SEVILLE
Area: Cities
Country: Spain


Location:
In the SW of the Iberian peninsula 65 miles from the Atlantic at Cadiz. 8 miles SW of San Pablo airport.

Telephone code from UK:
34

Website:
http://www.sevilla.org/tur1.html

Position:
Straddles both banks of the river Guadalquivir.

Description:
S Spain's principal inland port since time immemorial, was one of the capitals of Muslim Iberia and later the centre for Spain's exploration and exploitation of the New World. The Moors left their mosque, which became a cathedral and a tall square tower, the Giralda. After 200 years of great wealth from the Americas, the city fell into decadence until the 18th century, when it recovered under the Borbon dynasty, who promoted the cultivation of tobacco. They gave the city much of the charm it retains today, building, among other things, the famous Tobacco Factory, today the university and the Maestranza bullring. Seville was handsomely bedecked again in 1929 for the Ibero-American Exposition, then went bankrupt in the 30s. The celebration of the 1992 Universal Exposition (which coincided nicely with the 500th anniversary of Columbus' voyage to America) was held here. Many thousands of millions of pesetas were spent over five years to make the city a showplace for modern Spain. All of its handsome 18th-century buildings were beautifully restored, gardens were upgraded, 30 new hotels were built and communications and public transport reached 21st-century levels.

Suitability:
Attracts a wide range of international travellers; all ages and types.

Accommodation:
A wide selection of hotels in all categories.

Shopping:
Branches of all the major Spanish department stores as well as boutiques and speciality shops with a wide range of goods, including jewellery, furs, fashion, handicrafts, paintings, sculptures, objets d'art, ceramics, fabrics, foodstuffs & wine, leather goods and an excellent selection of flamenco records. A different souvenir, which is not strictly Sevillian, but can be readily acquired here is "jamon serrano", Spanish salt-cured mountain ham.

Entertainments:
Daytime: the highlight is the April Fair, two weeks immediately following Easter which Sevillanos devote to dressing up, drinking dry sherry, eating olives, dancing the local version of the Morris Dance, and attending bullfights, sports events and fiestas. If the rain in Spain falls mainly in April, it usually rains on the festivities. Nightlife: Flamenco shows, bars, discos.

Eating:
Visitors to Seville will find mainly traditional Spanish fare, ranging from fish and shellfish of the nearby Atlantic coast to hearty meat stews like "rabo de toro", oxtail stew. Fresh fruit and produce are excellent throughout the year. There are also a couple of dozen Chinese restaurants.

Public-transport:
Buses and taxis. The high-speed train, the AVE, takes passengers from Madrid to Seville or vice versa in 2» hours.

Local-excursions:
Most of Andalusia is accessible from Seville in a day: Cordoba and Granada; to the beach (and fine seafood restaurants) at Cadiz; Malaga and the Costa del Sol; Jerez and its sherry bodegas; Coto Do±ana National Park. A popular route through the "white villages" passes through Chiclana, Medina Sidonia, Arcos de la Frontera, El Bosque, Ubrique (with locally-made leather goods), Grazalema (Spain's rainiest village) and Zahara de la Sierra. Sixty miles N is Merida, with one of Europe's best preserved collections of Roman ruins.