Seville for two, in Andalusia

Breakfast at Bar La Estrellita

Where to eat: Tostada with tomato and jamón at Bar La Estrellita, Calle San Jacinto 104.

Walk from Barrio de Santa Cruz to the river and over the Puente de Isabel II, about twenty-five minutes. On Calle San Jacinto, stop at Bar La Estrellita, a no-frills Triana bar that opens at dawn for workers. Order a tostada with olive oil, tomato and jamón and a café con leche, and sit outside to watch the neighborhood wake up as the shutters on the ceramic shops roll up.

Mercado de Triana and the Castle of San Jorge

Back at the foot of the bridge, Mercado de Triana is built over the ruins of the Castle of San Jorge, seat of the Inquisition in Seville. Walk the stalls of fish, olives, saffron and ham, then go below to the free museum in the castle foundations, where walkways pass over old walls and explain the trials held here. It is sober and short, and the market noise above brings you straight back to the living city.

Calle Alfarería and the ceramics center

Where to eat: Punta de solomillo at Las Golondrinas, Calle Antillano Campos 26.

Walk up Calle Alfarería and Calle Antillano Campos, where potters fired tiles for centuries. The Centro Cerámica Triana sits in the old Santa Ana factory and shows the kilns and the azulejo tiles that cover facades all over Seville. Look up at the shop fronts and church walls on the way: almost every corner has a tiled saint or street name. A small tile makes a light souvenir to carry home.

Calle Betis at sunset

Where to eat: Pescaíto frito and ortiguillas at Kiosco de las Flores, Calle Betis 74.

In the late afternoon, walk Calle Betis along the riverbank, where colored houses face the Torre del Oro and the Cathedral across the water. Stop at Kiosco de las Flores, open since 1930, for a paper cone of fried fish and a cold beer on the terrace. Then cross to the Capilla del Carmen at the bridge foot, a small tiled chapel by architect Aníbal González, as the bridges light up.

Where to eat and stop

• Breakfast · Bar La Estrellita — Calle San Jacinto 104, Triana; opens at 6 am Why here: A dawn bar where Triana workers start the day, with plain prices and generous toast.
• Lunch · Las Golondrinas — Calle Antillano Campos 26; noon to 4 pm and 8 pm to midnight Why here: A tiled Triana bar on the ceramic street known for grilled pork and mushrooms.
• Dinner · Blanca Paloma — Calle San Jacinto 49, Triana; Tuesday to Saturday Why here: A neighborhood tavern loved in Triana for classic tapas and a warm, busy dining room.
• Quick stop (snack): Kiosco de las Flores — Calle Betis 74, on the river; open daily from noon Why here: A riverside kiosk since 1930 for fried fish eaten looking at the Torre del Oro.

Day three is on foot. Santa Cruz to the Puente de Isabel II is about twenty-five minutes; inside Triana the market, Calle Alfarería, Calle San Jacinto and Calle Betis are all within a ten-minute walk.

Where to stay

• A small hotel in Barrio de Santa Cruz — The old Jewish quarter puts you a few minutes on foot from the Cathedral, the Real Alcázar and the tapas bars of Calle Mateos Gago, with quiet lanes after dark and many rooms set around tiled patios.
• A riverside room in El Arenal or Triana — El Arenal sits between the Cathedral and the Guadalquivir near the Torre del Oro, and Triana faces it across the river, so evenings can end with a walk over the Puente de Isabel II under the lit bridges.

Dinner: Bacalao con tomate at Blanca Paloma, Calle San Jacinto, in Triana.

Tomorrow: Plaza de España and María Luisa Park, montaditos at Bodeguita Antonio Romero, the Torre del Oro and the Mercado del Barranco.

Bad-weather plan

If it rains, spend longer in the castle museum under the market and the Centro Cerámica Triana, and eat lunch inside the market at a covered stall instead of on Calle Betis.

Puente de Isabel II · Mercado de Triana · Calle Alfarería · Calle Betis

Good to know: Blanca Paloma opens Tuesday to Saturday; on a Sunday or Monday, stay at Kiosco de las Flores for a fuller dinner by the river.

