Where To Stay In Seville: The Ultimate Neighborhood Guide
Seville is an ancient city with a lively and vibrant atmosphere that brings millions of tourists to the capital of Andalusia every year. It's not hard to see why. This southern city has something to offer just about anyone, whether you're looking for historical monuments, great weather and beaches, or fantastic food. It's also a fascinating place to take in the vibe of modern Spain and see some of the city's trendiest districts.
Seville is a city of neighborhoods, and choosing where to stay in Seville can be tricky. If you want to stay close to the city center with its narrow cobblestone streets where you'll be within walking distance of all the major tourist attractions, that's certainly an option. But if you prefer a lively nightlife district full of boutique hotels, Seville can offer that too. Really, the choice of which neighborhood for where to stay in Seville comes down to what kind of vacation you want to have.
And you'll always have a better vacation if you can travel light. Drop off your bags at a Bounce luggage storage in Seville, and you'll find it much easier to get around the city and enjoy what its diverse neighborhoods have to offer. There are so many convenient luggage drop-off points near Plaza de Armas, Seville Airport, and Santa Justa Train Station that you won't have any trouble finding one. You'll be enjoying a beautiful rooftop terrace or the spacious rooms of a luxury hotel in no time.
Where To Stay in Barrio Santa Cruz
The Barrio Santa Cruz neighborhood is the ancient heart of this ancient city. This old Jewish quarter is known for its cobbled streets, tapas bars, and many tourist attractions. For instance, the Santa Cruz neighborhood is where you'll find Seville cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site that contains the tomb of Christopher Columbus, along with the stunning Real Alcazar or Royal Palace of Seville, and the Museo del Baile Flamenco, or Museum of Flamenco.
The old town of Seville offers a central location that will keep you close to just about everything you want to do in central Seville. Plus, because it's so popular with tourists, the centrally located Santa Cruz neighborhood has no shortage of bars and restaurants where you can spend a long night enjoying the unmissable nightlife in Seville.
With everything from backpacker hostels for budget travelers to boutique hotels for those looking for something special to luxury hotels for unlimited budgets, Santa Cruz has something for just about everyone.
But this popularity comes at a price. A room in this central location will cost you more to stay in Seville than just about anywhere else in the city. Although there are plenty of budget options in Santa Cruz, even they cost more than they would in other areas. So if you're trying to save some money, this may not be the best place to do it.
Plus, if you want some peace and quiet on your vacation, Santa Cruz is definitely not where you'll find it. Just about everybody who comes to visit Seville will end up in the city center at one point or another, and so Barrio Santa Cruz can get unbelievably busy, especially during the summer months. If you're okay with crowds, Santa Cruz is a great option for your stay in Seville. But if you'd rather get off the beaten path, this isn't the best choice for you.
Where To Stay in Triana
If you're after a central location for your stay in Seville, Barrio Santa Cruz is hard to beat. But look outside the city center, and you'll get a glimpse of what Seville - and Andalucia - are really all about.
Located right next to Santa Cruz, the Triana neighborhood is separated from the city center by the river, crossed by several bridges. Therefore, Triana is still well within walking distance of the old Jewish quarter and the top tourist attractions in the city. Plus, Triana isn't short of its own attractions, including the Mercado de Triana, one of the best and liveliest open-air markets in all of Seville, and a great area to enjoy some of the best brunch restaurants in Seville.
But what really sets Triana apart is its atmosphere. This is the neighborhood that produced famous Andalusian figures in Flamenco and bullfighting, and the Gypsy heart of this barrio still beats strongly to this day. If you want to experience local life during your stay in Seville but still be within walking distance of the city's top attractions, plus be close to some of the best tapas bars in the city and maybe in all of Spain, Triana is the place to go.
Around Easter, Triana becomes the location of Seville's legendary Semana Santa or Holy Week festival. At this time, the neighborhood is at its vibrant best, but hotels can be hard to come by, and prices tend to rise. So while Triana offers a quieter option than Santa Cruz does for most of the year, watch out for these festivities.
Where To Stay in El Arenal
Located on the same side of the Guadalcanal River, the ancient neighborhood of El Arenal borders the Barrio Santa Cruz and in many ways resembles that legendary district. Home to the Torre del Oro, this city center neighborhood is another great location if you want to stay close to the top attractions during your stay in Seville. You won't struggle to find a wonderful hotel in El Arenal, as this is one of the city's more glamorous and upscale neighborhoods.
El Arenal is centered around the city's bullring, the grandest and most important in southern Spain and one of the top facilities of its type in the world. A bullfight may not be to your taste, but it is an essential part of Andalusian and Spanish culture, and there's no disputing that the neighborhood of El Arenal really comes alive when there's a fight in town.
