Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Map
- Things to Do, Places to Go
- Where to Stay
- Conclusion
A quick note–as with all of my articles:|
🔺🔺🔺 – Absolutely essential. Don’t miss.
🔺🔺 – A notable highlight. Try hard to see.
🔺 – A highlight.
Even if an item gets no triangles, it’s still worthwhile–or I wouldn’t have written about it!
Introduction
If you’re looking for the real heart of Spain, you’ll find it in Seville. While Barcelona and Madrid seem to get most of the attention (and the tourists), Seville wins on soul. It possesses an atmosphere that is almost unrivaled: a perfect blend of grand Moorish history and intimate feel of small-town quaintness. Whether you’re standing under a canopy of fruit-heavy orange trees in Winter or seeing a bullfight in May, the city maintains a magnetic energy that pulls you in like few other places.
The quaint, cultural Seville is one of my favorite places that I’ve been in Europe. Given the choice between spending a week in Madrid, Barcelona, or Seville, I’d pick Seville.
Map
Things to Do, Places to Go
Walking beneath the canopy of orange trees, it’s easy to feel like the ambiance of the city itself is the main event. But as you navigate the winding alleys, you eventually stumble upon some incredible locations. If you’re planning your own visit, these are the essential ‘bookmarks’ of the Seville story.
Catedral de Sevilla 🔺🔺🔺
The largest Gothic cathedral in the world, this space is almost impossible to comprehend until you are standing beneath its vaulted ceilings. If you include the surrounding grounds, it holds the title of the largest cathedral on the planet (by volume–and their Guinness record is posted by the door).
We spent our time navigating the interior with an audioguide, which I recommend for those who want to dig deep into each nook and cranny of the cathedral. (For others, though, the Rick Steves’ tour is sufficent–for that, you’ll need a copy of Rick Steves’ Spain book or one of his other books where he discusses Seville.)
The main altar boasts a 65′ x 60′ altarpiece–the largest in any Christian church. It is a staggering wall of gold and craftsmanship with 45 scenes carved on it from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary. It’s referred to as the “Golden Bible,” and took over 80 years to complete. Christopher Columbus departed on his first trip to America 10 years after the first carvings began.
Speaking of Christopher Columbus, his tomb is a few feet away from the Golden Bible. The tomb brings an aura of history that you just can’t get from a textbook. There are dozens of chapels lining the perimeter of the church–seeing them all is an exhausting endeavor. We ended our visit to the cathedral after a visit to the gift shop just off the Patio de los Naranjos, where the courtyard of orange trees provides a serene, fragrant conclusion to your tour.
You might notice I’m skipping the climb up La Giralda, the famous bell tower. By the time we finished the main floor, our legs were completely exhausted, and the overcast winter sky didn’t exactly scream “climb for the view”. While the tower is iconic, we actually found a couple of other fantastic vantage points over Seville that are equally enjoyable, but more on those later.
Royal Alcázar of Seville 🔺🔺🔺
While the Cathedral represents the spiritual power of Seville, the Royal Alcázar represents its historical complexity. We spent about an hour and a half exploring the grounds, and even in that short time, we only scratched the surface here. Not only was the Alcazar a palace (and still is!), it was the command center for the age of discovery.
It was from here, in the Casa de Contratación (House of Trade, flanking the entrance to the palace) that the Spanish Crown managed its exploration of the Americas. This is the very location where Christopher Columbus was received by Queen Isabella after his second voyage, and it’s where many of the era’s most famous explorers (including Amerigo Vespucci and Ferdinand Magellan) planned their journeys on behalf of Spain. The argument can be made that inside these rooms is the starting point of our modern world.
The architecture itself tells a story of cultural overlap. After the Reconquista, when the Muslim rulers were expelled, the Christian kings were so enamored with the Islamic style that they commissioned Moorish artisans to help build and expand the palace. This resulted in the stunning Mudéjar style seen in the Palacio de Don Pedro, where intricate Arabic calligraphy and geometric patterns exist alongside Christian symbols. It is a living example of how the artistry of a conquered people was preserved and blended into another very distinct culture with their successors.
