In the hood... Santa Cruz

This quarter had been assigned to the Jews in medieval times but after their expulsion at the end of the 15th century it went downhill until its conversion and renewal in the 18th century. Today it appears to be a more quiet neighbourhood with a maze of cobblestone alleys and beautifully colourful buildings.

We continue our stroll via Sevilla university towards Plaza de España, an architectural landmark once built for the 1929 world exhibition and combining various building styles of this region with elements from the Renaissance, Baroque and Moorish.

 

On arriving at the river it is high time again for another refresher! Near the tower of gold - Torre del Oro - a 12-sided polygon structure erected in the 13th century, we find a lovely bar overlooking the water.

In the hood... La Macarena

Although formerly known as a shady district, La Macarena has evolved to a popular, clean and safe neighbourhood, especially for younger people who will infrequently burst out in song and dance just out of zest for life. People watching it the must-do when visiting. We never felt unsafe and it was pleasantly void of your average kind of tourists. 

The old city walls stem from the Romans, and remains have been found that can be dated back to the 1st century B.C. But over centuries the walls have been torn down, renewed, expanded and destroyed again.

Especially popular is the urban landmark Metropol Parasol, also known as Las Setas (the mushrooms), a wooden structure designed by the German architect Jürgen Mayer (the name couldn't get more German than that). Under this umbrella or mushrooms if you like you'll find shops, a market place, bars and breweries, and it became our favourite go-to place for food and drinks.

España olé!

(May 14th to May 22nd 2026)

A week of vacation awaits. Sis and I are traveling to Andalucia, a province in the south of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital city is Sevilla, with a population of 1,5 million (metropolitan area) the 4th largest city in Spain, and Flamenco dance central.

Our plan is to spend three days in Sevilla, then rent a car and go on a road trip: first along the route of the white houses (ruta de los pueblos blancos) towards Ronda, stay there for two days and then continue our travels to El Torcal, a nature reserve, in order to wind down and get some hiking under our belts before returning home via Malaga.

We get up at 4 AM, arrive at the airport in Dusseldorf at 5 AM, The flight departs right on time at 7 AM. After an uneventful flight we land in Sevilla at 10 AM. From the airport it's a 35 minute bus ride downtown for 6€. Our accommodation is located right down in the heart of the old city core. Since it's too early for a check-in we have our luggage stored until the rooms are ready and venture out to explore.

At 2 PM we return to the hotel. The room is ready, nice and clean, and although it's a bit of a stretch (out of the window) you can see the cathedal from here. The beds far too comfortable, so we opt for a power nap in order to recharge our batteries.

Sevilla old city can be divided into four districts with different cultural influences. We are staying in El Centro, the historic city center, surrounded by La Macarena in the North (formerly known as red light district but now hip and cool and especially LGBT+ friendly), Santa Cruz, the Jewish town, in the East and - on the other side of the Guadalquivir river - Triana, historically the working class neighbourhood, to the South and West .

The Cathedral and the Alcazar Royal Palace are packed with flocks of tourists waiting in line in the heat of the day. This is not for us, so we circumvent the crowds and flee into the shadowy alleys. And while exploring we enjoy some drinks, preferably an ice cold Tinto de Verano, a mix of red wine and lemonade and delve into the local cuisine in one of those countless tapas bars. 

Here are some impressions from our first day walk-around.

Alcazar castle

Sevilla Cathedral

A room with a (limited) view