General
Information - Seville
Sights and Monuments
In Seville there are a great number of famous tourist attractions.
For a city with a rich and varied history you can find the Reales
Alcazares, royal gardens of the Moors, next to the breathtaking
Cathedral and Giralda tower. Then just a short walk to the river
gives way to the Toro del Oro, which is home to the maritime
museum, and from there onto the Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza,
the famous bull ring of Seville. These most visited sights are
accompanied by various other cultural locations such as Hospital
de la Caridad, a 17th Century building that still fully functional
as a refuge for the unwell and impoverished.
Directly adjoining the building is an equally impressive church,
housing famous paintings and detailed stone work. If that’s
not enough there’s also Plaza de España, the Jewish quarter
Santa Cruz, Palacio de Lebrija, Plaza Salvador, Puerta Jerez,
and the old city wall in Macarena. And if you can squeeze in
some extra sights you can check out any of the numerous street
markets, public garden & parks, festivals, and churches
along the way.
Transportation
in Seville
Getting around in Seville keeps getting easier and easier. The
main street that runs along side the Cathedral has just been
pedestrianised not only to maintain the structural integrity
of the buildings, but to also make way for a new underground
metro service, plus an over-ground tramline to make Seville
all the more connected. To top this off, a city–wide bike lane
has been installed to encourage the ever–growing number of cyclists
to get around more freely.
Plain old buses and taxis are commonplace. Most large taxi ranks
are located in and around the major bus stations - Prado San
Sebastian (for all journeys north and east), and Plaza de Armas
(west and south). The main bus lines are well organized and
even cheaper when you purchase a multi-ride ticket at one of
the newspaper kiosks dotted around the city. The main airport
is neatly connected to the central train station, Santa Justa,
which is just a 10 minute bus ride away.
Weather
in Seville
From May to mid October temperatures vary from 25 to 38 degrees,
the rest of the time it doesn’t get any lower than 15 degrees.
As for rain, the two mostly rainy months are in March and October.
Luckily there are lots of street vendors that usually sell umbrellas,
so you won’t get stuck for long. With regards to snow there
hasn’t been any in Seville for the last fifty years, so if it’s
snow you want - you’ll have to go up to the Sierra Nevada if
you hope to see some near here.
Nightlife
in Seville
Seville is one of the most sociable cities in Europe. Every
where you go, on any given day or night there are people out
and about enjoying themselves. The place is bursting with restaurants,
cafes, and bars with lots of people sitting outside enjoying
some tapas, or a few drinks. There are also lots of ice cream
parlours around with some exotic flavours to cool you down on
a balmy evening. If it’s a Caprinhna, or Rum and cola in a beach
bar surrounding, it’s Capotes at the river. For the best Mojito
in town and a city view with relaxing sounds, it’s Azahar on
Jesús del Gran Poder. As for music Seville caters for
all. If it’s traditional Flamenco, live music, dance, or pop
music you’re after you can find it. It’s customary to go out
late and stay out later. Most restaurants kitchens are open
from 9pm onwards, and most bars close around 1am.
If you’re just getting started then there are places to go until
the small hours. For Flamenco if you want a popular spot with
a broad range of people enjoying the show then you can try La
Carboneria in Santa Cruz or, Madrugá in Triana. For the
more nationally famous artists you might want to go along to
Casa de Carmen Arte Flamenco, or Casa de la Memoria. For dance
music ranging from electronic, minimal house to funk, you can
try Elefunk, Fun Club, Jacksons, or Emporium. For hip hop there’s
Boss nightclub on Calle Betis, if it’s more of a pop music style
with some Spanish influence then Catedral Club is the place
for you. For live rock, Flamenco fusion, and funk you can try
Malandar.
Short
Breaks
If you’re looking for something away from the big city, there
are many places to visit around Seville. Carmona is a small
town 30 minutes north of Seville and is easily accessible by
bus or car. It has fantastic panoramic views of the country
side, a smaller version of the Giralda tower in Seville, the
Alameda park, and part of the old town is also has an ancient
wall running around it. It has another surprise up its sleeve
with the Roman Necropolis. In the underground burial chambers
you can find remnants spanning a total of 600 years that date
back to 200 B.C. For an even more historical location, there
is Italica to north of the city in the town of Santiponce. It
was founded by a Roman general during the Battle of Ilipa in
206 B.C. to house soldiers that the Carthaginian army had wounded.
It is home to some ancient ruins of an amphitheatre, houses,
and old streets of the birthplace of the Roman Emperors Trajan,
and Adrian.
If you feel like going a little further a day trip to Grazalema
or Ronda will definitely be worth your while. An hours’ car
journey through some beautiful countryside will take you to
the town of Ronda. This breathtaking settlement sits some 750
metres above sea level, the Rio Guadalvín carves through
the town far below at the bottom of the El Tajo canyon on which
Ronda perches. The highest of the three connecting bridges sits
at 120 metres above the impressive gorge. A few kilometers west
of Ronda, is the picturesque village of Grazalema. It’s nestled
into at the Sierra del Pinar range of mountains. If you’re in
the mood for some hiking this area provides some spectacular
scenery for you to explore. The towns’ old traditions of lambs
wool spinning, cork harvesting, and furniture making are nowadays
under resourced. This has led to the tourism industry playing
a big part in its survival.