Travel advice for Spain
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Spain
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written by Olivia Rawes
updated 10.01.2019
Seville is Spain undiluted. Every image that springs to mind when you think of Spain, Seville not only provides, but revels in with theatrical abundance.
There are sun-drenched plazas, outbursts of flamenco, dusty barrelled sherry, all-night fiestas and orange tree-lined streets tangling beneath sharp, clear skies.
Clichéd? Yes. Over-the-top? Of course. But if you’ve ever longed for a full-on Spanish trip, then look no further. Here are five reasons why you should get your fix in Seville.
9 days / from2468 USD
Andalucía Explored
Discover the best of Andalucía's breathtaking palaces, churches, museums, vineyards, and more, as you travel through spectacular scenery dotted with pueblos blancos and bordered by rugged mountains and coast en route to Granada, Seville, Ronda and Jerez de la Frontera.
view tour ⤍4 days / from643 USD
A culinary experience in Seville
Explore the cuisine and surroundings of Seville in Andalucia. From Iberian ham over sherry wines to the production and secrets of olive oil, this tour is an ideal weekend getaway. Decide yourself if you prefer a rental car or a chauffeur-driven car to explore the beauty of Andalucia.
view tour ⤍10 days / from3791 USD
Spanish Honeymoon
Discover Andalusia, starting with the cultural city of Seville, then on to Córdoba and Granada, home of the stunning Alhambra Palace. Next you'll visit Granada and the Albayzin Arab quarter, then enjoy a stunning hot-air balloon ride, before ending your trip with a luxury boat trip from Marbella!
view tour ⤍5 days / from1480 USD
Made for Madrid
Take to the Spanish capital for art, culture and a taste of life in the city, Madrileño-style. Explore age-old churches and pretty plazas, stroll through the lovely Buen Retiro Park and visit captivating Toledo. Then, come sundown, discover the city's vibrant barrios and lively nightlife.
view tour ⤍4 days / from1399 USD
A Madrid getaway
Spend four days discovering the wonders of Spain's capital Madrid: from fascinating museums like El Prado and Reina Sofia over exploring unknown corners with your private guide to a day trip to the surroundings, this itinerary packs the best of Madrid.
view tour ⤍18 days / from4590 USD
Hidden Spain - From Barcelona to Basque Country
Do you want to explore highlights in Spain while staying in nature at the same time? Look no further. Start your Spanish adventure in Barcelona before heading off to the mountains - drive your rental car to Andorra and further on to Basque Country. Decide between driving yourself or guided tours.
view tour ⤍8 days / from2360 USD
Andalucía by Car
Enjoy this road trip through Spain’s exuberant Andalucía, which will take you through the charming cities of Malaga, Seville, Granada and various 'white villages', including Ronda, with its vertiginous views across the sweeping Andalucían countryside.
view tour ⤍5 days / from1717 USD
The Lands of Wine from Madrid
Spain is well known for its amazing wines and this itinerary allows you to explore two famous regions: Ribera del Duero and La Rioja. Four different wineries, from traditional to modern, and many restaurants on the way await your visit.
view tour ⤍9 days / from1490 USD
The Cities, Mountains and Beaches of Northern Spain
Southern Spain has been a busy tourist destination for many years. This self-drive trip avoids the touristy area along the southern Spanish coast, instead opting to take in the culture of the north and its natural beauty and the rugged beaches and coast.
view tour ⤍4 days / from902 USD
Simply Seville
Make the most of a city break in one of Spain's most atmospheric cities. The home of flamenco, Seville is a veritable feast for all the senses. Come here for the tantalising cuisine and fragrant orange trees, awe-inspiring Gothic cathedral, pretty plazas and many excellent museums and galleries.
view tour ⤍13 days / from6572 USD
Cultural Cities of Spain
From Barcelona down to Granada in the deep South, see the best of Spain on this multi-city tour that takes in Madrid, Córdoba and Seville, too. Get to grips with Gaudí, see historic Toledo, wander through the Prado, see the Alhambra, and more on this cultural extravaganza of Spain's finest cities.
view tour ⤍7 days / from2700 USD
The tale of two cities: Madrid and Barcelona
Explore the capital of Spain Madrid with a unique city tour before heading about an hour outside of the city, to visit Europe's longest zip-line in historic Toledo. Afterwards, board a train to explore the second-largest city of Spain, Barcelona.
view tour ⤍4 days / from1539 USD
A weekend getaway to Malaga
Malaga is a coastal city in Andalusia, right on the famous 'Costa del Sol'. This weekend getaway allows you to explore the city, as well as the well-known surrounding cities of Ronda and Marbella. Yellow sand beaches, fascinating museums and a delicious cuisine await to be discovered.
