When we flew into Seville from Basel, our family was buzzing with excitement. It was the beginning of our three-week trip to Spain. My husband has always dreamed of visiting Spain, and I was so excited to plan the trip from Seville-Cordoba-Toledo-Madrid-Segovia-Zaragosa-Barcelona-Valencia. It was a crazy 3 weeks, but Seville was the perfect, magical start to an amazing trip.

Seville is one of those places that the moment you get off the plane, you're relaxed. As you walk out of the airport, the sun is shining, the air smells like oranges, and everyone seems so happy. The architecture is gorgeous. Every time I think back to Seville, I smile because it's just such a magical place.

The best way to experience Seville is to allow yourself to get lost. Experience the relaxed way of life. Dine al fresco, grab a churro, or stop at La Cacharreria de Sevilla for the best toast, pastries, and coffee in town. We didn’t have a bad meal during our visit, so trust your gut, check out the menu, and go for it. We had some of the best tapas in Spain during this leg of our trip.

Keep an eye out for some particularly beautiful Moorish tile and pottery during your visit. I was able to score some gorgeous ones at an antique shop. Triana is a neighborhood in Seville that is known for its gorgeous tile and pottery. Make time to visit if you can. The locals take a lot of pride in their neighborhood, and you can tell by the bustle of the markets, and the rush on the streets, that this is a very happening neighborhood. Our favorite pottery shop was Ceramico Triana.

I have the fondest memories of our girls running through Alcazar Gardens and Maria Luisa Park, the scent of oranges filling the air. We walked through Barrio Santa Cruz (aka the Jewish Quarter) and were spellbound by the whitewashed buildings and the peaceful streets. Enjoy some flamenco, treat yourself to a flamenco fan (we bought gorgeous, hand painted ones at Aire Distinto), and allow yourself to be taken over by Andalusian culture.

Seville was the perfect place to welcome Spring and sunshine back into my life. After months of grey in Zurich, it was so recharging and refreshing to bask in sunshine and a laid-back atmosphere. I hope to plan a visit back sometime in the near future.

Sites to See:

By Foot:

Metropol Parasol (aka The Mushrooms)
Monumento a Cervantes
Plaza Nueva
Catedral de Sevilla
Plaza Virgen de los Reyes
Plaza del Triunfo
Plaza del Cabildo
Barrio Santa Cruz (Juderia)
Real Alcazar de Sevilla
Igleisa Santa Maria La Blanca & wandering (We saw a really amazing procession for Semana Santa)
Plaza de Espana
La Alameda
Torre del Oro
Maria Luisa Park
Casa de Pilatos
Palacio de las Duenas

By Car or Public Transport (depending on where you stay, of course)

Triana (We drove and didn’t have trouble finding parking.)
Check out Puente de Isabel II
Triana Pottery
Walk down the river and enjoy the views

Good to know:

There are playgrounds tucked in many streets and piazzas. As I’m sure you’ve read, if you’re traveling with kids, the Spanish are extremely accommodating. Many places have baby chairs, but I found it helpful to have a travel baby chair to make things in restaurants easier.

The majority of the streets are cobblestone. Wear comfortable walking shoes.

Things close for a few hours after lunch. Lunch is generally from 1:30-3:30. Dinner is served after 8pm. Tapas are served all day.

Seville is the home of Flamenco. If you want to see a show, book well ahead of time, or you’ll find, as we did, that you’re out of luck. We saw it in Barcelona, and it was great fun, but I think it would’ve been amazing to see it in Seville

Last Spring my family and I took a three-week tour of Spain. We started in Seville and ended the trip in Barcelona. Over the last few weeks, several people have asked me for advice on visiting Barcelona, so I thought it would be a great start in a series about one of my family’s very favorite countries.

Barcelona is a gorgeous city. The sun is almost always out, the city is extremely kid-friendly, and the food is great. The wide walkways are lined with trees, and there’s a vibrant, relaxed feeling about the city. The pace is whatever you choose it to be.

