While traveling throughout southern Spain in the Andalusia region, you will not want to miss the city of Seville (or Sevilla in Spanish). Seville is actually the largest city in Southern Spain and is the capital of the Andalusia region. It is full of Spanish culture and treasures of traveling from its Moorish style buildings, historic palaces and churches to the beautiful parks and flamenco dancing that can be seen throughout the city. Maybe you are more interested in the Spanish tapas or sangria, in which there are multiple restaurants to taste the cuisine and beverages of southern Spain. You won’t tire of the Spanish charm of this city, as there is an abundance of things to see and experience.
Visit the Seville Cathedral
The Seville Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See is considered the largest Cathedral in the World. It has the biggest alter in the world, the longest central nave in Spain and has a total of 80 chapels inside of its walls so you can imagine just how huge this cathedral is. It has a fascinating history because originally it was a mosque that was converted into a church, as was so common in the southern part of Spain during the reconquest by the Spanish Monarchs from the Moors. Many years later in 1987 it was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is stunning to look at from the outside, but you must enter the cathedral to actually get a feel for just how large it actually is. Once inside, one of the highlights is the tomb of Christopher Columbus, who is buried here after discovering the new world. A second highlight is Pierre Dancart’s masterpiece, considered one of the finest altarpieces in the world.
Climb the Giralda Tower
After exploring the inside of the Seville Cathedral, it’s time to climb the Giralda Bell Tower to see the stunning views of downtown Sevilla and the 24 bells at the top. Admission to the tower is included as part of your ticket to visit the cathedral. The 343 feet bell tower was originally a minaret of the Almohad Mosque and used for the call to prayer when the Moors ruled Seville. The Giralda is an excellent example of Seville’s unique architectural styles because you can see the Moorish, Spanish and even Roman influences within different parts of the minaret. It is probably one of the most famous symbols of Seville because it can be seen from so many parts of the city. Due to its height, this bell tower stands out and is really hard to miss so it makes for a great meeting point if you get lost. It’s one of the best things to do while visiting the City of Seville. Another interesting fact is that the tower doesn’t have any steps! To find out why, read the blog post about the Seville Cathedral and climbing to the top of the Giralda Tower.
Visit the Real Alcázar of Seville
One of the top locations on most people’s list when they are visiting Seville, is the Real Alcázar or the Royal Palace. An interesting fact about the palace is that it’s still the royal residence of the royal family when they visit Seville. Throughout time, the palace has changed and been renovated with new styles and a mix of Moorish, Renaissance and Mudéjar architecture. Due to those different style changes, walking through the Alcazar feels like a history lesson as you journey through times of the past. Due to its history and beauty, the Alcázar of Seville was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and it’s one of the best things to do while visiting the city of Seville. It also happens to be the oldest royal palace in Europe.
While you are visiting the palace, make sure not to forget about the beautiful flowers, plants and courtyards of the outstanding and extensive gardens on the palace grounds. You definitely don’t want to miss it.
Visit the Santa Cruz Neighborhood
You can probably say, Santa Cruz is the heartbeat of Seville’s bustling tourist district since it is the home to the Seville Cathedral and the Real Alcázar, a Spanish palace with gardens. This neighborhood (or what’s called a barrio in Spanish), is always bustling with tourists. Within this barrio, there are many Spanish style homes, colorful Andalusian buildings, tapas bars, cafes, along with little squares, plazas with fountains and shops full of ceramics and crafts. This whole area is a very pleasant place to walk around and you can easily spend many hours in this neighborhood exploring everything. These narrow cobbled streets used to be Seville’s Jewish quarter when King Ferdinand III took Seville back from the Moors in 1248. It’s a great neighborhood to explore and even experience some flamenco dancing, which you can read about in more detail below.
Take a Horse and Carriage Ride
A great way to explore parts of Seville is to take a horse and carriage ride. You can easily walk between the Santa Cruz Neighborhood (where the Seville Cathedral and Royal Alcázar are located at) and Plaza de España, but if you don’t feel like walking, I suggest taking a horse drawn cart. The ride will be very relaxing and the guide will give you many interesting historical facts about the city of Seville. If you don’t feel like exercising or walking in the hot Andalusian sun, you can sit in the carriage with the wind running through your hair as the horse transports you from one location to the next.
Relax at Plaza de España
Seville’s famous and iconic Plaza de España was built for the Ibero-American Exhibition World Fair of 1929 to celebrate the discovery of America by Spanish conquistadors. While the plaza was once the centerpiece of the fair, it is now one of Seville’s biggest tourist attractions which has even been used in the filming of huge Hollywood movies. The Plaza is located within Maria Luisa Park and the monument was created around a semicircle plaza with a canal. Surrounding the building are 48 small alcoves with benches, each dedicated to a province of Spain and decorated with art from each of those regions. It’s a great place to enjoy a boat ride through the canal or just sit down and people watch the hundreds of locals and tourists who visit the plaza each day.
