PRESS SECTION - TRAVEL MAGAZINE TELEGRAPH. Seville’s the city for piety and parties. Holy Week brings 50,000 pilgrims to the city, but pleasure-seeking visitors can enjoy abundant nightlife amid the Moorish architecture, says Anthony Jeffries. Its hard to think of a reason not to visit Seville at any time, but the city is at its finest in spring. First come the piety and passion of Holy Week (April) when 50,000 nazarenos (penitents) process through the streets accompanying icons temporarily displaced from churches around the city. Hard on its heels is the feria (April) when Sevillanos decamp to the showground on the outskirts and flamenco, horses and sherry are the order of the day. Hotel prices are at a premium during the twin celebrations. If parties and processions dont appeal this is still a wonderful time to visit; oranges linger on the trees, the air is fresh, the spring warmth hasnt reached the full-blast heat of summer and the tourist masses have yet to descend. Air from Stansted with Ryanair (0871 246 0000. ). Returns this spring start at £61. Ryanair also operates a Liverpool-Seville route with returns from £98. Clickair (. ) has returns from Heathrow to Seville from £208. Taxis from Seville airport to the city centre cost around £14. Taxis in the city are cheap, but most of the sights are well within walking distance from the centre. Work on the new metro system means bus routes are disrupted. Stay at the.. Overtly opulent Hotel Alfonso XIII (Calle San Fernando 2; 0034 954 91700; www. Alfonsoxiii.com) with its astonishing mix of art deco and Moorish revival in the patios and lounges. less lavish but lovely nonetheless is Casa No. 7 (Calle Virgenes, 7; 0034 954 221581; ), a converted 18 th century urban palace with six very comfortable rooms set around a central patio. Music lovers with get a kick from the slight wackiness of Hotel Amadeus (Calle Farnesio 6; 0034 954 501443, www.hotelamdeussevilla.com. ), another conversion of an old building set around a patio. The roof terrace is great for chilling out. Spend the morning in The atmospheric vastness of the cathedral (the largest church in the world), taking in the stunning retablo and the grandiose tomb of Columbus. Climb the ramp (built for guards horses) up the 82 metre-high Giralda former mosque tower. The view from the top is of a magnificent, jumbled cityscape punctuated by the odd soaring church tower and monument. Then pop next door to the Real Alcazar, the Moorish fortress with its intricate tiling, peaceful chambers and gorgeous, pool-filled gardens. La Albahaca (Plaza Santa Cruz, 29; 0034 954 220714), which serves traditional Andalusian food seafood, lots of pork in a classy, tiled restaurant on a quiet square in the heart of the Santa Cruz district. Or venture across the Guadalquivir river and grad a waterfront able at Rio Grande (Calle Betis 70, 0034 954 273956) for excellent fresh fish and a view of the Seville skyline that will live in the memory. Stroll around. The city: start at the river and head north-west, past the Torre del Oro tower and the majestic Maestranza bullring. Cut past the Arenal produce market through the narrow streets to the district of La Macarena, all spectacular churches, authentic bars and cafes and cobbled streets. From here, head south through the Centro shopping district to the roomy Plaza Nueva, then on past the cathedral into the mazy Barrio Santa Cruz the old Jewish district with its whitewashed, bougainvillea-clad walls and welcome bars at every corner. Anything made of leather, especially shoes. There are modern and traditional shoe stores every few metres along Calle Sierpes and Velazquez, where most of the big fashion stores are located, but Calle Sagasta and Plaza San Salvador are particularly good. If the prices have you ripping your wallet open you can always buy a new one at very little cost. Have dinner at Pando (Calle Cuna 5: 0034 954 225052; www.pandorestaurantes.com. ), a temple to tasteful decor and modern Spanish cuisine in a grand 19 th century townhouse. Artichoke flowers with prawns and creamed Iberian ham or sliced duck on spiced bread with rose-flavoured jam are not your average Sevillian fare, but the smart set are crowding in, so book ahead. More traditional, but still inventive is Bodega Paco Gongora (Calle Padre Marchena, 1; 0034 954 214139). The tapas bar is loaded with fishy delights; the restaurant is more formal, but its waiters are charming and the hefty portions of meat and fish are well presented. Seville is