Things to do in Seville
Although Seville had no opera house until 1991, the city has been the stage for some of the world's most famous operatic heroes and heroines. Carmen, the barber of Seville, and Don Giovanni (aka Don Juan) all played out their high drama in its winding alleys, secluded patios, jasminescented gardens, and fountainfilled plazas. And no one has ever taken down the set. Carmen's cigarette factory, Escamillo's bullring, the wrought-iron balconies where Don Juan trysted even, some claim, the barber shop are all still in place.
A university center, Seville is Spain's fourth largest metropolis, exceeded in population only by Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia. It's also one of Spain's loveliest cities, and it works at preserving the fascinating Roman Moorish Judaic Christian past that made it so. In this capital of the eight province Autonomous Region of Andalusia, Andalusian details are faithfully maintained on the traditional whitewashed buildings with gold trim. Alvero (golden sand) is trucked in 20 miles from the hills of Carmona to be used ornamentally in local gardens, and the famous Seville orange trees shade the town's tiled sidewalks. Restaurants, hotels, and shops lean to fanciful Moorish arabesque details, colored tiles, and whitewalled beamceilinged interiors.
Holy week in Seville
Beginning in spring, Seville (Sevilla in Spanish) lives in its streets. Semana Santa (Holy Week), the week leading up to Pascua (Easter), fills them with seven nights of religious pageantry. On its heels, the Feria (April Fair) is a week of non-stop revelry, and even after it's over the fun goes on: Teenagers strum their guitars at cafe tables, the rattle of castanets sounds from around a corner, a group at the tapas bar breaks out in steady, syncopated flamenco clapping, and 10-year old senoritas in brilliant polkadot dresses dance sevillanas in the plaza.
But although Seville fervently preserves its traditions, much of the city sports a new look, thanks to the remarkably far-reaching changes wrought for Expo '92, the world's fair celebrating the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's history-making voyage.
The most extensive new development is Isla de la Cartuja (La Cartuja Island), which served as the site of the fair, and has been converted into a large public area that will eventually include a science theme park and a business and technology complex. Seven new bridges cross the Guadalquivir River, linking the island to downtown Seville. Other improvements include several miles of a new, downtown riverfront esplanade, new railroad and bus stations, a new main terminal at Aeropuerto de San Pablo (San Pablo Airport) and dramatically improved roads in and around the city and province.
In addition to the Teatro de la Maestranza (Maestranza Opera House), Seville gained 22 new hotels, dozens of refurbished muse urns and other buildings, a vast new Palacio de Congresos (Convention Center), and cemented its status as a prime tourism destination. Prized for its river, a 70-milelong highway to the sea, Spain's only inland port city has been taken by the Romans, Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthaginians.
But its character today dates largely from the 8th century, when the Moors (mostly North African Berbers) crossed the Strait of Gibraltar to begin their fruitful 500-year reign. The city enjoyed a flourishing 100 years under the Almohads, Moorish conquerors who arrived in the mid-12th century and fostered an unprecedented climate of intellectual, artistic, and commercial cooperation among the resident communities of Christians, Muslims, and Jews. Expert engineers, they built up the port and repaired the city's fortifications; the outer walls of the Alcazar, the clean-lined Torre del Oro (Tower of Gold) and the lower portion of La Giralda tower remain in testimony to their skill.
Though Seville fell to Fernando III in 1248, the Moorish influence continued for at least two centuries. It can be seen inside the Alcazar walls, in the ornate 14th-century palace of King Pedro the Cruel, which was built by Mudejar workmen (Moors who continued to live and work in Spain after the Christian reconquest) using their culture's traditional designs.
Columbus and Seville
Columbus's voyage to the Americas was the beginning of Seville's most glorious period. The Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella (Fernando and Isabel, the Reyes Catolicos, in Spanish), established their headquarters for overseas exploration and trade in the Alcazar, and Columbus's return up the Guadalquivir River inspired successful trips by Ferdinand Magellan and Amerigo Vespucci, who sailed out from the Torre del Oro. The golden age of Seville was under way though not for the city's ill-fated Jews, who were forcibly converted, slain, or driven from their homes in the juderia (the present Barrio de Santa Cruz) by the Spanish Inquisition.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, Seville was the richest and most powerful city in Spain, filled with Renaissance palaces, churches, and monasteries decorated with frescoes and paintings by native sons Bartolome Esteban Murillo and Juan de Valdes Leal and by adopted son Francisco de Zurbaran, who was born in a village nearby.
(Seville-born Diego Velazquez left early for the court in Madrid, and his hometown is seriously deficient in his works.) Ironically, the river that earned the city its earlier acclaim was the same conduit that would turn its economic tides. The gradual silting up of the Guadalquivir and resulting impaired navigation from Cordoba led to a sharp slump in the city's fortunes, and Cadiz, perched on the Atlantic, took over Seville's lucrative trade.
Today, with the river long since restored to its original course, Seville is again a major port, shipping minerals, manufactured goods, and agricultural products. Seville is better than ever. Once you've been here, you'll agree, Quien no ha vista Sevilla no ha vista maravilla Whoever has not seen Seville has never seen a wonder.
Seville car hire
The best way to explore Seville is to hire a car from the airport. Car hire at Seville Airport is easy to pick up and drop off, and by booking before you leave home, you can pick up some real car hire bargains and cheap car rentals deals online.
Places to visit in Seville
The core of Seville sprawls along the east bank of the Guadalquivir River. The most breathtaking city view and best orientation point is from the top of La Giralda tower, 308 feet high. Aside from the cathedral, La Giralda is as symbolic of Seville as the Eiffel Tower is of Paris. Enter at the Plaza Virgen de los Reyes.
Visitors to Seville spend most of their time on the east bank of the river in the compact area of the centro historico, an old town that once huddled inside the city walls. Most touristic highlights are concentrated around or between the city's two most central bridges, the mid-19th-century Eiffelesque Puente Isabel II, commonly known as the Puente de Triana, and the Puente San Telmo to the south.
Closer to the former are the old Maestranza bullring, the Teatro de la Maestranza, downtown shopping streets, and the refurbished Museo de Bellas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts). Near the Puente San Telmo are Parque de Maria Luisa, the university, and the Torre del Oro. Clustered in the middle, a few blocks inland, are Seville's four greatest treasures: the cathedral, the adjoining La Giralda tower, the Alcazar, and the winding streets of the Barrio de Santa Cruz.
