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Seville & the Aracena Sierra

A taste of southern Spain
 
Explore vibrant Seville – one of Spain’s most beautiful cities – on this leisurely, self-guided break, which also features two nights in the picturesque Aracena Sierra. As well as panoramic walks, you can look forward to delicious meals of regional fare, and stays in welcoming, hand-picked hotels.
Seville & the Aracena Sierra. 4 nights
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
Seville & the Aracena Sierra. 4 nights
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
 

Holiday information

 

A city & walking break in Andalucia

Set amid the red-chalk plains of western Andalucia and bisected by the mighty Guadalquivir River, Seville is a city which encapsulates the essence of southern Spain. Not only do its many impressive buildings – the soaring minaret of the Giralda, the intricate Alcázar and the ‘Tower of Gold’ – bear witness to the region’s great Moorish past, but this beautiful city is also where you’ll find many of Spain’s great cultural traditions, from fiery flamenco to colourful ferias, and tasty tapas to masterful toreros.
After two nights in Seville, you head north into the lush green pastures and glorious woodlands of the Aracena Sierra, where crystal-clear streams cut through soft, rounded hills and sleek black pigs feast freely on grass and forage for acorns. The Sierra is well known for its Jamón Ibérico – the highly prized air-cured ham that these free-range pigs produce – but the timeless landscapes also conceal some fascinating architectural gems, from the peculiar ‘stone doormats’ of Linares de la Sierra to atmospheric ruined castles and Knights Templar churches, not forgetting, of course, your welcoming hotel, a restored 19th-century village house in sleepy Alájar.
 
Gallery
 

Itinerary

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You can start on the day of your choice, and are free to add extra nights.
  • Arrival in Seville
    Night 1: at Las Casas del Rey de Baeza or Casas de la Juderia (the first of two nights here).
    As your first night’s accommodation is on the day of travel, Day 1 is your first day of exploration.
  • Explore Seville
    With our detailed route notes in hand, discover both Seville’s famous heritage sites and the many overlooked corners of the city. One of our favourite places to visit is the Moorish fortress of the Alcázar, with its impressive ceilings, courtyards and beautiful gardens (online booking essential to avoid long queues). This is closely followed by the striking Gothic cathedral – the world’s largest – known for its soaring bell tower and astonishing gold altarpiece, and by the ornate Plaza de España, whose lovely fountains and waterways are a joy to stroll around. Seville is a great city to wander through, so make sure to set aside some time simply to explore its winding, whitewashed streets and orange-tree-filled plazas, to test out the many traditional tapas bars, and perhaps even to call into an authentic tablao to catch a stirring flamenco performance.

    This is a city that likes to celebrate, and there is a good chance your stay may coincide with one of the major festivals. The most impressive parades come at Easter during Semana Santa (Holy Week), followed by the Feria de Sevilla (Seville Fair) two weeks later, when the city is alive with processions of horses and carriages, live music events, flamenco and tapas. Other festivals include Corpus Christi and the Día de San Juan, both celebrated in June and both of which draw large exuberant crowds.
    The gardens of Seville's Alcázar
  • Seville to Alájar
    Today you catch the daily bus north to Aracena, where you are collected by taxi and transferred the short distance to the tranquil village of Alájar and La Posada de San Marcos, your base for the final two nights. How you spend the rest of your time today depends on which day of the week it is.

    On weekdays, when the bus departs mid-afternoon, you can enjoy a few more hours exploring Seville in the morning. On Saturdays and Sundays, when the bus leaves shortly after breakfast, you will have time for a walk from Alájar in the afternoon:

    Los Madroñeros circuit: 7.5km, 3hrs; ascent/descent 260m
    A perfect introduction to the Aracena Sierra, this pretty walk explores the cultivated area to the south of Alájar, the banks of the River Antezuela and the previously abandoned hamlet of Los Madroñeros.
    There may be time for further exploration of Seville
    Los Madroñeros circuit: 7.5km
    Timeless countryside around Alájar
  • Choice of walks in the Aracena Sierra: 7.5km to 12km
    The gently rolling hills of the Aracena Sierra are a paradise for walkers, with no shortage of easy paths through cork-oak woodland and along inviting riverside trails, connecting some of the prettiest villages in the area. We provide route notes for two circular walks from the door (plus a third for the day of your arrival, if applicable – see Day 2), as well as a linear walk to nearby Aracena from where you take the bus back (pay locally).

