Map: Barrio Santa Cruz Self-Guided Walk
Map: Santa Cruz Hotels, Restaurants & Flamenco
West of Avenida de la Constitución
North of Plaza Nueva, Between Plaza de la Encarnación and Plaza de la Alfalfa
Map: Sevilla Restaurants & Flamenco
Between the Cathedral and the River
Flamboyant Sevilla (seh-VEE-yah) thrums with flamenco music, sizzles in the summer heat, and pulses with the passion of Don Juan and Carmen. It’s a place where bullfighting is still politically correct and little girls still dream of growing up to become flamenco dancers. While Granada has the great Alhambra and Córdoba has the remarkable Mezquita, Sevilla has a soul. (Soul—or duende—is fundamental to flamenco.) It’s a wonderful-to-be-alive-in kind of place.
The gateway to the New World in the 16th century, Sevilla boomed when Spain did. The explorers Amerigo Vespucci and Ferdinand Magellan sailed from its great river harbor, discovering new trade routes and abundant sources of gold, silver, cocoa, and tobacco. In the 17th century, Sevilla was Spain’s largest and wealthiest city. Local artists Diego Velázquez, Bartolomé Murillo, and Francisco de Zurbarán made it a cultural center. Sevilla’s Golden Age—and its New World riches—ended when the harbor silted up and the Spanish empire crumbled.
In the 19th century, Sevilla was a big stop on the Romantic “Grand Tour” of Europe. To build on this tourism and promote trade among Spanish-speaking nations, Sevilla planned a grand exposition in 1929. Bad year. The expo crashed along with the stock market. In 1992, Sevilla got a second chance at a world’s fair. This expo was a success, leaving the city with impressive infrastructure: a new airport, a train station, sleek bridges, and the super AVE bullet train (making Sevilla a 2.5-hour side-trip from Madrid). In 2007, the main boulevards—once thundering with noisy traffic and mercilessly cutting the city in two—were pedestrianized, dramatically enhancing Sevilla’s already substantial charm.
Today, Spain’s fourth-largest city (pop. 704,000) is Andalucía’s leading destination, buzzing with festivals, color, guitars, castanets, and street life, and enveloped in the fragrances of orange trees, jacaranda, and myrtle. James Michener wrote, “Sevilla doesn’t have ambience, it is ambience.” Sevilla also has its share of impressive sights. Its cathedral is Spain’s largest. The Alcázar is a fantastic royal palace and garden ornamented with Mudejar (Islamic) flair. But the real magic is the city itself, with its tangled former Jewish Quarter, riveting flamenco shows, thriving bars, and teeming evening paseo.
On a three-week trip, spend two nights and two days here. On even the shortest Spanish trip, I’d zip here on the slick AVE train for a day trip from Madrid. With more time, if ever there was a Spanish city to linger in, it’s Sevilla.
The major sights are few and simple for a city of this size. The cathedral and the Alcázar are worth about three hours, and a wander through the Santa Cruz district takes about an hour. You could spend a day touring Sevilla’s other sights. Stroll along the bank of the Guadalquivir River and cross Isabel II Bridge to explore the Triana neighborhood and to savor views of the cathedral and Torre del Oro. An evening in Sevilla is essential for the paseo and a flamenco show. Stay out late at least once to appreciate Sevilla on a warm night—one of its major charms.
Bullfights take place on most Sundays in May and June, on Easter and Corpus Christi, daily through the April Fair, and in late September. The Museo de Bellas Artes is closed on Monday. Tour groups clog the Alcázar and cathedral in the morning; go late in the day to avoid the crowds, or at least buy your Alcázar ticket online to avoid the lines.
Córdoba (see next chapter) is a convenient and worthwhile side-trip from Sevilla, or a handy stopover if you’re taking the AVE to or from Madrid or Granada.
For the tourist, this big city is small. The bull’s-eye on your map should be the cathedral and its Giralda Bell Tower, which can be seen from all over town. Nearby are Sevilla’s other major sights, the Alcázar (palace and gardens) and the lively Santa Cruz district. The central north-south pedestrian boulevard, Avenida de la Constitución, stretches north a few blocks to Plaza Nueva, gateway to the shopping district. A few blocks west of the cathedral are the bullring and the Guadalquivir River, while Plaza de España is a few blocks south. Triana, the colorful working-class area on the west bank of the Guadalquivir River, has a thriving market but lacks tourist sights. With most sights walkable, and taxis so friendly, easy, and affordable, you probably won’t even bother with the bus.
Sevilla has tourist offices at the airport (Mon-Fri 9:00-19:30, Sat-Sun 9:30-15:00, tel. 954-782-035), at Santa Justa train station (overlooking tracks 6-7, same hours as airport TI, tel. 954-782-003), and near the cathedral on Plaza del Triunfo (Mon-Fri 9:00-19:30, Sat-Sun 9:30-19:30, tel. 954-210-005).
