Guide to Seville in the Shoulder Seasons

Instagrammable spots

• Real Alcazar de Sevilla and Jardines de Murillo. The Royal Palace of Seville and its adjacent gardens are a must-visit. If you love Andalusian or Moorish architecture, you’ll find elements of it—arches, ceramic tiled benches, geometry, fountains, palm trees--all over this palace and park. Be sure not to miss the Salon de los Embajadores and the Palacio Mudéjar for optimal selfie-taking.

• Catedral de Sevilla. Wowzers to this epic cathedral and bell tower, which feels like the center of everything in Seville. This impressive Gothic structure, a registered UNESCO World Heritage Site, dates to the early 16th century. Walk around it to appreciate it from every angle and be sure to go inside to see the tomb of Christopher Columbus and other Spanish treasures.

• Casa de Pilatos. More prime Andalusian architecture can be found at Pilate’s House. Most notable here is the beautiful use of azulejos (Spanish tiles) to adorn almost everything.

• Plaza de Espana and Parque de Maria Luisa. The breathtaking main square of Seville features 52 colorful tiled benches, representing the 52 provinces of Spain. Pose on one of the romantic bridges (a small canal runs underneath) with the grand plaza as the backdrop. Then head to the pretty Parque de Maria Luisa for some rest and relaxation.

• Flamenco. You gotta catch a flamenco show while you’re in Seville. It’s not a touristy, corny thing to do. It’s classic. This, after all, is the music and dance Seville gave to the world, and you’re not going to find it done this well anywhere else. There are large and small venues where you can catch a show, but I personally prefer the small ones. At the Tablao Flamenco La Cantaora, you feel like the dancers are putting on a show just for you.

• La Juderia. The Moors and Roma people left their mark on Seville. To a lesser extent, so did the Jewish people. The once-Jewish neighborhood of Seville is called La Juderia and features a maze of very narrow, winding streets and alleys. An especially fascinating place to visit is the hotel Las Casas de la Juderia, a collection of 27 Sevillian houses connected to each other by various passageways. The history-rich hotel preserves the small streets and tunnels the former residents of this neighborhood used to visit each other’s homes. As you make your way through the little passageways, you never know what it’s going to open up to next—a light-filled courtyard, a patio, a garden. It’s a great adventure!

Like everywhere else in Spain, Seville is tapas country. The thing to do here is hop from bar to bar and enjoy these small appetizer-portion size plates from various kitchens until your tummy tells you “OK. That constitutes a full a meal.” Waitstaff will understand exactly why you’re placing such a small order and won’t give you any dirty looks. Here are some stops to have on your tapas crawl:

• Stop by Vinos & Tapas La Azotea for some patatas bravas, yummy cubed potatoes served with hot sauce.

• Next stop is Bar Catedral for salmorejo, a chilled creamy tomato soup. The Andalucian cousin to gazpacho.

• Head to En La Espero Te Esquina for tortilla de patatas, a relative of French quiche made with eggs, potatoes, and onions.

• Stop by El Librero Tapas Y Quesos for a cheese board. Don’t forget the Manchego!

• Top everything off with some churros and chocolate at Bar El Comercio.