The Barrio de Triana Seville
Across the Guadalquivir, on the west bank, is the Barrio de Triana, a working class district with its own colorful personality. Once a Gypsy haven, it still resounds with flamenco music from tabernas (traditional music pubs); the traditional music can even be heard during special evening masses at the Iglesia de San Jacinto. Countless sevillanas lyrics sing praise to Triana.
North of the Puente de Triana are other bridges, both motor vehicle and pedestrian only, crossing the river to Isla de la Cartuja.Museums, historic sites, and other public attractions are usually open from 9:30 or 10 AM to 1:30 or 2 PM and from around 4 or 5 PM to 7 or 8 PM; hours may change with the seasons. Some museums are open mornings only; closing days tend to be Sundays or Mondays (there are also places that close altogether during July and August).
Seville city centre
The Royal Palace of Seville
For all their furor against the Moors, the Spanish monarchs recognized the Moorish talent for palaces. This delicate Mudejar creation boasts the work of Moorish craftsmen left unexpelled after Seville was reconquered in the 13th century (the Mudejar style combines Gothic and Moorish elements). A favorite of Spanish royalty, it was begun in the 14th century by King Pedro the Cruel and later expanded by Ferdinand and Isabella and by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The lavish interior, similar to Granada's Alhambra but on a smaller scale, is full of mosaics, patios, wroughtstucco windows, and finely tooled ceilings.
However, unlike the Alhambra, which deteriorated during years of abandonment and has required massive restoration, the Alcazar compound was maintained by Spanish royalty, who used it as a residence into this century, adding upper stories and new wings. The best way to see the palace is to wander through the clusters of courtyards and chambers, with their lacy plaster decoration, dazzling carvedwood ceilings, and graceful Arabic script of verses from the Koran. The colonnaded Patio de las Doneellas (Court of the Maidens), with its multi-lobed arches resting on sets of twin marble columns, is a good place to start.
This was the center of official palace life and it leads to the great, square Salon de Embajadores (Ambassadors' Hall), where Charles V was wed to Isabella of Portugal. Not to be missed is the graceful Puerta de los Pavones (Peacock Arch), a surprising note, since Moorish designs rarely portrayed animals. Among the dozens of other splendid royal rooms, a universal favorite is the Patio de las Mufieeas (Dolls' Court), which was the hub of the palace's living quarters; to ensure privacy, only blind musicians played here. The Patio de la Monteria (Court of the Hunt), Queen Isabella's 15th-century addition, houses the Cuarto del Almirante (Admiral's Apartment), where she established the Casa de Contrataeion, headquarters for Western Hemisphere exploration and commerce. The austere rooms hold such mementos as a model of Columbus's ship the Santa Maria and 15th-century navigators' maps.
Another wing, added by Charles V, is accessible through Pedro's palace. Filled with an exceptional series of Flemish tapestries woven with silk, gold, and wool, chronicling the Holy Roman Emperor's triumphs in his Tunisian campaign of 1535, it's also the wing that leads to theovergrown palace gardens, a sight straight out of the Arabian Nights.
The Alcazar Gardens Seville
Moorish, Renaissance, and modern gardens are all part of the Acazar complex. There's a choice of paths through flower-filled plots past the Pabellon de Carlos V (Charles V Pavilion) and an orange tree supposed to have been in existence in Pedro the Cruel's day, to a myrtlewood maze, palm groves, rose gardens, and a fountain where ducklings bathe. Hours are the same as for the Aleazar, above. The admission charge to the Aleazar includes the gardens.
The Bullring Seville
The giant crimson door of Seville's bullring swings open on Easter Sunday to begin the bullfighting season, which runs through September. The Spanish spectacle of the corrida, or bullfight, is quintessentially Andalusian-modern bullfighting began in the Andalusian town of Ronda, near Seville, in the 18th century and while the bullring in Madrid may be larger, Seville's Maestranza, built in the 1760s, is more beautiful. An appearance here is a must for all of the world's greatest matadors. The eonidas are held sporadically on Sunday and holiday afternoons around 6:30 PM.
Seville Cathedral
It is somehow symbolic of Spain's religious history that her largest cathedral should be squeezed between a Moorish Alelizar and a once Moorish and Jewish neighborhood renamed for the Holy Cross, and that its bell tower should be a dressed up minaret.
The cathedral was begun in 1402 as a grandiose symbol of Christian Seville at a time when Granada was still in Muslim hands (and would be for another 90 years). The Great Mosque of the Almohads, on the same site, was demolished, but its most exquisite minaret (the present La Giralda) was saved to become the cathedral's spire. Built to be so large that those who come after us will take us for madmen, Seville's cathedral is the third-largest Christian church in Europe after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Three hundred feet long, 250 feet wide, and 184 feet high, the building has three carved, arched portals but not the soaring facade that might be expected.
Go around to the Plaza del Triunfo visitors' entrance. There, at the south transept, stands the 19th-century tomb of Christopher Columbus (though at least two other countries also claim to be the final resting place of the explorer, called Cristobal Colon in Spanish).
The enormous sweep of the cathedral is hard to appreciate because bulky choir staJls and a soaring Capilla Mayor (Main Chapel) block the center aisle, and the Flemish stained glass windows are set so high that their light barely penetrates the shadows. A magnificent three-sided gold reja (grille) encloses the chancel and its 70-foot high carved wooden retablo (altarpiece), the largest in Spain.
At the apse stands the domed 16th-century Capilla Real (Royal Chapel) with a reja showing Fernando III, conqueror of Seville and later sainted, receiving the keys to the city. His wellpreserved body, displayed to the public on the Fiesta de San Fernando (May 30) and on the anniversary of the day he reconquered the city from the Moors (November 23), lies in a silver tomb at the foot of the statue of the city's paron saint, the Virgen de los Reyes (Madonna of the Kings). King Pedro and his mistress, Marfa de Padilla, are in a crypt below the chapel.
Masterpieces by Murillo, Valdes Leal, Zurbanln, and Jacob Jordaens are in the badly lit Capilla de San Antonio (St. Anthony Chapel). Two more Murillos are in the treasure rooms of the Sacristia Mayor (Vestry) along with the crown, studded with more than 1,000 colored stones that is worn by the Virgen de los Reyes for her procession on August 15. Also in the vestry are a 650pound silver monstrance, which is carried in the Fiesta de Corpus Christi procession, and a cross said to have been made from the first gold Columbus brought back from the Americas.