At any TI, ask for the city map, the English-language magazine The Tourist, and a current listing of sights with opening times. The free monthly events guide—El Giraldillo, written in Spanish basic enough to be understood by travelers—covers cultural events throughout Andalucía, with a focus on Sevilla. At the TI, ask for information you might need for elsewhere in the region (for example, if heading south, pick up the free Route of the White Towns brochure and a Jerez map). Helpful websites are www.turismosevilla.org and www.andalucia.org.
Sightseeing Pass: The Sevilla Card covers admission to most of Sevilla’s sights (including the cathedral, Alcázar, Flamenco Dance Museum, Basílica de la Macarena, Bullfight Museum, and more), and gives discounts at some hotels and restaurants (sold at the ICONOS shop on Avenida de la Constitución, near the Alcázar, Mon-Sat 10:00-20:00, Sun 11:00-19:00; or at the “INFHOR” stand—the train station’s hotel room-finding booth, overlooking track 11). It’s doubtful whether any but the busiest sightseer would save much money using the card (€33/24 hours—includes choice of 2 museums and river cruise; €53/48 hours—includes all sights and choice of river cruise or bus tour; €71/72 hours or €77/120 hours—includes all sights plus cruise and bus tour; www.sevillacard.es). If you’re over 65, keep in mind that even without the Sevilla Card, you’ll get into the Alcázar and the cathedral almost free.
By Train: Most trains arrive at sublime Santa Justa Station, with banks, ATMs, bike rental, and a TI. Baggage storage (cosigna) is below track 1, next to the bike-rental office (€3-5/day depending on size of bag, security checkpoint open 6:00-24:00). The TI overlooks tracks 6-7. If you don’t have a hotel room reserved, INFHOR, the room-finding booth above track 11, can help; you can also get maps and other tourist information here—a good idea if the TI line is long (Mon-Sat 9:30-14:30 & 15:30-20:00, Sun 9:30-16:30). The plush little AVE Sala Club, designed for business travelers, welcomes those with a first-class AVE ticket and reservation (across the main hall from track 1). The town center is marked by the ornate Giralda Bell Tower, peeking above the apartment flats (visible from the front of the station—with your back to the tracks, it’s at 1 o’clock). To get into the center, it’s a flat and boring 25-minute walk or about a €6 taxi ride. By city bus, it’s a short ride on #C1 to the El Prado de San Sebastián bus station (find bus stop 100 yards in front of the train station, €1.40, pay driver), then a 10-minute walk or short tram ride (see next section).
By Bus: Sevilla’s two major bus stations—El Prado de San Sebastián and Plaza de Armas—both have information offices, basic eateries, and baggage storage.
The El Prado de San Sebastián bus station, often called just “El Prado,” covers most of Andalucía (daily 7:00-22:00, information tel. 954-417-111, generally no English spoken; baggage storage/consigna at the far end of station—€1.50-3.50/day depending on size, daily 9:00-21:00). From the bus station to downtown (and Barrio Santa Cruz hotels), it’s about a 10-minute walk: Exit the station to the right, and cross the busy street at the big roundabout. Turn right and keep the fenced-in gardens on your left. At the end of the fence, duck left through the Murillo Gardens and into the heart of Barrio Santa Cruz (use the color map in the front of this book to navigate). Sevilla’s tram connects the El Prado station with the city center (and many of my recommended hotels): Turn left as you exit the bus station and walk to Avenida de Carlos V (€1.40, buy ticket at machine before boarding; ride it two stops to Archivo de Indias to reach the cathedral area, or three stops to Plaza Nueva).
The Plaza de Armas bus station (near the river, opposite the Expo ’92 site) serves long-distance destinations such as Madrid, Barcelona, Lagos, and Lisbon. Ticket counters line one wall, an information kiosk is in the center, and at the end of the hall are luggage lockers (€3.50/day). Taxis to downtown cost around €5. Or, to take the bus, exit onto the main road (Calle Arjona) to find bus #C4 into the center (stop is to the left, in front of the taxi stand; €1.40, pay driver, get off at Puerta de Jerez).
By Car: To drive into Sevilla, follow centro ciudad (city center) signs and stay along the river. For short-term parking on the street, the riverside Paseo de Cristóbal Colón has two-hour meters and hardworking thieves. Ignore the bogus traffic wardens who direct you to an illegal spot, take a tip, and disappear later when your car gets towed. For long-term parking, hotels charge as much as a normal garage. For simplicity, I’d just park at a central garage (€15-22/day) and catch a taxi to my hotel. Try the big one under the bus station at Plaza de Armas, the Cristóbal Colón garage by the bullring and river, the Plaza Nueva garage on Albareda, or the one at Avenida Roma/Puerta de Jerez (cash only). For hotels in the Santa Cruz area, the handiest parking is the Cano y Cueto garage near the corner of Calle Santa María la Blanca and Avenida de Menéndez Pelayo (about €18/day, open 24/7, at edge of big park, unsigned and underground).
