Hola!

Spending a few days in Spain visiting friends next month. Will be staying in Chiclana de la Frontera for 4 nights before heading to Seville for 2 nights. Would love to know what we absolutely must see in Seville. I have never been to Spain, it's never been a place that has grabbed me to visit to be honest....sorry! I suppose because I tend to think of Benidorm and that fills me with horror!

As I have no strong feelings about it, I'm expecting to end up loving it.

Seville will be pretty hot by next month.

Must see the Giralda, maybe the plaza de España but most of all, just spend time wandering around the pretty streets and plazas and sampling the tapas.

Ive been a few times now and fortunately the first 2 times I used the company in the link below to get an over view. I have no link to them except as a happy client

The 2 hour tour gives a great general unsight about Seville's History, the Cathedral tour is really interesting, as is the Alcazar tour. With the latter 2 the price quoted does not include the entry fees

If you choose to go it alone but want to visit the Cathedral I would suggest you go to the large church in Plaza del San Salvador and buy a combined ticket, this covers entry to the church and the cathedral. The benefit is that you will bypass the possibly long queue at the Cathedral
Sevilla Walking Tours

I'm looking forward to some heat as we are now heading into winter in NZ. Anything less than 20 C and I'm cold these days. It'll help prepare us for heading to Dubai at the end of June.

The Giralda looks interesting and I think I'd like to visit the Plaza de Espana. We don't want to be charging around, so wandering sounds good to me. Have told my friend that sitting by her pool will suit me for a few days after travelling to Switzerland and France and before hitting London and then the North-west (parentals )!

Thanks for that

Thanks for the link Guesswork. The Alcazar looks interesting, not a huge fan of churches and cathedrals, though the architecture is amazing in some.

See you are in Derby, I used to work at DCGH before I came to NZ. Hoping to pop across there to catch up with friends in Burton/Derby and I NEED an Elephant's foot from Bird's!

Very naughty of you to say that about a place you've never visited!

Some people have pre-conceived ideas about Benidorm especially after watching silly tv programmes. If you took time to visit areas that are away from the busy clubs you would find a different side to Benidorm.

It may fill you with "Horror" but it is the most popular holiday spot in Europe.

If you want to combine seeing Seville and lounging beside the pool at the same time then there are a number of hotels with rooftop pools with views over the city! We stayed at the Bequer which also had a cocktail bar beside the rooftop pool. Can you get more decadent?
Serious wanderers should choose the old Jewish quarter with its narrow cobbled street and interesting shops and tapas bars - it's within easy stroll from the Giralda etc. There are some air-conditioned bars and restos nearby so you can get a break from the heat. My son rates Seville as one of the loveliest cities and he's seen a few.

I suspect that's what fills him with horror

It may well be the most popular holiday spot in Europe but since I first became aware of it back in the early 1980's, it has never grabbed me as a place to visit. I haven't really watched many TV programmes on the place for many years. I'm sure there are lovely parts of Benidorm but I don't feel the need to visit them in my lifetime. Lots of other places on my bucket list. If you like Benidorm that's great, carry on enjoying it.

My friend has booked us into a hotel in Seville, not fully checked the facilities as yet. She says it's fairly central and has stayed there herself. Must check if it's got a pool! Did you mention a cocktail bar ! Thanks for the info.

I guess I've got used to quiet beaches in New Zealand. We've been to Rarotonga, Cook Islands a few times now and even that has become a bit too busy for us now. We prefer to go to Aitutaki instead now. If you Google that and then compare to Benidorm

BTW, 'him' is a 'her' ...... it's a long story involving trolls

You'll be glad of a pool - rooftop or otherwise - if you spend the day sightseeing in Seville - it can get seriously hot. If your hotel doesn't have one then consider rebooking.

My friend has already paid for the hotel so unfortunately we can't rebook. It doesn't have a pool but that's okay. I shall stand under a cold shower! It's not too far from the Plaza de Espana so that's good.
Thanks for your input

Maybe you could stand under the fountains in Plaza de Espana

Now I see that as a challenge

The Alcazar impressed me more than anything else in Sevilla. It's not a church, it's the oldest royal palace in Europe. Much of it very similar to the architecture and decoration that you would see in the Alhambra in Granada, but, unlike the Alhambra, most of it is in superb condition.

The gardens are very impressive as well.