It’s not very often your dad celebrates a big birthday, so for my dad’s 70th we all popped across the Atlantic and met up in Madrid in late March. My brother, sister-in law, parents, kids and Billy all made the trip, and it was every bit as epic as I had expected it to be. Before I share with you what we saw, where we stayed and (maybe most importantly) what we ate, I have to give a huge shoutout to my brother, Mark. He planned our entire trip and (per usual) did massive amounts of research before we embarked on this family Euro trip. He’s a huge foodie (I should hope so, seeing as he owns 7 coffee shops and a wine bar), and he’s very well-connected in the world of F&B, so it’s always a pleasure traveling with him and getting to eat the best of the best (I promise, that doesn’t always mean Michelin stars, but often means the best food trucks, gelato spots, and street food). In fact, we always joke that the grungier the place, the more Mark likes it.
I’m going to break this one down into two sections: Granada + Seville. We did begin and end our trip in Madrid (and I have been there for a longer trip before), but it just wasn’t a huge part of this trip, and so I’m going to focus on the Southern Spain portion. I will mention one spot from Madrid that was a first-time visit for me and pretty much blew my mind – Piantao Legazpi. It was one of the best meals of our trip, and I highly recommend it if you find yourself in Madrid.
If you don’t feel like reading ALL of this very long blog, I have blocked it out into sections of Where We Stayed, What We Saw, and Where We Ate for both Seville and Granada – so feel free to hop directly to any section. I only mention spots that I would highly recommend. While nearly everywhere we visited and every spot we ate was incredible, these were my favorites from the trip:
GRANADA
Granada was an easy 2.5ish hour train ride from Madrid, and has such an incredibly unique culture. The city’s history and architecture are rooted in Iberian, Roman, Visigothic, and Muslim influences, and every one of these cultures is still richly displayed throughout the city today. Granada is the last Muslim city of the Iberian Peninsula, but was taken by Catholic Monarchs in 1492 (a year you may recognize as an American…). I’ve never been anywhere quite like it, and felt deeply inspired by everything Granada had to offer.
___Where We Stayed___
This is the second recent time the eight of us have done a Euro trip together, and we’ve found that rental properties are definitely the way to go with larger groups in Europe (or anywhere, for that matter). You get to spend more time together, have more space, and though we didn’t do any cooking on this trip, we cooked some incredible and memorable meals on our Sicily trip after purchasing incredible ingredients from local markets – such a fun way to celebrate and enjoy the food of a region, IMO).
We stayed at this airbnb property in Granada and the host was truly wonderful. The property was centrally located, and on a beautiful street with a grocer just downstairs. The Cathedral of Granada was literally in our “backyard” and we walked almost everywhere during our four-day stay in Granada.
The interior was clean and beautiful, with floor-to-ceiling historic windows that invited tons of natural light into the space. My only complaint (if this could count as a complaint) is that we needed two units since the max any single unit could accommodate was six people, and there were eight of us.
___What We Saw___
Alhambra
Alhambra was my favorite part of our entire trip (and so I will elaborate on it a bit more than our other stops). The architectural design of Alhambra is a beacon of Islamic art which, as I’m sure you know, is a special site to experience in continental Europe. From muqarnas to intricate tile work, the design inspiration had me salivating at every turn. We hired a private tour guide to take us through Alhambra on a three-hour tour, and we ended up returning to Alhambra two days in a row (we were THAT enchanted by it).
One of the most striking aspects of Alhambra’s design is its use of light and shadow, which creates an ethereal atmosphere throughout the palace. This interplay enhances the intricate details found in every corner, from the stunning Arabesques to the serene reflecting pools. Not only was it a magical experience to peruse the buildings and grounds, this interplay of chiaroscuro made Alhambra an incredibly fun place to take photographs.
The stunning gardens of Alhambra—known as the Generalife—serve as a stunning counterpart to the architectural features of the palace. These gardens are meticulously designed to create a harmonious environment, integrating nature with the artistry of stone. The sound of water flowing through fountains combined with the scents of blooming flowers make the magic of Alhambra difficult to portray through photography, as it truly piques all the senses (and is a reason, among many, to visit yourself). These aspects of Alhambra portrayed the cultural values of tranquility and privacy in Islamic design (something our tour guide elaborated on at length).
I think what inspired me most about Alhambra was not even the mind-blowing architecture, or the lush gardens, but the very idea of what Alhambra represents. The coexistence of diverse religious and cultural groups (namely Islamic, Christian and Jewish identities) living harmoniously and symbolically within Alhambra’s iconography is something that cut me to my core. In contrast to the geopolitical landscape of today —Alhambra is a living monument to tolerance and creativity. The blending of these three cultures standing side by side is a paragon of tolerance, and an inspiring example of a fruitful coexistence that is still inspirational today.
Flamenco Show at Venta El Gallo /Albaicin
This flamenco show was really fun, and we bought the dinner tickets (you can either get seats to just sit and watch the show OR have dinner and sit at a dining table for the show). I haven’t been exposed to very much flamenco dancing in my life, and I was really struck by how different the style of dancing was than I had always envisioned it. They also had a live singer and guitar player and I found both the singer and guitar player to be almost more captivating than the dancers. The music was incredible, and I also was surprised by (and ignorant to) the Islamic musical influences, which was unsurprising seeing how much Islamic culture influenced and shaped the entire region of Andalusia. The show also took place in caves in Sacromonte, which added a very cool element to the ambiance.
