IT’S been tipped as one of the top destinations to visit this year by travel experts.
Seville — Spain’s fourth-largest city — has a lot to brag about, with warm winters, fantastic tapas and fabulous flamenco.
Being in southern Spain, you can expect temperatures hovering around 18C in even in winter.
And you can get free tickets to the top attractions if you know where to look.
The Royal Alcázar of Seville, a palace dating back 1,000 years, offers limited free tickets on Mondays between 6pm and 7pm.
Or for Seville Cathedral, there are 100 free tickets a day between 2pm and 3pm.
You can easily explore by foot so put cash you would have spent on a taxi towards a walking tour — I tried the Secret Food Tour (£65.77pp, ) which was three hours exploring Triana, the artier district in the south.
Sampling nine dishes along the way, it’s also a great way to see the lesser-known areas.
The Royal Alcázar of Seville is the oldest royal palace in Europe and a popular tourist stop.
You’ll need at least two hours to see it all, with beautiful tiled Moorish rooms and manicured gardens to explore.
Game Of Thrones fans will recognise it, as it was used as the Kingdom of Dorne.
Next door is Seville’s Cathedral, the world’s largest gothic church which took more than 100 years to build.
There you can find great city views by climbing La Giralda tower.
But my favourite place was Plaza de España, a cobbled square with four bridges over its small river.
Used as the planet of Naboo in the second Star Wars film, it is free to visit although you can rent pedalos for a few euros.
You might even spot some live flamenco.
While you can pay for a full show at a number of places, it is a great alternative that won’t cost you.
With Andalusia being the birthplace of tapas, you’ll be hard pressed to find a bad spot for food.
Bar Alfalfa is tiny with space for about 15 people but has the best atmosphere.
Order a tinto de verano (red wine and lemonade) along with some tender Iberica pork cheeks.
If you don’t quite manage to fit in for dinner, come back the next morning for a late breakfast coffee and Spanish tomato bread.
Or there is Bodega Diaz-Salazar, a winery dating back to 1908 that serves amazing bites.
Bar El Comercio has its churro “hatch” where you order the massive dough sticks and chocolate for around five euros.
One of the most popular bars is El Rinconcillo.
Not only is it the city’s oldest tapas bar, dating to 1670, but staff are very helpful, with wine suggestions that barely cost £3 for a huge glass.
The city is teeming with rooftop bars too, often tucked on top of hotels such as Corner House, or Roof at Casa Romana.
My favourite was floor five of Hotel Zenit, with a pool, laid-back music playlist and full wine list.
One of the most stunning in the city, the 5H Only You hotel opened last year, featuring bold interiors with fringed chandeliers and floral wallpapers.
It has a heated outdoor pool, modern Mediterranean rooms and even an on-site florist, gym and bakery.
I recommend the shrimp pasta at its Trotamundos restaurant.
The hotel is easily accessible too as the bus stop outside takes you to both the city centre and the airport.
GETTING THERE/STAYING THERE: easyJet holidays offers three nights at the 5H Only You Hotel Sevilla, on a room-only basis, for £338pp including flights from Gatwick on March 9.
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OUT & ABOUT: Royal Alcázar of Seville tickets from £16.67, Catedral de Sevilla and La Giralda tickets from £14.59.
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