Seville Map Tourist Attractions

ENTERTAINMENT

The tourist office distributes El Giraldillo, a free monthly magazine with complete listings on music, art exhibits, theater, dance, fairs, and film. Get your flamenco fix at Los Gallos, PI. Santa Cruz 11, on the west edge of Barrio Santa Cruz. (Cover ‚27, includes 1 drink. Shows daily 9 and 11:30pm.) If you’re going to see a bullfight somewhere in Spain, Seville is probably the best place to do it; the bullring here is generally considered the most beautiful in the country. The cheapest place to buy bullfight tickets is at the ring on Po. Marques de Contadero; or try the booths on C. Sierpes, C. Velazquez, or PI. Toros (‚18-75).

BULLFIGHTING

Seville’s bullring hosts bullfights from Semana Santa through October. The cheapest place to buy tickets is at the ring on Po. Alcalde Marques de Contadero. However, when there’s a good cartel (line-up), the booths on C. las Sierpes, C. Velazquez, and PI. de Toros might be the only source of advance tickets. Ticket prices, depending on the quality of both seat and torero, can run from ‚18 for a grada de sol (nosebleed seat in the sun) to ‚75 for a barrera de sombra (front-row seat in the shade). Scalpers usually add 20% to the ticket price. Corridas de toros (bullfights) and novilladas (apprentice bullfighters with younger bulls) are held in the 13 days around the Feria de Abril and into May, every Sunday April to June and September to October, more often during Corpus Cristi in June and early July, and during the Feria de San Miguel near the end of September. During July and August, corridas occur on occasional Thursdays at 9pm; check posters around town. Some of the most popular sevillano bullfighters include El Juli, Joselito, and Jose Tomas. (For current info and ticket sales, call 954 50 13 82.)

SHOPPING

Seville is a great place to find Andalusian crafts such as hand-embroidered silk and lace shawls and traditional flamenco wear, albeit often at somewhat inflated tourist prices, C. las Sierpes is in the center of the main shopping area. Its environs, including C. San Eloy, C. Velazquez, and C. Francos, have a wide array of crafts, as well as modem clothing, shoe stores, and jewelry. In January and June, all the stores hold huge iSrebajas (sales), where everything is marked down 30-70%. A large, eclectic flea market is held Thursday 9am-2pm, extending from C. Feria to C. Regina in La Macarena.

FESTIVALS

Seville swells with tourists during its fiestas, and with good reason: They are insanely fun. If you’re in Spain during any of the major festivals, head straight to Seville you won’t regret it. If you can remember it, that is. Reserve a room weeks or months in advance, and expect to pay up to twice the normal rate.

SEMANA SANTA. Seville’s world-famous Semana Santa lasts from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday (Apr. 13-20 in 2004). In each neighborhood of the city, thousands of penitents in hooded cassocks guide pasos (stunning, extravagant floats) through the streets, illuminated by hundreds of candles. The climax is Good Friday, when the entire city turns out for the procession along the bridges and through the oldest neighborhoods. Book rooms well in advance and expect to pay double the usual price. The tourist office has a helpful booklet on where to eat and sleep during the week’s festivities.

FERIA DE ABRIL. Two or three weeks after Semana Santa, the city rewards itself for its Lenten piety with the Feria de Abril (Apr. 27-May 2 in 2004). Begun as part of a 19th-century revolt against foreign influence, the Feria has grown into a massive celebration of all things Andalusian. Circuses, bullfights, and flamenco shows roar into the night in a showcase of local customs and camaraderie. A spectacular array of flowers and lanterns decorates over 1000 kiosks, tents, and pavilions, collectively called casetas. Each has the elements necessary for a rollicking time: Small kitchen, bar, and dance floor. Locals stroll from one to the next, sharing drinks and food amid the lively music and dance. Most casetas are privately owned, and the only way to get invited is by making friends with the locals. There are a few large public casetas with drinks and dancing though. Either way, people-watching from the sidelines can be almost as exciting, as costumed girls dance sevillanas and men parade on horseback through the streets. The city holds bullfights daily during the festival; buy tickets in advance. (The fairgrounds are on the southern end of Los Remedios.)

Seville Map Tourist Attractions

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