We were desperate to be in Europe in December but wanted to avoid the cold as much as possible. The south of Spain proved to be the perfect destination. Earlier in the year, I wrote a blog post about traveling Europe in Winter. Seville is one of those destinations you can visit in winter as it has with milder winter compared to other parts of Spain and Europe. I had my eye on this region of the world for ages and I could never get the pieces lined up to take the trip that was until a while ago when the opportunity presented itself. We flew British Airways out of London Gatwick and despite the drama of getting through security (read: I almost missed the flight); we arrived in Seville ok; took a cab to our residence for the week.

WHERE TO STAY. By sheer coincidence, we ended up staying at two different hotels during our stay. They were both excellent; except for the spotty internet at the first one; both had an insane view of the city and within walking distance to the Royal Alcazar palace and the Seville cathedral. We absolutely loved our time at Hotel Palacio Alcazar and Eurostar Seville.

GETTING AROUND. Because there were three of us, we opted for taxis when the destination was not within walking distance. Cab fares split three ways was cheaper than getting a transport card. We used cabs to get to and from the airport ; to and from the train station for our day trips and once to get to/from the national museum. Almost everything else we did was within 20 to 30 minute trek of our hotels.

TIME OFF WORK. We planned a full week in the South of Spain from Seville to Granada. We spent 3 days in Seville and it did not feel nearly enough. If I had to do it over again I will probably plan to spend four full days in the city as I felt we rushed thing. You will need a day dedicated to the Royal Alcazar and the Cathedral. If you want to take your time, you could stretch out the Royal Alcazar to a full day; we rushed through it because we knew we were short on time and want to do and see as much as possible.

WHERE TO EAT. We did not have a bad meal in Seville, on our first full day, we stumbled on spot that became our default dining option when we could not agree. A note to bear in mind, meal times in this part of the world are typically later than meal times in London or the States. Once we showed up to dinner at 8:30 p.m. and were the only ones in the restaurant for about forty-five minutes. Our favorite spot for Tapas was Postiguillo and we loved every dish we ordered here. We especially enjoyed the OxTail. I grew eating OxTail in Nigeria but had a rediscovery while we were in Seville - we ordered it at every Tapas meal. Other favorites were Ovejas Negras Tapas and La Gorda de Las Setas. Curros was recommended to us but we did not get a chance to visit. Panypiu bakery was one of my favorite spots for coffee and a baked good in the morning. I recommend drinks at Hotel Alfonso XIII - the hotel was commission was the king of Spain in the 1920s and remains an iconic cultural landmark - we stopped by for tea and drinks before dinner one of the evening. I loved the vibe of this place. The Eurostar hotel rooftop bar with an excellent view, I cannot recall the quality of the drinks, but I remember the view. We also dined at La Moderna - while I did not enjoy the meal here, others in our party did, so I am including on this list due to that fact.

WHAT TO DO. I have written blog posts of two of the highlights of our time in Seville - The Royal Alcazar of Seville and the Seville Cathedral - check those out here and here for details. The blog archives also contain all the details of the various days trips to Cordoba ; Granada and Carmona that we to completed during our time in Seville. If you can, I recommend spending at least forty-eight hours in Granada - our day trip was very rushed. Besides those, I recommend visiting the La Giralda, a bell tower next to the Seville Cathedral. Visit one of the many museums in the city - my personal recommendations are the museum of fine arts and Archaeological Museum. The Metropol Parasol (aka the Mushroom building) is a stunning structure that you should see if you are into that sort of thing. The Jewish quarter is a great area to explore. Besides the Jewish Quarter, I also recommend exploring Plaza Nueva outside city hall and Barrio Santa Cruz. My one regret of our trip was not visiting Plaza de Espana, do not miss it on your trip.