Seville is an incredibly confusing city to find your way around get a good map and still be prepared to get lost if anything or anyone that it says it takes 10 minutes to get from A to B double it.
The rail station and the bus stations are not very central also the buses do not serve the old part so be prepared to walk or get a bus map as they do circle the main part of the city or take a taxi. The main sites however are all easily walkable.
There is now a short tram line from the main Bus Station (Prado San Sebastian) to Plaza Nueva going past the Cathedral so handy for Barrio Santa Cruz and Arenal areas. This is also useful for linking to the many local city buses at the Prado San Sebastian including to the Train Station. A re-chargeable card can be bought for a nominal fee then topped up saving nearly 50% on journies.
There are loads of wonderful Hotels in the Barrio Santa Cruz and in other central areas and in all price ranges check out the usual hotel sites.
An alternative is apartments and there are some beautiful ones available check out the following sites www.sevilla5.com has some excellent apartments highly recommended
www.citysiesta.com reliable company also in Barcelona & Lisbon.
Another site that comes recommended with some very smart aprtments is www.friendlyrentals.com.
www.barriosantacruz.com
www.hotel-seville-tobook.com
Las Teresas C/Santa Cruz lovely old bar with excellent Tapas service not as good as it was
Casa Roman C/Jamerdana in the heart of the Barrio Santa Cruz not as touristy as some in the area - good tapas
Bar Giralda C/Mateos Gago old Moorish Bath-house order from the huge range of Tapas on Blackboards behind bar watch out for the odd bit of overcharging however the food is excellent
Bodega Santa Cruz C/Mateos Gago old fashioned basic bar with a variety of Tapas. This bar is also known as Las Columnas, the street features in a Dan Brown book , not sure whether this is good or bad ! The tapas are still as good and cheap as ever.
Vinerias San Telmo, Paseo Catalina de Ribera 4, although in the heart of the tourist area this is a really good tapas bar with some different choices.
La Cava del Europa, C/Santa Maria La Blanca 40, again in teh heart of tourist land this modern bar owned by the same people as Bar Europa has top notch tapas all cooked to order, not to be missed,
Bodeguita La Vasija, off C/Santa Maria La Blanca has to be the smallest bar in Seville, it is now much more "uomarket" than it was - give it a try.
Round the Bull Ring are some very up-market Tapas bars these are especially good to see on the days when there is a bullfight
Casa Morales C/Garcia de Vinuesa across the main Avenida Constitucion is one of the oldest bars in Seville limited Tapas but worth a visit
Enrique Berceres C/Garmazo 2 nr Plaza Nueva a top class bar & restaurant, the Tapas are good and the restaurant has been very highly recommended
Infanta, C/Arfe 32-36, this is a very smart restaurant and tapas bar, worth visiting it to see the smart Seville set on a night out.
La Tienda de Eva, C/Arfe is next door to Infanta and is like a grocesr shop doing cold meats and cheeses .
Horacio, C/Antonio Diaz as expected in this area another upmarket tapas bar popular with locals.
In C/Arfe is a local very small bar Casa Mathias , which has impromptu live flamenco mainly late afternoon and early evening. The overspill now goes into the basic bar next door, and Moncloa Cafe( a late night 'Copas' haunt) opposite, in fact Calle Arfe is just wall to wall with people at the weekend.
Bar Jose Luis Plaza de Cuba fantastically up market Tapas Bar part of chain of top notch Basque bars. There is a good seafood bar nearby Mariscos Emilio C/Genova
Bar Bistec C/Pelay y Correa
La Antgua Abaceria, C/Pureza 12, old fashioned bar, grocers shop, cold meat tapas, excellent place to visit and very different
Las Golondrinas C/Antillo Campos, a lovely tiled bar slightly off the beaten track but worth seeking out
La Oliva C/San Jacinto a great local bar with fabulous fish tapas
Blanco Paloma C/San Jacinto a very smart bar with a fabulous range of made to order tapas just near La Oliva although there is another bar with the same name nearby which was closed
Sol y Sombre, Calle Castilla 149, Triana, Seville
There are lots of bars along C/Betis on the front and the streets behind
Bar Zelai, C/Albareda 22, behind Plaza Nueva, this is a new bar/restaurant very modern with excellent tapas, it is incredibly popular but persevere - true it is not cheap but for a top notch experience give it a try.
