If you are planning a trip to Seville, I will put together my tips based on whether you have a short trip in town, longer stays, and a few things I wish I could know.
Hi, friends! I hope you have had a great week so far! This is the last post in my travel series (we travelled to Spain, Italy and France + time in Barcelona, four weeks in Seville), and everything returns here for regular scheduled programs. You know, until I plan my next trip without excitement.
Today, I want to share some knowledge about Sevilla: Knowledge, favorite restaurants/attractions and tips for what I have to learn hard ways. I’ve divided it into two parts. The first is that you plan a shorter trip (a week or so) and have to go on a longer trip (3-4+ weeks).
Tips for traveling to Seville, Spain
Excursions:
language:
If you are going to Spain, I think you will definitely be using the key phrases you will use. This book is very helpful and I also recommend working with the tutor. Joseph is my current mentor and he is great! Although I found that many people in Spain know English, many people don’t. At least it is worth knowing how to get to a taxi, how to order food and drinks, asking for bills, asking about the location of the bathroom, having a polite conversation, etc.
It is also worth noting that in Seville, they will use a condensed version of the phrase, which is casual and interesting:
– por favor (please) = Porfa (I personally didn’t use this because it feels a little cute, but definitely heard it)
– Hasta Luego (see you later) = luego
– Buenos Días (good morning) = Buenos (but you can say Buenos at any time of the day, not Hola Hello)
– Gracías (Thank you) = Gracía
I also hope to hear and use “gulf” a lot. Can agree, OK, do you understand? (Vale?), are you ready? (gulf?), I’m ready (sí, vale), go (gulf!), etc.
Wear comfortable shoesWoolen cloth
There are a lot of walking, which is one of my favorite things. I love to explore new places on foot 🙂 The streets are cobblestones and sometimes uneven so stay away from the heels. Cute sneakers and sandals are always a good choice. You can change to changing sandals or cassia for dinner. I live in Vejas when we were in Europe!
air conditioner
Communication is even rarer even in restaurants and shops. Get a lovely fan that you will fit! Since we are from Arizona and I love hot yoga, the heat is not disturbing me at all, but the kids are melting. We ended up in Alehop, making Mr. P-face and neck enchant.
Booking:
Book any dining reservations and tickets in advance.
Some of my favorite attractions:
Royal Alcaza
Museum Del Baile Flamenco
Las Setas
Espania Plaza
Triana Market
cathedral
Las Setas, Casa de la Memoria or Flamenco (the bar for improvisation)
Restaurant
Dining tips:
– If you want water, make sure to specify whether you need Agua Con Gas (glitter) or natural (still).
– Cafes often ask if it is Paraquí (who eats there) or Para llevar (go). While it’s no big deal for smaller attractions, some restaurants don’t offer takeaway meals or will charge for takeaway supplies – just something to consider. Travel boxes after a meal are not common, so you have to ask and expect to pay a little (.50-1 euro) for takeaway supplies.
– Still no tips expected here, but worthy of appreciation. My friend in Barcelona said if you think the service is excellent/above, then you’ll have to tip a €00 or so.
– Order Tinto de Verano instead of sangria. It’s not that sweet, super good and refreshing. It is also highly recommended that you drink a bottle of Albariño wine.
– Paella is more common than lunch foods. 😉
Our top restaurants in Seville:
– Mokambo for brunch
– Alfalfa 8 for cocktails and dinner
– Cocktails and dinner
– El Rinconcillo Lunch or Dinner
– Maria Trifieca for a romantic dinner
– Cañabota (the incredible Michelin star experience we like)
– Gluten-free bakery
– Almazen – Cute little breakfast cafe
Long-distance travel:
Since we spent four weeks in Seville, we had to experience the feeling of staying there for a while, with lots of downtime, grocery shopping, at Airbnb, laundry, cooking, and not feeling like we were rushing to do everything.
Grocery Shopping Tips:
We spend most of our time shopping in the grocery store because it’s summer now, kids snack but can also see fresh and good. When we are not in town (especially long trips), we try to go out and eat 1x the maximum per day (perhaps a snack or ice cream) because it can get very expensive and we won’t feel the best about 100% restaurant dining either.
Also, restaurants are a bit scarce here. Going to a restaurant and seeing a lot of vegetable noodles or salads on the menu is not the norm. I’m trying to cook snacks on Airbnb where possible, just to absorb some extra nutrients and fiber.
Purchase shopping:
You need to wear gloves to touch any produce and put the produce in the produce bag. Once bagged, take it to a nearby food scale to weigh. You will find yourself weighing the produce on the screen, pressing a button, a sticker strip code pops up to attach to the produce bag.
Bring your own bag.
They have bags available, but you have to pay for them and it’s easier to hide several tote bags in the beach, pool and grocery bags in your luggage.
Some of our staple foods:
fruit
Vegetables and hummus or avocado sauce
Gluten-free Pixar and Peanut Butter
Refrigerated Spanish tortillas (too good)
yogurt
egg
Chips and bars
Peanut butter on toast with berries or bananas
I also bring nutritional support and truvani from home every day so I can mix the two together to pair with protein pudding from berries, bars or peanut butter
laundry:
We usually plan to do laundry when traveling if possible because then we don’t have to pack too much! I brought our laundry pods from home. (I use the Rosey brand from Thrive Market.)
It is worth mentioning here that clothes dryers are not so common in Spain. You dry your clothes outside. Honestly, I actually like this one. The sun will dry out the clothes soon and they feel so fresh and clean! The only frustrating thing is that the towels are a little crunchy 😉 Our Airbnb has a washing machine and a dry shelf that I would drag to the roof to dry our clothes.
The roof ended up locking for a while, so I dried them in the living room on the drying rack:
Airbnb:
If you stay longer, I definitely recommend finding AC (summer worth) and a terrace or a place to relax outside. This is my only regret for Airbnb. It’s cute, but small, because I think we’ll go out most of the time. We ended up spending a lot of time there and when the girl was sleeping or relaxing in AC, I would love to put a small patio outside or relax outside.
Garbage + recycling:
This is different from the United States! Most attractions have a neighborhood garbage location where you will drop the garbage and recycle it. I was always impressed by the recycling here, including glass, primer, paper, food scraps and other debris.
bathroom:
It is worth noting that you can’t flush any toilet paper into most of the toilets in Seville. There is usually a large trash can next to the toilet with toilet paper, or anything else you need to throw. The pipes are old and easily clogged. Sometimes there is no toilet paper in the public restroom, so it’s convenient to have a pack of tissues and hand sanitizer in your purse.
Random:
– Eat Jamòn. I never eat pork in the US, but you can bet on my trophy, I have Jamon almost every day in Spain.
– Pick up the apartment in Flabelus! ! (Up to them run very small. I’m usually 38 years old and size is 39)
– Check out Mira Mira for super peeling but very cute jewels
– Buy some chocolates in the chocolate store Bonbon and Turrón.
– Buy some of the best olive oils (you can actually order them on Amazon, but still!)
– Order Carrillada (pig cheeks with red wine sauce… for Dieeeeee)
– Walk to Triana to browse all handmade ceramics!
OK, I think that’s most of my skills… Now!
If you go to Seville, have the best time. It’s truly a magical place with gorgeous culture, super friendly people, amazing food and breathtaking sights. You will reveal it.
OK, friend: What is on your travel list? Is there any Sevilla addition?
XO
Gina