famous for its tapas and no visitor should skip an evening trawl through the Barrio Santa Cruz, so throw away the map and follow the nose. The bars are too numerous to mention by name and the jamon, boquerones (anchovies) and other more elaborate dishes are of a universally good standard. Drink small canas (beers) if you want to pace yourself but be sure to have one or two bone-dry fino sherries with your Serrano ham. Stay up late at. The Alameda de Hercules at the northern end of the city centre, which is being smartened up but still retains enough of its authentically raucous air. Chic bars, pizza restaurants and hip nightclubs crowd both sides of the tree-lined walkway. Things dont get going until well after 10 pm and the clubs fill up only after 2am, but theres something for everyone. The Parque Maria Luisa: shady and tranquil urban green space at its best. Hire a bicycle or stroll along the paths, wander around the crumbling, tiled masterpiece of the Plaza de Espana or take a table at one of the cafes, sip a coffee and enjoy watching Seville life going on all around. At all costs avoid The tourist trinket shops littering the city centre. Even the less trashy ones sell overpriced scarves and leather goods that arent worth a second glance. Instead try the gift shop at the Alcazar with its lovely replica mosaic tiles and very reasonable prints of the fortress and its architecture.

PRESS SECTION - The Daily Telegraph - Ultra Spain. Arriving in Seville is not unlike travelling through a time machine. I disembark from my GB Airways flight at one of the most ultra-modern airports in Spain, where all is shiny marble floors, vast expanses of glass and polished stainless steel, yet less than half an hour later I am in the middle of a labyrinth of tiny streets little changed since medieval times. I half expect to see a posse of horsemen galloping round the corner. I was very glad I had taken a taxi from the airport and not tried to find my hotel on my own. It may be perfectly located, right in the centre of the city, but could prove difficult to find for the new visitor, as it is halfway along a tiny cobbled alleyway. We only just squeezed through when the driver folded the wing mirrors flat and persuaded his cab to hold its breath. Cities, even beautiful old Spanish cities, do not come much more atmospheric than this. It is small wonder that Seville, capital of Andalucia and the fourth largest city in Spain, has found favour with so many over the centuries. It has in turn been the main city of Roman Baetica and the capital of the Visigoth kingdom. The Moors arrived in 712 and clearly liked what they found. It was some five centuries before the city was taken from them by King Ferdinand III of Castile. After the discovery of the Americas in 1492, Seville also made an ideal base from which the many expeditions to the New World set sail down the Guadalquivir. Spains only major navigable river, to the open sea. There are signs of the rich and vibrant past everywhere you turn in this fascinating city. Foremost is the outstanding cathedral, the largest Gothic church in the world. Its bell tower, known as the Giralda, is all that remains of the original Almohad mosque which stood on the site. The upper levels of the town are reached via a series of internal ramps constructed, it is said, so that the Arabs could ride their horses right to the top. Nearby is the Alcazar, or royal fortress, still used by Spains royal family when they visit the city, and countless other fascinating monuments just p0erfect for staring at while strolling around. The Barrio Santa Cruz, part of the former Jewish quarter, is made up of a tangle of tiny streets lined with atmospheric bars and small shops everywhere, even in winter, there is the scent of flowers and bitter oranges from the thousands of trees which cluster in every little square. Much of the fruit goes into our British marmalade pots, but look out for the tart fruit adding a piquant note to some local dishes too. Down by the river the bullring waits for the next contest, while locals and visitors alike continue to debate the pros and cons of this ancient spectacle. Over the bridge in the Barrio area is where bullfighters and flamenco dancers once lived: this is, after all, the city of Carmen and Figaro. Now the small houses which line the streets here are home to artists, writers and poets; the colourful local bars and seafood restaurants which line the river bank echo the bohemian character of the area. Back across