City Guide: Seville
Seville is not only a pretty big city in Andalusia, it also has a very rich culture. In this extensive City Guide, we’ll explain what you can expect of visiting Seville!
The biggest city in Andalusia is one of Spain’s famous culture hubs and a known touristic destination for travelers from Europe and other parts of the world alike. There are plenty of reasons, why Seville is particularly worth visiting. With the city having plenty of history, a unique culture and mild climate, there is so much to love about Seville. From a neutral perspective, I’d consider Seville to be even more interesting than the Spanish capital Madrid or famous Barcelona. In this extensive city guide, we’ll present you with some highlights, so you can plan your trip better!
The famous Real Alcazar de Seville
The most famous attraction in Sevilla is without any doubt the Real Alcazar de Sevilla. It’s a medieval palace, which is still used by the Spanish royal family. Nevertheless, visiting is possible during most periods of the year.
Tickets aren’t cheap, but can be bough online to skip the queues. Once inside, you can visit the different palace buildings (not all though) and admire the unique historic architecture.
However, the architecture per se isn’t the only highlight as the palace has an amazingly large garden with plenty of different things to see.
Without any doubt, there are not many city palaces on the planet, which come with a more relaxed feel – what an amazing place.
Even though it can get pretty busy, visiting the Real Alcazar de Sevilla is a must when in Seville, in my opinion.
The beautiful Cathedral and historic city center of Seville
Just footsteps away from the Royal Palace, you can also find the Cathedral of Sevilla, which is a massive sandstone building.
Visiting is possible as well, but admiring from outside is a great experience as you can possibly judge by the pictures.
With the cathedral being located right in the city center, it’s not far from here to many other attractions in Seville. For example, the famous Archivo de las Indias is a mere five-minute walk away.
The whole area is full of beautiful historic buildings like the colorful Casa de Provincia.
As you’d expect there are many nice squares with cafés to sit down and admire the architecture around. One of the more known is Plaza Virgen de los Reyes.
If there’s one last thing to single out, it’s the Parroquia de San Pedro, one of the most beautiful churches in the city of Seville.
One last monument worth mentioning is the Metropol Parasol, which was built a couple of years ago as a new attraction in town. It’s a modern artwork on one of the city’s squares and gets rather mixed feedback. I’ll leave it to you whether you like the place or not.
There are plenty more highlights in the historic old town of Seville, for example there are several city palaces, historic buildings and unique squares just a short walk from the major attraction like the cathedral. I’d just recommend taking some time to walk around Seville a bit and explore your own favorites.
The unique Triana district and promenading by the river
If you want to see another area of Seville, which is pretty different to the city center, I’d recommend paying Triana on the other side of the river a visit.
The colorful neighborhood is known for its artsy feel, cute cafes and more. Furthermore, you can very nicely promenade here (and other city center side).
When coming from the city center, you can also visit the Arena of Seville, famous for its still ongoing bull fights.
Also, by the river, you can find the Torre del Oro further South.
While I’d say that walking by the river in Seville is nice, it’s not a must-do. Other cities just have much nicer river promenades, say Paris or Florence.
The fascinating Plaza de Espana in Sevilla
Something I wasn’t aware of how beautiful it could be, is the Plaza de Espana in Seville. I would consider it to be even more special than the Real Alcazar.
Why is that? Well, it’s an incredible square with one of the most beautiful historic buildings I’ve seen in a while.
Particularly, when it was sunny, the whole scenery was just incredibly beautiful. The details are also pretty unique as there is artwork for all regions in Spain – this place is a must-visit!
Right below is also the Parque de Maria Luisa, which is great for running or enjoying a peaceful walk. In the South, you can also find some more historic monuments and museums, like the Museo des Artes et Cotumbres.
In my opinion, this whole area is definitely half a day of your time when in Seville as it’s just really nice!
Overall impressions of Seville
I believe that you cannot go wrong with visiting Seville. This city has an incredible charm and feels just very historic, while still lively and uniquely Spanish. The large parks, beautiful buildings and historic monuments make Seville a great destination for basically everyone. If you have time, you should definitely plan for at least three to four days to explore the city and enjoy it’s rich cultural highlights!
Do you have any questions about Seville? Feel free to ask or share your impressions in the comments!
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