Current Longitude: 9.186516 Current latitude: 45.465454 Location: Milan, Italy
Hi All,
We arrived in Seville at 8pm as the sun was fading to a toasty evening of about 36 degrees Celsius. I can confidently say that Seville is one of the hottest places I have ever been. That said it’s easier to handle knowing your on holidays – take it slow and explore the city in the mornings and evenings. The warm evenings in Seville lend themself well to nightly strolls and dinning out so try exploring after 9pm. While Seville is obviously known for being hot, I was surprised by how attractive the city is. You can see that the city places a huge emphasis of maintaining gardens, buildings and roads. Below are 5 sites that you may like to visit in Seville:
1) Sevilla Cathedral: The Sevilla cathedral is one of the not to be missed sites in Seville. The cathedral commands attention based on both its sheer size and also through the abundance of intricate features on its facade. It is the largest gothic cathedral and the third largest church in the world. Inside the cathedral you continue to be impressed by its size and the attention to detail placed on every aspect of its design and construction. The building displays the wealth of Seville and also how incredibly important religion was (is) to its people.
Cost: 2 Euros (Student price, double for adult)
2) Bull Fighting Ring: While you may or may not agree with bull fighting, it cannot be denied that it has been an important part of Spanish culture. During our visit (in August) there was no bull fighting due to the extreme heat in the area over this time (fighting begins in September again). Nevertheless, despite no actually fighting we went on a tour of the ring. While it was great to go inside the ring, the tour itself wasn’t the most entertaining experience I have ever had – best if you have a spare couple of hours and have already covered off most of the other more important sites.
Cost: 4 Euros (Student price, double for adult)
3) Alcazar: This is the second of the not to be missed sites in Seville. Alcazar is a royal palace that represents the many cultural influences on Seville from the Arabic period through to the 19th century. The castle is obviously very nice, but its expansive gardens were the real highlight for me personally. The gardens are filled with established trees, ornate ponds, hedges shrubs and paths. Inside the gardens of Alcazar you can distance yourself from other people making you feel like you could be anywhere in the world. This is a particularly nice change after being in many busy cities.
Cost: 3 Euros (Student price, double for adult)
4) El Patio de San Eloy: This restaurant came as a recommendation from a Spanish friend of mine and didn’t disappoint. As you would expect the restaurant serves traditional Spanish tapas dishes. Interestingly, the inside of El Patio de San Eloy is significantly different from other Spanish restaurants (well restaurants in general). Inside there are few if any tables, you sit on a grandstand type structure that faces the bar. The grandstand is tiled with glossy ceramic tiles in vibrant colours. Initially the experience feels quite bizarre but at the same time makes for an interesting change from the norm.
Cost: 12 Euros (for 4 small sandwiches and 4 small beers)
5) La Alamenda: La Alamenda is an area in Seville that awakes from its siesta at about 11-12ish at night. The area has an oversized pedestrian area and park that is encroached upon by sprawling tables and chairs from the surrounding restaurants and bars. The nights in Seville are absolutely perfect making it pleasant to have a meal or drink along the strip.
If you get the opportunity, Seville is well worth a few days of your time, I have only fond memories of the city.
To keep following this blog:
You may also be interested in:
- Hostel Review: La Banda Rooftop Hostel, Seville
- Seville, Spain: Video
- 10 Travelling Types – Which One Are You?
Cheers,
ILY – Luke Hymann
Longitude, Latitude & Luke 
September 7th, 2013 → 6:20 am
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