Just came back from 12 days in Seville.
I would:
1. Go to every eatery recommended by Veronica.
2. The tapas bars I liked - some revisits, other new - are
- VIneriai San Telmo
- La Taberna (the one on calle Gamazo 8)
- Casa Morales
- Casa Moreno
- Bodeguita Romero
- Blanca Paloma.
All of these tapas bars are in the Arenal, except for VIneria St Telmo, a gem in the middle tourist central, and Bianca Paloma, in the ultra-funky Triana.
To love Seville is to love its frenzy. I was born in an Asian mega-city, and there are moments when Seville overwhelms me.
I love the Seville people. They think you're one of them. Once in Casa Morales a young man told me I was doing things wrong because I was not yelling: "here you have to yell!" "I thought I WAS yelling." "You're not yelling like a Sevillano." LOL.
This frenzy is carried over to the tapas bars. At 1pm (or 8pm) you can find a table and get your orders heard byt he waiter. 20 minutes it's all over. The restaurant is like the back stage of a eavy metal band.
And it's uproarious fun.
To avoid queueuing
- or the Alcazar, reserve on line.
- for the Giralda church, don't buy your ticket there. You'd wait hours. Go to the nearby "sister" Salvador church where you can get a combo ticket. No queue. Then you come back to the Giralda and waltz right in.
Some of the less visited gems of Seville are the private palaces that are now open for visits: like
- Palacio de la Duenas
- Casa des Palatos.
These private homes give you a very strong feel about how a certain Seville life was lived.
If you must visit one shop in the beautiful and over-visited Santa Cruz, make it Arjé (the one on Passaje de Andreu, 2), an exquisite shop with non-touristy stuff by local artisans. Don't look at those big scarves-shawls withuse Seville ceramic tile pattern. If you look, you're going to want to own one.
On the same small street is the very charming café Salt & Sugar. After you place your order, get out of the tiny café and go next door (turn left) back into the building into the sumptuous courtyard where tables are set up, where you wait for your wonderful pastries and coffee.