La Casa del Flamenco 🔺🔺🔺
That same blending of cultures found in the palace walls can also be experienced in one of the city’s most famous art forms: Flamenco. You can hear it in the haunting, guttural, moving vocals of the singers. Their singing a style harkens back to the centuries of Moorish influence over the Iberian peninsula. If you listen closely, you’ll hear the echoes and influence of the Muslim call to prayer. If you go to Seville, you must see a Flamenco performance.
We chose La Casa del Flamenco, and I cannot recommend it enough. Tucked inside the courtyard of a 15th-century residence in the Santa Cruz quarter, the setting is intimate and acoustic, with no microphones or artificial amplification to dull the impact. It is raw, percussive, and deeply emotional. Also, seeing the performance live gives you an appreciation for a few aspects of Flamenco that you can’t really get otherwise: how the guitar players, singers, and dancers all dovetail together in the performance, how the dancers make a significant audible contribution to the music (they are the percussion instruments of the performance), how many kinds of Flamenco dances / styles / dresses there are, and how exhausted each performer must be after finishing their performance. (I was winded for them!)
While this is a small venue and no seats are bad, I’d recommend showing up at least 30 minutes early (and perhaps earlier) to get the dead center of the front row. We showed up about 15-20 minutes early and were able to get a seat in the back row of one of the sections flanking the edge of the stage, and this was in January, which isn’t high season.
One additional piece of advice for parents: while a Flamenco performance is a “must-do,” it isn’t a “bring your young children” event. This isn’t because the show is inappropriate or lewd, but the sheer intensity of it is significant. Between the forceful footwork and the raw, pained emotion of the performers, younger children might find it frightening or simply be too immature to appreciate the nuance of what’s happening on stage. This is an experience meant to be absorbed with a certain level of maturity and focus.
Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla (Bullfight Museum) 🔺🔺
The Real Maestranza is a stadium that houses a museum, but walking under the stands anoints you into the idea that you’re walking through a paramount piece of Spanish history. While it functions as the most important and prestigious bullfighting arena in the world, the building itself took over a century to complete and looks like no other stadium you’ll visit.
We visited during the winter, taking advantage of the free entry hours to explore the grounds. One of the first things you notice is that the arena isn’t a perfect circle. Because it was built over a span of 120 years as the city developed around it, the ring is actually an imperfect oval. Standing on the bright yellow sand of the ruedo, the scale of the stands (with a capacity of 12,000 people) is truly impressive. Ernest Hemingway was a frequent attendee here, and his non-fiction masterpiece Death in the Afternoon was greatly influenced by the techniques and matadors he witnessed in this specific ring. The Real Maestranza is even a notable landmark for works of fiction; in the final act of the opera Carmen, the titular character is stabbed to death just outside these walls by a jealous Don José, all while she hears the crowd inside cheering for her victorious toreador, Escamillo.
Beyond the history and literature, the site offers a window into the intense spiritual life of the matadors. The museum houses an incredible collection of “suits of light” and artwork, but the most impactful stop is the bullfighters’ chapel. It is a somber, quiet space where matadors pray before the Virgin of Charity before facing the ring. There is a saying that an overwhelming majority of matadors believe in God, largely because they view a successful bullfight as a series of miracles occurring in real-time.
We finished our visit by walking in the footsteps of the matadors into the arena. The weather wasn’t cooperating, but that didn’t take away from the incredible experience of walking out into the most hallowed ground of bullfighting. What an experience.
Plaza de España 🔺
Located within the lush María Luisa Park, this massive semi-circular complex was built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 and remains one of the most photographed spots in all of Europe.
The scale of the plaza is truly “gigantesca.” As this was built for a world’s fair, it should come as no surprise that there is an immense amount of symbolism woven into the design. A wide canal curves along the front of the building, crossed by four ornate bridges that represent the four ancient kingdoms of Spain: Castille, Aragon, Navarre, and León. Along the walls of the main building, you’ll find 48 tiled alcoves, each dedicated to a different province of Spain, complete with maps and historical scenes depicted in vibrant azulejos (ceramic tiles).