Murillo's Holy Family and works by Leal, Zurbaran, Titian, and Goya are in the Sacristia de los Calices (Chalice Vestry), and Murillo's Immaculate Conception is in the oval Sala Capitular (Chapter House). On the north side of the cathedral is the Patio de los Naranjos (Orange Tree Court) with remnants of the original fountain of ablutions and the bronzesheathed Puerta del Perdon (Door of Forgiveness) from the Great Mosque. Open daily. Admission charge. Plaza del Triunfo.
La Giralda Tower Seville
On a clear day, it's possible to see the olive groves around Seville in a 360 view from this 20-story bell tower, the same one from which the muezzin called the faithful to prayer when it was the minaret of the Great Mosque. Its ingenious sebka rhomboid brick patterning so pleased the Christians that they spared the tower and used it for their new cathedral. The four huge golden spheres, called the Apples of Yanmur, with which the Almohads had topped their tower in the 12th century no longer exist. Instead, the 308-foot tower is topped with a belfry, lantern, and an almost 12-foot high revolving statue representing the Christian faith - all additions of the 16th century. The statue, known locally as the Giraldillo, serves as a weather vane (giralda in Spanish, hence the name of the tower).
There's no elevator, but the climb is not problematic, via 35 inclined ramps and some stairs, designed to be ridden up easily on horseback. Windows along the way present gargoyle-framed previews of the full panorama. The towering Giralda is visible from all over Seville, and is brilliantly illuminated at night. Open daily. Admission charge to the cathedral includes La Giralda.
Santa Cruz Seville
Hugging the walls of the Alcazar is the old Jewish quarter, or juderia, a medieval neighborhood of narrow, winding streets, handkerchief-size plazas dotted with cafe tables, whitewashed houses dressed with wrought iron balconies and geraniums, and flower-filled patios behind fanciful gates. Seville's Jewish community flourished here for generations under the Moors; by the 14th century there were 23 synagogues.
But in 1391 a great pogrom decimated the community, which declined and eventually vanished in the 15th century after the Inquisition and the 1492 expulsion of all Jews from Spain. Later the area became the playground of the aristocracy, and today it still attracts the Spanish well-to-do. One convenient way to begin a tour is by turning right upon leaving the Patio de Banderas at the exit of the Alcazar and walk up Calle Romero Murube. Turn right again at the Plaza de la Alianza and head up Calle Rodrigo Caro into the lovely pebblepaved Plaza de Dofia Elvira, where there are inviting benches under the orange trees. From here, any street will lead to one or another of the barrio's loveliest places.
Casa de Murillo Seville
Seville's favorite son, Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1617-1682), lived his last years in this typical old Barrio de Santa Cruz house, now furnished with period pieces (not Murillo's own) and five of his lesser paintings. The visit is especially interesting if the caretaker has time to take you around.
Hospital de la Caridad Seville
The man who founded this 17th century Baroque masterpiece was the model for Don Juan. Saddened by the death of his wife or repentant over past peccadilloes, the aristocrat Miguel de Mafiara became a monk and used his wealth to build this hospital for the indigent. It's now a home for the elderly poor, and residents can still be seen taking their ease among the tropical plants in the ocher and rosewalled patios. De Mafiara also financed the adjoining Iglesia de San Jorge (St. George's Church), worthy of a visit for its rich ornamentation, including great golden twisted columns before the altar, and for its trove of Murillos and Valdes Leals. Closed Sundays in winter, Sunday afternoons in summer. Admission charge. Near the Torre del Oro. 3 Calle Temprado.
The Golden Tower Seville
Seville's most romantic symbol, on the banks of the Guadalquivir, was one of 64 defensive towers built along the city wall (remnants of the wall can be seen near the Basilica de la Macarena, in the northeast section of town). Dating from 1220, its clean lines are typical of the simple but forceful Almohad style that produced the Alcazar walls and La Giralda. The tower is 12-sided and was originally faced with ceramic tiles finished in gold, an Andalusian specialty. The tiles have disappeared, but when it's illuminated at night the Torre del Oro still glows. The tower contains a small maritime museum and provides a nice view. Open mornings only; closed Mondays. Admission charge. Paseo de Colon.
Archive of the Indies Seville
Juan de Herrera, the same architect who planned the 16th century El Escorial monastery near Madrid for Philip II, designed this building to house the old Lonja (Stock Exchange). In the 1660s, the building was home to the Academia de Sevilla (Seville Academy), the art school founded largely by Murillo. Today it's the repository of documents on Spain's role in Western Hemisphere exploration, conquest, and commerce.
A majestic red marble stairway leads to a great gallery where there are 43,000 cardboard files filled with an estimated 80 million original documents. Some 400,000 priceless papers, which include correspondence between Columbus and Queen Isabella, are locked away in air conditioned storage. Only researchers with university credentials may examine the documents, but anyone will get the idea from the displays of drawings, charts, letters, account books, and royal decrees.
The Maestranza Opera House Seville
Over the years, Seville's winding alleys, romantic patios, graceful plazas, and gardens heady with the scent of jasmine have served as the inspiration for some of the world's best loved operas - Rossini's Barber of Seville, Verdi's La Forza del Destino, Mozart's Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni, Beethoven's Fidelio, Donizetti's La Favorita, and Bizet's Carmen. It was not until 1991, however, that Seville got an opera house of its own. Now considered one of the world's premier venues of its kind, it hosts world class operatic performances (with an emphasis on the obligatory Sevilleinspired works), as well as quintessentially Spanish zarzuelas (operettas), classical music, and jazz. Open only during performances. 5 Nunez de Balboa.
The Fine Arts Museum Seville
Still farther north, near the Plaza de Armas, this recently renovated museum has a collection of international art from the 16th through the 20th centuries that is second in Spain only to that of the Prado in Madrid. There's an especially fine selection of paintings by Murillo, Zurbanin, Valdes Leal, and other Spanish masters. It's housed in the 17th-century Baroque Convento de la Merced (Mercy Convent), whose patios, cloisters, and chapel are works of art in themselves. Closed Mondays. Admission charge. 9 Plaza del Museo.
The University of Seville
The monumental Real Fabrica de Tabacos (Royal Tobacco Factory) that Bizet used as the setting for the first act of his opera Carmen has been part of the Universidad de Sevilla since the 1950s. It's the largest building in Spain after El Escorial. Look for carved bas reliefs at the main entrances, and walk through some of the vast graffiticovered halls and courtyards for a view of contemporary student life. Just south of the Alfonso XIII hotel. Calle San Fernando.