Tortilla at Bar Santos

Where to eat: Giant tortilla de patatas at Bar Santos, Calle Magistral González Francés 3.

From Córdoba station, walk or take a taxi to the old town, about twenty-five minutes on foot. Start at Bar Santos, a tiny bar facing the Mezquita wall, known for a potato tortilla as tall as a cake, cut in thick wedges and served on paper plates. Eat it on the step outside with a coffee, looking at the Moorish gates, before the crowds reach the mosque.

The Mezquita-Catedral

The Mezquita was begun in 785 and enlarged over two centuries until it held a forest of more than 850 columns joined by red and white striped arches. In the 1500s a Renaissance cathedral was built in its center. Walk slowly from the dim columns to the gold mosaics of the mihrab, then out to the Courtyard of the Orange Trees. Book a timed ticket ahead; early entry is free on some mornings.

The Jewish quarter and the patios

Where to eat: Berenjenas con miel at Taberna Salinas, Calle Tundidores 3.

Wander the Judería, the old Jewish quarter of white lanes behind the Mezquita. Find the Calleja de las Flores, a narrow lane framing the bell tower, and the Córdoba Synagogue, one of few medieval synagogues left in Spain. Through open doorways you will glimpse patios hung with pots of geraniums, the tradition celebrated each May. Stop at Taberna Salinas for eggplant fried thin and drizzled with cane honey.

The Roman bridge and a late lunch

Where to eat: Salmorejo and flamenquín at Bodegas Mezquita, Calle Céspedes 12.

Cross the Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir to the Calahorra Tower, which looks back at the Mezquita across the water. Then return for lunch at Bodegas Mezquita on Calle Céspedes, where the kitchen serves all afternoon. Share salmorejo, the thick cold tomato cream of Córdoba topped with egg and ham, and flamenquín, rolled pork fried golden. Take a late afternoon train back to Seville.

Where to eat and stop

• Breakfast · Bar Santos — Calle Magistral González Francés 3, Córdoba; opens around 10 am Why here: A tiny bar by the Mezquita wall whose tall tortilla draws a line every day.
• Lunch · Bodegas Mezquita — Calle Céspedes 12, Córdoba; open daily from 12:30 pm Why here: A Córdoba tavern by the Mezquita with the city's two signature dishes on one table.
• Dinner · Espacio Eslava — Calle Eslava 3, San Lorenzo, Seville; Tuesday to Saturday, Sunday lunch only Why here: A Seville tapas bar whose slow-cooked egg on mushroom sponge has won city tapa prizes.
• Quick stop (snack): Taberna Salinas — Calle Tundidores 3, Córdoba; weekdays and Saturday lunch, closed Sunday Why here: A tavern from 1879 with a patio and classic Córdoba dishes at fair prices.

Seville Santa Justa to Córdoba takes about 45 minutes on the AVE or Avant trains, which leave about every half hour. In Córdoba, everything on this day is on foot within twenty minutes of the Mezquita.

Where to stay

• A small hotel in Barrio de Santa Cruz — The old Jewish quarter puts you a few minutes on foot from the Cathedral, the Real Alcázar and the tapas bars of Calle Mateos Gago, with quiet lanes after dark and many rooms set around tiled patios.
• A riverside room in El Arenal or Triana — El Arenal sits between the Cathedral and the Guadalquivir near the Torre del Oro, and Triana faces it across the river, so evenings can end with a walk over the Puente de Isabel II under the lit bridges.

Dinner: Yema sobre bizcocho de boletus at Espacio Eslava in San Lorenzo, Seville.

Tomorrow: A train south to Jerez for sherry bodegas, a flamenco tabanco and artichokes at Bar Juanito.

Bad-weather plan

Córdoba works in light rain: the Mezquita, the Synagogue and the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos are indoors or shaded, and Bodegas Mezquita has a covered dining room.