view tour ⤍4 days / from1582 USD
City break Valencia
Spain's third largest city offers a beautiful old city quarter, plentiful history and a vibrant culture to be discovered. Palaces, museums and a rich cuisine make Valencia an attractive weekend getaway destination, as does the nearby wine region of Requena.
view tour ⤍12 days / from4012 USD
Iconic Cities of Spain: Madrid, Seville, Valencia and Barcelona
Spend a wonderful 12 days exploring the best that Spain has to offer on a trip including city tours of historical Madrid, Granada, Seville, Valencia, and Barcelona. Enjoy palatial-style boutique accommodation throughout the holiday, and savour delicious cuisine and regional wine. Be inspired!
view tour ⤍29 days / from9245 USD
From the South to the North - a Spanish Immersion
The ultimate trip for Spain lovers - explore the country at a leisurely pace from the South to the North. Start in Seville and make your way to Madrid via Granada and Cordoba. From Madrid, continue to the North - the Camino de Santiago, Basque Country and mountains await.
view tour ⤍16 days / from2538 USD
Gems in Southern Spain
Discover the gems of Southern Spain at a leisurely pace. Start and end is in Seville. From there, you will venture out to visit Cordoba, Granada, Ronda, Nerja, Malaga and the Costa del Sol, and much more on the way. Transportation and accommodation options are diverse and yours to choose.
view tour ⤍10 days / from4590 USD
Spanish Discovery - Barcelona, Seville & Madrid
This unique trip is ideal for everyone wanting to get a real taste of Spain. Private guides or small group tours await to show you Barcelona, Figueres, Seville, Cordoba, Toledo, and Madrid. Stay in luxurious Boutique Hotels conveniently located so you can explore the cities on your own as well.
view tour ⤍7 days / from3062 USD
Iberian Blend - Porto and Galicia
Neighbour countries - Portugal and Spain, different and similar at the same time, will surprise you with hospitality and loveliness. This itinerary includes the route of the Northwest part of Iberian Peninsula and offers you to meet beautiful Porto and stunning Vigo in Galicia/Spain.
view tour ⤍15 days / from5913 USD
Camino de Santiago & Portugal Deluxe
Hike the 'Way of Saint James', more precisely - the Portuguese Route, a World Heritage Site. After 5 days of beautiful hikes, it's time to say goodbye to Spain and hop on a plane to Portugal. Lisbon and Porto await before exploring the wineries of Douro Valley. A truly exceptional trip.
view tour ⤍4 days / from2538 USD
A Luxury Journey through the Vineyards of La Rioja
Visit La Rioja, Spain's most renowned wine-producing region, and discover the secrets of Spanish wine making. By the time this unique trip is over, you'll have sampled a wide range of fine Spanish wines, and you're sure to be going home as an expert.
view tour ⤍18 days / from5962 USD
Self Drive in Northern Spain
This tour is perfect for the independent traveller, with a sense of adventure and a love for food. Start in Santiago and discover among others Galicia and Asturia, all the way to Basque Country. On the way, Michelin starred restaurants and beautiful vineyards await. Finish your trip in Barcelona.
view tour ⤍8 days / from2479 USD
Castilian Castles: A Luxury Spanish Road Trip
Welcome to the driving trip of a lifetime through the Castile region, a picturesque land full of regenerated medieval castles and farmed plains. Explore places like Rioja Alavesa, a privileged microclimate for vine cultivation, and the majestic locations of Albarracin and Alarcón, at your own pace.
view tour ⤍9 days / from5935 USD
Unique Spain - Cultural Getaway
A trip filled with history, amazing landscapes and cultural attractions. Starting with walking tours around the cities hearts, to exploring the gastronomy, the arts and the folklore. Your trip begins in Barcelona before proceeding to Madrid and finishing in Seville - Andalusia's capital.
view tour ⤍Sevillanos proudly claim that tapas was invented in their city. Arguments aside, Seville is packed with thousands of tapas bars, making it one of the best places in the county to tapear.
Wander between establishments stopping off for a bite every now and then – a slither of jamón ibérico, a paper-cone of oven-warm salt- and rosemary-flecked chicharrones, one-plate-too-many of gooey croquettas.
Intersperse these mouthfuls with sips of barrel-aged, dry fino from Jerez or Sanlúcar, or a refreshing glass of tinto de verano – the local sangria – and you’ve got yourself a nice little evening.
For a taste of tradition, head to El Rinconcillo, Seville’s oldest tapas bar (founded in 1670), where hams hang above a mahogany bar, and detailed tiles fight for wall space with rows of dusty bottles.
