7 top things to do in 48h in Seville

Dec 2, 2017Europe, Travel10 comments

 

This city guide is a part of our Spain and Pays Basque roadtrip, check out the itinerary if you feel ….confused! Here

Sure 48h is not enough to get the real vibe of the city and live like a local, but Seville offers so much cultural and sightseeing options and I am glad that I got a glimpse of that.

In opposition to Madrid, Seville is the kind of beautiful cities that I utterly loved visiting, but could not picture my self living in. Seville is a victim of its own beauty (and Game of thrones publicity), it has grown so popular that the touristic side overthrew the authenticity. I have nothing against tourists, I am one myself, but I find that when a place becomes overly popular, it changes the locals to the point that you can’t have a nice spontaneous conversation. Everything becomes tourist-business oriented, even human interactions. But don’t get me wrong, it’s still a stunning place that I would put on my world must-sees list anytime! By the way, I had my best sightseeing experience in Seville and I will talk about it more in the next article.

Everything listed below was on a reasonable walkable distance from our hotel.

Where to stay?

As per usual, especially in Europe, location is key. So you can walk everywhere and enjoy the charming cobblestone alleys:

Best value hotel

Cathedral house Sevilla

Mid-range boutique hotel

El Rey Moro Hotel Boutique

Luxury hotel

Hotel Inglaterra

Home away from home

Loft in the heart of Seville

Get $25 toward your first Airbnb trip

Where NOT to stay for a change…

 Pension la Montorena

For once, I would not recommend the place we stayed in rather than for its location and maybe the beautiful patio. I am ready to compromise a lot, but not on location especially in Europe, where I enjoy walking and exploring charming streets on foot. But hey, that’s part of the roadtrip thrills and last minute bookings. For such popular places, always book in advance, even in low season. In our case it was not possible, because on a roadtrip, you are never sure if you can stick to the plan and reach your destinations in time.

So here is where NOT to stay for a change…  If you can find something in the area though it would be perfect: Pension la Montorena.



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Time to visit

Fall, winter and spring! The heat in the summer is unbearable, almost comparable to Marrakech. Summer is still the highest touristic season, hence the most expensive one.

Where to eat

Tapas are delicious and convivial, but unfortunately not the healthiest food that exists. Basically constituted of cheeses, hams and fried things… So since we were “tapassed out” we seeked cute healthy cafés instead.

Milk away is the best value for money health-café I’ve been to in Europe, cute little place, very colourful, with a variety of smoothies, salads, vegan gluten free burgers and all things tasty and healthy. They also serve plant based matcha lattes for… 1.5€

Jester for breakfast, it was just few meters away from our pension. I want the same huge bowls at home if anyone knows where I can find them.

1. Plaza de Espana

I would advise to go there first thing in the morning, even before breakfast! The square is huge and sublime, with a central fountain and a  half-elliptic shape. The materials used are typically Spanish: red bricks, ceramics and tiles, marble and a touch of Arabesques inherited from the Arabs. The plaza is surrounded by a large canal where you can enjoy a gondola tour in the summer.

My favourite part is the tiled benches, each representing a Spanish province in alphabetical order with historical facts and maps of each one. It’s such a unique way to preserve and tell History.

2. Palacio Alcazar and la Giralda

Seville is typically the kind of city where I would recommend paying for a tour and skip-the-line passes. The place has such a rich culture and so many places to visit, that you would need a guide. Alcazar palace (where Game of thrones were shot) and la Giralda were just impossible to visit because of the queue. For this trip since we were five people, it would’ve been impossible to manage, so we simply crossed Alacazar and la Giralda from our plans. So even if we did not visit, I can’t do a list of top things to do without them. After that, the choice is yours.

I usually book through Get Your Guide. First of all because my sister works there and I manage to get discounts :p and second because it’s easy to compare prices, offers and customers reviews for different companies, it’s the Booking.com of travel tours. You can even find the free walking tours available for each city, you know…. the ones based on tips.

