There are few cities in the world that evoke the same level of sentiment as Seville. It's the centre of all things traditionally Spanish: from the flamenco music and bullfighting to Ernest Hemingway's favourite drink, sangria. While the Sevillians (Sevillanos in Spanish) are known for their wit and sparkle, the city itself is fascinating for its exuberance. Being the 5th oldest city (VIII century B.C. by the Tartessos) and 4th largest city in Spain, there is a vast amount of discoveries still being made; from the hoard of bronze Roman coins stored in 19 amphora earthenware jars found recently during construction works to the Roman and Moorish remains discovered on-site underground below the Metropol Parasol (wooden parasols).

We have a soft spot for Seville, and have been frequently visiting for the past 8 years. The city has blossomed as far as new boutiques and restaurants, but the maintenance of the city’s historical landscapes embodies the local´s values in conserving what has been their heritage for many years. Seville is a traditional city, with dozens of shops selling heirloom Christening outfits, penitents hoods, handcrafted flamenco dresses, ceramic tiles, and convent sweets in abundance! As we love the mixture of past and present, it shall be of no surprise that we were keen to stay at Plácido y Grata boutique hotel.

Plácido y Grata is a 15-room boutique hotel located at nº 4 Monsalves Street bordering some of the main sites in the old town city centre of Seville. The project was a collaboration with Kiran Vasnani from Your Living Space Atelier. The architecture firm carefully took the old three-story manor house from the 19th century and converted it into a four-star boutique hotel with a large interior courtyard, a faithful reflection of the architecture of the period. Whether you are staying or not at the property, you should head over to visit their gourmet shop and cafe. The shop was designed to be the perfect place to have an aperitif, enjoy lunch, dinner with friends or work quietly over a cup of NOMAD coffee (brewed in Barcelona) and a cinnamon roll.

Adjacent to the hotel you can find two of the most famous palaces to visit in the area. The Palacio de la Condesa de Lebrija is a 16th-century palace with Moorish-style arches and a courtyard decorated with Roman sculptures and mosaics. The Marqués de Lozolla, General Director of Fine Arts, described it as "the best-paved palace in Europe". Its 580 square metres of Roman mosaic floors and walls make it the most important private collection in the world, a must-see richness of art in every corner of the building. The Palacio de las Dueñas is a 5 minutes walk behind the famous mirador, Setas de Seville. The palaces’ style ranges from Gothic-Mudejar to Renaissance, containing samples and details with Sevillian touches in its bricks, tiles, whitewash and ceramics. It has the typical Andalusian courtyard, as does the Casa Pilatos, and the large spaces predominate, showing the majesty of the whole.

Time flies when sightseeing, so you may need to stop off for a drink and tapas afterward. Do make sure to visit El Rinconcillo. Open since 1670, the De Rueda family has preserved the original essence of El Rinconcillo over the generations. We recommend eating at the bar as you will get the full experience of the lively atmosphere, over the more formal and quiet setting in the restaurant upstairs. For a coffee and sugary treats, you must go to Confiteria La Campana on C/ Sierpes nº1-3. This emblematic confectionery with traditional Spanish cakes and tarts tends to get overcrowded at certain times during the day. If this is the case, just 2 minutes walking distance from there is the COLETTE Pâtisserie & Boulangerie. The French do some of the best apple puff pastries, but the mocha coffee is a brand new revelation here!

