ANDALUCÍA - A DAY TRIP FROM SEVILLA TO CARMONA
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, with the peak of San Cristobal to the south. The city is known for its thriving trade in wine, olive oil, grain, and cattle and holds an annual fair in April.
Carmona is among the most historic towns in southern Europe. It is walkable and quiet and is basically a living museum of the civilisations that have conquered it, from Carthaginians to 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 very stones of the Puerta de Sevilla mark Carmona’s sweep of history. The blocks at the base are Carthaginian and laid on top of them are Roman stones from about the time of Christ. Above these sit Moorish bricks and finally Christian masonry. It 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, this is a fluffy, cinnamon-flavoured cake. They say the best ones are made by the nuns of Santa Clara convent, ring the bell and they will bring it 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
Around the square are a clutch of café restaurants, this is the best, which serves a bargain €12 set menu at lunch with plenty of choices.
You could have savory gazpacho, roast red mullet, and tooth-numbingly sweet rice pudding. We settled for tuna and 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 fairly large portion €12) which was supposedly picked in the campo that morning and was good, and 3 cañas. Service was ok.
At this point, we came across some dancing ladies in the square.
After a little dance, we walked to La Almazara
Unfortunately, no tapas at the bar on weekends, so we did not eat. It looks like a nice place though.
LA ALMAZARA DE CARMONA
Calle Santa Ana 33, 41410 Carmona
+34 954 19 00 76
This restaurant situated in a former oil mill has a busy tapas bar and a dining room in a contemporary-classic style. Traditional menu with a section of more modern dishes.
We then went to have a look at Casa Palacio de Carmona, Which I had read about in a Times article from Michael Portillo. We were disappointed to find that it looks like it has been closed for over a year.
CASA PLACIO DE CARMONA Five Stars
Calle Miraflores de Santa María 1, 41410 Carmona
+34 954 19 10 00
Michael Portillo has hosted lavish birthday parties in the elegantly faded grandeur of the Hotel. It was 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
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 ok.
CASA CURRO MONTOYA
Calle Santa María de Gracia, 13, 41410 Carmona, Sevilla
+34 657 90 36 29
Another interesting restaurant with good food, Tapas can only be eaten at the bar, not at the tables, which are reserved for full dinning.
We then headed off to the Alcázar de Arriba and the Parador de Carmona.
PARADOR DE CARMONA Four Stars
Alcázar 41410 Carmona
+34 954 14 10 10
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 the way to the autobus stop, we stopped at a busy café for the famous torta inglesa, which was as described above, and delicious.
We were looking to travel from Sevilla to Carmona, there and back, by bus but because of the wrong information from the hotel we had to get a cab there (€60). The bus on the return was €2.90 and took around the same time, 40 minutes.
Here is a bus timetable for future reference!
Carmona is a great place for history buffs and if not, there are plenty of places to eat and drink.
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