With a few free days in Madrid between conferences, I decided to take a train to Seville for the weekend. Seville is the capital of the Andalusia region in the south and is the birthplace of Flamenco. With its picturesque cobbled streets, tapas bars, and endless shops, there is a lot to see, do and eat when traveling to Seville with food allergies.
Getting to Seville, Spain:
I took the high speed train from Madrid Chamartín Railway Station to Seville. It was around 80 Euro and took less than three hours to arrive in Seville. Once I arrived at the station, I took a taxi to my hotel. Since the actual hotel was down a pedestrian only road, I did have to walk through a plaza and down a street to arrive at the apartment. Keep this in mind if you have a lot of luggage since there are a few roads like this.
Where to Stay in Seville, Spain:
I stayed in a newly renovated hotel called Hommyhome. I found it on Booking.com. It is in a fabulous location, clean, and comfortable. The rooms have mini-fridges and microwaves, which was one main reason I chose it. I stayed in a different room each night and both were lovely. The second room I stayed in had little balcony windows. I loved being able to look out over the pedestrian only street with its hanging fabrics, shading the street from the intense sunshine.
Where to Eat in Seville, Spain:
For the brief amount of time I was in Seville, I did have quite a few dining out experiences. I found that some places were better and more receptive to food allergies than others and that tapas restaurants are probably the most difficult to order in. I stuck to very plain, specific items when I went for tapas (ex. Manchego cheese or jamón). Overall, I ate well and didn’t need to use the fridge or microwave in my room.
Breakfast
Luca’s City– I had an omelette for breakfast and a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice here successfully using my chef card. It was a touristy little spot but was off a main road and an easy place to stop for breakfast. 
Lunch
Cafe Restaurante Alianza– This cafe was fine for a quick salad using my chef card. There are many restaurants right in the main squares and this was on a side street, so it was a bit quieter. I was able to have a salad safely and that’s really all I had wanted in the heat anyway.
Tapas
Since tapas are such a popular and traditional part of dining in Spain, I decided to try a few places in Seville. I knew I would likely need to keep it simple and stick with meat and cheese, but since it is all so delicious I was disappointed by this.
- La Bodega de la Alfalfa– I ate cured ham and Manchego cheese and a glass of Rioja the first night I arrived. I was told it was a place not to miss.
- Las Golondrinas– On the second night, I ate more cured meat, Manchego cheese and crackers. This was in a neighborhood on the other side of the river.
Dinner
Bar Agustin & Company Bar– This was right off the main squre in a great location. I used my chef card and ordered a tomato, mozzarella salad with sun-dried tomato, olive oil and balsamic, a glass of wine, and a meat dish.
*Side note: If you are there in the fall and are trying to catch an American football game (like I was one evening… Fly Eagles, Fly), I found The Merchant pub was playing mutiple games on their TVs in the bar. There were tons of Americans in there and it was an easy place to make friends.
Grocery Store
*To see more from the grocery store in Seville, watch my video here.
What to See & Do in Seville, Spain:
There was a festival going on when I arrived in Seville.
- Seville Cathedral– The largest Gothic Cathedral in the world, Catedral D’ Sevilla, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Giralda Tower– This is the bell tower and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ticket to the tower is also included with your ticket to the Cathedral. The tower doesn’t have any open air space and bars are in front of the windows so it is a bit difficult to get good photos. It was still a decent walk up to the top but it wouldn’t be on my top list of must-see sites.
- Archivo General De Indias– Circumnavigation, maps, and exploration is what this museum is all about. The exhibits are well done and incredibly interesting. Definitely worth the visit!
- Real Alcazar de Sevilla– If you know you are going to Seville, I highly recommend getting tickets ahead. There were long lines that wrapped around the building all day every day I was there. I ended up missing it because I didn’t want to spend all day in line. It is rated highly, so buy your tickets ahead!
- Plaza de España– I really enjoyed wandering around this area of Seville. The plaza was built for the Spanish-American Exhibition of 1929. There is a lake in the middle where you can rent boats and the building is beautifully covered in brick and tile.
- Walk the riverside where the Torre del Oro and Plaza de Toros is located.
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