The Maria Luisa Park Seville
Palacio San Telmo, whose colorful Baroque facade can be seen behind the Alfonso XIII hotel, was built as a naval college and now is used as a seminary. During the 19th century, however, it belonged to Marfa Luisa, sister of Queen Isabel II, and the present Parque de Maria Luisa, Seville's answer to the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, was the palace grounds.
This swanky park and elegant Plaza de Espana (see below) out of some fairytale colonial city were given to Seville in the early 1900s, and the extravagant buildings in it were built for the 1929 Iberoamerican Exposition. In summer, sevillanos delight in strolling the park's long, forested alleys. Av. de la Constitución.
The Plaza de España Seville
Practically at the entrance to Parque de Maria Luisa, along Avenida Isabella Católica, is a grandiose, semicircular plaza surrounded by a Renaissance-style government office complex, originally built for the 1929 exposition. Twin Baroque towers, ornate lamp posts, and bridges with blue and white terra cotta balustrades make the Plaza de Espana look like a Mexican-flavored fantasy of Venice. The canal that follows the semi-circle of the plaza is so long that row boats can be rented for mini-excursions. Take time to walk over the canal's beautiful all-tile bridges and to browse the alcoves set into the curving plaza wall. Each highlights one of Spain's 50 provinces with a lively tiled mural.
Plaza de America Seville
At the far end of Parque de Maria Luisa, in a beautifully laidout area of palmshaded terraces, rose gardens, lily ponds, and splashing fountains, stand three more stunning buildings left from the 1929 exposition. The one in the center houses Andalusia's government headquarters; the other two are the Museo Arqueologico and the Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares, a folk museum with exhibits of regional life.
The Archaeological Museum Seville
This museum, in a Plateresque-style exposition building, contains a definitive collection of artifacts from excavations in western Andalusia. Don't miss the Roman section, which has statues, jewelry, and coins found in the ruins of the ancient city of Italica , just outside Seville.
The House of Pilates Seville
A trip to this 16th-century mansion, the last of the great private houses in Seville open to visitors, is an entree to the splendid lifestyle of an Andalusian nobleman of days long past. The Marquis of Tarifa, who finished it in 1540, is supposed to have been inspired by the house of the Roman procurator in Jerusalem, but his architects didn't spare Mudejar, Plateresque, and Gothic glories. The ceiling of the grand staircase has been compared to the Alcazar and the tiled walls and patios are sensational. There's also a collection of Roman sculpture. Open daily.
La Isla de Cartuja Seville
The site of Expo '92, Isla de la Cartuja is now one of Seville's permanent attractions. Before the advent of the exposition, this barren island was inhabited only by the 15th-century Cartuja de Santa Maria de las Cuevas (Carthusian Monastery of St. Mary of the Caves)where Christopher Columbus lived and prepared for his voyages and the adjacent 19th century ceramics factory. Both were impeccably restored to become the lavish Pabell6n Real de Espana (Royal Pavilion of Spain), now an exhibition hall that features rotating exhibits, as well as some displays on the monastery itself.
Two thirds of the 98 pavilions and other buildings erected for Expo '92 remain, and every weekend concerts and a variety of other outdoor events are staged here. Also on the island is a hightech industrial park which houses multinational corporations, a monorail, and track and rowing facilities. In the planning stages is an interactive science theme park comparable to Epcot Center at Florida's Walt Disney World.
Located in the Guadalquivir River, just offshore from northern downtown Seville, Isla de la Cartuja is easily accessible from downtown Seville via the Puente de la Cartuja pedestrian bridge at Plaza de Armas. A newer pedestrian bridge, La Barqueta, is farther up the river in the northern part of the city. Motor vehicles can cross on the Calatrava, the Chapina, and other bridges.
Italica Seville
The impressive ruins of this Roman city, founded at the end of the 3rd century Be by the Roman general Scipio Africanus, are about 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Seville, just outside the town of Santiponce. The birthplace of Hadrian and Trajan, its main attraction is the colossal amphitheater, said to have held 25,000 spectators. The site has been completely excavated, revealing largely intact mosaic floors, baths, and temple remains. There's a museum, although major finds are in Seville's Museo Arqueologico. The Roman amphitheater is used as a stage for dance festivals.
Semana Santa in Seville
Perhaps one of Seville's most popular fiestas is Semana Santa, a seven-day celebration that begins on Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday) and lasts through Domingo de Resurreceion (Easter Sunday). The week is highlighted by some of the most colorful floats around (guaranteed to dazzle even the most weary parade-goer), as well as rows and rows of masked paraders prancing through the streets.
The April Fair in Seville
Two weeks after Semana Santa, the colorful Feria, which began in the mid-19th century as a rural livestock market, dominates the city. Andalusia's high-stepping horses, in tassels and bells, go through their paces, and brightly costumed groups parade around town in flower-decked coaches. There are nightly corridas, fireworks, amusements, and dancing - mainly sevillanas in the streets.
Shopping in Seville
Anyone looking for the bargains of a few years back will do better shopping at home, but if you covet a gorgeous hand-embroidered, silk-fringed shawl, you've come to the right place. Seville has Andalusia's largest selection of mantillas, fans, handembroidered linen and shawls (if prices sound too low, make sure it's not machine embroidery), flamenco dresses, castanets, and guitars. Plenty of the above can be found in colorful shops around the cathedral and in the Barrio de Santa Cruz. For more, plus shoes and handbags, go downtown, and don't miss Calle Sierpes.
Seville's favorite pedestrian street, tiled in rose and blue, winds downtown for about five blocks between Plaza de San Francisco, behind the Ayuntamiento (City Hall), and Plaza la Campana, an intersection of several streets near Plaza del Duque (some maps give its full name, Plaza del Duque de la Victoria).
Seville Map
If you are exploring Seville by hire car or on foot, pick up a map of Seville from a tourist information office. Seville maps are normally free and clearly mark the tourist hotspots in the city.
Seville Market
The city's biggest outdoor market sets up its stalls from 10 AM to 2 PM every Sunday along Alameda de Hercules. This is the place for crafts, costume jewelry, antiques, and novelty items. The Plaza del Cabildo (opposite the cathedral) hosts a coin and stamp market every Sunday from about 10 AM to 2 PM. In addition, a leather crafts and jewelry fair takes place daily except Sunday on Plaza del Duque opposite El Corte Ingles. The picturesque Mercado de Triana food market occupies tumbledown stalls under the Puente de Triana across the river, and the indoor EI Arenal food market is near the bullring at Calle Pastor y Landero. Both food markets are open in the mornings only; closed Sundays.
