This was our second trip to Seville. Both husband and I were there pre- kids and had a first experience of the city. We decided to return and indulge a bit more in our love of Spanish food and moorish buildings.

Arriving in Seville’s small airport, you can grab a convenient bus to the city centre. It is 4 Euro one way. It took about 30 min to Santa Justa Station. However, we travelled during Fiesta de Abril ( two weeks after Easter ) and the streets were packed with carriages. On a normal traffic day it would be a bit faster.

We were based within a short walking distance of Santa Cruz in a new boutique hotel, Casa de Indias. The location could not be better. Just 5 min from some fantastic tapas bars, a small play area with a slide and swings in another few minutes and the lovely Encarnación market with las Seitas on our doorstep. We highly recommend the location for exploring Seville.

What to do in Seville with kids? Here are our favourites:

Day 1: Get the a first taste of the moorish city by ticking a few must- sees

Start with a visit to Plaza d’Espana if you are a early riser (difficult not to with young kids, I know) . It is located in a beautiful park, about 15 min walk from the Real Alcazar. There is a little river running under the bridges in the square and you can rent a boat to get a different perspective. The bridges are also pretty fun for kids to run around. Another pretty area for a walk nearby is the Jardin de Murillo. You will notice the Christopher Columbus monument as you walk through the garden from the Plaza d’Espana back to Santa Cruz District.

Continue the day with a visit the Cathedral (opens at 11AM till about 5 PM). A top tip for avoiding the queue to the Cathedral is to buy you combo ticket in the Divino Salvador Church, about 10 min walk from the Cathedral. There is no queue there and it will allow you to skip the queue at the Cathedral and go right in. Allow at least 2 h for this visit as this is a massive building with lots of artwork and the tomb of Christofor Columbus. It has a lovely internal garden (patio of the orange trees) where you can relax a bit if you are tired after all the walking. The oranges from this patio are harvested and sent to the Uk. They say they are turned into bitter orange marmalade for the Queen.

After you visit the cathedral and if still motivated, allow another 30-45 min to climb la Giralda tower. We did this side visit in a previous trip so decided to skip it this time around. The weather was glorious and we wanted to spend more time outside. For the largest part, the Giralda has ramps instead of stairs so it is possible to do it with younger kids as well.

Head for a tapas lunch. You can try the Bodega Santa Cruz for some no frills traditional quick tapas. If you want something a bit more modern, head to La Azotea on C. Mateos Gago. There are a few good eateries on this street. If you want to have your pick of tables or restaurants, go early (12h30 ish). Locals typically eat later and about 1h30 everything gets packed. Please keep in mind that most places will not have high chairs. We kept our son in the stroller or sat him on a normal chair. More about food below.

For desert, la Campana in Calle Sierpes 1 is an institution. They have lots of delicious cakes and ice cream. This is also where you can buy a great sweet souvenir to bring home as they have pre- packaged boxes of their delicious biscuits.

After lunch, spend a leisurely afternoon in the streets and squares of barrio Santa Cruz and try to catching glimpses of some beautiful internal courtyards. Finish the day in Plaza de Seitas and its modern mushrooming umbrellas, the largest wooden structure in the world.

The structure has several levels. Level 1 contains the archeological museum, the official store with souvenirs and a tourist info centre. Level 2 has restaurants and a market. Level 3 is an elevated Plaza. On the fourth level there is the visit start point for the walkways and finally, on the last level, the viewpoint. The access to the viewpoint is 3 Euros ( free for kids under 5) and is located in the basement, next to the entrance in the museum. It is open till about 22h so you can catch a look of Seville by night.

Second day: A tapas and history tour (4h) in the morning. Real Alcatraz in the afternoon. If you are not up for the tapas tour and want to do something different than admiring more moorish architecture, head to the Seville aquarium, just behind the Plaza España.

There are a few speciality tours in Seville. We wanted something smaller and flexible that could also accommodate some breaks for the 3 yo. Friends recommended Devour tours. They have several tours available at different times and covering different neighbourhoods. We choose the 4 h morning tour of tapas and traditions and ended up being alone in the tour. Our guide Shaun was patient and knowledgeable. We had some great traditional tapas and drinks and learned more about the city and the traditions. Definitely check them out if you are in town as it is a lovely family experience. With full bellies and almost sleeping toddler, we head to the Real Alcazar for the afternoon.