SEVILLE OLD TOWN

First-timers in Seville must visit the Cathedral of Seville, as it is in the heart of many key sites. The cathedral is the third-largest in the world, after St. Peter in the Vatican and St. Paul in London. It is one of the last Gothic cathedrals in Spain, showing evidence of the Renaissance style. On its Roman base a Visi gothic temple was erected. From this, only the fountain of the Patio de los Naranjos remains, which in turn is the legacy, together with the Giralda, the mosque built during Arab domination. If you are hungry in the area, we recommend going for a bite at the Taberna Álvaro Peregil - La Goleta (owned by the son of the late flamenco singer Pepe Peregil) on C. Mateos Gago nº 22, almost adjacent to the cathedral. Here you can try local tapas like the mojama (dry tuna), chicharrones (pork belly) and montaditos (small sandwiches), in addition to being able to people watch from the terrace. The bar was a pioneer in popularising orange wines, still popular along with the beer and sherry. Another classic is the Casa Morales, a little family-run bar founded in 1850, that is known for its delicious wine. It is possibly the second oldest bar still running in Seville today. At night, do not miss the vibrant rooftop of EME Catedral Mercer Hotel. Make sure you dress to impress and get ready to mingle. From the heights, you can enjoy the rooftop fetish of the city.

The final resting place of the navigator, Cristopher Columbus…or maybe his brother as many are left unsure

Santa Cruz is perhaps the most famous and important of all the neighbourhoods. It is situated next to the San Bartolomé district and is where the old medieval Jewish quarter lies. We recommend you book your ticket online to visit the Reales Alcázares, it will cost 1€ more but you get to skip the sometimes 2 to 3 hours wait in line. There is a palace that surrounds two courtyards of varying sizes which is contemporaneous with the famous Alhambra of Granada. The construction is impressive, with a Gothic palace, a Mudejar palace and other forms of architecture that were built from scarce remains. It is exceptionally emotional on a summer night to attend a concert in the beautiful gardens of the Alcázar, in which the open space allows for hundreds of visitors to listen to the music.

Santa Cruz is the first barrio (neighbourhood) tourists head for, it is the most picturesque and animated of them all. Take your time to venture around the small squares lined with orange tree (especially Plazas Doña Elvira and Santa Cruz), getting lost in the serpentine alleys, where ancient houses seem to almost touch. Admire the architecture, tiles, pebbly streets and keep an eye out for artisan goods. For eating out, Mateas Gago street is hard to beat, in terms of quality and selection, with wall-to-wall tapas joints from tiny hole-in-the-wall bars to petite restaurants.

A mere 200 metres separate Triana from the centre of Seville, yet many locals say they feel more like Triana residents than Sevillians…

Along with Santa Cruz, Triana is one of the most popular and well-known neighbourhoods of Seville. If you want to get to know a more local way of life, we recommend crossing the Triana bridge (also known as Isabel II bridge) to explore Triana's main market Mercado de Triana. Once the home of dockworkers and fishermen, you can get a sense of a small-town feel here. The vendors openly speak to their clients as if they are family, with a loud wave of laughter and chatter across the more than 100 market stalls. If an outdoor picnic suits you, there is time (opens every day from 8 am to 2 pm, except Sundays) to stack up on goods and enjoy it somewhere around the Triana bridge.

Of the Sevillian tiles that remind us of bullfighters who were born or lived in Seville, we can’t forget Manuel García López, nicknamed “Maera”, born in this house in 1896 on Calle Betis

Flamenco is said to have been founded in Triana. This neighbourhood saw the birth and growth of this art to the point of becoming the epic centre for flamenco during the 18th and 19th centuries. It is no coincidence, therefore, that Triana has its own style of singing and flamenco dance known as the soleá de Triana. Places such as El Mantoncillo (C / Alfarería nº104) is a reference for their live flamenco shows in which the public themselves start singing and dancing. El Mantoncillo is a tavern with solera from which the true flamenco has stemmed from. Another great place is the Lola de los Reyes Tavern (C / Blas Infante, nº6) also known in Triana for its live flamenco shows, which you can enjoy without agglomerations. If you are in this emblematic neighbourhood, the two best streets to get the most out of the area are Calle Betis and Calle San Jacinto, which are both full of bars and terraces with a lot of life!