Another unmissable spot is Eslava, an award-winning tapas bar. Be prepared to wait, this place gets packed and rightly so, with its inventive (yet somehow affordable) dishes such as brie pastry cigars with cuttlefish and algae, and slow-cooked egg on boletus cake with caramelized wine reduction.
For over twenty years, ice-cream maestro Joaquín Lira’s innovative creations have been capturing the identity of Seville and Spain – and turning heads in the process. He has won the admiration of big-deal Spanish chef Ferran Adría (of El Bulli fame) and been featured in Rick Stein’s Spain.
As well as making ice-creams for top restaurants, Lira continues to run his own ice-cream shop, Heladería la Fiorentina, where you can sample some of the flavours, many of which are strongly rooted in Spanish, and particularly Andalucían, culture.
The crema de flor de azahar distills the smell of Seville in a springtime haze of orange blossoms; a lemon and basil blend pays tribute to the Moroccan heritage; a vinegar-infused ice-cream recreates the smell of walking through a bodega; the goats cheese, nut and apricot mix represents the Sephardic Jewish culture; and finally the dulce de palmera is inspired by a traditional Semana Santa sweet.
Flamenco is strongly associated with Seville and for good reason. Across the river from the old town, lies the Triana barrio, the historical heart of the city’s gitano community and once home to many great flamenco dynasties.
These days Seville is saturated with flamenco shows and memorabilia, so pick where you go wisely as there are a number of fixed show tourist traps lying in wait.
Flamenco at its best is an earthly, spontaneous expression but it can be a fickle creature – breathtakingly passionate if you manage to stumble across it, incredibly infuriating when you wait for hours and it never shows up.
Try your luck at Casa Anselma, in the historic Triana homeland. There’s no sign on the door, so head to the corner of c/Antillano Campos and look for the yellow building with a mosaic of a landscape on it. Inside, local flamenco enthusiasts squeeze into the smoky atmosphere and wait cheek-by-jowl for outbreaks of music and dancing.
Another good venue is La Carbonería, which is housed an old coal merchants building, which during daylight could be confused with a shut-up garage, but at night becomes a low-key tapas bar with live flamenco performances.
Few cities in Spain can rival Seville for its vitality and theatricality, which reaches fever pitch during Semana Santa (Holy Week) and the Feria de Abril.
Easter’s Semana Santa celebrations are world-renowned, when the balconies overflow with spectators and the streets are lined with crowds, all waiting to see the solemn processions of pasos (floats) and eerie hooded and robed figures.
Pious duties done, not long after Semana Santa, the city’s lively flirtatious spirit explodes with Feria de Abril. For a week Spain’s largest feria takes hold, a seemingly ceaseless parade of quintessential Spanishness: girls in extravagantly frilled skirts, horse-drawn carriages rattling along the streets, crowds filling the city’s famous bullring, and dancers keeping time to the strumming of a flamenco guitar and sharp, rhythmic clapping.
History is etched in the architectural framework of Seville. At street-level a latticework of cobbled alleyways swell into wide plazas, and above, minarets and cupolas peep out from a sea of tiled rooftops.
Its illustrious history as home to the Christian monarchs, the second city of al-Andalus and the last real Moorish empire in Spain is paid tribute to in Seville’s three great monuments: La Giralda, the Catedral and the Alcázar.
Dominating the city’s skyline, the Almohad’s twelfth-century, 90m-tall La Giralda, now forms the bell tower of the Catedral – the largest Gothic church in the world and final resting place of Christopher Columbus.
Nearby, the Alcázar is also a melange of styles – occupied from the Roman times, transformed into a grand Almohad citadel, rebuilt by Christian monarch Pedro the Cruel – and rivals Granada’s Palacios Nazaríes with its intricate tile work, calligraphy-carved walls and palm tree shaded gardens.
If you want to get up close and personal with Seville’s architecture a stay at Corral del Rey shouldn’t be missed. Tucked away in the winding, medieval passageways of Seville’s Barrio Santa Cruz, this hotel has enveloped itself in a restored seventeenth-century palacio.
Hidden behind a heavy Mudejar doorway is a more accessible slice of history: a retreat of Roman marble columns, softly worn stone floors, and intricately carved beams holding up high ceilings.
Explore more of Spain with the Rough Guide to Spain. Compare flights, find tours, book hostels and hotels for your trip, and don’t forget to buy travel insurance before you go.
Top image © SJ Travel Photo and Video/Shutterstock
written by Olivia Rawes
updated 10.01.2019
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From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Spain