Where to stay in Seville: the best neighbourhoods and hotels

Seville's old Jewish quarter is a maze of whitewashed lanes barely wider than your outstretched arms, opening onto little plazas shaded by orange trees and bougainvillea. It wraps around the city's two headline sights: the Cathedral, the largest Gothic church in the world, with the Giralda, its former minaret, soaring above; and the Real Alcázar, a palace of tiled courtyards, fountains and gardens that has had a starring role in Game of Thrones.

This is the most romantic place to stay and the handiest for sightseeing, with hotels in restored mansions built around tiled patios, some overlooking the Alcázar gardens, and one stitched together from more than two dozen centuries-old houses. The catch: the lanes are thronged with tour groups by day and taxis can't reach most front doors, so pack light.

El Arenal was once the riverside port where the fleets from the Americas unloaded their treasure. Today it's the elegant slice of the centre between the Cathedral and the Guadalquivir, home to the Maestranza bullring, the opera house and the Torre del Oro, the 13th-century watchtower on the riverbank. Its narrow streets hide some of the best old-school tapas bars in the city.

Plaza Nueva, with the town hall on one side and the shopping streets around Sierpes close by, marks its northern edge. Hotels here are among the most storied in Seville, from a 19th-century classic on the square itself to an iconic five-star between the Cathedral and the bullring, plus quieter boutique addresses on the side streets. An evening stroll along the river is all but compulsory.

The Metropol Parasol, a vast honeycomb of timber better known as Las Setas, "the mushrooms", rises over Plaza de la Encarnación as if it landed overnight. Beneath it there is a food market and a museum of Roman ruins; on top, a walkway with sweeping views across the rooftops to the Giralda.

Around it lies the area some hotels call Seville's Soho: busy shopping streets such as Tetuán and Sierpes, the Renaissance palace of Casa de Pilatos a few streets east, and a cluster of design-led hotels with rooftop plunge pools for cooling off between sights. It's central and lively, and the Cathedral is still only about ten minutes away on foot.

The Alameda de Hércules is a long, tree-lined promenade with a pair of Roman columns at one end, and it's where Seville's younger, more alternative crowd comes out to play. Terraces, cocktail bars and live music spill across it once the heat breaks, while children tear around the playgrounds and their parents order another round.

North of here, the Macarena district keeps a long stretch of the city's medieval walls and the basilica of the Virgin of the Macarena, one of the most revered figures of Seville's Holy Week. Hotels are a mix of restored palaces turned boutique hideaways and heritage buildings with Andalusian courtyards. The Cathedral is a 10 to 15-minute walk away.

Cross the Isabel II bridge and you're in Triana, the old sailors' and potters' quarter that has always considered itself a city of its own. Its workshops still turn out the hand-painted tiles you see all over Seville, its market hall stands on the ruins of a medieval castle, and its bars are where flamenco feels least like a show. Calle Betis, along the riverbank, has the classic view back across the water to the Torre del Oro.

Staying here feels more local and less touristy, and hotels tend to be roomier, with pools and terraces looking over the city. Further up the river on the Isla de la Cartuja, site of the 1992 Expo, a sleek five-star fills the top floors of the Torre Sevilla, the tallest building in Andalusia.

South of the Alcázar, the city opens out into the Parque de María Luisa, a cool, shady tangle of palms, ponds and tiled fountains that formed the backdrop to the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition. At its edge stands the Plaza de España, a vast brick-and-ceramic semicircle with a canal you can row along and a tiled alcove for every Spanish province. Children love it; so does everyone else.

Stay here for space and calm rather than medieval lanes. The Hotel Alfonso XIII, built for that exposition and still the grandest address in town, stands beside the old Royal Tobacco Factory, the setting for Carmen. Other hotels look straight onto the park, and smarter ones line the palm-shaded Avenida de la Palmera to the south. The Alcázar is about ten minutes on foot.

East of the old town, Nervión is modern Seville: wide avenues, department stores, the Nervión Plaza shopping centre and the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, home of Sevilla FC. It lacks the romance of the centre but makes up for it in convenience, especially if you're arriving by high-speed train at Santa Justa or planning day trips to Córdoba.

Hotels are bigger and more modern, some with rooftop pools and children's play areas, and the Cathedral is roughly a 15-minute walk away. It's a smart choice for football weekends, business trips and anyone happy to save the medieval lanes for daytime.