Famous tapas bar ‘Cervecería La Grande’ is located in the pedestrian area of San Jacinto, next to the Chapel of Nuestra Sra. de la Estrella

To disconnect from a busy day, we can’t recommend Abades Triana Restaurante highly enough. Its avant-garde Andalusian haute cuisine is in an elegant premise with a terrace and glass walls with panoramic views of the river across the famous Torre del Oro. Try the Sanlúcar king prawns or the white prawn from Huelva, it’s a great starter to open up your appetite. For a less formal setting, unpretentious, untouristy bar setting, head to the Blanca Paloma restaurant. They have a fixed menu that has been almost untouched for years, only adding a few dishes with a more elaborate cuisine, always made with fresh products sourced locally. Here you can expect grilled mackerel loin, mussel sandwiches (that made Blanca Paloma famous in Triana), aubergines stuffed with prawns and potatoes seasoned with tuna.

HEAD NORTH TO MACARENA

La Macarena is a neighbourhood with many contrasts, it is traditional in its own right, but also breathes creative air. The area is home to unique shops selling books and vintage clothes, and the Mercado de la Feria, where you can sample croquettes and fresh prawns. The area around the market has a tendency to get lively until the wee hours of the early morning due to the abundance of bars and hangout spots. It is of no surprise as it is located next to the buzzy Alameda, encompassing the area surrounding the famous Alameda de Hercules.

La Macarena stretches up to the ancient Moorish city walls. Once the poorest slum in Spain, it's now a vivid area serenaded with a dozen churches to visit, and interesting palaces and plazas; with a lot of crumbling old mansions that have been restored, although some still remain in a sagging state. The area is cherished with a number of artists' corrales, where artisans and performers have small premises in shared courtyards, hosting workshops and performances.

The Basilica of La Macarena houses a venerated image of the Virgin, one of the symbols of the religious fervour that attends Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Seville. The architecture both inside and outside is beautiful, well worth visiting. In addition, the headquarters of the Hermandad de la Esperanza Macarena is an essential stop for any tourist. It is the work of the Sevillian architect Aurelio Gómez Milán. The church was declared a Minor Basilica by a papal bull (or bula Pontificia) granted by Pope Paul VI, making it the first church in Seville to hold this dignity. As stated earlier, there are many churches to visit in the district, and it is overwhelming, but you will be glad to see the Iglesia de San Luis de los Franceses. This church is one of the greatest examples of Baroque art in Seville. By the way, if you like ghost stories, the Church of San Luis de los Franceses is known for its ghostly legends.

On the Calle Feria, you can find a pleasant antique street market which is held every Thursday (and is therefore known as El Jueves). Whilst at the Feria market, you must eat at La Almadraba. Here you can try all the products derived from Barbate tuna, mojama to ling roe. They also have a complete beer and wine list from Cádiz and an assortment of anchovies to make anyone's stomach fall in love.

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO

The finishing point of horse-and-carriage rides ends at the Plaza de España, situated inside Maria Luisa Park. The square was built for the Ibero-American Exhibition of 1929 (Expo 29), along with many of the pavilions you can see in and around the Parque Maria Luisa. Renaissance/neo-Moorish in style, with a tower at either end (tall enough to be visible around the city, these towers - north and south - are major landmarks). In front of the building, following the curve of its façade, is a 500-metre canal crossed by four bridges, and in the centre of it all is the Plaza itself. Along the wall on the front of the canal, there are a total of 48 compartments, each with a tableau and map designed on colourful painted ceramic tiles with a name of a province in Spain. You can rent small boats to row in the canal, known as "the Venice of Seville".

There is a water course within Plaza de España with row boats to rent

The Maria Luisa Park is a great place to unwind and have a chance to stroll along as a family. It is Seville's main green area. The landscaped gardens, fountains and monuments are beautiful, in addition to the numerous pockets of children's parks.

To understand the culture and history of Seville better, we recommend booking a tour with Genuine Andalusia. We have gotten to know the city well with personal guide Iván Ricoy. Based between the noble city of Jerez de la Frontera and buzzy Seville, he offers private tours to individuals, small groups and families visiting the southwest part of Spain. Seville is a city with an intense history. So put on your best walking shoes and discover the city on foot.

72hrs

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