ANDALUCÍA - A DAY TRIP FROM SEVILLA TO CARMONA

Miguel Renoir Spanish Guides
Dec 12, 2023
4 min read

Updated: Feb 11

A day trip from Sevilla to Carmona

Carmona is built on a ridge overlooking the central plain of Andalucía. To the north is the Sierra Morena, and to the south is the peak of San Cristobal. The city is known for its thriving wine, olive oil, grain, and cattle trade and holds an annual fair in April.

Carmona is among the most historic towns in southern Europe. It is walkable and is a living museum of the civilisations that have conquered it, from the Carthaginians to the Romans, Visigoths, Moors, and Christians. About 4,000 people live in the old town, including a few dozen nuns. Around 25,000 live in modern Carmona, beyond the Puerta de Sevilla, the historic gate that marks the old town's boundary.

The Puerta de Sevilla's stones mark Carmona's sweep of history. The blocks at the base are Carthaginian, and Roman stones from about the time of Christ are laid on top. Above these are Moorish bricks and, finally, Christian masonry. The Puerta de Sevilla stands as a lesson in conquest and civilisation. Bar La Muralla (The Wall) is well-positioned to admire it.

Do not leave without enjoying torta inglesa, a fluffy, cinnamon-flavoured cake. According to tradition, the nuns of Santa Clara convent make the best ones. Ring the bell, and they will bring the cake to the door.

After walking through the Puerta de Sevilla, we made our way up to the Plaza de San Fernando and our first stop at

BAR GOYA

Calle Prim 2, 41410 Carmona

+34 954 14 30 60

www.goaytapas.com

There are several café restaurants around the square. This is the best, serving a bargain €12 set menu at lunch with plenty of choices.

You could have savoury gazpacho, roast red mullet, or tooth-numbingly sweet rice pudding. We settled on tuna, tomato, and papas aliñás at the bar.

We then moved on to,

EL TABLAO

Plaza de San Fernando 10, 41410 Carmona

This place has many bad reviews about price and service. We only had the special of the day, setas sylvestre (a reasonably large portion €12), which was supposedly picked in the campo that morning and was good, and three cañas. Service was okay.

At this point, we came across some dancing ladies in the square.

After a bit of dance, we walked to La Almazara.

Unfortunately, the bar did not offer tapas on weekends, so we did not eat. However, it looks like a nice place.

LA ALMAZARA DE CARMONA

Calle Santa Ana 33, 41410 Carmona

+34 954 19 00 76

www.alfar2.com

This restaurant, situated in a former oil mill, has a busy tapas bar and a dining room in a contemporary-classic style wth a traditional menu with a section of more modern dishes.

We then went to see Casa Palacio de Carmona, Which I had read about in a Times article by Michael Portillo. We were disappointed that it had been closed for over a year.

CASA PLACIO DE CARMONA Five Stars

Calle Miraflores de Santa María 1, 41410 Carmona

www.casadecarmona.com

+34 954 19 10 00

Michael Portillo has hosted lavish birthday parties in the elegantly faded grandeur of the Hotel. Built in 1561 in a Moorish style with four inner courtyards, it has charmingly rickety plumbing and is stuffed with the owner's furniture and books. Its little pool is fragrant with jasmine and orange trees.

From there, we stumbled on and into,

EL TABANCO DE CARMONA

Hermana Concepción Orellana 2, 41410 Carmona

+34 954 19 62 00

www.alcazar-reina.es

Located in: Hotel Alcázar De La Reina, a white-tablecloth hotel dining room with a poolside terrace.

Featuring tapas with wine & spirits. We had a few tapas in the bar area, which were okay.

CASA CURRO MONTOYA

Calle Santa María de Gracia, 13, 41410 Carmona, Sevilla

+34 657 90 36 29

Another interesting restaurant with good food serves tapas only at the bar, not at the tables reserved for full dining.

We then headed to the Alcázar de Arriba and the Parador de Carmona.

PARADOR DE CARMONA Four Stars

Alcázar 41410 Carmona

+34 954 14 10 10

www.parador.es

The King Pedro I fortress is located at the highest point of Carmona.

Once a Moorish Alcázar, later a Christian fort, It was adopted to be used as a hospital during an outbreak of devastating plague in 1647, and even, much later, a Nazi military camp in 1942. Now you can drink café con Léche on the terrace, listen to the hissing cicadas, and gaze at the same view seen by kings and generals for millennia.

We then had a slow walk down, with time to take in the spectacular sunset.

And came across a religious procession from the Parroquia de San Pedro.

On our way to the autobus stop, we stopped at a busy café for the famous torta inglesa, which, as described above, was delicious.

We were looking to travel by bus from Sevilla to Carmona, there and back, but because the Hotel provided incorrect information, we had to get a cab (€60). The bus on the return was €2.90 and took about 40 minutes.

Here is a bus timetable for future reference!