Patio San Eloy C/San Eloy lots of tapas in tiled bar with tiled stepped up seating area
La Alacena de San Eloy is a great wine bar attached to a very smart grocers shop with an excellent variety of different tapas including a selection of desserts, they have a second branch near Plaza Alfalfa in C/Aguilas
Bar Eslava C/Eslava 3 Facing Church of San Lorenzo a bit out of centre but fabulous tapas and small restaurant worth seeking out. This is still a wonderful place if there is no room at the bar look for a table in the back it is very reasonably priced for the quality of ingredients, still as excellent as ever, Squeeze through then crowd - don't give up !
Nearby is the Antigua Albareca De San Lorenzo, C/Teodosio 53, it's not a grocer;'s shop it is a bar and restaurant, friendly staff.
Bar Alcoy 10 C/Teodosio 66 round the corner from Bar Estava lots of different tapas and very friendly staff with outside seating
Dos de Mayo Nr El Corte Ingles Plaza de la Gavidia a busy bar specialising in rolls and sandwiches and prawns on a Thursday
Bar Santa Marta Plaza San Andres is a very busy bar with great outdoor tables, good for breakfast, lunch or just a beer and a tapas
Also nearby is the Alameda de Hercules which is full of trendy bars but also some great tapas places. Casa Paco on the side with less bars has fabulous tapas cooked to order with loads of outside seating.
The streets around there are packed with great places, Pimiento C/Joacquim Costa is very good, recommended is La Sopa Boba Tapas in the same street, and La Madraza C/Peris Mencheta. .
Bar Europa, Plaza del Pan or C/Siete Revueltas (depending on what book you look at) has a very upmarket selection of tapas cooked to order. It is more expensive than most but worth a visit - try there other place La Cava del Europa staff are much more friendly.
Bar Manolo Plaza Alfalfa speciality fried fish, try the gambas rebozados (deep fried prawns) or pavia de merluza (loin of hake) a great local haunt with prized tables outside
Café Universal just off the end of Plaza Salvador lots of varied Tapas
Not far from this area is the church of Santa Catalina which has a great choice of places
Barbacoa Coloniales C/Dormitorio excellent tapas and meals very popular with outside terrace - they now have a place near the Cathedral C/Fernandez y Gonzalez 36. Both places are very popular but there is a touch of size over quality.
El Rinconillo C/Gerona 32 Seville’s oldest bar and has a good selection of tapas
La Giganta, Plaza de los Terceros (C/Alhondiga 6) great selection of different tapas (a wonderful vegetable terrine). The square this bar is in has three or four fabulous choices
La Huerta, Plaza de los Terceros another find with different tapasa include some vegetarian and some with an oriental flavour
Taberna Los Terceros, Plaza de los Terceros a very friendly bar with nice staff and a good range of tapas
Nearby try Rayas C/Almirante Apodaca for fabulous ice creams
If you venture across the Macarena to outside the old town go to Bar Yebra C/Medalla Milagrosa 3 an absolutely fabulous tapas bar, the blackborad are the main meals butthe staff (and the customers) will assist by telling you what tapas are available. The fish/seafood and meat dishes are all amazing.and incredible value for teh top quality
The new town near the railway station also has some great tapas bars. El Rincon de Buhaira C/Blanco White started by someone from Bar Yebra above is excellent and round the corner Taberna Tabala C/Juan de Sierra is a very smart modern bar with a great selection of innovative tapas
Set lunches, Menu Del Dia, are a bargain away from the more tourist areas and C/San Eloy has lots of these,
An excellent site to look at is www.exploreseville.com complied by an American who lives in Seville
Apart from the main sites the Cathedral, the Alcazar and the Barrio Santa Cruz also worth visiting is Casa de Pilatos, a beautifully preserved house and garden, the Maria Luisa Park, the Museo de Bellas Artes and of course the Bull Ring.
Away from the main tourist areas it is worth walking around the Triana area on the other side of the river and the Macarena the traditional working class area and visiting the famous church of the Basilica de la Macarena, but also don't miss out visiting the church of San Luis, a true gem.
