Seville is an exciting and passionate city which continues to attract visitors from all over the world. You don´t have to be a lover of architecture or history to enjoy Seville, but I am always blown away by the city´s elegance, charm and underlying sensuality.

We last visited in June, and are due to go again in August for a long weekend. It´s true that temperatures can rise to over 40 degrees in Seville during summer time, but we love the atmosphere of the city during the hot season, and the open air bars alongside the river provide plenty of shade and refreshment.

Also there are some amazing deals and offers to be had during the summer in Seville at some of the best hotels in Andalucia. We always stay at the Sevilla Center Hotel which is only five minute´s walk from the cathedral, and is a modern, stylish hotel with air conditioning in all rooms, and great views over the city. We booked by internet, and received an incredible 70% discount on normal room rates.

Once the capital of Spain, Seville is only a two hour drive from Marbella, and boasts some of the most decadent and ornate buildings and monuments in Spain, including the incredible cathedral which dominates the city´s skyline. The Catedral de Santa Maria de la Sede is the largest gothic cathedral, and the fourth largest Christian church in the world. The intricate detail and ornate stone work displayed in the Cathedral make it one of the most incredible examples of Sevillian architecture you are ever likely to see from this period of history, and it is hard to imagine how this stunning building was ever completed without modern machinery.

Situated just outside the Cathedral, the Patio de los Naranjos is also well worth a visit. This beautiful plaza dates back to Moorish times when worshippers would wash their hands and feet in the fountain here, below the orange trees, before their daily prayers.

With over 700,000 inhabitants, Seville is located on the Guadalquivir River, which crosses the city from North to South, and the port of Seville once played a major role in commerce and shipments between Spain and the Americas.

Don’t miss out on the tapas. The city is credited with the inventing these tasty morsels, and has more than a thousand bars where the choice of food, is virtually unlimited, from seafood to ham and sausage and the finest Manchego cheese you will ever taste. The Sevillians actually make a meal of the delicious tapas, moving from bar to bar and sampling different dishes.

If you are looking for a great place to go for dinner, we always visit the fabulous Pizzeria de San Marco restaurants, which offer the finest Italian food in some of the most amazing venues throughout Seville, including one restaurant built in a 12th Century Arabic bath house, and another in a beautiful, high-ceilinged 18th Century Sevillian mansion. The food is excellent, and one of our favourite dishes is leg of baby lamb, marinated in honey and Italian herbs and slow roasted, followed by the exquisite home-made chocolate marble cake with vanilla cream.

Touristy though it may seem, I always feel like I am in another country when I visit Seville, and it is the type of vibrant city that just makes you want to join in and have fun. There is no better way to explore the city than by taking a ride on a horse drawn carriage through the streets. I always feel quite decadent travelling around Seville in this way, and you will see many sights that you would otherwise miss if left to your own devices.

No trip to Seville would be complete without visiting one of the many flamenco bars dotted throughout the city. Many of Spain´s most famous flamenco dancers and singers originate from Seville, and the city is known throughout the world for its passionate displays of flamenco and sevillanas.

Two weeks after Easter is the annual Feria de Sevilla, when the whole city comes to life in a blaze of colour, noise and exuberance. Not for the faint- hearted, this is a raucous celebration of everything Spanish, and for many Sevillians, flamenco, bull fighting and fiesta is a way of life. I would challenge any city in Spain to throw a party like Seville does, and this week -long event attracts crowds of revellers from all over the globe. Singing, dancing and over-indulging are common-place during feria week, and it is impossible not to get caught up in the crazy, fun atmosphere.

Seville can be easily reached from Malaga, Marbella, Fuengirola and all coastal towns on the Costa del Sol, either by bus or car, or train from Malaga. The fare from Malaga is approximately €15 per person one way, and the trains run every hour and a half each way.
For train time tables check out www.renfe.es