We rented an apartment down the street from Sagrada Familia. I highly recommend staying in that area as it’s super walkable, is near a lot of great restaurants, and has easy access to the hop-on/hop-off bus. We are not normally hop-on/hop-off bus people, but we learned quickly that Barcelona is so spread out, we couldn’t just walk everywhere like we normally do. Staying near Sagrada Familia allows you to easily walk to places such as Barcelona Cathedral, Plaza Cataluña, Old Town, and Las Ramblas.

The hop-on/hop-off bus is very helpful to get to sights such as Parque Guell (do yourself a favor and get tickets ahead of time), Montjuic Castle (a gorgeous fortress on the water that you can reach via cable car from the Montjuic Funicular Station, where you can also pose for a souvenir photo), and Poble Espanol (a reconstructed medieval village with artisanal shoppes, experiences, etc. There are food carts and restaurants in the center and throughout that you can easily grab lunch, and if you have young children like we do, there is space for them to run.). The bus can also get you to Olympic Stadium, but we didn’t hop off for that. Our baby was sleeping, so it was a drive by and see situation.

Sagrada Familia was such a show stopper for us (again, get tickets ahead of time). After living in Italy, our eldest daughter is desensitized to gorgeous architecture, but when she walked up to and into Sagrada Familia, her jaw hit the floor. We listened to the audio guide and were completely transfixed by Gaudi’s still-evolving masterpiece. We’ve promised Laela that we’ll go back to see the completed project in 2026 or 2028.

Barcelona Cathedral is beautiful, but with a darker, more gothic style. When you walk in, there’s an unexpected courtyard filled with birds, beams of sunlight spraying through the windows like a fairytale. It’s a special place with intricate architecture and a unique feel to it. Our girls liked it so much they went in twice.

My favorite church in Barcelona was Santa Maria del Mar. The relief in the front was so outstanding, and the feel to the church was incredibly peaceful. It’s one of the few churches we’ve visited in a long time where people were praying and not just sight-seeing. The church was filled with sunlight, and like many of the churches we visited over Easter break, it was fabulous to see how they decorated and celebrated for the holiday.

Eating in Barcelona is easy. If you have little ones that cannot manage the typical Spanish mealtimes (lunch at 1-1:30 and dinner at 8-9pm) tapas are served all day. If you’re on the hunt for some fabulous Mexican, head over to the laid-back La Cantina Mexicana. For delicious breakfast pastries or an easy lunch, try The Bristol (the pastries and beetroot burger were my favorite. I still dream of that burger!!). For a slightly more formal dinner that you will love with or without kids, try Tragaluz for gorgeous, modern Mediterranean cuisine.

My family’s favorite thing to do on trips is just explore. We love walking around towns and cities and seeing what it’s really like to be a part of that place. Wandering down Las Ramblas, exploring the historic old town of Barcelona, strolling through Plaza Cataluña, gazing at Gaudi’s famous buildings Casa Batllo and Casa Mila, talking about his inspiration to create such fluid, amazing buildings, playing at tucked away playgrounds, and grabbing tapas when we were hungry and needed a break was sheer perfection.

Take your time in Barcelona. Savor the sites. Enjoy the city. It’s one worth getting lost in.

Shopping tips…

I’m not one who buys kitschy souvenirs. I like to find things that are special, that I want to keep forever, and that will evoke meaning for my family and I when I look at them. These are some shoppes where I found some great things:

-Itaca They have lovely traditional items, as well as ceramics, art, and fun finds.

-La Nostra Ciutat I loved this shop for local art. We walked out with a lot of neat things for our girls and gifts for friends.

-For a cool shop featuring local and upcoming designers, visit Nuovum

-OMG Barcelona is great for fun, sometimes quirky art, décor, jewelry, etc..

-Espardenyes is one of the lesser known espardille manufacturers in Barcelona. We'd tried going to a more famous shop, but it was slammed, and had off hours due to the holiday weekend. The staff at Espardenyes were great, and I found their shoes true to size.