Despite the winter chill and the overcast sky, the plaza was alive. We spent time walking the length of the colonnade, admiring the intricate brickwork and the blue-and-white ceramics that seem to glow even without direct sunlight. It’s a location that feels both like a public park and a royal palace, and also like a performance venue; we even caught a bit of a street Flamenco performance, proving that the rhythm of the city follows you even into its grandest open spaces.
Hospital de la Caridad
Not every stop on a trip works perfectly, and we ran into this situation in Seville at the Hospital de la Caridad. This was expected, though, as my research before the trip indicated that the location would likely be closed. We made it as far as the entrance only to find the site closed for renovations. While we didn’t get to step inside this time, I still want to highlight it because, if it is open when you visit, it is absolutely worth the detour.
This historic hospital now houses many pieces of Baroque art with a story that reads like a novel. It was founded in the 17th century by Miguel de Mañara, a wealthy nobleman who, after a life of legendary debauchery, had a religious awakening and dedicated his fortune to the poor and the dying.
The chapel inside is famous for housing some of the most haunting and masterful works by the painter Valdés Leal and the sculptor Murillo. The art here was designed to be a “memento mori”—a reminder of the fleeting nature of life and the importance of charity. Even from the gate, you can see the intricate white-and-red facade that hints at the treasures within. Keep this on your shortlist and make sure to see it if it’s open when you arrive.
El Rinconcillo🔺🔺🔺
Founded in 1670, El Rinconcillo is the oldest bar in Seville and is widely regarded as the spiritual home of the tapas tradition. We headed there right after our flamenco show, hoping for a bit of luck to navigate the evening crowd to the bar.
After a brief wait in the winter chill, we were permitted entry into the time capsule that is El Rinconcillo’s bar and were ushered inside and tucked into a cozy spot in the corner of the bar. Considering “El Rinconcillo” literally translates to “the corner,” it felt incredibly appropriate that we were placed in the “el rinconcillo del El Rinconcillo.”
Our tapas meal was a parade of Spanish classic tapas. The croquettes were phenomenal and easily my favorite item of the night. The Spinach with Chickpeas (Espinacas con Garbanzos) was outstanding and rich with olive oil. It’s a Moorish classic that barely tastes like spinach at all–which is good, because I don’t usually like spinach all that much. I loved this, though. We also shared an excellent gazpacho and a ham tortilla (which, for us Americans, is essentially a ham omelet). We also made sure to sample their fried cod. While this is one of their famous signature dishes, it was ultimately just good fried fish to me. To drink, we each got sangrias, which we’d done in almost every restaurant in Spain.
I need to pause here to make a statement about Spanish sangrias. They are different than what we have in America: less like a heavy wine drink and more like a fizzy wine punch. I much prefer Spanish sangrias over what I’d expect over the pond. The sweetness of the soda they use is counterbalanced by the acidity of the citrus and the fizz. In short–the result is as refreshing as it is perfect.
We finished the evening with a very good white chocolate pudding and another round of the phenomenal sangrias. El Rinconcillo is absolutely worth the visit, if for nothing else than the bragging rights of saying you’ve experienced the spiritual home of the tapa. Tapas in Spain—and specifically in Andalusia—are an essential part of the experience.
Setas de Seville 🔺
The Setas de Sevilla (literally translated to “Mushrooms of Seville” 🍄🟫) is the most striking piece of modern architecture in the city. Formally called Metropol Parasol, it is the largest wooden structure in the world, consisting of six massive, mushroom-shaped parasols made of Finnish birch. The design by German architect Jürgen Mayer was inspired by the vaults of the Seville Cathedral and the trees in the nearby Plaza de Cristo de Burgos.
We visited at night, which is the best way to experience the walkway. Because the sky was so dark, it felt like we were floating above the structure, looking down on the curves of the sculpture as they were lit up with shifting colors. Walking the serpentine path at that height gives you a 360-degree view of Seville, with various landmarks around the city lit up and standing out against the dark horizon.
After walking around the top of the structure, we watched the “Feeling Sevilla” presentation. This immersive show uses large screens and spatial sound to highlight the city’s daily life and traditions, from the smell of orange blossoms to the sounds of Holy Week. It provided some useful context for the city’s culture, but the real draw was the trek across the top of the “mushrooms” themselves. It is a unusual yet beautiful contrast to the ancient stone of the rest of the city. We almost didn’t go, but we were glad that we did.
