A 9-Day Road Trip in Spain; Seville in Two Days

We are back to two days vs. one day visits of Valencia and Cordoba. And there is a reason for it.

Seville ended up being only 75 miles, or a two-hour drive from Cordoba. After an early breakfast of churros and hot chocolate on a plaza in the Jewish Quarter of Cordoba we were ready to leave the ‘gates’ of the old town of Cordoba and head north, to Madrid.

While our navigation system worked surprisingly accurate in all of the parts of Spain we’ve visited, Seville did manage to freak it out. Going around and around the same block with one way traffic was not easy, even in an economy car.

Our hotel, Derby Hotel, Plaza Del Duque, 13, Seville 41002, Phone: +34 95 4561088, was in a primary location, close to dining and wining scene, as well to all major sightseeing attractions, allowing us to walk everywhere.

Must-Do Things in Seville

1. Seville's 15th-century cathedral. This largest gothic cathedral in the world not only was built on the site of a mosque, but also claims to have the remains of Christopher Columbus. View the tomb and the collection of art work at this historic cathedral.

2. Royal Palace, the Alcázar. As we later learned, all royal palaces in Spain are called Alcázars. View decorative tiles, note the evolving architectural styles, and learn how each monarch embellished this opulent palace. The ornate gardens and horse carriages add a touch of old Spanish times.

3. Old Jewish quarter, Santa Cruz

4. Flamenco dancers. Catch a true Sevillian Flamenco performances; ask your hotel clerks for information on tickets and locations. Most of the hotels offer tickets to see Flamenco.

5. Late night tapas bars – opt to walk in a non-tourist tapas bar, which can be intimidating for a non-Spanish speaker who get swirled in rumpus of families’ and friends’ conversations over some garlic gamba, habas, chorizo, jamon and hidago dishes.

And again, leave the car, take a walk. European cities and towns are meant to be seen by foot, unless you’re hopping islands in Greece.