However, you don't need to be a fan of blood sports to enjoy El Arenal. Once the embarkation point for Spanish voyagers to the New World, this neighborhood has a fascinating history to explore, along with plenty of great boutique hotels, delicious tapas bars, and independent shops to browse. If you want your stay in Seville to be close to the city center but aren't ready to commit to Santa Cruz, El Arenal could be the perfect solution.
However, just like nearby Santa Cruz, prices in El Arenal tend toward the higher side. This isn't the place for a cheap stay in Seville, so if you're looking for a bargain, you may have to look elsewhere. Still, if your budget stretches far enough, hotels like the four-star Las Casas, which provides every guest with their own mobile phone, make for a great luxury option. Meanwhile, the La Banda Rooftop Hostel means even those on a strict budget can enjoy a rooftop terrace and a spectacular view of El Arenal and the skyline of Seville.
Where To Stay in Feria
If you're looking for some of the best nightlife in Seville, head to Feria. Centered around the Calle Feria, the name of this neighborhood means party, and that's exactly what you'll get. And unlike the tourist-centered nightlife of Santa Cruz, Feria is the real deal. This is where Seville locals come to enjoy tapas bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and every other facet of Seville's beguiling nightlife.
During the day, Calle Feria also hosts Seville's biggest fleamarket on Thursdays, making it a great place to pick up Seville souvenirs on the cheap. Plus, this grungy neighborhood is full of vintage clothing boutiques, record shops, bookstores, and other interesting shops to explore, giving it a personality and charm all of its own.
Additionally, because this neighborhood is a little bit off the usual tourist track, it makes a great place to stay in Seville. You'll find that even the best hotels in this neighborhood will cost you less than establishments in Santa Cruz that don't have half the charm of their Feria competition. Of course, if you're just looking for a place to crash after a long, long Spanish night out, Feria has plenty of those, too.
Where To Stay in Macarena
Seville's history lies heavy in Macarena, just as it does in many other central neighborhoods. Located to the north of the heart of the city, Macarena contains sections of the original Moorish city walls. Speaking of ancient history, if you're old enough to remember the hit Spanish song from the 1990s and are humming it right now, you might be interested to know that the song was named after this neighborhood of Seville.
Along with the old city walls, Macarena is home to the Andalusian Parliament and the biggest market in Seville. But because it lies a little outside the heart of the city, this is a neighborhood that has maintained its historic charm better than most and is a wonderful place to stay in Seville if you value peace and quiet and want to live like the locals do. Plus, thanks to Seville's public transit system, it's not hard to get from Macarena to just about anywhere else in the city.
Hotels in Macarena can be few and far between since many tourists never make it this far north. What you'll most likely find is a mid-range hotel or budget location that offers a good night's sleep but not a great deal else. But although Macarena may not be as close to the main tourist attractions as some of Seville's other best neighborhoods, it's still a great place to stay in Seville. La Macarena offers excellent tapas bars, the impressive architecture of the Basilica de la Macarena, a lively Semana Santa celebration, and an encounter with local life that you're unlikely to find anywhere else. Plus, the city's sights are only as far away as the nearest Metro station.
Where To Stay In Distrito Sur
South of the Barrio Santa Cruz and the river, Distrito Sur or South District doesn't win any awards for originality in naming. But what it lacks in nomenclature, it makes up for with beautiful scenery. This underrated district is the location of Maria Luisa Park, arguably the most beautiful of Seville's many urban parks. And the park itself is home to two great Seville museums, the Museum of Arts and Traditions and the Seville Archaeological Museum. That means you won't have to go far to enjoy yourself in this location.
But the leafy residential streets of this neighborhood are an attraction all by themselves for those who want peace and quiet. If you're looking for a great location to relax away from the chaos of central Seville, this is where you'll find it. Distrito Sur is the best place to stay in Seville for families who want to be close to the park or anyone who wants to escape the crowds and the high prices that come from being within walking distance of everything.
Distrito Sur offers a range of different hotels, from the Fernando III Sevilla with its rooftop terrace including an outdoor pool to the Sevilla Dream Hostel geared toward budget travelers. But, however you want to enjoy your stay in Seville, Distrito Sur makes a great home base to stay in Seville. And because the neighborhood isn't as popular as areas like El Arenal and Santa Cruz, you can often find relative bargains here.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the best place to stay in Seville is the one that suits your needs. If you want to be close to major attractions like Seville Cathedral and the Real Alcazar, the Barrio Santa Cruz is your best bet. But if you prefer some peace and quiet or a hotel with a swimming pool or a rooftop terrace, you'll probably have better luck in more outlying areas like Distrito Sur.
One thing is for certain, though. The lighter you travel in Seville, the more fun you'll have. So drop off your bags at a Bounce luggage storage before heading out to enjoy the different atmospheres of the city's neighborhoods. Bounce makes it easy to travel so you can focus purely on enjoying yourself.