Self-Guided Tours
While the major landmarks provide the historical framework of the city, much of Seville’s character is found in the spaces between them. To see the city beyond the ticketed entries, we relied on a few self-guided routes that allowed us to move at our own pace through the various neighborhoods.
These walks were essential for connecting the dots between the grand monuments and the smaller, quieter corners that give the city its unrivaled atmosphere. By following a structured path, we were able to explore the distinct personalities of the areas around the city without feeling like we were just wandering aimlessly.
Seville City Walk 🔺🔺🔺
To get a deeper look at the city’s layout and history, we followed the Seville City Walk from Rick Steves. This route was perfect for our needs, and free to follow! You can find the map here or download the narration here for free on the Rick Steves’ Audio Europe smartphone app.
The tour provides an efficient loop that hits several major landmarks and hidden corners:
- The walk begins with an overview of the Cathedral and the Giralda bell tower before moving past the Archivo de Indias (Archives of the Indies) and the Plaza del Triunfo.
- It continues to the Alcázar and the Patio de Banderas, which offers one of the best framed views of the Cathedral.
- Much of the tour is dedicated to the narrow, winding alleys of the old Jewish Quarter. You walk along Calle Agua (Water Street), which follows the path of the old city walls, and visit the quiet Plaza de Santa Cruz.
- The route leads through the famous “Kissing Lanes”—alleys so narrow that neighbors could lean across their balconies to kiss—and the beautiful, orange-tree-filled Plaza de Doña Elvira.
- The loop concludes back near the start, with a recommendation to stop for nun’s cookies.
Using the audio guide allowed us to move at our own pace while still getting the historical context for each plaza and building we passed.
Recommended Shopping Paseo
First, a quick word about the paseo in Spain. The paseo is the Spanish tradition of the evening stroll. It generally happens between 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM, serving as the bridge between the workday and dinner. Unlike a typical walk for exercise, the pace is intentionally slow. It is less about reaching a specific destination and more about being out in the public squares and pedestrian streets while the city is at its most active.
In Seville, you will notice that even on a random Tuesday (even in cold weather), people will participate in paseo and tend to dress well for the walk. It is a social habit where families and friends walk the same central routes daily to see who else is out, window-shop, and eventually stop for a drink or a quick bite.
After doing a lot of research on the best paseo routes in Seville, I came up with a loop through Seville that starts on the river’s edge and ends in the bustling shopping district of the commercial part of the city. I’ve drawn this path out on this map. I’ve even included a couple of local fast food places on the map, just in case you want to get a quick snack as you walk.
As a bonus, I included the previously mentioned Rick Steves tour on this map as well. I’ve even indicated Plaza de Espana on this map–a great paseo route all by itself, if not a bit removed from the city center.
Back to my “Combined Shopping Paseo”:
Start at the Triana Bridge (Puente de Isabel II) and walk south along the east bank of the Guadalquivir. This is a classic riverside promenade where you’ll see families, runners, and the occasional flamenco guitarist with nice weather. The path takes you past riverside terraces where locals sit with a Cruzcampo to people-watch, continuing past the aquarium and finishing at the historic Torre del Oro. This stretch is ideal for golden-hour photos, especially as the Triana neighborhood across the water begins to light up.
From the Torre del Oro, the route turns inland toward Puerta de Jerez to begin an “urban paseo” along Avenida de la Constitución. This area is the center of local life in the early evening. You’ll walk under the tram lines alongside locals window-shopping or grabbing a coffee before dinner. With the Cathedral and Giralda bathed in gold light and street performers filling the air with music, it’s the best place to soak up the city’s daily rhythm before arriving at Plaza Nueva. Take the opportunity to loop around Plaza Nueva, exploring a bit.
The final leg of the walk is dedicated to shopping. From Plaza Nueva, head up Calle Velázquez, turn onto Calle San Eloy, and wind your way down Calle Sierpes. These streets are lined with unique local stores and offer a great look at Seville’s commercial character. To wrap up the loop, cut over to Calle Sagasta and head north on Calle Cuna. This path leads directly toward the Casa de la Memoria, making it a perfect route to time for a flamenco performance. Alternatively, you can continue just a bit further to reach the Setas de Sevilla for a picturesque evening view of the city.