    La Peña de Arias Montano: 10km, 4hrs; longer option: 11.5km, 5hrs; ascent/descent 410m
    This scenic walk from the Posada ascends to the cliff-top shrine of Peña de Arias Montano, which commands a grand bird’s-eye view of Alájar and the sierra beyond. There is an optional extension along an ancient muleteers' path to another higher viewpoint, offering further wonderful views.

    Linares de la Sierra circuit: 10km, 4hrs; ascent/descent 425m
    This is an easy, gentle route, passing through the almost lost hamlet of Madroñeros to reach Linares de la Sierra, the streets of which have the peculiar ‘stone doormats’ – decorative panels laid into the street at every doorway and composed of black and white pebbles. The square here, which doubles as a bull-ring, boasts a couple of original wash-troughs, plus an excellent restaurant where you can enjoy lunch before returning to your hotel via a different path.

    Alájar to Aracena: 12km, 5hrs; ascent 450m/descent 350m
    You follow the same pretty route as above to Linares de la Sierra, from where winding paths lined with drystone walls lead you on to Aracena, the area’s main town, crowned by a crumbling castle. Aracena’s key attraction, however, is the Gruta de las Maravillas – the ‘Cave of Wonders’ – named for its twelve caverns, subterranean lakes and extraordinary stalactites and stalagmites. Return to Alájar by bus or taxi (pay locally – no bus on Sundays or bank holidays).
    La Peña de Arias Montano: 10km
    La Peña de Arias Montano
    Linares de la Sierra circuit: 10km
    Alájar to Aracena: 12km
 

Accommodation

The two very different hotels at which you stay ensure a very varied and enjoyable break.

In some places, we work with more than one hotel, as shown below. All are hand-picked by us and, unless there is a price implication (in which case we will contact you to discuss your options), we will tell you which one we have booked for you on your booking confirmation.

Whichever hotel you stay in, we recommend an additional night in Seville for more time to discover this intriguing city.
 

Extend your stay

 
Prices & travel options
All prices are in £ sterling (GBP). If you'd like to see what they equate to in your currency, use the converter. For general information on pricing, see the 'your holiday price explained' page.
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  • 4 nights: 15 April 2023 - 30 June 2023, 01 September 2023 - 21 December 2023, 01 March 2024 - 30 June 2024 & 01 September 2024 - 21 December 2024

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    28 May - 26 Jun 2023 £530 £300
    1 - 19 Sep 2023 £615 £305
    20 Sep - 14 Oct 2023 £745 £435
    15 - 31 Oct 2023 £615 £305
    1 Nov - 17 Dec 2023 £610 £295
    1 - 24 Mar 2024 £615 £270
    25 Mar - 3 Apr 2024 £645 £300
    4 - 8 Apr 2024 £890 £565
    9 - 28 Apr 2024 £825 £475
    29 Apr - 7 May 2024 £890 £565
    8 - 27 May 2024 £825 £475
    28 May - 26 Jun 2024 £680 £330
    1 - 19 Sep 2024 £680 £340
    20 Sep - 14 Oct 2024 £825 £480
    15 - 31 Oct 2024 £680 £340
    1 Nov - 17 Dec 2024 £675 £325
    3rd & 4th person discount -£71 to -£78
    Single traveller supplement £76 to £83

    Includes accommodation, meals and services integral to the holiday as described, plus walking notes and maps, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.

    NB standard rooms at Casas del Rey de Baeza have double beds only; for separate beds upgrade to a superior or deluxe room or to a junior suite (see 'Room upgrades & extra nights' below for prices)

    Included travel: return taxi between Aracena bus station & Alájar hotel
    Pay locally for the return bus or taxi between Seville airport & city centre and return bus between Seville & Aracena

    Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.