Casa de Zafra + El Bañuelo
These are both ancient ruins that are worth the visit not just because they are super cool and historical, but because the walks to get to them are also worth doing on their own.
___Where We Ate___
Just like every other section of this blog, I’m going to focus only on my favorite spots (though, to be fair, we didn’t eat at a single place that disappointed).
Al Sur de Granada
This spot was my favorite meal of the entire trip. They only have one (large) table that seats up to ten people, so be sure to make a reservation. We had eight of us at the table, and another local woman sat with us, which was really fun getting to chat with a local over our meal.
Everything on this menu is incredible, but this spot is also a local wine/cheese/goods shop, so you can purchase bottles of what you drank and what you ate after the meal is over, too.
This spot was in the Albaicin, a whitewashed, Arabic neighborhood of Granada that is also a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the narrow, winding streets and views are straight out of storybook.
Petra
Another small wine bar with great food and great wines.
La Finca
Most mornings were spent getting coffee and pastries from this spot, which was also excellent.
SEVILLE
___Where We Stayed___
In Seville, we stayed at this airbnb property, which was nothing short of magical (it had even been featured in an Elle Decor Spain article). It was PERFECTLY located, on a beautiful and quaint pedestrian street that was centrally located just a block from the Seville Cathedral. It had four large bedrooms, with three bathrooms (so we all had our own bathrooms – Billy and I share with the kids, while everyone else had an en suite bathroom).
___What We Saw___
Seville Cathedral
The Seville Cathedral is the largest Gothic-style cathedral in Europe and was initially built as a mosque (and later converted into a catholic cathedral, hence why the architecture is not built as a cross). Christopher Columbus’ tomb also resides inside the cathedral and, whatever your thoughts may be on the man, the tomb itself is very cool and interesting to learn about. I would definitely recommend taking a tour of the cathedral, and climbing to the top of the bell tower (the views are amazing!). I am TERRIFIED of heights, but I’m glad I went up. The walk up is mostly one long ramp (I’ve been told so that back in the day, you could go up on horseback), which makes it easy on the legs, too.
Real Alcázar
I wasn’t quite as impressed with Real Alcázar as I was Alhambra, but it is a very incredible place all the same. This was the Royal Palace of Seville, and it has so much incredible design, architecture and history both within the walls, and in the gardens (Game of Thrones was shot here!).
The gardens were perhaps my favorite part of Alcázar, and they even have a lovely garden cafe, where you can sit and enjoy a cocktail, or a glass of wine with some snacks and watch (and listen) to the parrots flying around above you.
Plaza de España
A very, very cool spot that was built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. A wonderful spot to take a stroll on a sunny day. My parents took my kids on a horse-drawn carriage ride in Seville, and they were also taken through the Plaza de España on the ride (so they visited this spot twice).
___What We Ate___
L’Oca Giuliva
It seems strange that I would recommend an Italian place in the heart of Spain, but this spot really was noteworthy (and perfect if you find yourself needing a little change-up from the usual Spanish fare). With incredible homemade pastas, Neapolitan style pizza, and a super-friendly staff, L’Oca Giuliva was one of those spots worth writing home about.
Bodeguita Romero
This spot was so good, we ended up going back TWICE. A great waitstaff, incredible food, and perhaps the best flan of the trip made this spot worth returning to. They do not accept reservations, and people do line up outside for a table nearly an hour before opening time, so consider yourself warned, but it is worth the wait.
Gelateria MITO
I guess we Italian-Americans can’t help but get a taste of Italy wherever we go, but this gelato spot was worth our daily stops. They have several locations throughout Seville, but we went to this one each time.
El Rinconcillo
This was where we had my dad’s birthday dinner on his actual birthday. This spot is 350 YEARS OLD! And the interior is really so cool. The food is delectable and you won’t believe how much you can eat here without breaking the bank.
La Casa Del Tigre
This spot has an incredible interior that is worth checking out in itself. This fare here was a bit more cutting-edge and innovative than a lot of the more traditional Spanish spots we ate at, and it was really very good. The plates were more of what you might expect at. Michelin-starred spot (but, this spot does not have the star, the prices – and its wasn’t quite at that level, either). For me, the plates were a bit hit-or-miss (I LOVED most, but some fell a little short). I think what I loved most about this spot was the interior, the cocktail list, and experiencing a menu that was still rooted in the local cuisine, but with a twist.
Madrid/Final Thoughts
We both ended and started our trip in Madrid, spending a total of two nights and three days there. We took a week-long trip to Madrid back in 2014 and, though that was a while ago at this point, we felt as though we wanted to focus more on the south this time around. That said, Madrid is an INCREDIBLE city that feels more international than Seville or Granada (which have such a distinct Spanish/Andalusian vibe to them). If you find yourself in Madrid (it is often the easiest city to fly and out of if traveling to southern Spain from the USA), make sure you don’t miss El Retiro Park, the Prado or the Reina Sofia where, among many other masterpieces, you will find Picasso’s seminal work, Guernica.
