Seville/Sevilla

Most likely headed there with a group later this Fall/Winter - Need some assistance on restaurants, wine lists, cultural can miss, etc… Any help is greatly appreciated. I’m just starting some research myself but any help from a fellow WB’er would be very much appreciated. Guess is that we’ll be there for 2.5-3 days.

TIA

Juan has family is in Sevilla, I can ask them the best restaurants to do to.
Sevilla is an exquisite little city. How long might you be there and do you know where you will be staying?

Most likely 2-3 days - still looking at hotels places to stay, while hotel is TBD as of now I’m leaning towards the Alfonso XIII as I got a nice rate (might change but who knows).

Canabota, one of those seafood temples like in Madrid, was so outstanding I went twice, cancelled my reservation at Michelin one star Abantal to go a second time.
La Isla can be safely skipped
Jaylu (also seafood) was good, but not as good as Canabota
El Rincon de Beirut is a Lebanese restaurant one block from the Alfonoso XIII and good if you are looking for vegetarian food or want a break from Spanish food.

The Real Alcazar is awesome. Definitely get tickets in advance, the lines to get in can be long.
Palacio de la Condesa de Lebrija has the most amazing personal collection of art and the house itself is stunning with more Roman mosaics then I’ve seen anywhere else outside the Vatican and San Marco in Venice.
Casa de Pilatos was another stunning home of nobility that is now open to the public (though occassionally used by the family). The wealth in Sevilla after the discovery of the New World was amazing and reflected in homes like this.
Plaza de Espana in the Parque de Maria Luisa is a beautiful building and space in a beautiful park.
The Metropol Parasol is the largest wooden structure in the world and you can go to the top for great views of Seville. While I found it somewhat overrated, it is very close to Canabota, and worth a visit if just to give you another place to stroll to.

Lot’s to do in Seville, there were other things I would have liked.

I loved Alfonso XIII, even more than Maria Cristina in San Sebastian. Having been there, it’s the only place I’d stay it if I returned. If you book a deluxe room (as opposed to entry level Superior), ask them for a room similar to the one pictured. The only downside is that some of the deluxe rooms (like the one initially assigned to me on a sold out night) was a tiny bedroom with a large, useless foyer. However I got switched to amazing quarters for the rest of my five night stay. One of the best hotels ever for me.

I liked Abantal, La Azotea, and as Barry noted above, Alfonso XIII is a great hotel. We also ate our way around town during the day in various tapas bars, depending on where we were at the time. It was only a short stay; I’d like to return.

[Tapas Bars in Sevilla, Spain | SevillaTapas Tours][/url]Here is a good tapas bar review site , She also does tapas tours. We did the Sherry and Tapas tour and had a great time.

Mariatrifulca is a neat spot right on the Triana bridge. Fun atmosphere, good tapas/wine.

Catch a Flamenco performance at la Casa del Flamenco. It was one of the highlights of our trip to Spain a few years ago.

+1

Everyone is different.
In my view, most flamenco places are not worth the price of admission. For free flamenco try La Carboneria which is tucked away in the Barrio de Santa Cruz.
FOR VERY REASONABLY PRICED FOOD
La Bulla - I can’t recommend this restaurant enough, and it’s right near the bull ring. Very funky and everything there is great.
Bar Antojo - nice restaurant near la alameda neighborhood. The food is pretty good, get huevo cascara and bacalao de carbon.
Las Rayas - incredible ice cream
Dos de Mayo - this is a classic tapas bar, definitely go to get the experience - everything is delicious. Order pulpo. and solomillo de whiskey, which comes with fries :slight_smile:
Hotel Dona Maria - go to the rooftop for a drink, great view of the cathedral
El Pinton - this is a restaurant that was recommended by a friend who is from Sevilla. Trendy and the food is good.
Taverna Alvaro peregil - this is a very cool spot, a hole in the wall right behind the cathedral. You go to the counter, order a vino de naranja (it’s a very sweet after dinner drink that is specific to Seville because of the oranges) but it’s really delicious and made very well. Order at the counter and stand on he street sipping your vino with the rest of the Sevillanos.
PLACES TO GO:
Plaza de España - the best.
Cathedral - climb the giralda too!
Alcazar - beautiful
Alameda de Hércules - great up and coming neighborhood and plaza area. A recent mayor completely wiped out all the druggie parks that used to be here and laid out a nice plaza which is now bustling with bars and restaurants. Fun to explore and there are a few shops around.
Triana - walk over the puente de Triana (pretty bridge) and go to Triana. There are great ceramics to be found here
Mercado de Triana - kind of like Chelsea Market in NYC and nice to walk around and snack on some things. It’s right at the end of the puente de Triana on the Triana side and definitely worth popping in.
Las Setas - if there’s a line I wouldn’t bother but it is the controversial structure above El Centro in the city where you get nice views. It’s construction made the locals very unhappy, and I can see why, but I also kinda like it.
Calle Betis - colorful street on the Triana side that’s very picturesque
Plaza del Salvador - not too different than many other plazas, but many consider it their favorite, It is super relaxing to grab a Cruz Campo beer here, sit down, relax, and enjoy looking at the Iglesia del Salvador
La campaña - this is the pastry shop supposedly where the king orders his sweets from :slight_smile:.
Palacio de Lebrija - It is an old home of the Contesa de Lebrija. The mosaicos are beautiful but if you’re crunched on time it’s ok to miss it.
Hospital de la Caridad - you’ll probably walk by it at some point. If I remember correctly there might be two Murillo paintings inside… but not sure. The outside is pretty. You’ll see the three ceramics, la caridad, la fe, y la esperanza (charity, faith and hope)
La Maestranza - certainly one of Spain’s most famous bull rings. See a bull fight if you’re interested
Torre de Oro - you will be walking by here at some point for sure. It’s where all the boats would leave from when they went off to the Americas. This is where they would turn the gold into money. There’s also a Torre de Plata close by , where they did the same for silver.9

HAVE FUN!!!

Peter,

Thank you for that amount of information and detail - it will be greatly appreciated in the planning process!

Has anybody done a tour at 5J or another producer in the area?

No experience with 5J tour.
However, if still looking for a moderately priced well located hotel, I would strongly recommend the Hotel Doña Maria which is unbeatable in terms of location (located basically in front of the Giralda). It is reasonable in terms of price, and has a handy pool on the roof for refreshing a swim after a day of touring.