After two nights in Madrid, my friends and I headed to Sevilla. It was a two and a half hour train ride from Madrid’s Atocha Train Station to Seville’s Santa Justa.
My Spain trip has always been about Southern Spain’s Andalusia region. I’ve heard about it and read about it so many times, it almost felt like I’ve already been there in the past.
I met a man in Munich last year during Oktoberfest and our conversation about Spain lingered in my mind for the past year. He was half- German, half-Spanish and grew up in both countries. I may have forgotten his name, but I didn’t forget his words “If you want to see the real Spain, go to Sevilla.”
First Night
We stayed in the heart of Old Town Seville, in a modest hotel called Hotel Baco. Sevilla was what I imagined it would be except for the fact that it wasn’t a small town by any means. For some reason, I have this image in my head of a small quaint ciudad. However, Seville’s historic old town is where I felt Old Spain the most.
How To Get To The City Center
The historic city center is roughly fifteen minutes away from the train station. You can take the city bus for the cheapest fare but the taxi is not expensive in Seville. It costs about 12- 15 euros to get to Ponce de Leon area where Hotel Baco is located. Other than to and from the train station, we pretty much walked all over town!
The Search For Tapas And Sangria
What’s the first thing you do when you get to your hotel?
I look for food. My body has yet to get used to the late night dinners in Spain, so my love and hate relationship with siestas is still strong. The great thing about staying in the city center is the proximity of restaurants/bars and as always, my friends and I found ourselves wandering aimlessly looking for a nice tapas place.
Just a block away from the hotel, there was a local event with music, food and loud chatter.
After a couple of blocks more, we finally found a place to our liking. El Rincon Del Tito is a cute little place packed with locals. There might be a long wait to sit outside since the Spanish take their time eating and drinking.
It was a little past midnight when we walked back to our hotel, and surprisingly we still had the energy to go to another bar after a long tiring travel day. Luckily, we didn’t have to go too far. Right next door from our hotel is the tapas bar – El Bacalao.
Seville makes some of the best sangria!
We capped off the night with a round of sherry since it is the popular Andalusian drink.
What I learned
I do not like sherry.
What’s Next
Exploring everything in Seville! From Plaza de España, Seville Cathedral, University of Seville, Metropol Parasol to experiencing an amazing local event, partying like the Sevillaños and learning a valuable lesson about midnight snacks.
But first, start the day by sippin’ a café!
Follow this adventure: Seville: A Taste of Old Spain
Jen is a Chicago-based traveler and creative. She is a full-time development & communications executive specializing in non-profit organizations. Originally from the East Coast, she created The Jetsetter as a place to share her travel stories and photos with friends and family. Now, it is a place for adventurers and dreamers. Its purpose is to inspire and encourage busy professionals to see the world and achieve a better work-life balance.