A university center, Seville is Spain's fourth largest metropolis, exceeded in population only by Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia. It's also one of Spain's loveliest cities, and it works at preserving the fascinating Roman Moorish Judaic Christian past that made it so. In this capital of the eight province Autonomous Region of Andalusia, Andalusian details are faithfully maintained on the traditional whitewashed buildings with gold trim. Alvero (golden sand) is trucked in 20 miles from the hills of Carmona to be used ornamentally in local gardens, and the famous Seville orange trees shade the town's tiled sidewalks. Restaurants, hotels, and shops lean to fanciful Moorish arabesque details, colored tiles, and whitewalled beamceilinged interiors.
Holy week in Seville
Beginning in spring, Seville (Sevilla in Spanish) lives in its streets. Semana Santa (Holy Week), the week leading up to Pascua (Easter), fills them with seven nights of religious pageantry. On its heels, the Feria (April Fair) is a week of non-stop revelry, and even after it's over the fun goes on: Teenagers strum their guitars at cafe tables, the rattle of castanets sounds from around a corner, a group at the tapas bar breaks out in steady, syncopated flamenco clapping, and 10-year old senoritas in brilliant polkadot dresses dance sevillanas in the plaza.
But although Seville fervently preserves its traditions, much of the city sports a new look, thanks to the remarkably far-reaching changes wrought for Expo '92, the world's fair celebrating the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's history-making voyage.
The most extensive new development is Isla de la Cartuja (La Cartuja Island), which served as the site of the fair, and has been converted into a large public area that will eventually include a science theme park and a business and technology complex. Seven new bridges cross the Guadalquivir River, linking the island to downtown Seville. Other improvements include several miles of a new, downtown riverfront esplanade, new railroad and bus stations, a new main terminal at Aeropuerto de San Pablo (San Pablo Airport) and dramatically improved roads in and around the city and province.
In addition to the Teatro de la Maestranza (Maestranza Opera House), Seville gained 22 new hotels, dozens of refurbished muse urns and other buildings, a vast new Palacio de Congresos (Convention Center), and cemented its status as a prime tourism destination. Prized for its river, a 70-milelong highway to the sea, Spain's only inland port city has been taken by the Romans, Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthaginians.
But its character today dates largely from the 8th century, when the Moors (mostly North African Berbers) crossed the Strait of Gibraltar to begin their fruitful 500-year reign. The city enjoyed a flourishing 100 years under the Almohads, Moorish conquerors who arrived in the mid-12th century and fostered an unprecedented climate of intellectual, artistic, and commercial cooperation among the resident communities of Christians, Muslims, and Jews. Expert engineers, they built up the port and repaired the city's fortifications; the outer walls of the Alcazar, the clean-lined Torre del Oro (Tower of Gold) and the lower portion of La Giralda tower remain in testimony to their skill.
Though Seville fell to Fernando III in 1248, the Moorish influence continued for at least two centuries. It can be seen inside the Alcazar walls, in the ornate 14th-century palace of King Pedro the Cruel, which was built by Mudejar workmen (Moors who continued to live and work in Spain after the Christian reconquest) using their culture's traditional designs.
Columbus and Seville
Columbus's voyage to the Americas was the beginning of Seville's most glorious period. The Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella (Fernando and Isabel, the Reyes Catolicos, in Spanish), established their headquarters for overseas exploration and trade in the Alcazar, and Columbus's return up the Guadalquivir River inspired successful trips by Ferdinand Magellan and Amerigo Vespucci, who sailed out from the Torre del Oro. The golden age of Seville was under way though not for the city's ill-fated Jews, who were forcibly converted, slain, or driven from their homes in the juderia (the present Barrio de Santa Cruz) by the Spanish Inquisition.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, Seville was the richest and most powerful city in Spain, filled with Renaissance palaces, churches, and monasteries decorated with frescoes and paintings by native sons Bartolome Esteban Murillo and Juan de Valdes Leal and by adopted son Francisco de Zurbaran, who was born in a village nearby.
(Seville-born Diego Velazquez left early for the court in Madrid, and his hometown is seriously deficient in his works.) Ironically, the river that earned the city its earlier acclaim was the same conduit that would turn its economic tides. The gradual silting up of the Guadalquivir and resulting impaired navigation from Cordoba led to a sharp slump in the city's fortunes, and Cadiz, perched on the Atlantic, took over Seville's lucrative trade.
Today, with the river long since restored to its original course, Seville is again a major port, shipping minerals, manufactured goods, and agricultural products. Seville is better than ever. Once you've been here, you'll agree, Quien no ha vista Sevilla no ha vista maravilla Whoever has not seen Seville has never seen a wonder.
Seville car hire
The best way to explore Seville is to hire a car from the airport. Car hire at Seville Airport is easy to pick up and drop off, and by booking before you leave home, you can pick up some real car hire bargains and cheap car rentals deals online.
Places to visit in Seville
The core of Seville sprawls along the east bank of the Guadalquivir River. The most breathtaking city view and best orientation point is from the top of La Giralda tower, 308 feet high. Aside from the cathedral, La Giralda is as symbolic of Seville as the Eiffel Tower is of Paris. Enter at the Plaza Virgen de los Reyes.
Visitors to Seville spend most of their time on the east bank of the river in the compact area of the centro historico, an old town that once huddled inside the city walls. Most touristic highlights are concentrated around or between the city's two most central bridges, the mid-19th-century Eiffelesque Puente Isabel II, commonly known as the Puente de Triana, and the Puente San Telmo to the south.
Closer to the former are the old Maestranza bullring, the Teatro de la Maestranza, downtown shopping streets, and the refurbished Museo de Bellas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts). Near the Puente San Telmo are Parque de Maria Luisa, the university, and the Torre del Oro. Clustered in the middle, a few blocks inland, are Seville's four greatest treasures: the cathedral, the adjoining La Giralda tower, the Alcazar, and the winding streets of the Barrio de Santa Cruz.
The Barrio de Triana Seville
Across the Guadalquivir, on the west bank, is the Barrio de Triana, a working class district with its own colorful personality. Once a Gypsy haven, it still resounds with flamenco music from tabernas (traditional music pubs); the traditional music can even be heard during special evening masses at the Iglesia de San Jacinto. Countless sevillanas lyrics sing praise to Triana.