By Plane: Sevilla’s San Pablo Airport (airport code: SVQ) sits about six miles east of downtown (tel. 954-449-000, www.aena-aeropuertos.es). The Especial Aeropuerto (EA) bus connects the airport with both train stations, both bus stations, and several stops in the town center (2/hour, 30-45 minutes, €4, buy ticket from driver). The two most convenient stops downtown are south of the Alcázar gardens on Avenida de Carlos V, near El Prado de San Sebastián bus station (close to my recommended Santa Cruz hotels); and on the Paseo de Cristóbal Colón, near the Torre del Oro. Look for the small EA sign at bus stops. If you’re going from downtown Sevilla to the airport, verify bus stops with your hotel or the TI, as locations can change. To taxi into town, go to one of the airport’s taxi stands to ensure a fixed rate (€22 by day, €24 at night and on weekends, extra for luggage, confirm price with the driver before your journey).
Most visitors have a full and fun experience in Sevilla without ever riding public transportation. The city center is compact, and most of the major sights are within easy walking distance (the Basílica de la Macarena is a notable exception). On a hot day, air-conditioned buses can be a blessing.
By Taxi: Sevilla is a great taxi town. You can hail one anywhere, or find a cluster of them parked by major intersections and sights (weekdays: €1.30 drop rate, €1/kilometer, €3.60 minimum; Sat-Sun, holidays, and after hours, 21:00-7:00: €2 drop rate, €1.40/kilometer, €4.50 minimum; calling for a cab adds about €3). A quick daytime ride in town will generally fall within the €3.60 minimum. Although I’m quick to take advantage of taxis, because of one-way streets and traffic congestion it’s often just as fast to hoof it between central points.
By Bus, Tram, and Metro: Thanks to ongoing construction projects in the city center, bus routes often change. It’s best to check with your hotel or the TI for the latest updates.
A single trip on any form of city transit costs €1.40. For half-price trips, you can buy a Tarjeta Multiviajes card that’s rechargeable and shareable (€7 for 10 trips, €1.50 deposit; buy at kiosks or at the TUSSAM transit office near the bus stop on Avenida de Carlos V, next to El Prado de San Sebastián bus station; scan it on the card reader as you board; for transit details, see www.tussam.es).
The various #C buses, which are handiest for tourists, make circular routes through town (note that all of them eventually wind up at Basílica de La Macarena). For all buses, buy your ticket from the driver. The #C3 stops at Murillo Gardens, Triana, then La Macarena. The #C4 goes the opposite direction, but without entering Triana. And the spunky little #C5 is a minibus that winds through the old center of town, including Plaza del Salvador, Plaza de San Francisco, the bullring, Plaza Nueva, the Museo de Bellas Artes, La Campana, and La Macarena, providing a relaxing joyride that also connects some farther-flung sights.
A new tram (tramvia) makes just a few stops in the heart of the city, but can save you a bit of walking. Buy your ticket at the machine on the platform before you board (runs about every 7 minutes until 1:45 in the morning). It makes five stops (from south to north): San Bernardo (at the San Bernardo train station), Prado San Sebastián (next to El Prado de San Sebastián bus station), Puerta Jerez (south end of Avenida de la Constitución), Archivo de Indias (next to the cathedral), and Plaza Nueva.
Sevilla also has a brand-new underground metro, but most tourists won’t need to use it. It’s designed to connect the suburbs with the center and only has one line. There are stops downtown at the San Bernardo train station, El Prado de San Sebastián bus station, and Puerto Jerez.
Festivals: Sevilla’s peak season is April and May, and it has two one-week festival periods when the city is packed: Holy Week and April Fair.
While Holy Week (Semana Santa) is big all over Spain, it’s biggest in Sevilla. It’s held the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday (April 13-20 in 2014). Locals start preparing for the big event up to a year in advance. What would normally be a five-minute walk can take an hour if a procession crosses your path. But even these hassles become totally worthwhile as you listen to the saetas (spontaneous devotional songs) and let the spirit of the festival take over.
Then, after taking enough time off to catch its communal breath, Sevilla holds its April Fair (April 29-May 4 in 2014). This is a celebration of all things Andalusian, with plenty of eating, drinking, singing, and merrymaking (though most of the revelry takes place in private parties at a large fairground).
Book rooms well in advance for these festival times. Prices can go sky-high, many hotels have four-night minimums, and food quality at touristy restaurants can plummet.
Rosemary Scam: In the city center, and especially near the cathedral, you may encounter women thrusting sprigs of rosemary into the hands of passersby, grunting, “Toma! Es un regalo!” (“Take it! It’s a gift!”). The twig is free...and then they grab your hand and read your fortune for a tip. Coins are “bad luck,” so the minimum payment they’ll accept is €5. While they can be very aggressive, you don’t need to take their demands seriously—don’t make eye contact, don’t accept a sprig, and say firmly but politely, “No, gracias.”
Internet Access: Almost every hotel in town has Wi-Fi, and many also have computers for guests to use. The city itself is fairly Wi-Fi friendly. Find free Wi-Fi on the tram, at the Museo de Bellas Artes, and in Plaza de la Encarnación, among other public spaces.
Post Office: The post office is at Avenida de la Constitución 32, across from the cathedral (Mon-Fri 8:30-20:30, Sat 9:30-13:00, closed Sun).
