SEVILLA

On my recent trip to Spain, we visited Barcelona, Ibiza, Sevilla, and Granada, and all of the travel guides are now live! I traveled with my friend, Chandler, and Sevilla was definitely our favorite city! We loved Sevilla for it's relaxed vibes and culture, impressive architecture and tourist activities (!!) and delicious food!

Culture

Triana

The cutest neighborhood in Sevilla is Triana! Just over the Puente de Isabel II bridge, on the west side of the river, you can find all of the ceramics shops, restaurants, and flamenco experiences! We explored Triana and shopped til we dropped, ate dinner overlooking the river, and of course, stopped for gelato.

Flamenco

We went to two flamenco experiences in Sevilla (listed below), and I recommend that you do the same!

Casa Anselma

The first flamenco experience was at Casa Anselma, a small bar still run by Anselma herself! It feels more like a family gathering than a performance! The venue doesn't even open until around midnight, but get in line by 11:45pm. DEFINITELY call ahead to make a reservation. Ask your hotel concierge to call and make reservations for you! Anselma runs the door and she gives special treatment to everyone who calls ahead. The front rows fill up fast, so get there early! The show is free, but it's expected that you purchase a drink or two throughout the night.

Museo de Flamenco

The second performance we went to was at the Museum of Flamenco, so it was a little more commercial, but it was everything we hoped for! Multiple wardrobe changes (flamenco fashion!) as well as male and female performers. We opted for the VIP experience and it was worth it- we were front and center! The only downside was the we couldn't take any photos or video during the performances. We tried to sneak a video for fun (didn't work so well!), but either way it was a great performance!

Tourist Attractions

Plaza de Espana

We had the best time running around the plaza, taking photos, and people watching! There was even a flamenco show happening in one area of the plaza! Even if you only have time to stop by, the building itself is so impressive, so you have to add it to your itinerary! If I had a do-over, I would get some gelato and sit on the steps to people watch. There were so many crazy tourists trying to get the perfect photo (aka us), and it was people watching perfection. So many selfie sticks. Definitely stick around if you have some time to spare! 

Real Alcazar de Sevilla

This place is huge! Gardens, palace, beautiful architecture! We spent half a day here wandering around, taking photos, and enjoying the weather! I definitely got yelled at a few times for climbing on things to get a photo, but hey, I say go for it and break a few rules! ;) Also, if you're into Game of Thrones... a lot of it was filmed here! 

Restaurants

Some of our favorite meals of the trip were in Sevilla! It was hard for us to find solid food recommendations so I wanted to be sure and include all of the places that we enjoyed! I highly recommend each of these three places.

El Pinton (left)

Definitely order a pitcher of sangria! This place is modern and decorated so well, but the food is traditional and was delicious! Perfect dinner spot!

La Chala (middle)

This was our first meal in Sevilla and we were so pleased! It's tapas style, and we were a little nervous after a few misses in Barcelona, but everything we had was fantastic! 

La Mariatrifulca (right)

One of the most popular restaurants in the city, and a bit of a tourist destination for sure. The restaurant is on the corner of the Puente de Isabel II bridge and has a rooftop terrace that overlooks the river! You NEED reservations to get a rooftop spot! They speak English, but you can always ask your hotel to call for you! This place was a little pricier, but great for dinner or just some sangria at the bar! 

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GRANADA

Well, the only reason to visit Granada is to see Alhambra. It's a palace/fortress and the main tourist attraction in the city. If you're not interested in seeing it or learning about it, don't make the trip to Granada. If you ARE interested in it, then buy your Alhambra tickets IN ADVANCE. We completely overlooked this, and by the time we started really planning our activities, every single type of ticket and tour was sold out. Instead, we spent some time at the Hammam Spa, an ancient Arabic bath, and relaxed! It was great, but the travel from Sevilla to Granada felt a little bit wasted. SO word to the wise: book your tickets early!