North of the Puente de Triana are other bridges, both motor vehicle and pedestrian only, crossing the river to Isla de la Cartuja.Museums, historic sites, and other public attractions are usually open from 9:30 or 10 AM to 1:30 or 2 PM and from around 4 or 5 PM to 7 or 8 PM; hours may change with the seasons. Some museums are open mornings only; closing days tend to be Sundays or Mondays (there are also places that close altogether during July and August).
Seville city centre
The Royal Palace of Seville
For all their furor against the Moors, the Spanish monarchs recognized the Moorish talent for palaces. This delicate Mudejar creation boasts the work of Moorish craftsmen left unexpelled after Seville was reconquered in the 13th century (the Mudejar style combines Gothic and Moorish elements). A favorite of Spanish royalty, it was begun in the 14th century by King Pedro the Cruel and later expanded by Ferdinand and Isabella and by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The lavish interior, similar to Granada's Alhambra but on a smaller scale, is full of mosaics, patios, wroughtstucco windows, and finely tooled ceilings.
However, unlike the Alhambra, which deteriorated during years of abandonment and has required massive restoration, the Alcazar compound was maintained by Spanish royalty, who used it as a residence into this century, adding upper stories and new wings. The best way to see the palace is to wander through the clusters of courtyards and chambers, with their lacy plaster decoration, dazzling carvedwood ceilings, and graceful Arabic script of verses from the Koran. The colonnaded Patio de las Doneellas (Court of the Maidens), with its multi-lobed arches resting on sets of twin marble columns, is a good place to start.
This was the center of official palace life and it leads to the great, square Salon de Embajadores (Ambassadors' Hall), where Charles V was wed to Isabella of Portugal. Not to be missed is the graceful Puerta de los Pavones (Peacock Arch), a surprising note, since Moorish designs rarely portrayed animals. Among the dozens of other splendid royal rooms, a universal favorite is the Patio de las Mufieeas (Dolls' Court), which was the hub of the palace's living quarters; to ensure privacy, only blind musicians played here. The Patio de la Monteria (Court of the Hunt), Queen Isabella's 15th-century addition, houses the Cuarto del Almirante (Admiral's Apartment), where she established the Casa de Contrataeion, headquarters for Western Hemisphere exploration and commerce. The austere rooms hold such mementos as a model of Columbus's ship the Santa Maria and 15th-century navigators' maps.
Another wing, added by Charles V, is accessible through Pedro's palace. Filled with an exceptional series of Flemish tapestries woven with silk, gold, and wool, chronicling the Holy Roman Emperor's triumphs in his Tunisian campaign of 1535, it's also the wing that leads to theovergrown palace gardens, a sight straight out of the Arabian Nights.
The Alcazar Gardens Seville
Moorish, Renaissance, and modern gardens are all part of the Acazar complex. There's a choice of paths through flower-filled plots past the Pabellon de Carlos V (Charles V Pavilion) and an orange tree supposed to have been in existence in Pedro the Cruel's day, to a myrtlewood maze, palm groves, rose gardens, and a fountain where ducklings bathe. Hours are the same as for the Aleazar, above. The admission charge to the Aleazar includes the gardens.
The Bullring Seville
The giant crimson door of Seville's bullring swings open on Easter Sunday to begin the bullfighting season, which runs through September. The Spanish spectacle of the corrida, or bullfight, is quintessentially Andalusian-modern bullfighting began in the Andalusian town of Ronda, near Seville, in the 18th century and while the bullring in Madrid may be larger, Seville's Maestranza, built in the 1760s, is more beautiful. An appearance here is a must for all of the world's greatest matadors. The eonidas are held sporadically on Sunday and holiday afternoons around 6:30 PM.
Seville Cathedral
It is somehow symbolic of Spain's religious history that her largest cathedral should be squeezed between a Moorish Alelizar and a once Moorish and Jewish neighborhood renamed for the Holy Cross, and that its bell tower should be a dressed up minaret.
The cathedral was begun in 1402 as a grandiose symbol of Christian Seville at a time when Granada was still in Muslim hands (and would be for another 90 years). The Great Mosque of the Almohads, on the same site, was demolished, but its most exquisite minaret (the present La Giralda) was saved to become the cathedral's spire. Built to be so large that those who come after us will take us for madmen, Seville's cathedral is the third-largest Christian church in Europe after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Three hundred feet long, 250 feet wide, and 184 feet high, the building has three carved, arched portals but not the soaring facade that might be expected.
Go around to the Plaza del Triunfo visitors' entrance. There, at the south transept, stands the 19th-century tomb of Christopher Columbus (though at least two other countries also claim to be the final resting place of the explorer, called Cristobal Colon in Spanish).
The enormous sweep of the cathedral is hard to appreciate because bulky choir staJls and a soaring Capilla Mayor (Main Chapel) block the center aisle, and the Flemish stained glass windows are set so high that their light barely penetrates the shadows. A magnificent three-sided gold reja (grille) encloses the chancel and its 70-foot high carved wooden retablo (altarpiece), the largest in Spain.
At the apse stands the domed 16th-century Capilla Real (Royal Chapel) with a reja showing Fernando III, conqueror of Seville and later sainted, receiving the keys to the city. His wellpreserved body, displayed to the public on the Fiesta de San Fernando (May 30) and on the anniversary of the day he reconquered the city from the Moors (November 23), lies in a silver tomb at the foot of the statue of the city's paron saint, the Virgen de los Reyes (Madonna of the Kings). King Pedro and his mistress, Marfa de Padilla, are in a crypt below the chapel.
Masterpieces by Murillo, Valdes Leal, Zurbanln, and Jacob Jordaens are in the badly lit Capilla de San Antonio (St. Anthony Chapel). Two more Murillos are in the treasure rooms of the Sacristia Mayor (Vestry) along with the crown, studded with more than 1,000 colored stones that is worn by the Virgen de los Reyes for her procession on August 15. Also in the vestry are a 650pound silver monstrance, which is carried in the Fiesta de Corpus Christi procession, and a cross said to have been made from the first gold Columbus brought back from the Americas.
Murillo's Holy Family and works by Leal, Zurbaran, Titian, and Goya are in the Sacristia de los Calices (Chalice Vestry), and Murillo's Immaculate Conception is in the oval Sala Capitular (Chapter House). On the north side of the cathedral is the Patio de los Naranjos (Orange Tree Court) with remnants of the original fountain of ablutions and the bronzesheathed Puerta del Perdon (Door of Forgiveness) from the Great Mosque. Open daily. Admission charge. Plaza del Triunfo.