Laundry: Lavandería Roma offers quick and economical drop-off service (€6/load wash and dry, Mon-Fri 10:00-14:00 & 17:30-20:30, Sat 10:00-14:00, closed Sun, a few blocks west of the cathedral at Calle Arfe 22, tel. 954-210-535). Near the recommended Santa Cruz hotels, La Segunda Vera Tintorería has two machines for self-service (€10/load wash-and-dry, €10/load drop-off service, Mon-Fri 9:30-14:00 & 17:30-20:300, Sat 10:00-13:30, closed Sun, about a block from the eastern edge of Santa Cruz at Avenida de Menéndez Pelayo 11, tel. 954-536-376).
Bike Rental: Sevilla is an extremely biker-friendly city, with designated bike lanes and a public bike-sharing program (€11 one-week subscription, first 30 minutes of each ride free, €1-2 for each subsequent hour, www.sevici.es). Ask the TI about this and other bicycle rental options. BiciBike rents bikes at the Santa Justa train station, and will even deliver them to your hotel at no charge (€8/3 hours, €10/6 hours, €15/24 hours, tel. 955-514-110, www.bicibike.es).
Train Tickets: For schedules and tickets, visit a RENFE Travel Center, either at the train station (daily 8:00-22:00, take a number and wait, tel. 902-320-320 for reservations and info) or near Plaza Nueva in the city center (Mon-Fri 9:30-14:00 & 17:30-20:00, Sat 10:00-13:30, closed Sun, Calle Zaragoza 29, tel. 954-211-455). You can also check schedules at www.renfe.com. Many travel agencies sell train tickets; look for a train sticker in agency windows.
Holy Week—the week between Palm Sunday and Easter—is a major holiday throughout the Christian world, but nowhere is it celebrated with as much fervor as in Andalucía, especially Sevilla. Holy Week is all about the events of the Passion of Jesus Christ: his entry into Jerusalem, his betrayal by Judas and arrest, his crucifixion, and his resurrection. In Sevilla, on each day throughout the week, 60 neighborhood groups (brotherhoods, called hermandades or cofradías) parade from their neighborhood churches to the cathedral with floats depicting some aspect of the Passion story.
As the week approaches, the anticipation grows: Visitors pour into town, grandstands are erected along the parade routes, and TV stations anxiously monitor the weather report. The floats are so delicate that rain can force the processions to be called off—a crushing disappointment.
By mid-afternoon of any day during Holy Week, thousands line the streets. The parade begins. First comes a line of “penitents” carrying a big cross, candles, and incense. The penitentes perform their penance publically but anonymously, their identities obscured by pointy, hooded robes. (The penitents’ traditional hooded garb has been worn for centuries—long before such hoods became associated with racism in the American South.) Some processions are silent, but others are accompanied by beating drums, brass bands, or wailing singers.
A hush falls over the crowd as the floats (los pasos) approach. First comes a Passion float, showing Christ in some stage of the drama—being whipped, appearing before Pilate, or carrying the cross to his execution. More penitents follow—with dozens or even hundreds of participants, a procession can stretch out over a half-mile. All this sets the stage for the finale—typically a float of the Virgin Mary, who represents the hope of resurrection.
The elaborate floats feature carved wooden religious sculptures, some embellished with gold leaf and silverwork. They can be adorned with fresh flowers, rows of candles, and even jewelry on loan from the congregation. Each float is carried by 30 to 50 men, who labor unseen (you might catch a glimpse of their shuffling feet). The bearers wear turban-like headbands to protect their heads and necks from the crushing weight (the floats can weigh as much as two tons). Two “shifts” of float carriers rotate every 20 minutes. As a sign of their faith, some men carry the float until they collapse.
As the procession nears the cathedral, it passes through the square called La Campana, south along Calle Sierpes, and through Plaza de San Francisco. (Some parades follow a parallel route a block or two east.) Grandstands and folding chairs are filled by VIPs and Sevilla’s prominent families. Thousands of candles drip wax along the well-trod parade routes, forming a waxy buildup that causes car tires to squeal for days to come.
Being in Sevilla for Holy Week is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a remarkable spectacle, but it’s extremely crowded. Parade routes can block your sightseeing for hours. Check printed schedules if you want to avoid them. If you do find a procession blocking your way, look for a crossing point marked by a red-painted fence, or ask a guard. Even if all you care about on Easter is a chocolate-bearing bunny, the intense devotion of the Andalusian people during their Holy Week traditions is an inspiration to behold.
Concepción Delgado, an enthusiastic teacher who’s a joy to listen to, takes small groups on English-only walks. Using me as her guinea pig, Concepción has designed a fine two-hour Sevilla Cultural Show & Tell walk. In this introduction to her hometown, she shares important insights the average visitor misses. Her tour rounds out the rest of your Sevilla experience, brilliantly complements your independent visits to major sights, and clues you in on what’s new and what’s going on around town during your visit. I think it’s worthwhile even if you’re only in town for one day (€15/person, minimum 4 people, Feb-July and Sept-Dec Mon-Sat at 10:30; Jan and Aug on Mon, Wed, and Fri only; meet at statue in Plaza Nueva).
