Day 3: Seville

Tips:

• Spain’s 4^th largest city, Seville, has a lot to offer visitors. This itinerary is designed for active travellers, who don’t mind clocking up the steps, but Seville can be enjoyed at any pace. Any of the suggestions can be stripped back to suit a more laid-back experience. 
• Bring comfortable walking shoes as you will find that you do a lot of walking in Seville, the historic city centre has cobblestones and one-way streets.
• Restaurant bars mainly open for lunch between 12.30 and 1.30pm.
• Tapas generally arrives as it is ready and it can be hard to know how much to order (as portion sizes tend to vary), so start with a couple of dishes and order more as needed.
• You will have to ask for the bill when you’re ready to leave – don’t wait for it to arrive at the table, a simple: “la cuenta, por favor” will do the trick.

Exploring Seville: Day 3:

Day 3 requires a moment to wind it down and allow yourself to experience relaxation and wellness, before continuing with exploring the beauty of the city. It’s probably much needed if you are following this guide and had an evening of wine tasting on Day 2.

In the neighbourhood of Santa Cruz you will find Aire Ancient Baths hidden off the beaten track in an alley named, Aire. Once you get close to the historic building, the scent of jasmine from the spa will let you know you’ve arrived. 

This classic Andaluz-style courtyard is where you’ll be greeted. I must say, I couldn’t stop admiring the aesthetic and feel of the historic building from the lobby entrance.

The spa provides a clean towel, robe and slippers per person and you can store your belongings in secure lockers.

On arrival you’ll receive a brief tour of the facilities, but throughout the treatment you are pretty much left to your own leisure.

To access the facilities you must have a reservation (we pre-booked our treatments).

Times: Monday – Friday at 10am and 9am on Saturdays and Sundays. 

We opted for the earliest slot and booked the Detox & Relax offer, which included a 30 min relaxing massage with access to 5 thermal baths (hot bath, ice bath, warm pool, the flotarium, salt water pool and jet pool). Also, included was a healthy fruit juice and fruit skewer on the AIRE terrace with views over the Giralda and the Cathedral. We were allowed to spend about 2 hours, including our treatment time, to enjoy the facilities.

The treatment takes place in the second hour of your booking, so for the first hour you can enjoy the experience and settle into the pools. You can also request a female or male therapist. To spend additional time in the baths you can add an extra 30 mins onto your booking for an additional spend, which you should request in advance of arrival.

Price: €71.00pp (+€8.00pp additional cost for an extra 30 mins in the baths).

Some of the reviews online about the hospitality of the staff are very mixed, we didn’t experience anything that was unsatisfactory. For the treatment I’d say the massage was a 6/10 in terms of quality – they do ask you what pressure you prefer. 

For me, the whole experience is worth it for access to the rooftop pool (which reminds me of the Thermae spa in the city of Bath, England). The view overlooking the rooftops of Seville and the Cathedral are stunning, a real treat in the morning to enjoy before the hot sun. 

No phones or camera are allowed during the spa, but the rooftop view is to be enjoyed!

Plaza de España

Along with the Alcázar, the Plaza de España should be top of your list of things to see in Seville.

Plaza de España, situated inside the Maria Luisa Park is known as “the Venice of Seville”. The plaza was built in 1929 for the Ibero-American Exhibition, as Seville spent 19 years preparing for the world fair to welcome neighbouring countries and present Spain’s accomplishments in architecture to the rest of the world. 

The colours and details of the tile work is amazing. 

At its centre stands a prominent fountain, and surrounding the buildings is a moat. If brave enough, you can hire boats to row around the moat.

Curving over the moat are four bridges leading to small pavilions (48 in total) dedicated to each province of Spain and intricately decorated with illustrated ceramic titles. 

It’s a mixture of Renaissance and Moorish architecture. 

Parque de María Luisa

Seville’s largest green space, built over 100 acres of gardens. 

It’s named after Princess María Luisa who donated the land of the San Telmo Palace of Seville, which makes up many aspects of the park today. 

A fun way to get around the park is to rent a bike from Cyclotour (there are different sizes for 2,4 or 6 people). 

For an afternoon aperitif head to the Doña María Hotel for a rooftop vibe before heading to La Casa del Flamenco to enjoy a traditional Spanish dance performance.

For dinner, I recommend booking El Rinconcillo (the acclaimed oldest bar in Seville) to enjoy traditional hearty Spanish dishes in a rustic-chic dining room.