La Giralda Tower Seville
On a clear day, it's possible to see the olive groves around Seville in a 360 view from this 20-story bell tower, the same one from which the muezzin called the faithful to prayer when it was the minaret of the Great Mosque. Its ingenious sebka rhomboid brick patterning so pleased the Christians that they spared the tower and used it for their new cathedral. The four huge golden spheres, called the Apples of Yanmur, with which the Almohads had topped their tower in the 12th century no longer exist. Instead, the 308-foot tower is topped with a belfry, lantern, and an almost 12-foot high revolving statue representing the Christian faith - all additions of the 16th century. The statue, known locally as the Giraldillo, serves as a weather vane (giralda in Spanish, hence the name of the tower).
There's no elevator, but the climb is not problematic, via 35 inclined ramps and some stairs, designed to be ridden up easily on horseback. Windows along the way present gargoyle-framed previews of the full panorama. The towering Giralda is visible from all over Seville, and is brilliantly illuminated at night. Open daily. Admission charge to the cathedral includes La Giralda.
Santa Cruz Seville
Hugging the walls of the Alcazar is the old Jewish quarter, or juderia, a medieval neighborhood of narrow, winding streets, handkerchief-size plazas dotted with cafe tables, whitewashed houses dressed with wrought iron balconies and geraniums, and flower-filled patios behind fanciful gates. Seville's Jewish community flourished here for generations under the Moors; by the 14th century there were 23 synagogues.
But in 1391 a great pogrom decimated the community, which declined and eventually vanished in the 15th century after the Inquisition and the 1492 expulsion of all Jews from Spain. Later the area became the playground of the aristocracy, and today it still attracts the Spanish well-to-do. One convenient way to begin a tour is by turning right upon leaving the Patio de Banderas at the exit of the Alcazar and walk up Calle Romero Murube. Turn right again at the Plaza de la Alianza and head up Calle Rodrigo Caro into the lovely pebblepaved Plaza de Dofia Elvira, where there are inviting benches under the orange trees. From here, any street will lead to one or another of the barrio's loveliest places.
Casa de Murillo Seville
Seville's favorite son, Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1617-1682), lived his last years in this typical old Barrio de Santa Cruz house, now furnished with period pieces (not Murillo's own) and five of his lesser paintings. The visit is especially interesting if the caretaker has time to take you around.
Hospital de la Caridad Seville
The man who founded this 17th century Baroque masterpiece was the model for Don Juan. Saddened by the death of his wife or repentant over past peccadilloes, the aristocrat Miguel de Mafiara became a monk and used his wealth to build this hospital for the indigent. It's now a home for the elderly poor, and residents can still be seen taking their ease among the tropical plants in the ocher and rosewalled patios. De Mafiara also financed the adjoining Iglesia de San Jorge (St. George's Church), worthy of a visit for its rich ornamentation, including great golden twisted columns before the altar, and for its trove of Murillos and Valdes Leals. Closed Sundays in winter, Sunday afternoons in summer. Admission charge. Near the Torre del Oro. 3 Calle Temprado.
The Golden Tower Seville
Seville's most romantic symbol, on the banks of the Guadalquivir, was one of 64 defensive towers built along the city wall (remnants of the wall can be seen near the Basilica de la Macarena, in the northeast section of town). Dating from 1220, its clean lines are typical of the simple but forceful Almohad style that produced the Alcazar walls and La Giralda. The tower is 12-sided and was originally faced with ceramic tiles finished in gold, an Andalusian specialty. The tiles have disappeared, but when it's illuminated at night the Torre del Oro still glows. The tower contains a small maritime museum and provides a nice view. Open mornings only; closed Mondays. Admission charge. Paseo de Colon.
Archive of the Indies Seville
Juan de Herrera, the same architect who planned the 16th century El Escorial monastery near Madrid for Philip II, designed this building to house the old Lonja (Stock Exchange). In the 1660s, the building was home to the Academia de Sevilla (Seville Academy), the art school founded largely by Murillo. Today it's the repository of documents on Spain's role in Western Hemisphere exploration, conquest, and commerce.
A majestic red marble stairway leads to a great gallery where there are 43,000 cardboard files filled with an estimated 80 million original documents. Some 400,000 priceless papers, which include correspondence between Columbus and Queen Isabella, are locked away in air conditioned storage. Only researchers with university credentials may examine the documents, but anyone will get the idea from the displays of drawings, charts, letters, account books, and royal decrees.
The Maestranza Opera House Seville
Over the years, Seville's winding alleys, romantic patios, graceful plazas, and gardens heady with the scent of jasmine have served as the inspiration for some of the world's best loved operas - Rossini's Barber of Seville, Verdi's La Forza del Destino, Mozart's Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni, Beethoven's Fidelio, Donizetti's La Favorita, and Bizet's Carmen. It was not until 1991, however, that Seville got an opera house of its own. Now considered one of the world's premier venues of its kind, it hosts world class operatic performances (with an emphasis on the obligatory Sevilleinspired works), as well as quintessentially Spanish zarzuelas (operettas), classical music, and jazz. Open only during performances. 5 Nunez de Balboa.
The Fine Arts Museum Seville
Still farther north, near the Plaza de Armas, this recently renovated museum has a collection of international art from the 16th through the 20th centuries that is second in Spain only to that of the Prado in Madrid. There's an especially fine selection of paintings by Murillo, Zurbanin, Valdes Leal, and other Spanish masters. It's housed in the 17th-century Baroque Convento de la Merced (Mercy Convent), whose patios, cloisters, and chapel are works of art in themselves. Closed Mondays. Admission charge. 9 Plaza del Museo.
The University of Seville
The monumental Real Fabrica de Tabacos (Royal Tobacco Factory) that Bizet used as the setting for the first act of his opera Carmen has been part of the Universidad de Sevilla since the 1950s. It's the largest building in Spain after El Escorial. Look for carved bas reliefs at the main entrances, and walk through some of the vast graffiticovered halls and courtyards for a view of contemporary student life. Just south of the Alfonso XIII hotel. Calle San Fernando.
The Maria Luisa Park Seville
Palacio San Telmo, whose colorful Baroque facade can be seen behind the Alfonso XIII hotel, was built as a naval college and now is used as a seminary. During the 19th century, however, it belonged to Marfa Luisa, sister of Queen Isabel II, and the present Parque de Maria Luisa, Seville's answer to the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, was the palace grounds.