For those wanting to really understand the city’s two most important sights—which are tough to fully appreciate on their own—Concepción also offers in-depth tours of the cathedral and the Alcázar, each lasting about 1.25 hours (€7 each plus entrance fees, €2 discount if you also take the Show & Tell tour; meet at 13:00 at statue in Plaza del Triunfo; minimum 4 people; cathedral tours—Mon, Wed, and Fri; Alcázar tours—Tue, Thu, and Sat; no Alcázar tours Jan and Aug).
Although you can just show up for Concepción’s tours, it’s smart to confirm the departure times and reserve a spot (tel. 902-158-226, mobile 616-501-100, www.sevillawalkingtours.com, info@sevillawalkingtours.com). Concepción does no tours on Sundays or holidays. Because she’s a busy mom of two young kids, Concepción sometimes sends her colleague Alfonso (who’s also excellent) to lead these tours.
This group of three licensed guides (Susana, Estela, and Elena) offers good English-language private tours and day trips (€120/3 hours, €160/half-day, tel. 954-638-883, mobile 606-217-194, www.allsevillaguides.com, info@allsevillaguides.com).
Englishman David and Sevillan Luis have teamed up to show off their city with several creatively conceived, good-value walks and bike rides—all run with small groups and a personal touch. Their Seville Bike Tour takes up to 10 riders on a 2.5-hour journey around the city, stopping at—but not entering—all the major sights (€25, 3-10 people per group, includes bike, daily at 10:30, meet near the cathedral by the tall white monument in Plaza del Triunfo). Each morning they also lead a two-hour Seville Walking Tour (€20, 3-10 per group, daily at 10:30), then give you the option to tack on a one-hour boat tour (€19 more, 10-seat electric boat with guide). Call or email to confirm before showing up, as tours may be canceled for lack of interest (tel. 955-113-912, www.reallydiscover.com, davidcox@reallydiscover.com).
This outfit offers several guided bike tours of Sevilla (€20/2 hours, €30/3 hours, includes bike and helmet, daily at 10:00, leaves from their office on ground floor of Santa Justa train station, best to reserve ahead, tel. 955-514-110, www.bicibike.es). They also rent bikes from the same office (see here).
Two competing city bus tours leave from the curb near the riverside Torre del Oro. You’ll see the parked buses and salespeople handing out fliers. Each tour does about an hour-long swing through the city with recorded narration. The tours, which allow hopping on and off at four stops, are heavy on Expo ’29 and Expo ’92 neighborhoods—both zones of little interest in 2014. While the narration does its best, Sevilla is most interesting in places buses can’t go (€17, daily 10:00-21:00, green route has shorter option).
A carriage ride is a classic, popular way to survey the city and a relaxing way to enjoy María Luisa Park (€45 for a 45-minute clip-clop, much more during Holy Week and the April Fair, find a likable English-speaking driver for better narration). Look for rigs at Plaza América, Plaza del Triunfo, the Torre del Oro, Alfonso XIII Hotel, and Avenida Isabel la Católica.
Boring one-hour panoramic tours leave every 30 minutes from the dock behind the Torre de Oro. The low-energy recorded narration is hard to follow, but there’s little to see anyway (overpriced at €15, tel. 954-561-692).
Visitours, a typical big-bus tour company, does €95 all-day trips to Córdoba, as well as several other locations in Andalucía (Tue, Thu, and Sat; tel. 955-999-760, mobile 686-413-413, www.visitours.es, visitours@visitours.es). For other guides, contact one of the Guide Associations of Sevilla: AUITS (mobile 699-494-204, www.auits.com, guias@auits.com) or APIT (tel. 954-210-044, www.apitsevilla.com, visitas@apitsevilla.com).
Of Sevilla’s once-thriving Jewish Quarter, only the tangled street plan and a wistful Old World ambience survive. This classy maze of lanes (too narrow for cars), small plazas, tile-covered patios, and whitewashed houses with wrought-iron latticework draped in flowers is a great refuge from the summer heat and bustle of Sevilla. The streets are narrow—some with buildings so close they’re called “kissing lanes.” A happy result of the narrowness is shade: Locals claim the Barrio Santa Cruz is three degrees cooler than the rest of the city.
Orange trees abound—because they never lose their leaves, they provide constant shade. But forget about eating the oranges. They’re bitter and used only to make vitamins, perfume, cat food, and that marmalade you can’t avoid in British B&Bs. But when they blossom (for three weeks in spring, usually in March), the aroma is heavenly.
The barrio is made for wandering. Getting lost is easy, and I recommend doing just that. But to get started, here’s a plaza-to-plaza walk that loops you through the corazón (heart) of the neighborhood and back out again.
Tour groups often trample the barrio’s charm in the morning. I find that early evening (around 18:00) is the ideal time to explore the quarter.
Plaza de la Virgen de los Reyes: Start in the square in front of the cathedral, at the base of the Giralda Bell Tower. This square is dedicated to the Virgin of the Kings—see her tile on the white wall facing the cathedral. She is one of several different versions of Mary you’ll see in Sevilla, each appealing to a different type of worshipper. This particular one is big here because the Spanish king reportedly carried her image with him when he retook the town from the Moors in 1248. The fountain dates from 1929. The reddish Baroque building across the square is the Archbishop’s Palace.