  • Room upgrades (£ per person per night)

    Casas del Rey de Baeza, Seville
    Deluxe: 28 May - 30 Jun 2023 £35
    Deluxe: 01 Sep - 14 Oct 2023 £60
    Deluxe: 15 Oct - 21 Dec 2023 £38
    Deluxe: 01 Mar - 05 Apr 2024 £35
    Deluxe: 06 Apr - 27 May 2024 £66
    Deluxe: 28 May - 30 Jun 2024 £39
    Deluxe: 01 Sep - 14 Oct 2024 £66
    Deluxe: 15 Oct - 21 Dec 2024 £42
    Junior suite: 28 May - 30 Jun 2023 £58
    Junior suite: 01 Sep - 14 Oct 2023 £99
    Junior suite: 15 Oct - 21 Dec 2023 £65
    Junior suite: 01 Mar - 05 Apr 2024 £55
    Junior suite: 06 Apr - 27 May 2024 £109
    Junior suite: 28 May - 30 Jun 2024 £64
    Junior suite: 01 Sep - 14 Oct 2024 £109
    Junior suite: 15 Oct - 21 Dec 2024 £72
    Superior: 28 May - 30 Jun 2023 £12
    Superior: 01 Sep - 14 Oct 2023 £20
    Superior: 15 Oct - 21 Dec 2023 £12
    Superior: 01 Mar - 05 Apr 2024 £13
    Superior: 06 Apr - 27 May 2024 £22
    Superior: 28 May - 30 Jun 2024 £13
    Superior: 01 Sep - 14 Oct 2024 £22
    Superior: 15 Oct - 21 Dec 2024 £13

    Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room

    Casas del Rey de Baeza, Seville (B&B) Double room Single room
    28 May - 30 Jun 2023 £110 £200
    01 Sep - 04 Sep 2023 £80 £139
    05 Sep - 20 Sep 2023 £110 £200
    21 Sep - 14 Oct 2023 £173 £325
    15 Oct - 21 Dec 2023 £110 £200
    01 Mar - 04 Apr 2024 £107 £191
    05 Apr - 27 May 2024 £195 £365
    28 May - 30 Jun 2024 £121 £220
    01 Sep - 04 Sep 2024 £88 £153
    05 Sep - 20 Sep 2024 £121 £220
    21 Sep - 14 Oct 2024 £195 £365
    15 Oct - 21 Dec 2024 £121 £220
    Posada de San Marcos, Alájar (B&B) Double room Single room
    01 Mar - 30 Jun 2023 £62 £94
    01 Sep - 21 Dec 2023 £62 £94
    01 Mar - 30 Jun 2024 £68 £103
    01 Sep - 21 Dec 2024 £68 £103
  • RECOMMENDED AIRPORT(S):
    Seville
    As an alternative to flying, we can arrange rail travel from London

    Travelling from the UK

    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  you may need to fly via an airport not listed. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    Travelling from outside the UK
    We have many years' experience catering for customers who live outside the UK, and will be happy to make tailored arrangements to fit with your plans.

    You have two options:

    1) Book your own flights to London, from where we can book flights and onward connecting travel to your hotel.

    2) Book your own flights direct to an airport appropriate to your chosen holiday. You can either make your own way from the airport to the hotel, or we'll be happy to book onward connecting travel for you. Please consult with us before booking your flights, so that we can advise you on the suitability of your proposed route and timings.
    Outward route Airline
    Bristol - Seville Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Nottingham East Midlands - Seville Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Edinburgh - Seville easyJet,  Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Inverness - Seville (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Leeds Bradford - Seville (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Gatwick - Seville British Airways,  easyJet,  Vueling 
    Outward route Airline
    Heathrow - Seville British Airways 
    Heathrow - Seville (via Madrid) Iberia 
    Outward route Airline
    Luton - Seville easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Stansted - Seville Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Manchester - Seville Ryanair 
    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  you may need to fly via an airport not listed. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time stated in the connecting travel section, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you for any of the options listed above. We charge £35 per person for our flight booking service. Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.

  • Prices below are based on 2 people travelling together. If you are travelling solo or as a party of 3 or more and our arrangements include a taxi, please contact us for prices; additional passengers often pay less.

    Where a price range is given, the price you pay depends on your date of travel.

    Connecting travel options - flying via Seville

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    own travel arrangements Seville airport to hotel pay locally flexible
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    taxi to Aracena bus station (0h45), bus to Seville Plaza de Armas bus station (1h30, pay locally) some elements included 12h00
What is included
  • 4 nights
  • 1 dinner
    4 breakfasts
  • route notes and maps
  • GPS navigation
  • notes for city walking tours
  • return taxi between Aracena bus station & hotel
 
Reviews

If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?