AVE to Córdoba · The Mezquita · The Judería · The Roman bridge

Good to know: Taberna Salinas is closed on Sunday and Espacio Eslava has no Sunday or Monday dinner, so plan Córdoba between Tuesday and Saturday.

Breakfast on the Alameda de Hércules

Where to eat: Tostada with tomato at Café Piola, Alameda de Hércules 57.

Start on the Alameda de Hércules, a long tree-lined square laid out in 1574, with two Roman columns at its south end topped by Hercules and Julius Caesar. Café Piola at number 57 serves tostadas with a choice of toppings from 8:30 am. Order one with tomato and olive oil and a coffee, then walk north to the old walls, a ten-minute stroll past bars still closed for the morning.

The Macarena and the city walls

At the north edge of the old town, a stretch of Moorish city wall still stands beside the Arco de la Macarena. Next to it, the Basílica de la Macarena holds the Esperanza Macarena, the image of the Virgin carried through the streets in the early hours of Good Friday. Step inside, see the silver float and the embroidered mantles in the small museum, and feel how much Holy Week means to the city.

Palacio de las Dueñas and Las Setas

Where to eat: Serranito at Casa Paco, Alameda de Hércules.

Walk south to Palacio de las Dueñas, a 15th-century palace of the Alba family, where the poet Antonio Machado was born. Its patios, bougainvillea and lemon trees are calm in the late morning. Then visit the Setas, the Metropol Parasol, a wooden canopy of waves over Plaza de la Encarnación finished in 2011. Climb to the rooftop walkway for views of the church towers, then lunch at Casa Paco on the Alameda.

Casa de Pilatos and a scoop at Rayas

Where to eat: Turrón ice cream at Heladería Rayas, Calle Almirante Apodaca 3.

In the afternoon, walk to Casa de Pilatos, a 16th-century palace that mixes Mudéjar plaster, Renaissance arches, Roman statues and a huge collection of tiles. Sit in the main patio and the quiet gardens for a while. Then stop at Heladería Rayas, a family ice cream maker in Seville since 1949, for a cone before the last dinner at Taberna Coloniales on Plaza Cristo de Burgos.

Where to eat and stop

• Breakfast · Café Piola — Alameda de Hércules 57; open daily from 8:30 am Why here: A casual café on the Alameda where you build your own tostada from a counter of toppings.
• Lunch · Casa Paco — Alameda de Hércules; open daily 9 am to 11 pm Why here: A busy Alameda bar whose serranito has won Seville tapa contests, with a wide terrace.
• Dinner · Taberna Coloniales — Plaza Cristo de Burgos 19; open daily from 12:30 pm Why here: A cozy square-side tavern for a classic Seville dish at a final dinner for two.
• Quick stop (ice-cream): Heladería Rayas — Calle Almirante Apodaca 3; open daily from the afternoon Why here: A Seville ice cream maker since 1949, steps from Casa de Pilatos.

Day seven is on foot. The Alameda de Hércules to the Macarena is ten minutes north; Palacio de las Dueñas, Las Setas, Casa de Pilatos and Plaza Cristo de Burgos lie on a twenty-minute line back south.

Where to stay

• A small hotel in Barrio de Santa Cruz — The old Jewish quarter puts you a few minutes on foot from the Cathedral, the Real Alcázar and the tapas bars of Calle Mateos Gago, with quiet lanes after dark and many rooms set around tiled patios.
• A riverside room in El Arenal or Triana — El Arenal sits between the Cathedral and the Guadalquivir near the Torre del Oro, and Triana faces it across the river, so evenings can end with a walk over the Puente de Isabel II under the lit bridges.

Dinner: Solomillo al whisky at Taberna Coloniales, Plaza Cristo de Burgos, near Casa de Pilatos.

Bad-weather plan

In rain, spend longer inside Casa de Pilatos and the Macarena museum, and use the covered market under Las Setas, the Mercado de la Encarnación, for a dry midday break.

Alameda de Hércules · The Macarena · Las Setas · Casa de Pilatos

Good to know: Sunday mornings are quiet on the Alameda and the Macarena is busy with Mass; plan the basilica visit after 11 am.