Visit Maria Luisa Park
Maria Luisa Park (Parque de María Luisa in Spanish) is a gigantic urban park that encompases the entire southern end of the city. It was designed with Moorish influences so it is filled with gardens, flowers, fountains, palm trees and orange trees. There are also multiple pavilions throughout the park that were also constructed for the World Fair, showcasing some of the other Latin American countries. It’s a beautiful park to walk around and explore or by taking a romantic horse and carriage ride through the park and around the plaza. Some of the other large buildings within the park are now museums and offices, including the Archaeological Museum and the Museum of Arts and Popular Customs.
Learn About Bullfighting at Plaza de Toros
Bullfighting is a traditional Spanish sport that is still popular in Seville. It’s now seen as animal cruelty by the majority of Spaniards, but it’s a Spanish cultural tradition seen throughout southern Spain and other Latin cultures. While exploring Seville, you don’t actually have to see a bullfight, you can just visit the bullfighting arena and museum. La Maestranza is the oldest bullring in the world and is worth visiting. Bullfighting is deeply rooted in global historic traditions throughout the world, but today the opinion of many is changing against this old tradition. You can visit our website to learn more about this famous bullring, but we trust our readers to make their own decisions of the ethics of bullfighting as an attraction.
Visit the Torre del Oro
The Torre del Oro (or Tower of Gold in English) is located on the banks of the Guadalquivir River, close to the Plaza de Toros. It was built to strengthen the city’s military defenses in the 13th century by blocking traffic on the river and being a watchtower. They used to use a huge chain connected to another tower located on the other side of the river to stop river traffic. Today, inside the Torre de Oro is a naval maritime museum to learn about Spanish naval history and the importance of the Guadalquivir River’s connection to the Atlantic. You can also climb the steps to the terrace for a panoramic view of Seville. From the terrace, you can see the Seville Cathedral, along with the river located right next to the tower and the Triana neighborhood located on the other side of the river.
Visit the Guadalquivir Canal
The Guadalquivir Canal separates the central part of Seville from the Triana Neighborhood. This area is referred to as the riverside promenade. This river walk area is always filled with people relaxing and hanging out with friends as well as joggers and people walking their dogs. This area of Seville is officially named Paseo Alcalde Marqués del Contadero, and is the promenade that stretches from Torre del Oro to the Puente de Triana (Triana Bridge). From this riverside promenade you can take a cruise down the river to explore the banks of the riverside or if you feel more energetic you can even rent a kayak and explore the river on you own.
Visit the Triana Neighborhood
If you are walking along the riverside promenade of the Guadalquivir Canal, you might as well walk across the Triana Bridge and make your way to the Triana Neighborhood. This barrio of Seville was the home of many gypsies, singers, flamenco dancers, sailors and even some of Spain’s famous bullfighters. It’s a very lively neighborhood filled with many colorful homes and old buildings, decorated with locally made azulejos (or ceramic tiles). There are also tapas bars, ceramic craft shops and it is the home of the Triana Market, which is a must visit and is located at the end of the bridge once you cross the river into the neighborhood. The market is filled with fresh produce during the week and on the weekends the stalls become filled with locally prepared food and drinks. On the other side of the river from the Paseo Alcalde Marqués del Contadero (the riverside promenade) is the Calle Betis, where you can walk along the river and enjoy the view of the Torre del Oro and the city center of Seville from across the river. There are many restaurants and cafes to relax, grab a drink and watch the sun set.
See a Flamenco Show
Flamenco dancing might be more well known in Granada or Cádiz, but Seville is a popular southern Spanish city to view traditional flamenco dancing. You can catch nightly passionate performances of the art form throughout many parts of the city including the Triana Neighborhood or the central part of the city. Many of these locations allow for you to have dinner while experiencing a live show. If you are lucky you might also experience a live flamenco show in one of the cities many plazas.
See the Murallas de Sevilla
The Murallas de Sevilla were a group of defensive walls that were built around the city of Seville during Roman rule. They are very old and have been destroyed, repaired and updated multiple times throughout Seville’s long history. Since these walls were constructed during Roman times, they are some of the oldest structures in Seville and are therefore a sight not to be missed.
Jardines de Murillo
The Jardines de Murillo is a peaceful city garden and green space that is actually adjacent to the Real Alcázar of Seville and the Jewish Quarter. If the lines are too long on your short visit to Seville and you aren’t able to make it into the Alcázar palace gardens, these public gardens are located along the other side of the Alcázar walls. The central part of the gardens have an impressive water fountain with a tall lion statue dedicated to Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the Americas in the new world. You can sit by the fountain and relax while cooling off from the spray that the fountain makes after walking in the hot Andalusian sun.
There are many treasures of traveling within the city limits of Seville that you don’t want to miss on your visit to this wonderful city. Seville is truly one of the treasures of Andalucia with the abundance of history, buildings and Spanish charm, but there are many other treasures from southern Spainish cities, like Granada, Cadíz and Cordoba that you don’t want to miss either so discover what these other cities have to offer also.
Check out the map below to see where Seville is located at!
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