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Torre del Oro

With any trip, it begins with a good base, somewhere central, clean, cosy and easy to navigate yourself from. As I often take trips solo, I like to factor in specifics such as safety, proximity from the station, airport or bus stop, so if I have an early flight or train to catch I am able to walk to get public transport easily and feel safe whilst doing so. This trip was no different, I wanted somewhere close to the centre, after looking on some booking sites including Hostelworld and Booking, one in particular stood out, called TOC hotel and suites. The photos on the site looked modern, clean and the front desk was made out of books, what can I say, I do love a ‘stand out’ design feature. Not only did this sell it to me, it was a great price, super central and was recommended to me by two other travellers I met along the way. This is the beauty of staying in hostels and sparking up conversations with fellow travellers, you can find out first hand what people thought of places and spaces.

Side note: Spark up that conversation, you might learn something.

TOC hotel and suites  (recently acquired by Room00, another great place to stay, more on that in another post) was the best place to stay whilst in Seville, a stones thrown from the Cathedral, Alcazar palace and a five minute walk from Plaza de Espana plus close to many other things Seville has to offer. A brilliant feature of my shared 6 bed female dorm was it had a gorgeous view (200euro) of the cathedral, the beauty of staying in a hostel is the views are often incredible or there is a gorgeous roof terrace, for a much lower prices.

Have you ever stayed in a 20euro a night hostel with a 200 euro view?

The 200 euro view for 20euros

Views from Torre del Oro

Santa Cruz is an old Jewish quarter, filled with winding streets, restaurants, and visual delights as far as the eye can see, from the gorgeous shop fronts to flamenco shows. There are many excellent places to eat in this area with one of my favourite streets to sit and watch the world go by, Calle Mateos Gago, which is home to one of the oldest restaurants, Cervecería Giralda. Of course, I had to try some tapas and a clara to be able to confirm it is a great spot to eat whilst taking shade from the sun and enjoying the views of the cathedral.

On this street you’ll find many restaurants which are equally as delicious, another one I loved was, ‘Taberna Belmonte’ for the fantastic Russian salad and iced decaf coffee, a winning combination. This street is home to Taberna Álvaro Peregil, famous for serving orange wine, naturally, I had to try one and unfortunately, it’s a tipple I will not be rushing to have again but when in Rome, or Seville in this case, you have to try it and see.

In this area you’ll find the tourist information, I always love popping in to see what trips, tours and areas the staff recommend. For me, it was one of my favourite areas to explore for the feeling of being lost in an incredibly beautiful Spanish time capsule and the feeling of calm it had.

Over the river you will find the area known as Triana, dubbed the birthplace of flamenco and home to traditional flamenco at Almoraima Hall along with Mercado de Triana, Centro Ceramica and gorgeous tiles which line the streets. I spent a lot of time in Triana walking along the streets admiring the street names, shop windows and doors, all which are so beautiful.

On my trips, exploring always involves lots of walking as it is the best way to see the a place, if time and leg movement permits, I would always recommend walking, to breath in the atmosphere, get a lay of the land without relying solely on google maps and enjoy everything the place has to offer.

Do you enjoy walking a lot on your holidays or prefer relaxing?

This trip in particular was one where I wanted to spend time relaxing, it involved trips to Triana market where I had the most delicious tortilla de Patatas at Panaderia Ana, walking up the steep steps of Torre del Oro (The Golden Tower) to discover the gorgeous views which costs the price of a small or large donation, running along the river banks and spotting the cool street art, watching the fabulous flamenco at La Carboneria (it’s free but do remember to bring some cash, as it would be rude not to leave a tip), checking out the tremendous ceramic shops or breathing in the beauty of The Alcazar Palace. The river cruise with the two free tours of Santa Cruz and Triana, both well worth taking, thanks to the enthusiasm and knowledge of the tour guide Belen, at Intursafe. Much like the people you meet, tour guides can etch a significant memory on a place, trip or adventure for the right or wrong reasons, fortunately, this one was for all the right reasons!

Seville spoiled me with the glorious sun on my skin, beautiful architecture and stunning sights on a daily basis. It is a place which now holds magnificent memories and somewhere I would definitely like to return to.

Not only is Seville a great to explore in its own right, it’s a brilliant place to use as a base to explore the areas close by including Cordoba, a short train journey away, from 45minutes to an hour and a half depending on the train and Ronda, along with several other day trips depending on how long you want to travel.

Whatever you choose to do in Seville, make it your own, don’t rush to see everything, relax, take in the sights, smell the breeze, read the recommendation, have the conversations but do what you want to do in the time you have there.

Enjoy!

Perlas Del Guadalquivir