Seville comes alive during Easter, so it was the best time for me, and three friends, to be visiting the city: one of the main festivals is underway, its intriguing history is ever-present, the gorgeous orange trees are blossoming and the sun is shining. Not to mention the excellent tapas on offer! It makes for a vibrant atmosphere and an ideal destination for a long weekend.
The Spaniards celebrate Semana Santa (Holy Week) and the Sevillano are a particularly devout bunch so the town comes out in force for the festival. It’s great people watching with young and old in their Sunday best.
Processions from each local church weave their way through narrow streets all day and well into the night. They’re lead by the brotherhood wearing robes and hoods (think KKK although it’s unrelated), and followed by a highly decorated float carrying Jesus, a second float carrying the Virgin Mary and bands playing sombre (for mourning) or uplifting (for resurrection) music. The locals hang out their windows to watch if they’re lucky enough to live en route or line the streets to watch. It’s a fascinating spectacle.
While all of this creates a buzz in the air, there’s a lot more to Seville than the passing parade.
We did a walking tour to get our bearings and ended up with a much better understanding of the city’s Roman, Islamic and Christian influences. The Cathedral is a great example with the church built up around the original mosque to be one of the largest in world and is worth a visit.
There’s plenty to see but two excellent sights are the world heritage listed Alcazar and Palacio de la Condesa de Lebrija. Both are reminiscent of Morocco with their beautifully detailed archways, tiled walls and ceilings, and calming courtyards. The Alcazar is an Islamic palace and has extensive gardens to wander around. If you’ve got the time, take a book with you and relax in the sun. I suggest you slot in seeing the sights like these between 2 and 5pm while the town is having a siesta.
Getting lost in the narrow streets of Barrio de Santa Cruz is a must. It’s the old Jewish quarter and has a few lovely squares full of orange trees. Make sure you find the prettiest - Plaza Dona Elvira - and drink up the perfume of the blossoms. You’ll want to bottle it and take it home!
While you’re in the old town have lunch at Alvaro Peregil (they do a great version of the local specialty, salmorejo and their orange wine was delish), Casa Tomate and Bodega Santa Cruz (the one with yellow walls). We did a tapas crawl so we could try all three!
Another quarter to explore across the river is Triana. Two main streets here are home to half a dozen outlets for locally manufactured ceramics, a handful of bars, and a great restaurant, which oddly reminded me of Melbourne (!), called Casa Ceusta (try the lightly crumbed aubergine in honey).
For traditional entertainment, you must see flamenco at Casa de la Memoria de Al Andalus. It’s a polished performance in an intimate, ivy-clad courtyard. They take last-minute bookings for the night performances from 6pm. Get there early for the best seats. For a more casual and lively experience try La Carboneria, an old warehouse with two bars that hosts impromptu flamenco. The season kicks off at Easter, so you can see a bull fight in Spain’s oldest ring, Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza.
For retail entertainment, the shops are open from 10am – 2pm and again around 5:30pm until 9ish. The best shopping is in El Centro around Calle de la Cuna, C. Sierpes and C. O’Donnell. Definitely go to Spanish store Adolfo Dominquez for clothes and accessories. I found space for a new pair of heels in my carry on luggage!
In El Centro be definitely eat at Bar Alfafa, the award-winning Bar Europa, the oldest bar El Rinconcillo (a little old lady gave me a lesson in mopping up the sauce with my bread here!) and sit outside at Los Coloniales. Remember lunch is the main meal of the day and dinner doesn’t kick off til late in the evening.
When you’re ready to put your feet up head to Eme Cathedral Hotel’s rooftop terrace – the perfect place to enjoy a drink and catch the sun. Or pamper yourself at the Arabian baths, Aire de Sevilla, where you can have a massage, treatments or just use the different baths.
Seville is definitely one of my favourite cities so far. Enjoy!
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