Day Trips
Seville serves as a central hub for the Andalusia region, making it a logical (and reasonably priced) base for exploring further. The proximity to high-speed rail and diverse coastal routes allows for several day trips that provide a broader perspective on the history of southern Spain and even North Africa.
While Seville itself has plenty to keep you occupied, stepping outside the limits offers a look at different layers of the region’s past.
Tangier 🇲🇦
While Seville is a deep well of history on its own, its location makes it an ideal jumping-off point for a quick day-trip to visit Africa, namely the city of Tangier, Morocco. As such, we had originally planned a day trip to Tangier, which is a logistically dense day but hoped to provide a fascinating excursion.
We considered multiple formal tour companies for the excursion before settling on Naturanda. The general itinerary for this tour is a VERY full-day (14-15 hour) commitment:
- A bus tour down south through Cádiz to the coastal town of Tarifa.
- From Tarifa, you board a ferry for a 45-minute crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic.
- Upon reaching northern Morocco, a local guide takes over for a panoramic tour of Tangier’s most emblematic sites.
- The route usually includes a visit to the Caves of Hercules and a stop along the Atlantic coast to see, and perhaps ride, camels. (Alicia must have animals on all of our trips, so the camels were her highlight.)
- The tour moves into the city center (the Medina) for a walking tour of the multicultural streets, exploring the influences of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities.
- Halfway through, you stop at a traditional restaurant for a Moroccan lunch featuring staples like couscous and tagine.
- After a walk through the shops and markets of the old city, you return to the port for the ferry back to Tarifa and the late-night drive to Seville.
The whole day was to be about 14 to 15 hours, all in. Unfortunately, our great hopes to visit Morocco were dashed by the weather. On the day we were set to go, the ferries across the Strait were shut down due to choppy water, making the crossing impossible. It was a significant disappointment, but we remained flexible. We pivoted to the next best thing: the day trip to Granada mentioned in the previous section.
While I was disappointed with the outcome, I still would try again (and plan to, someday). Just make sure to have a backup plan in your back pocket. I highly recommend booking through a company like Naturanda which will make a potential unplanned pivot easier to do.
Granada
To visit Granada from Seville, you generally have two options: a two-and-a-half-hour drive or a direct train ride. The city sits at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains and served as the final stronghold of the Moorish sultans in Spain before falling to the Catholic Monarchs in 1492.
The primary reason for a trip to Granada is the Alhambra, a massive hilltop fortress and palace complex that is one of the most significant examples of Islamic architecture in the world. Because daily entry is strictly limited, you have to book tickets months in advance to see the Nasrid Palaces, where the iconic stucco work and reflecting pools are located. Protip: If you can’t book your tickets months in advance, reach out to a local tour group like Naturanda to take a guided tour to the city. This will include your transportation and the tour–and you might be able to book last minute.
Is it worth the trip? Let’s put it this way: The Alhambra makes the Alcazar in Seville look “quaint.” Drawing well over 2 million visitors a year, it’s ranked as one of the most visited locations in Spain. (It’s so quintessential that if you fly Iberia over to Spain, the Court of the Lions is literally featured in the airline’s safety video.) If you take the Naturanda tour, you’ll also get to walk around a bit in the city outside of the Alhambra. The city seems more African than Spanish. It’s very unique and unforgettable.
Córdoba
We had originally planned to take the high-speed train back to Madrid to catch our flight home. However, the Adamuz train derailment completely disrupted the line, leaving our train cancelled, the line shut down for at least a week, black ribbons over all of Spain, and thousands of travelers stranded with no clear way back to the capital city of Madrid from Seville.
Despite the tragedy and the displaced passengers, I managed to secure a one-way rental car for only slightly more than the cost of the train tickets. This sudden shift in logistics gave us a silver lining despite the tragedy of the train derailment and the 6-hour drive from Seville to Madrid: the flexibility to stop in Córdoba on our way north to see the Mezquita-Catedral.