Visiting the Real Alcazar with kids

A few tips to make this visit as hustle free as possible :

1. Buy tickets online. There is a separate line for online bookings as you still have to go through a security check but it will be way faster than without the tickets. Get a slot in the late afternoon as crowds get thinner close to closing time.
2. Bring sun screen, snacks and water. This visit will be long and Seville gets hot from April on. There is an inside area to visit and lovely large gardens outside.
3. Doable with a pram on most parts but there are sections available only by taking the stairs so if your baby is still very young, a carrier would be very handy.
4. If it all gets a bit stuffy and crowded retreat to the beautiful gardens and look for the resident peacocks. Many tourists come to the Real Alcazar at to get a photo of the buildings as they were used as a setting in the TV series Game of Thrones. As you move away from the buildings, you will get to experience a more peaceful atmosphere and discover some hidden fountains. Mr L was very happy to run around and play with the cool water in the fountains.

If you have more than two days in the city, also consider visiting the Archivos de Indias. Less interesting for kids but an amazing collection of every document liked to the sea trade with the new world. We visited it in our previous Seville trip.

Beautiful local house that can be visited with a guide is Casa de Salinas. The guided tour costs 8 Euro per adult and tamed 26-30 min. It really looks lovely in the photos. Unfortunately we arrived as the last tour of the day was finishing.

You can also opt for a day trip to nearby Córdoba, Cadiz or Huelva. Fastest to reach by high speed train is Córdoba in 45 min. You can read more about what to visit in a day trip to Córdoba in our next article.

Where to eat tapas in Seville with kids

As food is an important part of Southern European lifestyle, we have made every effort to try and sample as much as possible. We had dinner out every evening, tried some great places on the tapas tour and visited more bars recommended by locals. Here are our favourites by category:

Proper sit down lunch/dinner:

La Azotea : fusion tapas in a gastro bar setting. They have several locations in Seville. Aim for opening time at dinner for minimum waiting time. For us this was essential with a baby in tow. They will make fries for fussy eaters even if not on the menu.

Sal Gorda: modern tapas. We loved everything based on fish and seafood. Tuna tartare got rave reviews. They change the specials every day. Be prepared to wait a bit as the restaurant gets full. Best tip would be to order all tapas you want to try in one go if you want to spend less than 2 h here.

Eslava: a bit outside the main tourist area but worth the trip. Lots of seafood and modern tapas. The restaurant is small so go early to get a place. Everything is delicious.

Traditional tapas bars:

Bar Alfalfa: high tables and a few places at the bar. We stopped here and tried 4 different tapas. Fish was particularly good. Go for the specials on the black board. Kids will have to sit on a high chair or on your lap. No terrace and no place for strollers.

Autun and El Baratillo in Arenal district: both are very good and filled with locals. Try the spinach with chickpeas and pig cheeks, two local specialities.

La Fabiola : a small local bar offering wooden tables and homemade tapas. Great for a quick bite. Popular with locals.

Sweets and deserts:

A great churros place ( also popular for breakfast) is Bar El Comercio. You can take your churros to go or eat in. Has a great cosy atmosphere.

Try one of the sweet biscuits made by a nunnery. The nuns are cloistered in small convents throughout the city and sell sweets that they make during the week. The small shop is nothing more than a hole in the wall. You have a list of sweets outside and you ask for your treat at the counter. They close around 12h so you have to go early. Go to the Convento Madre Dios de la Piedad on San José 4. They have a selection of sweets displayed in a cabinet by the entrance door.

The best artisanal ice cream in Seville (Obama ate there when last in town) is La Fiorentina in C. Zaragoza 16. Orange blossom and many delicious flavours are on offer.

Drinks: we stumbled on this great cocktail by mistake but was such a good break on a hot day. It is called the Secondroom. They have virgin drinks and orange juice too. Happy hour is from 5 Pm to 6 Pm.

Let us know if this post is useful and wether you have any tips to share on Seville. We want to go back and discover more of Andalusia.

Sunny travels!