This swanky park and elegant Plaza de Espana (see below) out of some fairytale colonial city were given to Seville in the early 1900s, and the extravagant buildings in it were built for the 1929 Iberoamerican Exposition. In summer, sevillanos delight in strolling the park's long, forested alleys. Av. de la Constitución.
The Plaza de España Seville
Practically at the entrance to Parque de Maria Luisa, along Avenida Isabella Católica, is a grandiose, semicircular plaza surrounded by a Renaissance-style government office complex, originally built for the 1929 exposition. Twin Baroque towers, ornate lamp posts, and bridges with blue and white terra cotta balustrades make the Plaza de Espana look like a Mexican-flavored fantasy of Venice. The canal that follows the semi-circle of the plaza is so long that row boats can be rented for mini-excursions. Take time to walk over the canal's beautiful all-tile bridges and to browse the alcoves set into the curving plaza wall. Each highlights one of Spain's 50 provinces with a lively tiled mural.
Plaza de America Seville
At the far end of Parque de Maria Luisa, in a beautifully laidout area of palmshaded terraces, rose gardens, lily ponds, and splashing fountains, stand three more stunning buildings left from the 1929 exposition. The one in the center houses Andalusia's government headquarters; the other two are the Museo Arqueologico and the Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares, a folk museum with exhibits of regional life.
The Archaeological Museum Seville
This museum, in a Plateresque-style exposition building, contains a definitive collection of artifacts from excavations in western Andalusia. Don't miss the Roman section, which has statues, jewelry, and coins found in the ruins of the ancient city of Italica , just outside Seville.
The House of Pilates Seville
A trip to this 16th-century mansion, the last of the great private houses in Seville open to visitors, is an entree to the splendid lifestyle of an Andalusian nobleman of days long past. The Marquis of Tarifa, who finished it in 1540, is supposed to have been inspired by the house of the Roman procurator in Jerusalem, but his architects didn't spare Mudejar, Plateresque, and Gothic glories. The ceiling of the grand staircase has been compared to the Alcazar and the tiled walls and patios are sensational. There's also a collection of Roman sculpture. Open daily.
La Isla de Cartuja Seville
The site of Expo '92, Isla de la Cartuja is now one of Seville's permanent attractions. Before the advent of the exposition, this barren island was inhabited only by the 15th-century Cartuja de Santa Maria de las Cuevas (Carthusian Monastery of St. Mary of the Caves)where Christopher Columbus lived and prepared for his voyages and the adjacent 19th century ceramics factory. Both were impeccably restored to become the lavish Pabell6n Real de Espana (Royal Pavilion of Spain), now an exhibition hall that features rotating exhibits, as well as some displays on the monastery itself.
Two thirds of the 98 pavilions and other buildings erected for Expo '92 remain, and every weekend concerts and a variety of other outdoor events are staged here. Also on the island is a hightech industrial park which houses multinational corporations, a monorail, and track and rowing facilities. In the planning stages is an interactive science theme park comparable to Epcot Center at Florida's Walt Disney World.
Located in the Guadalquivir River, just offshore from northern downtown Seville, Isla de la Cartuja is easily accessible from downtown Seville via the Puente de la Cartuja pedestrian bridge at Plaza de Armas. A newer pedestrian bridge, La Barqueta, is farther up the river in the northern part of the city. Motor vehicles can cross on the Calatrava, the Chapina, and other bridges.
Italica Seville
The impressive ruins of this Roman city, founded at the end of the 3rd century Be by the Roman general Scipio Africanus, are about 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Seville, just outside the town of Santiponce. The birthplace of Hadrian and Trajan, its main attraction is the colossal amphitheater, said to have held 25,000 spectators. The site has been completely excavated, revealing largely intact mosaic floors, baths, and temple remains. There's a museum, although major finds are in Seville's Museo Arqueologico. The Roman amphitheater is used as a stage for dance festivals.
Semana Santa in Seville
Perhaps one of Seville's most popular fiestas is Semana Santa, a seven-day celebration that begins on Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday) and lasts through Domingo de Resurreceion (Easter Sunday). The week is highlighted by some of the most colorful floats around (guaranteed to dazzle even the most weary parade-goer), as well as rows and rows of masked paraders prancing through the streets.
The April Fair in Seville
Two weeks after Semana Santa, the colorful Feria, which began in the mid-19th century as a rural livestock market, dominates the city. Andalusia's high-stepping horses, in tassels and bells, go through their paces, and brightly costumed groups parade around town in flower-decked coaches. There are nightly corridas, fireworks, amusements, and dancing - mainly sevillanas in the streets.
Shopping in Seville
Anyone looking for the bargains of a few years back will do better shopping at home, but if you covet a gorgeous hand-embroidered, silk-fringed shawl, you've come to the right place. Seville has Andalusia's largest selection of mantillas, fans, handembroidered linen and shawls (if prices sound too low, make sure it's not machine embroidery), flamenco dresses, castanets, and guitars. Plenty of the above can be found in colorful shops around the cathedral and in the Barrio de Santa Cruz. For more, plus shoes and handbags, go downtown, and don't miss Calle Sierpes.
Seville's favorite pedestrian street, tiled in rose and blue, winds downtown for about five blocks between Plaza de San Francisco, behind the Ayuntamiento (City Hall), and Plaza la Campana, an intersection of several streets near Plaza del Duque (some maps give its full name, Plaza del Duque de la Victoria).
Seville Map
If you are exploring Seville by hire car or on foot, pick up a map of Seville from a tourist information office. Seville maps are normally free and clearly mark the tourist hotspots in the city.
Seville Market
The city's biggest outdoor market sets up its stalls from 10 AM to 2 PM every Sunday along Alameda de Hercules. This is the place for crafts, costume jewelry, antiques, and novelty items. The Plaza del Cabildo (opposite the cathedral) hosts a coin and stamp market every Sunday from about 10 AM to 2 PM. In addition, a leather crafts and jewelry fair takes place daily except Sunday on Plaza del Duque opposite El Corte Ingles. The picturesque Mercado de Triana food market occupies tumbledown stalls under the Puente de Triana across the river, and the indoor EI Arenal food market is near the bullring at Calle Pastor y Landero. Both food markets are open in the mornings only; closed Sundays.
Labels: Columbus and Seville, Seville car hire
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Some green hotels go so far as to install recycling units for gray water, reusing water that is run through sinks.
Pousada Ubatuba
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