Notice the columns and chains that ring the cathedral, as if put there to establish a border between the secular and Catholic worlds. Indeed, that’s exactly the purpose they served for centuries, when Sevillans running from the law merely had to cross these chains—like crossing the county line. (People in trouble didn’t escape justice; they just had a bit of a choice as to who would administer it.) Many of these columns are far older than the cathedral, having originally been made for Roman and Visigothic buildings, and later recycled by medieval Catholics.
From this peaceful square, look up the street leading away from the cathedral and notice the characteristic (government-protected) 19th-century architecture. The ironwork, typical of Andalucía, is the pride of Sevilla. Equally ubiquitous is the traditional whitewash-and-goldenrod color scheme.
Another symbol you’ll see throughout Sevilla is the city insignia: “NO8DO,” the letters “NODO” with a figure-eight-like shape at their center. Nodo meant “knot” in the old dialect, and this symbol evokes the strong ties between the citizens of Sevilla and King Alfonso X (during a succession dispute in the 13th century, the Sevillans remained loyal to their king).
• Keeping the cathedral on your right, walk toward the next square.
Nun Goodies: The white building on your left was an Augustinian convent. At #3, step inside to meet (but not see) a cloistered nun behind a torno (the lazy Susan the nuns spin to sell their goods while staying hidden). The sisters raise money by producing local goodies—like tasty communion wafer tabletas (€1—eating them is like having sin-free cookies) and lovely rosaries (€4). Consider buying something here just as a donation. The sisters, who speak only Spanish, have a sense of humor (daily 9:00-13:00 & 16:45-18:15).
• Then step into...
Plaza del Triunfo: The “Plaza of Triumph” is named for the 1755 earthquake that destroyed Lisbon, but only rattled Sevilla, leaving most of this city intact. A statue thanking the Virgin for protecting the city is at the far end of the square, under a stone canopy. That Virgin faces another one (closer to you), atop a tall pillar honoring Sevillan artists, including the painter Murillo.
• Before leaving the square, consider stopping at the TI for a map or advice. Then pass through the arched opening in the Alcázar’s crenellated wall. You’ll emerge into a courtyard called the...
Patio de Banderas: The Banderas Courtyard (as in “flags,” not Antonio) was once a military parade ground for the royal guard. The barracks surrounding the square once housed the king’s bodyguards. Farther back, a Moorish palace stood on this spot; archaeologists are busy excavating what remains of it. Today, the far end of this square is a favorite spot for snapping a postcard view of the Giralda Bell Tower.
• Exit the courtyard at the far corner, through the Judería arch. Go down the long, narrow passage. Emerging into the light, you’ll be walking alongside the Alcázar wall. Take the first left, then right, through a small square and follow the narrow alleyway called...
Calle Agua: As you walk along the street, look to the left, peeking through iron gates for occasional glimpses of the flower-smothered patios of exclusive private residences. The patio at #2 is a delight—ringed with columns, filled with flowers, and colored with glazed tiles. The tiles are not merely decorative; they keep buildings cooler in the summer heat. Emerging at the end of the street, turn around and look back at the openings of two old pipes built into the wall. These 12th-century Moorish pipes once carried water to the Alcázar (and today give the street its name). You’re standing at an entrance into the pleasant Murillo Gardens (to the right), formerly the fruit-and-vegetable gardens for the Alcázar.
• Don’t enter the gardens now, but instead cross the square diagonally to the left, and continue 20 yards down a lane to the...
Plaza de la Santa Cruz: Arguably the heart of the barrio, this pleasant square, graced by orange trees and draping vines, was once the site of a synagogue (there used to be four in the barrio; now there are none), which Christians destroyed. They replaced the synagogue with a church, which the French (under Napoleon) later demolished. It’s a bit of history that locals remember when they see the blue, white, and red French flag marking the French consulate, now overlooking this peaceful square. A fine 16th-century iron cross marks the center of the square and the site of the church the French destroyed. The Sevillan painter Murillo, who was buried in that church, lies somewhere below you.
At #9, you can peek into a lovely courtyard that’s proudly been left open so visitors can enjoy it. The square is also home to the recommended Los Gallos flamenco bar, which puts on nightly performances (described on here).
• At the far end of the square, a one-block detour along Calle Mezquita leads to nearby...
Plaza de Refinadores: Sevilla’s most famous (if fictional) 17th-century citizen is honored here with a statue (see photo). Don Juan Tenorio—the original Don Juan—was a notorious sex addict and atheist who proudly thumbed his nose at the stifling Church-driven morals of his day.
• Backtrack to Plaza de la Santa Cruz and turn right (north) on Calle Santa Teresa. At #8 (on the left) is...
Casa de Murillo: One of Sevilla’s famous painters, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1618-1682), lived here, soaking in the ambience of street life and reproducing it in his paintings of cute beggar children (see sidebar on here).
• Directly across from Casa de Murillo is the...
Monasterio de San José del Carmen: This is where St. Teresa stayed when she visited from her hometown of Ávila. The convent (closed to the public) keeps artifacts of the mystic nun, such as her spiritual manuscripts.