3. Centro Historico de Sevilla

I will repeat myself… when a place is that beautiful just get lost and walk around. I especially love Europe for that, it’s the most pedestrian friendly part of the world. Beautiful shops, churches, tapas restaurants, and bars. The area has different architectural styles, and lots of narrow streets to get lost in. The center is very vibrant and it’s full of street performers. You never know what to expect when you turn a corner!

4. Shopping areas

Seville has a very lively and varied shopping scene. Large stores and shopping malls usually stay open all day, but smaller shops still follow the traditional pattern of closing between 2pm and 5pm for siesta 🙂 near the old city, most stores are located in Calle Tetuan and Calle Sierpes, they are parallels. Obviously I looked for thrift shops, mostly to locate the hipster area but they were all closed in the afternoon. Nothing to compete against Malasana anyway. Madrid 1 – Seville 0.

5. Casa de Pilatos

Since we skipped Alcazar palace for the reasons above, we were advised to visit Casa pilatos. I can’t judge by my self, but a local even told us it was better and more representative of the Andalucian culture. The home is a beautiful mix of Renaissance and Arab architecture and they blend perfectly. The entrance is 8€ per person including an audio guide. Don’t miss all the gardens to the left and right of the main patio, they could’ve perfectly been part of Game of thrones set as well. You will need 1-2 hours to visit the whole place, especially if like me you take a lot of pictures 🙂

6. Metropol Parasol

This is honestly the best sightseeing experience in my life. Although it’s not a historical site, it will certainly will be one day. Some compare to a mushroom, others to a giant waffle, but it inspires everyone for sure. The Metropol Parasol is the largest wooden structure in the world. The massive art piece is a modern hub of activity in Seville’s medieval city centre.
 
You can enjoy this piece of art for free, but to access the terrace you need to pay 3€. However, for this fee, you also get a drink on the terrace café and a free postcard from the gift shop. Well, the drink is not really free! It’s actually 1discount at the café (where nothing costs 1€)But I’d say it’s still a good deal! Don’t you think? The view is truly spectacular, a full 360° of Seville.
You can get the tickets at -1 floor at your left, there is a small entrance, don’t miss it! Very important information, because we spent 20 minutes looking for the desk and asking around in broken Spanish, nothing was indicated!

I strongly advise visiting right before the sunset, so you can enjoy a 360c° view of Seville in its most beautiful colours …with your drinks 😉

 

7. Party

Later at night we had a taste of the Seville night life at a place recommended by a local. The club was downside Guadalquivir river.

I feel like the other side of the river is where the trendy youthful life happens. The vibe was modern and sophisticated and It was not the only club on the river, and I guess they have mostly the same themes, just like “La Seine” clubs in Paris. I loved it, I usually don’t go out a lot when I travel, so I can make the most of my days, but when you travel with a group of friends you can’t skip a good party, and let me tell you that Spanish people are not bad at all at partying either. Here the place we’ve been to: Boga, but you can do a full bar crawling night along the river if you wish (can?) #grannies

For more, there is a very good party-guide article of Seville: here

Every travel experience is different. Here is a list of helpful articles about Seville. I will update this list from time to time:

https://197travelstamps.com/2018/01/15/seville-travel-inspiration/

 

xo xo Dalal
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10 Comments

  1. Anya

    I’ve never been to Seville, but now I want to! It looks like a really fun place to explore. I love the photos!

    • JustDalal

      Glad you enjoyed the article Anya <3

  2. Dulcie

    Such dreamy photos… I’d love to visit! Have deffo pinned for later… dreaming of spending some long weekends in Europe..x

    • JustDalal

      Thank you Dulcie, definitely a good destination for a long weekend <3

  3. Kristen Tcherneshoff

    Seville looks absolutely gorgeous! I’ve been to Madrid and Barcelona, but didn’t expect how different Seville would look from those two cities. Your photos are making me google fights to Seville already 😀

    • JustDalal

      Oh thank you Kristen, Madrid is still my favourite from Spain 🙂

  4. Hanae

    Love this! Can’t wait to visit

    • JustDalal

      Thank you Hanae <3

  5. Brianne

    Wow you did a lot! I absolutely love your photos. Seville looks and sounds amazing!

    • JustDalal

      Hehe thank you, we did try to make the best out of our 48h <3

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