We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >

 

FAQs

If you have any questions relating to this or any other Inntravel holiday, our friendly travel experts will be happy to help. You might also find our General FAQs section helpful.
  • We’ll send you route notes and maps 2-3 weeks before your holiday. The route notes not only contain directions to get from A to B, but also include practical information about places of interest and eateries along each route, plus cultural information about the area. If/when you are moving between hotels, you leave your luggage in reception as you leave, and it will be transferred ahead to your next accommodation, meaning that all you need to take with you are a camera, sun cream, drinks, food and waterproofs.

    For more detailed information, see our walking holidays in Europe page.
  • Yes, prior to going on holiday you will be able to download GPX tracks so that you can follow your route on your smartphone or dedicated GPS device if you wish. It’s entirely up to you whether or not you use them – our detailed, step-by-step route notes remain the principal means of guiding you from A to B – but we provide them as a secondary means of navigation for additional reassurance when walking.
  • We can book a wide range of routes from the UK with a variety of airlines. As well as being more convenient for you to book all elements of your holiday together, it also means that we’ll accept liability for your travel arrangements, so if things go wrong, such as the airline going bust, we’ll make suitable alternative arrangements for you. The fee for this service is £35 per person (£15 for children aged 2-11). More information on flights >
  • We can’t book flights that originate outside the UK, but if you wanted to book your own flights to London (or elsewhere in the UK), we can make all onward travel arrangements (including flights) from there. Alternatively, if you are booking your own flights to an airport in continental Europe that’s appropriate for your holiday, we can book onward rail travel and/or taxis. More information about how we can tailor holidays for customers outside the UK >
  • Since our holidays are self-guided, we recommend calling us for a chat about your plans before making a booking, especially if it’s the first time you’ve booked with us.
    The price panel shows the supplement for a single room and also the single traveller charge (this covers (luggage) transfers and other costs which are usually shared between two people).
  • Once you’ve decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party’s details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can’t secure the accommodation for the holiday you’ve requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we’ll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you’re making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice.

    More information about the booking process >
    Information about accommodation, general practicalities and more >
    Booking conditions >
  • Yes, it’s something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn’t seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can incur a five or six-figure bill.

    Many insurers offer travel insurance (you can find details on our insurance page of a policy that you may like to consider if you are a UK resident), but you do need to make sure that you’re covered for medical emergencies – including falling ill with Covid-19 while on holiday – and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports.

    When you purchase a policy, be sure to check that it covers the activities you'll be doing on holiday and that it is adequate for your own individual needs.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. If you’re a UK citizen, you need a full British passport to travel to Spain, but not a visa (please note, however, that a new travel authorisation system is being introduced). If you are a citizen of another country, you’ll need to check requirements with the national embassy or your own consulate.

    Current information regarding vaccinations and travel health advice for UK citizens can be found through the Travel Health Pro website. You must make sure you have adequate insurance cover for illness, accidents and repatriation (see the insurance question). You should also apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) if your EHIC has expired (if you have a still-valid EHIC, you can use this until it expires).
  • (Castilian) Spanish is one of several official languages; Catalan, Basque and Gallego have equal status in Catalonia, the Basque Country and Galicia, respectively. The currency is the Euro. Spanish time is GMT/UTC + 1. It uses Daylight Saving Time, so in summer is on BST + 1.
  • For information on the practicalities of travel now that the UK is no longer part of the European Union, visit www.gov.uk/visit-eu-switzerland-norway-iceland-liechtenstein.
  • The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides up-to-date, country-by-country travel advice, as well as information on security, local laws, passports and visas for UK citizens.

    If you live outside the UK, see our essential travel information page for a list of relevant websites.
  • You are the best judge of your child’s/children’s capabilities. We are happy to take bookings for families of older children/teenagers if they walk regularly, love the outdoors and are comfortable with the distances and ascent/descent involved. Please note that the bedrooms at most of the accommodation we use will normally only sleep a maximum of 3 people, and sometimes only 2.
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