discovering andalucia little by little: first stop seville on #igtravelthursday

Visiting Andalucia, that southern part of Spain has been my dream for over ten years – and finally it has become a reality. The area is rather large and we didn’t have much time to travel around, but I am happy being able to visit at least some parts of it rather than nothing and I hope to be back next year to discover more!

Alcazar Seville

If you are now wondering why it has taken so long to reach Andalucia, the answer is all about timing: in summer time the temperatures can soar up to 50c (120F) so the right time to visit is either spring or autumn, and after a scorching summer the nature is not at its best in the autumn, so the only time to visit really is spring (and April to be precise as we already had clear skies and 30c (86F), which feels even hotter in the city that say on the beach or countryside).

Sevilla horse carriage

What’s so special about Andalucia is it’s rich history? This is where the three cultures come together: the Moorish muslim one, the remainders of the Jewish culture in Spain and the Christian, often blended together and tracing back to Roman times. The Al-Andazul region is about amazing architecture: cathedrals, mosques, palaces and gardens, little narrow cobble-stone streets and riad-style courtyard houses painted in pretty, rich colours. Andalucia in spring is green and beautiful with ripe oranges and mandarins growing on the streets, and the sweet smell of orange blossoms mixed with delicious food scents wafting around.

Hospes hotel Sevilla

We started our tour from Sevilla (or Seville in English), which is just some 2.5h train ride from Madrid with the fast and comfortable AVA trains (my new favourite trains!). I had picked two amazing hotels with historic decor in Sevilla: Hotel Los Casas de la Juderia (the Jewish Houses) in the middle of the historic district and a smaller boutique-hotel Hospes las Casas del Rey de Baeza just outside the historic centre. Both were just amazing experiences – one with labyrinth-like design and underground roman baths and the other with rooftop spa and the most amazing food!

Las Casas de la Juderia

Sevilla in particular was vibrant and full of life throughout the day and offered something for all senses from roman and arab baths and fast-paced gypsy-origin flamenco dance to tapas and local delicatessen, romantic horse-carriage tours to rental bikes with bike routes by the river.

Sevilla beauty

Just walking around Seville is an amazing experience with so many beautiful buildings everywhere. There are several must-visit places such as the famous cathedral, Alcazar and its gardens, plaza Espana and the amazing park in front of it, the golden tower, the riverside and the artistic district on the other side…the list goes on. But remember, that experiencing Sevilla is not just about sightseeing, but also about the local food, music and relaxation!

Hospes Sevilla food

When I was ready to leave Seville to the next city, Cordoba, I asked myself if Andalucia was as expected and I would yes; most definitely it was all that i thought it would be and then some more! Below you can see more photos from our trip to Andalucia, and I’ll be sharing detailed stories later on both here on my site and on Skimbaco Lifestyle from difference angles, so stay tuned!

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