. June to September are the summer months out of which the heat in June is still bearable compared to the rest of the months. The season starts to change from Spring to Summer in the month of June. You are sure to get tired very quickly and easily if you intend to visit this city in the month of summer. However, if you are here then do not forget to carry the required summer gear like sunscreen lotion & a cap. Further needless to say that you need to keep yourself hydrated throughout your time in Seville in summer.
WHERE TO STAY IN SEVILLE?
Samay Hostel was where I stayed at during my time in Seville. The hostel is at a walking distance from all the main attractions in the city. The hostel was absolutely amazing with a rooftop terrace and spacious rooms. Absolutely recommended to stay here when in Seville as they even have private rooms if one does not wish to stay in the dorms.
However, if you want to choose something else you can always go through all the accommodations in this city and make a decision: Accommodation options in Seville.
WHAT TO SHOP?
Apart from Magnets and postcards here are some of the things you can take back as a souvenir from Seville are their Cartuja ceramics, olive oil, convent sweets, flamenco dance related things like the flamenco dress & hand painted fans & other accessories, Products made from Orange fruit like perfume, creams, wine etc.
HOW MUCH DOES EVERYTHING COST & HOW TO BUDGET?
Accommodation
Seville is mid-budget in terms of accommodation charges for a normal budget traveler. Hostels start from 15-25 euros per person whereas mid-ranged hotels will start from as low as 50 -150 euros for 2 persons. Hence, if travelling in groups it is convenient and reasonable to book hotels whereas hostels are a safe bet for solo travelers on a budget. Also, there are plenty of luxury options for persons wishing to live a luxurious life and lot’s of hotels are located right in the city center.
Food
Food outside is mid-ranged. The cost in any restaurant for a complete meal can start anywhere from 05 – 20 euros. If cooking by yourself then this cost can be brought down to almost half. You will find supermarkets almost everywhere and that is definitely the best way to decrease the overall cost on the food.
Transport
The best way to travel within Seville is by foot. Most of the places are located in the historic city center itself which makes it quite convenient to explore this city on foot thereby saving more on the Transport. Some of the spots are located away from the city center however one can reach these places by walking as well. For people who do not wish to walk, there are buses which ply on different routes in Seville and you can hop on those buses to your desired spot.
Activities
As per this Seville city travel guide, there are plenty of things to do some of which I have already mentioned above. If you reach your desired spots within the free timings then you need not pay the entrance charges. The entire atmosphere & the vibe of Seville will cast a magical spell on you. Be ready to loosen up your pocket when in this city especially on the activities. You are sure to spend on the activities here.
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