Greetings Wanderlust Adventurers!
Have you ever been to a city where there was so much to see and so little time? This is how I feel every time I’ve been to Seville! The beauty of living so close to Seville is that we get the chance to go back and really explore – which is exactly what we did this week!
A few weeks ago I was looking at my Hotels.com account when I noticed I only needed one more stay to collect my free night and I needed one more night on my account to keep my Silver Status membership! So, knowing that we had some downtime and maybe needed an adventure to spice up our week. I found a great deal for The Becquer Hotel and booked for Thursday!
This was going to be the first time that we have really had the chance to explore Seville. I have been to the city three times before this trip but once was for the Festival of the Nations, once was to help a friend to the airport, once to visit a wine shop for my tasting classes and now this trip! I was so excited to finally have the chance to REALLY see this beautiful city and now just “pass through”.
However, with such short time, you need a plan of attack!
Best things to see in 48 hours in Seville:
- Alcázar of Seville
- Seville Cathedral
- The Giralda
- Plaza de España
- Torre del Oro
- Carriage Ride
- Flamanco Show
- Tapas!
If you only have 48 hours in the city these are the highlights I suggest you hit, now if you are a slower traveler you should be able to hit all of these and maybe one more. However, if you are a slower traveler and really soak in everything – be sure to experience these locations to the fullest.
When we arrived in the city my first stop, other than parking, was the Alcázar of Seville. Being in the heart of the city it is very easy to find and there is lots of underground parking garages that you can leave you car at all day (it only cost me €12.55 for almost 12 hours).
Established as a fort in 930 AD, a royal residence of the Moorish kings developed over the centuries. You can wander around the exquisite gardens, it’s an exquisite example of mudéjar architecture.
Travel Tip: I would highly suggest purchasing your tour tickets BEFORE you arrive. The lines can get VERY long and you could end up spending your whole day in line just to get in the doors. Also, I would encourage you to either purchase a ticket that comes with a tour guide or splurge for the audio tour, I didn’t do this and I felt like I didn’t get as much out of my experience there as I could have.
Be mindful that this is also a major landmark to be visited, I encountered some rather rude travelers pushing me out of the way (yes, with the backpack on with my daughter inside) in order to take their pictures. But the architecture, the colors, the history of this location and the blending of cultures that it took to build this building…absolutely worth it!
Next, literally as soon as you leave the exit doors from Alcázar you will be faced with the Seville Cathedral. This The world’s third largest church, but the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, which stands on the site of the former, 12th-century Almohad Mosque. It’s also been the final resting place for Christopher Columbus since 1898.
Travel tip: I would also highly suggest buying your tickets early (you can bundle tickets for several sights) for this location. Especially if you are going to visit in the summertime. Once again, please learn from my mistake! Either purchase a tour or an audio guide – the only reason I’m not as upset as I could be is because I know I can go back easy. If that weren’t the case I’d be very upset.
Before you leave the cathedral you have the chance to climb “the tower”. The Giralda tower, home to some beautiful bells, sits 341 feet or 38 levels, above the cathedral square. The tower was the original minaret of the mosque, which you can see in the exterior architecture and design . The bronze weather vane at the top has represented “faith” since the 16th century.
Though I was rather winded by the time we got to the top, being that I’m carrying about 50 extra lbs on my back, but the view was spectacular! You can see the city with a 360 degree view! And you don’t have to pay extra to go up the tower like some places I’ve visited before. If you get the chance also take the rooftop tour! I didn’t get to with Harmony because even constrained to the backpack she was too small – but it looked amazing!
We finally had to stop for lunch. We treated ourselves to a more fancy meal for lunch at El Giraldillo, they had a fixed menu for 30€ which included a starter, main course, desert, bread and wine. Totally worth it and Harmony and I split the meal. This restaurant you are paying for not only the food but the location, you are sitting right in front of the bell tower of the cathedral and we even got to be sitting there when the hour bells chimed! It was perfect!
Next it was time to cash in on promise I had made to Harmony, we were going on a horsey ride. No, sadly we didn’t get to actually ride the horses but we did take a carriage ride! The route had taken us through some of the locations we had already walked through but it was really nice to be able to experience it in a new way and from a new angle. The cost is 45€ and it was absolutely worth it!
You can plan to do this as a romantic outing or you can just enjoy the views of the city without worrying about traffic and navigation while you rest your feet! I know it is a little “touristy” but there is a long standing of horse carriages in the city and a tradition that is kept alive today is really a cool thing to be a part of.
Our night ended with a Flamenco show! Since Seville is said to be the home of where Flamenco dancing originated from it goes without saying that you have a lot of options to see a show. We went to Cuna del Flamenco. Instead of sitting at a table, which is what I was used to seeing the last time I saw a flamenco show, we sat in a theater where the performers were on stage for the show. It was only 20€ for both Harmony and I, plus we were able to see the 5:30pm showing so we would still be able to have dinner and get to bed at a reasonable time!
All in all we didn’t end up getting the full 48 hours in the city but this city is worth coming back to find all the hidden gems!
Traveling Photographer Out!
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[…] entrance fee once we got inside, boy was he right! This was like an exclusive private tour of the Royal Alcázar of Seville, but better. There was only one other family in the entire Kasbah during our visit and we could […]