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Spain : Seville - December 2007

Country Code: Dial for Spain

With its sumptuous architecture, fabulous restaurants and evocative monuments, Seville deserves to be famous for more than beautiful women and oranges (as Lord Byron claimed). Factor in the vitality of the local sevillaños and you can understand the Andalusian capital’s year-round appeal. Josephine Quintero finds this month’s crisp weather perfect for sightseeing and shopping

Getting around

Seville San Pablo Airport

Bus: Buses leave every half hour on weekdays and every hour at weekends. They start at about 6am and finish around 11pm. Tickets cost €2 and the journey takes about 25 minutes.
Taxi: A journey from the airport to the city centre takes about 15 minutes and costs approximately €20.
Tourist information: The main tourist offices can be found at 28 Calle Arjona (tel. ) and 19 Plaza de San Francisco (tel. , www.turismo.sevilla.org).

CENTRO

This pulsating centre of the city has the lot – great hotels, superb shopping and some of the best tapas bars in town.

Sleep soundly – Casa Numero 7 (7 Calle Virgenes, tel. , casanumero7.com, rooms from €177) is a lovingly restored Moorish townhouse with a regal yet homely feel and white gloved butlers serving you breakfast

Culture vultures – Stroll the banks of Guadalquivir river to view some of the city’s stunning architecture, including Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza (Paseo de Colón), the adjacent modern Teatro de la Maestranza, and the 13th-century Torre de Oro across the way.

Must eat – Sample Cuban cuisine with plenty of vegetarian options at the charming Habanita (3 Calle Golfo, tel. ). Inexpensive dishes include black beans and rice, fried plantains and chicken in coconut sauce. For an upper-crust pizza, try San Marco (6 Calle Cuna, tel. ), whose reputation has stood the test of time.

Must drink – Attracting an energetic student crowd, Café-Bar Levies (15 Calle San José) has tasty tapas and local beer on tap.

Dance the night away – Head to Fun Club (86 Alameda de Hércules) for hip hop, blues, jazz and funk.

Shop til you drop – Spain’s most popular department store, El Corte Inglés (8 Plaza del Duque de la Victoria) is a one-stop solution for gifts, selling everything from quality fashion to gourmet deli goods. There’s a market on the square at weekends, too.

BARRIO DE SANTA CRUZ

This barrio has a tangible Moorish quality, with cobbled plazas, orange trees and arches located within confessional distance of the cathedral.

Sleep soundly – La Hostería del Laurel (5 Plaza de los Venerables, tel. , hosteriadellaurel.com, rooms from €95) is on one of Santa Cruz’s loveliest squares. The rooms are comfortable and simply furnished. Hostal Goya (31 Calle Mateos Gago, tel. , hostalgoyasevilla. com, rooms from €80) has had a recent facelift.

Culture vultures – The massive Cathedral (Avenida de la Constitucíon) and adjacent Moorish Alcázar are the unmissable sights here – the latter’s lovely gardens are reminiscent of Granada’s Alhambra.

Must eat – Enjoy a heady historical atmosphere at Meson Don Raimundo (26-28 Calle Argote de Molina, tel. ), where waiters weave round Roman columns, serving typical local dishes such as Seville-style bull’s tail.

Must drink – The traditional Las Columnas (1 Calle Rodrigo Caro) attracts old men in flat caps and tourists alike.

Shop til you drop – Seek out Galería Rafael Ortíz (12 Calle Mármoles) for contemporary artwork and prints.

LA MACARENA

This enticing area has a lively street life set among narrow alleyways.

Sleep soundly – One of Seville’s latest boutique hotels, Alcoba del Rey (9 Calle Bécquer, tel. , alcobadelrey.com, rooms from €125) has canopy beds, bubbling fountains and a luxurious atmosphere.

Culture vultures – The handsome Basílica de la Macarena (1 Calle Bécquer) has a magnificent retablo where Seville’s most revered image, the Virgin Mary (better known as La Macarena) takes pride of place.

Must eat – Enjoy sophisticated tapas at Yebra (3 Calle Medalla Milagrosa, tel. ), which serves mouth-watering dishes such as pheasant stew.

Must drink – Spit-and-sawdust Vizcaino (27 Calle Feria) is a local watering hole with a congenial atmosphere and affordable drinks.

Dance the night away – The live music at chilled-out Malandar (43 Avenida Torneo) runs the gamut from foot-stomping flamenco to African beats.

Compiled by Josephine Quintero