Continue north on Calle Santa Teresa, then take the first left on Calle Lope de Rueda, then left again, then right on Calle Reinoso. This street—so narrow that the buildings almost touch—is one of the barrio’s “kissing lanes.” A popular explanation suggests the buildings were built so close together to provide maximum shade. But the history is more complex than that: this labyrinthine street plan goes back to Moorish times, when this area was a tangled market. Later, this was the Jewish ghetto, where all the city’s Jews were forced to live in a very small area.
• Just to the left, the street spills onto...
Plaza de los Venerables: This square is another candidate for “heart of the barrio.” The streets branching off it ooze local ambience. When the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492, this area became deserted and run-down. But in 1929, for its world’s fair, Sevilla turned the plaza into a showcase of Andalusian style, adding the railings, tile work, orange trees, and other too-cute, Epcot-like adornments. A different generation of tourists enjoys the place today, likely unaware that what they’re seeing in Santa Cruz is far from “authentic” (or, at least, not as old as they imagine).
The large, harmonious Baroque-style Hospital de los Venerables (1675), once a retirement home for old priests (the “venerables”), is now a cultural foundation worth visiting for its ornate church and excellent collection of paintings (see here).
• Continue west on Calle de Gloria, past an interesting tile map of the Jewish Quarter (on the right). You’ll soon come upon...
Plaza de Doña Elvira: This small square—with orange trees, tile benches, and a stone fountain—sums up our barrio walk. Shops sell work by local artisans, such as ceramics, embroidery, and fans.
• Cross the plaza and head north along Calle Rodrigo Caro into the...
Plaza de la Alianza: Ever consider a career change? Gain inspiration at the site that once housed the painting studio of John Fulton (1932-1998; find the small plaque on the other side of the square), an American who pursued two dreams. Though born in Philadelphia, Fulton got hooked on bullfighting. He trained in the tacky bullrings of Mexico, then in 1956 he moved to Sevilla, the world capital of the sport. His career as matador was not top-notch, and the Spaniards were slow to warm to the Yankee, but his courage and persistence earned their grudging respect. After he put down the cape, he picked up a brush, making colorful paintings in his Sevilla studio.
• From Plaza de la Alianza, you can return to the cathedral by turning left (west) on Calle Joaquin Romero Murube (along the wall). Or, if you’re ready for a bite, head northeast on Calle Rodrigo Caro, which intersects with Calle Mateos Gago, a street lined with tapas bars.
▲▲Cathedral and Giralda Bell Tower
▲Archivo de Indias in the Lonja Palace
Centro de Interpretación Judería de Sevilla
Between the River and the Cathedral
Torre del Oro (Gold Tower) and Naval Museum
▲Church of the Savior (Iglesia del Salvador)
▲Museo Palacio de la Condesa de Lebrija
▲Flamenco Dance Museum (Museo del Baile Flamenco)
Sevilla’s cathedral is the third-largest church in Europe (after St. Peter’s at the Vatican and St. Paul’s in London) and the largest Gothic church anywhere. When they ripped down a mosque of brick on this site in 1401, the Reconquista Christians announced their intention to build a cathedral so huge that “anyone who sees it will take us for madmen.” They built for about a hundred years. Even today, the descendants of those madmen proudly display an enlarged photocopy of their Guinness Book of Records letter certifying, “Santa María de la Sede in Sevilla is the cathedral with the largest area: 126.18 meters x 82.60 meters x 30.48 meters high.”
Cost and Hours: €8, €3 for students and those over age 65 (must show ID), kids under age 18 free; keep your ticket, which includes free entry to the Church of the Savior—you’ll save €3; July-Aug Mon-Sat 9:30-17:00, Sun 14:30-18:00; Sept-June Mon-Sat 11:00-17:00, Sun 14:30-18:00; closes 30 minutes earlier on Mondays year-round; last entry to cathedral one hour before closing, last entry to bell tower 30 minutes before closing; WC and drinking fountain just inside entrance and in courtyard near exit, tel. 954-214-971. Most of the website www.catedraldesevilla.es is in Spanish, but following the “vista virtual” links will take you to a virtual tour with an English option.
Nearby Eateries: For restaurants near the cathedral, see here
Crowd-Beating Tip: Though there’s usually not much of a line to buy tickets, you can avoid the queue altogether by buying your €8 combo-ticket at the Church of the Savior, a few blocks north (see here). See that church first, then come to the cathedral and waltz past the line to the turnstile.
Tours: My self-guided tour covers the basics. The €3 audioguide explains each side chapel for anyone interested in all the old paintings and dry details. For €7, you can enjoy Concepción Delgado’s tour instead (see “Tours in Sevilla,” earlier).
(See “Sevilla’s Cathedral” map, here.)
The son of a barber of Seville, Bartolomé Murillo got his start selling paintings meant for export to the frontier churches of the Americas. In his 20s, he became famous after he painted a series of saints for Sevilla’s Franciscan monastery. By about 1650, Murillo’s sugary, simple, and accessible religious style was spreading through Spain and beyond.
