A guide by VANYA
The Vias Verdes are "green routes" through Spain. Former railway lines, the gravel tracks are traffic-free and suitable for cycling and walking. They provide a beautiful alternative to on-road cycling, ideal if you have young kids in tow.
Routes are pretty flat or at least nicely graded, even in hilly areas, because they were originally designed for trains. The network is not huge at present but there are plenty of 2-3 day excursions to be enjoyed on the existing Vias. This is a really fun way to explore Spain!
www.viasverdes.es - only in Spanish, I'm afraid, but the map etc. is easy enough to follow and the routes are generally well-signed once you are there
If you have already explored the beaches and Moorish antiquities of Andalucia why not go inland and rural.
In the west of Andalucia in the province of Huelva is the area of the Minas de Rio Tinto - lunar geography, deserted old railway-line walks, dolmens and Roman remains: great walking territory.
We would particularly recommend the walks along the Rio Tinto and Rio Odiel, full of archaeological interest and natural beauty.
Best of all stay in a village such as Zalamea La Real, friendly, pretty and hardly a tourist in sight. We have stayed for three years in a Casa Rural, el Cortijo Zalamea, in fact the fully modernised barns of an old farm with orange groves. It is run by Marta and Mario who speak good English and are very helpful.
Furthermore, National Parks (Las Marismas in the South and Aracena in the North) are within easy driving distance. Buy a locally cured Jamon at El Villar before returning home.
El Cortijo Zalamea
Zalamea La Real 21640
Huelva
e-mail lopesigual@erasmas.net www.cortijozalamea.com
Avoid the main agents – Hertz, Avis etc – instead try Bravocarhire.com. It seems to be a British-based site which puts you in touch with local car hire companies. We were quoted €54 for two days' hire with Spanish firm Niza Cars, a free additional driver and only €4 more to have insurance excess at zero. The international companies were more than €110.
One thing to watch. They give you the car full and you have to bring it back empty. So you pay for the fuel up front.
Sexy, moorish-style boutique hotel with beautiful décor, air con (thank god!) and flat-screen TV. Friendly, helpful staff. Great internet offers - as little as 80 Euro per night inc breakfast.
C/ Becquer 9
41002 Sevilla
www.alcobadelrey.com/
Sit outside on the cobbled street or inside on tiled benches while cured hams hang overhead. Fine Manzanilla sherry is served by a quirky moustachioed waiter.
Calle Santa Teresa
I hired a car from this English company. The car for a week during Easter 2006 cost £69 for two drivers, no excesses and service at Seville Airport with Crown Car Hire, the local agent, could not have been bettered. You could return the car full or empty but the rate they charged for a full tank was so reasonable that there was no point in trying to find a garage near the airport.
This is a hidden gem situated in the heart of the city and lies just behind the Cathedral on a quiet pedestrian street. The twelve rooms are a decent size and beautifully furnished with large bathrooms. You can help yourself to hot and cold drinks at any time. Meals are not provided but there are loads of great restaurants nearby. The staff are extremely helpful and friendly.
Alvarez Quintero, 52;
tel: 954 293 913
Take it - it's €2.40 direct to the centre of the city. Ask for Santa Justa station. Buses run half-hourly, and hourly at less busy times.
The service is run by Amarillo Tours, tel: 34 902 21 03 17;
Check timetable info at www.linc.tv/seville-connections.php
This is a small, friendly tapas bar not far from the Alameda. As a resident of Seville I dislike giving away the city's best kept secrets but this place truly deserves rewarding. The tapas are very tasty, really imaginative, well presented and ridiculously good value. The salmorejo is one of the (if not the) best in the city. A bit off the beaten track but well worth the bother.
C/ Alcoy 10, just round the corner from Plaza San Lorenzo, not far from the Alameda; tel: 954 905 702
Mercado de Triana, over the river great little market in what was once the poor gypsy quarter of the city. You can pick up lush fruit and stop for a little pick me up at one of the small stall bars.
In Triana itself, there are plenty of good untouristy good tapas bars where you can pick gambas al pil pil etc. And you can wind your way back via a few of the little bars that line the banks of the river Guadalquivir.