the river, in the heart of the city, the open carriages offering sightseeing tours around the cathedral area and to the park are doing brisk business, while tourists and locals alike take advantage of the warm winter sunshine and opt for lunch outside the dozens of tapas bars and restaurants to be found on virtually every corner of every tiny Moorish street and lining each side of the many elegant squares. Back at my bade, the tiny hotel Casa Numero 7, a delightfully refurbished 19th century townhouse which has only six guest rooms, I learn from the owner, Gonzalo del Rio, whose family also owns the Gonzalez Byass sherry comp0any, just how sweet life is in this part of Spain. The city itself acts as a magnet for so many reasons. There are fabulous restaurants such as the Taberna del Alabardero with its rooms leading off a central courtyard, specialising in traditional Spanish food but with an innovative twist, and the five-star Hacienda Benazuza with its restaurant, Bulli, which continues to draw the in-crowd. Then there are the monuments and history, of course, the food and drinks and the sheer charm of the place. But then there is much more. Theres the art; the dance schools teaching perhaps the purest, most vibrant, form of flamenco in Spain; the theatre and the music, some of the best of which can be found at the new Teatro de la Maestranza on the Paseo de Colon, where performances range from jazz and film soundtrack festivals to opera. But there are other gems to be found just a short distance away. The Hacienda La Boticaria, just a 20-minute drive from the centre of Seville and set in beautiful countryside, is worth a visit; then there is the Hacienda Alfares, originally an oil mill built in 865, with its cool gardens scented by jasmine and honeysuckle, perfect for some post-lunch tranquillity. Slightly further afield, Jerez - just inland from Cadiz, and the home of sherry production - can be reached in about 40 minutes by train from Seville. Apart from some of the more obvious attractions such as visits to sample the products of the various bodegas, most of which welcome visitors with open arms, there is the fabulous equestrian school, Real Escuela Andaluza de Arte Ecuestre, which puts on displays of dressage most weeks, and the Museo de Relojes with one of the largest collections of clocks in Europe. Flamenco is big here to. You can learn all about it at the Centro Andaluz de Flamenco within the 18th century Palacio Pemartin. And when you have had your fill of the dance, visit the Cathedral del Salvador to see its most famous work, Zurbarans Sleeping girl, then stroll on to the partially-restored 11th century Alcazar with its well-preserved mosque, now a church. Granada, to the east, can also be reached easily from Seville, though it perhaps deserves a long weekend itself. The Alhambra palace and its fabulous Generalife gardens are among the main attractions here. It is a breathtaking place, with the Sierra Nevada mountains looming in the distance and the immense cathedral (which took almost 200 years to build) jostling the surrounding buildings in the old quarter. Small wonder that the guitarist Andres Segovia called Granada a place of dreams, where the Lord put the seed of music in my soul. To the north-east of Seville lies Cordoba, historically one of the most important cities in Spain. It was the capital in Roman and Moorish times and to this day you can explore the eighth-century Mezquita, a mosque so large that it actually has a cathedral inside it. Close by is the Alcazar with its beautiful gardens with their water terrace and fountains. Look out, too, for the daily market in the 17th Century Plaza de la Corredera and, if you have the stomach for it, the Museo Taurino, the museum dedicated to bullfighting. Theres even the hide of a bull that won its fight and a replica of the tomb of its victim, the famous matador Manolete. And then back towards Seville itself, only about 30 minutes drive away from the airport, you will find the delightful little medieval hilltop town of Carmona with its potent mix of mansions, churches and shady squares within the Moorish city walls. Check into a hotel sucha s the Alcaza de la Reina with its inner courtyard filled with lush plants and fascinating artefacts, settle on one of the cool terraces with a cold drink and some olives while you contemplate a siesta, a stroll through the Plaza de San Fernando, then dinner and a nightcap somewhere cosy. You will soon start to feel the Magic of Andalucia.