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Tips for Enjoy Seville
Originally founded as a Roman city and now home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Seville is bursting with antique charm. The Alcazar palace complex is a stunning collage of architectural styles, and the Cathedral will impress you with its beauty and its status as the burial site of Christopher Columbus. The Metropol Parasol is the world’s largest wooden structure, a massive mix of grids and swirls that contains a market and a terrace observatory.
The city is situated on the banks of the smooth, slow Guadalquivir River, which divides the city into two halves: Sevilla and Triana. The Guadalquivir (known as Betis by the Romans and as Betik Wahd-Al-Khabir by the Arabs) has had a major impact in the history of the city.
The location of Seville is roughly coincident with the point where the Guadalquivir stops being useful for navigation.
Get around
Sevilla has a good public transportation system. The buses run frequently and cover the majority of the city in their routes. You can purchase bus cards at many news stands.
A tram system is currently being incorporated into Sevilla's local transportation and is running from the San Bernardo Train Station to the Plaza Nueva but is expanding North and West into Triana.
Sevilla by Bike
Sevilla, the cultural heart of Andalusia is developing itself more and more as a cycling city. More than 62,14 miles of cycle lanes have been constructed which gives you the opportunity to discover this city fun, safe and fast by bike. Besides, cycling in the city centre it is also an easy way of discovering the less touristic suburbs of Sevilla.
Also, Sevilla has implemented a cycling plan called ́Sevici ́. Sevici counts more than 250 cycle stations where you can grab a bike and cycle from A to B. The total amount of bikes now is around 2500. Not only locals use this system. As a tourist you can buy a card for a week pass for 11,50 euro, which allows the first half hour free and subsequent hours are a euro each http://en.sevici.es/
If you are planning to go to Sevilla and want to explore the city by bike you can also choose to do this with a guided bike tour. It’s a safe and fast way to get familiar with this beautiful city and all its highlights.
What you should visit in Seville. A few recommendations...
1. The Cathedral of Seville was once judged the third largest church in the world after Saint Peter's in Rome and Saint Paul's in London it is now the largest church in the world when compared using the measurement of volume. Seville's fifteenth century cathedral occupies the site of the former great mosque built in the late twelfth century. The Cathedral is the final resting place of the remains of Christopher Columbus.
2. La Giralda is a large and beautiful minaret tower, originally intended for the chief mosque, but now is the magnificent bell tower of the Cathedral and a symbol of Seville. Climb the 34 ramps for a great view of the city.
3. The Real Alcázar is a beautiful palace in Mudéjar (Moorish) style, built in the XIV Century. With its myriad rooms, extravagant architecture, lavish gardens with many courtyards, ponds and secrets to be explored, it is a fascinating place to visit. Be sure to check out the room where Christopher Columbus's journey to the Americas were planned.
4. The Jewish Quarter (Barrio Santa Cruz) is located around the Cathedral. It is filled with small winding streets and is generally regarded as the most charming part of the city, but it is also fairly touristy.
5. Torre del Oro is a thirteenth century tower, the top of which is rumored to have once been covered in gold. It now houses the local maritime museum.
6. Universidad de Sevilla was once the Tobacco Factory of Seville and was constructed between 1728 and 1771 by Sebastián Van der Bocht. The tobacco factory was then the largest industrial building in Spain. Its chapel and prison complement the main building. In the interior you find impressive stairways, fountains and Patios. It was the setting for the first act of Bizet's opera Carmen. In 1953 the factory was converted into the main building of Seville University. Just behind the tobacco factory, the María Luisa’s park borders the historic center of Seville to the south.
7. Parque María Luisa was built for the 1929 Iber-American World's Fair and now is landscaped with attractive monuments and museums.
8. Plaza de España is the site of the Spanish pavilion from the 1929 exhibition. It has been a widely used scenario in many Hollywood blockbusters, such as Star Wars I.
9. Triana. For a more authentic and decidedly less well-scrubbed experience, it’s worth crossing the river to explore this scruffy but vibrant old quarter, historically the centre of azulejo, or glazed-tile production. There are plenty of tapas bars.
10. The Palacio de la Condesa de Lebrija. The palace is considered the “best paved house-palace in Europe” owing to its collection of roman mosaics, which paved practically the whole of the ground floor. There is also a collection of well parapets, vases, amphora, columns and sculptures of incalculable worth.
Eat
Seville, like most Andalusian destinations, is known for its tapas. "Tapa", while it is associated with certain dishes, is actually a size and many restaurants or bars will offer a tapa, 1/2 ración (half serving, although sometimes enough to make a meal) and ración (serving) of the same dish. There are many great tapas places all over the city. You can't go wrong, simply order one of everything to find your favorite! Be aware that most of the restaurants kitchens do not open before 20:30 in the evening.... welcome to Seville
These are just some examples of great tapas places.
City center:
• BAR COLONIALES: Plaza Cristo de Burgos 19.
• BAR ESLAVA: Calle Eslava 3
• EL ABUELO: Calle Álvaro Bazán 2
• EL GALLINERO DE SANDRA: Pasaje Esperanza Elena Caro, 2
• EL RINCONCILLO: Calle Gerona 2
• LAS PILETAS: Marqués de Paradas 28
• MESON DON RAIMUNDO: Argote de Molina 26
• LA MADRAZA: Calle Peris Mencheta, 21
• BAR CALLE LARGA: Calle Pureza, 2
• BAR CASA RUPERTO: Santa Cecilia semiesquina con calle San Jacinto
• BAR LOS ALCORES: Calle Farmacéutico Enrique Murillo Herrera, 10
• LA PRIMERA DEL PUENTE: Calle Betis, 66
• BAR TRIANA: Calle Castilla, 36 Bajo.
• LA AZOTEA: Calle Jesus del Gran Poder 31 (recommended, but try to sit in the bar seats where you can order tapas).
• NIKKEI: Calle Calatrava 34 (Peruvian-Japanese).
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