An incredibly popular tapas bar on the edge of the Santa Cruz district, Las Coloniales is one of the best and cheapest places to eat in Seville. When you arrive you have to write your name and the number in your party on a small blackboard and your name is called when a table is free. It's located on the edge of the leafy (for Seville) Plaza Cristo de Burgos, which is handy as you have somewhere shady to sit whilst you wait. The food is uniformly good and the tapas sizes are exceptional for the price. Two people can have a decent meal with a couple of drinks for little over ten euros. One of the best things on the menu are the quail eggs and chorizo on fried bread, which is like a sausage and egg sarnie in the sun. You can't go wrong with the staples either. The Solomillo al Whisky is as good as you can get in Seville. On Sunday afternoons the plaza is full of Spanish families eating ice cream from the Heladeria across the road. Seville is full of Heladerias and though this one is probably the most expensive it's also the best.
Plaza Cristo de Burgos, 19 - east of the main El Corte Ingles, just past Plaze de Encarnacion.
This hotel is a converted bogeda, with a beautifully lit courtyard/atrium. It does bed and breakfast, but has no restaurant or bar. They will do room service to the courtyard, where we supped several glasses of wine and took afternoon coffee. The breakfasts were typically continental offering a huge choice from a buffet ranging from cold meats and cheese to cereals and fruit. Also the reception desk was wonderful, helpful and friendly with good english.
www.intergrouphoteles.com
Calle Alvarez Quintero 9-13, near the Cathedral
I recently stayed at the Oasis Hostel in Seville.
While I was there, my boyfriend was woken up at 3am by someone who said the bed he was in (and paid for) was hers. Obviously, there had been a double booking (in fact there were double bookings every night we were
there). However, during this mix up, the manager had gone into his 'safe' (which is allocated to the bed) and taken out a number of his personal items (which we did not notice until the following day). My boyfriend went to ask for them back and the manager said he had
lost them - but hoped they would turn up. Unfortunately, they did not and to be honest the staff did not really take the matter very seriously; they did not seem to understand why we might be offended that the manager had gone into our ‘safe’. Also, instead of replacing or refunding the cost of his UK electric shaver for example, they suggested they buy him a significantly cheaper Spanish (i.e. incompatible) version. Finally, the manager said he
would return the cost of the items once we could
'prove' how much they cost - after we had left to go home, which left me slightly nervous. This happened over a month ago, and we have just received payment for the items ‘lost’. Not entirely satisfactory to be honest. Thought it was worth sharing…
I recommend this website as it deals in great tours around Seville. I went to Seville during the Christmas period and although the weather wasn't great, the trip was fantastic due to the tour. For anyone thinking of visiting Seville i strongly suggest using this website.
A quiet and friendly hotel despite its central location (it literally is about 50m from the cathedral and main street). There are only 12 rooms in this old building, which have been renovated in a modern style with dark wood and white furnishing, and very sleek bathrooms. If you get a superior room you may be lucky to get one of the two rooms on the top floor, which have outdoor patios giving stunning views of the cathedral. The staff here are genuinely friendly and helpful, and it's a great place to stay.
Hotel Alminar
www.hotelalminar.com
Ãlvarez Quintero, 52
T 954 293 913
reservas@hotelalminar.com
The bus goes to the edge of the old city for just over two euros. The taxi system has a fixed price (only for the airport, mind!) that will see no change from a twenty euro note, regardless of distance travelled. Outrageous!
Seville. Airport. Stop immediately outside departures hall.
There is a very interesting and innovative tour in Seville. It is a GPS audio/visual tour guide system.
You carry a handheld GPS with you as you walk anywhere. It shows you where you are and what is exciting and interesting near your location.
It is tailored to individual visitors. You are free to create your own GPS tour without the aid of an escorted guide.
Hacienda Los Gorriones are two 'cortijos' (typical Andalusian cottages) tucked away in olive-dotted mountains in the Sierra Norte (about 1.5 hours north from either Sevilla or Cordoba).
The cottages are located in an area of dramatic landscapes, and within an area renowned throughout Spain for its Iberian cured and fresh meats. The owners of the cottages also run a ham drying facility, and for a very reasonable price you can enjoy excellent Iberian fare in the barbecue.
The cottages make an excellent detour for people visiting Sevilla and Cordoba, and are ideal for people wanting to go walking in the hills. There are very few tourists, but the cottages are often booked by locals for the weekend.
They are both family and pet friendly.
If you are visiting Seville I would strongly recommend the Murillo Hotel situated in the winding back streets of the Santa Cruz quarter. This hotel is a two-star that deserves to be upgraded, has friendly helpful staff, is clean and is five minutes away from Seville's main attractions. To top it off it has an amazing roof terrace with stunning views of the Cathedral and beyond. Opposite there is a traditional friendly tapas bar that serves reasonably priced food.
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