Córdoba was once the capital of the Islamic Emirate and Caliphate. The Mezquita is one of the most unique architectural sites in the world. Originally a Visigothic church, it was transformed into a massive mosque in the 8th century, only to have a Renaissance cathedral nave built directly into its center in the 13th century. At the Mezquita-Catedral (which literally translates to “Mosque Cathedral”), we experienced:
- The Forest of Arches: The prayer hall contains 850 columns topped with double-tiered, red-and-white striped arches made of brick and stone.
- The Mihrab: This prayer niche is a masterpiece of gold mosaics and geometric patterns, showcasing the peak of Caliphate wealth.
- The Cathedral Inset: Entering a soaring, ornate Christian cathedral while standing inside a mosque is a jarring but fascinating look at the layers of Spanish history. As you walk up to it, it’s like it pops up out of nowhere.
- Patio de los Naranjos: The entrance courtyard is filled with orange trees and fountains, traditionally used for ritual washing before prayer.
Unfortunately, we were delayed by traffic and terrible rain, but we got into the location about 50 minutes before closing. This allowed us to see the site before we were forced to leave about 10 minutes before the actual closing time. (In general, the Spanish are a little loose on the opening times of their locations, but boy are they strict about the closing time.) We had to dodge some pretty nasty rain walking around the town of Córdoba as we walked from the parking garage to the mezquita-catedral, but we made it all work despite the weather. If you’re in the area, it’s definitely worth the detour.
Other Day Trip Options
While we pivoted to Granada and Córdoba due to weather and logistics, Seville is a central jumping-off point for several other destinations in Andalusia. I haven’t made it to these locations yet, but they remain the most common day trip options for anyone using Seville as a home base.
The most frequent recommendations include Jerez de la Frontera, famous for its sherry bodegas and equestrian schools, and Cádiz, an ancient port city known for its distinctive yellow-domed cathedral. To the east lies Málaga, a coastal hub offering a mix of Roman history and modern art, while a journey south leads to Gibraltar, the British Overseas Territory defined by its massive limestone rock and views across the strait. Other popular stops include the cliffside town of Ronda with its towering stone bridge, or the Roman ruins of Itálica just outside the city limits. To allow for maximum flexibility, it’s a good idea to know what these options are and what you’d prefer to do in case you have to pivot.
Where to Stay
In Spanish bullfighting, a querencia is the specific spot in the ring where the bull feels safest and most powerful; it is the place he instinctively returns to when he needs to regain his strength. For a traveler, the name is a deliberate nod to finding a place of comfort and belonging in a foreign city.
My recommended hotel for experiencing Seville, Querencia de Sevilla, lived up to its name with a location that is simply top-notch and unbeatable. One of the standouts to the design of the room was the jacuzzi bathtub and shower combination room, which was easily one of the coolest designs I have ever seen in a hotel.
The location included some thoughtful, local touches that felt more personal than your standard hotel amenities:
- They provided a box of cookies sourced from one of the local nunneries.
- We received a beautiful, hand-painted fan as a gift in our room.
- We were always given paper water bottles every day, which was a nice touch and easy to tote around with us while exploring the city and going on day trips.
There was also an amazing rooftop view from the hotel, which we took advantage of to take the above shot. That shot might also demonstrate one of the best parts of the Querencia: the location is unbeatable.
We did have one minor issue during the stay: the toilet area had a faint smell of sewer gas. However, it was easy enough to manage by keeping the door to that room closed, and it didn’t detract much from the overall quality of the experience.
Conclusion
Our time in Seville was defined by a mix of grand history and the kind of unexpected pivots that usually make for the best travel stories. Whether it was the “gigantesca” scale of the Plaza de España or the atmospheric grit of El Rinconcillo, the city has a way of feeling both monumental and intimate at the same time.
Even when things didn’t go exactly as planned—like the ferry to Tangier being grounded by choppy water or the train derailment that forced us into a rental car—the alternatives were quite rewarding. Turning a travel headache into a chance to see the Mezquita-Catedral in Córdoba is a testament to why staying flexible is the only way to travel.
Seville is a city that rewards those who take the time for a slow paseo and don’t mind a few detours along the way. Go, and get brought into the paseo–you’ll get lost in the timeless charms of the city.