Murillo painted street kids with cute smiles and grimy faces, and radiant young Marías with Ivory-soap complexions and rapturous poses (Immaculate Conceptions). His paintings view the world through a soft-focus lens, wrapping everything in warm colors and soft light, with a touch (too much, for some) of sentimentality.
Murillo became a rich, popular family man, and the toast of Sevilla’s high society. In 1664, his wife died, leaving him heartbroken, but his last 20 years were his most prolific. At age 65, Murillo died after falling off a scaffold while painting. His tomb is lost somewhere under the bricks of Plaza de la Santa Cruz.
Self-Guided Tour: Enter the cathedral at the south end (closest to the Alcázar, with a full-size replica of the Giralda’s weathervane statue in the patio).
• First, you pass through the...
Art Pavilion: Just past the turnstile, you step into a room of paintings that once hung in the church, including works by Sevilla’s two 17th-century masters—Bartolomé Murillo (St. Ferdinand, depicting the king who freed Sevilla from the Moors) and Francisco de Zurbarán (St. John the Baptist in the Desert). Find a painting showing two of Sevilla’s patron saints—Santa Justa and Santa Rufina, killed in ancient Roman times for their Christian faith. Potters by trade, these two are easy to identify by their pots and palm branches (symbolic of their martyrdom), and the bell tower symbolizing the town they protect. As you tour the cathedral, keep track of how many depictions of this dynamic and saintly duo you spot. They’re everywhere.
• Walking past a rack of church maps and a WC, enter the actual church. In the center of the church, sit down in front of the...
High Altar: Look through the wrought-iron Renaissance grille at what’s called the largest altarpiece (retablo mayor) ever made—65 feet tall, with 44 scenes from the life of Jesus and Mary carved from walnut and chestnut, blanketed by a staggering amount of gold leaf. The work took three generations to complete (1481-1564). The story is told left to right, bottom to top. Find Baby Jesus in the manger, in the middle of the bottom row, then follow his story through the miracles, the Passion, and the Pentecost. Crane your neck to look way up to the tippy-top, where a Crucifixion adorns the dizzying summit.
• Turn around and check out the...
Choir: Facing the high altar, the choir features an organ of more than 7,000 pipes (played Mon-Fri at the 10:00 Mass, Sun at the 10:00 & 13:00 Mass, not in July-Aug, free for worshippers). A choir area like this one—enclosed within the cathedral for more intimate services—is common in Spain and England, but rare in churches elsewhere. The big, spinnable book holder in the middle of the room held giant hymnals—large enough for all to chant from in a pre-Xerox age when there weren’t enough books for everyone.
• Now turn 90 degrees to the left and march to find the...
Tomb of Columbus: In front of the cathedral’s entrance for pilgrims are four kings who carry the tomb of Christopher Columbus. His pallbearers represent the regions of Castile, Aragon, León, and Navarre (identify them by their team shirts). Notice how the cross held by Señor León has a pike end, which is piercing an orb. Look closer: It’s a pomegranate, the symbol of Granada—the last Moorish-ruled city to succumb to the Reconquista (in 1492).
Columbus didn’t just travel a lot while alive—he even kept it up posthumously. He was buried first in northwestern Spain (in Valladolid, where he died), then moved to a monastery here in Sevilla, then to what’s now the Dominican Republic (as he’d requested), then to Cuba. Finally—when Cuba gained independence from Spain, around 1900—his remains sailed home again to Sevilla. After all that, it’s fair to wonder whether the remains in the box before you are actually his. Sevillans like to think so. (Columbus died in 1506. Five hundred years later, to help celebrate the anniversary of his death, DNA samples did indeed give Sevillans some evidence to substantiate their claim.)
On the left is a 1584 mural of St. Christopher, patron saint of travelers. The clock above has been ticking since 1788.
• Facing Columbus, turn right and duck into the first chapel (on your left) to find the...
Virgin Antigua: Within this chapel is a gilded fresco of the Virgin delicately holding a rose and the Christ Child, who’s holding a bird. It’s the oldest art here, even older than the cathedral itself: It was painted onto a horseshoe-shaped prayer niche of the mosque that formerly stood on this site. After Sevilla was reconquered in 1248, the mosque served as a church for about 120 years—until it was torn down to make room for this huge cathedral. The Catholic builders, who were captivated by the fresco’s beauty and well aware of the Virgin Antigua’s status as protector of sailors (important in this port city), decided to save the fresco.
• Exiting the Virgin Antigua Chapel, begin your counterclockwise tour of the cathedral. As you explore, note that its many chapels are described in English, and many of the windows have their dates worked into the design.
Just on the other side of Columbus, walk through the next small chapel and into the...
Sacristy: This space is where the priests get ready each morning before Mass. The Goya painting above the altar features another portrayal of Justa and Rufina with their trademark bell tower, pots, and palm leaves.
• Two chapels down is the entrance to the...
Main Sacristy: Marvel at the ornate, 16th-century dome of the main room, a grand souvenir from Sevilla’s Golden Age. The intricate masonry, called Plateresque, resembles lacy silverwork (plata means “silver”). God is way up in the cupola. The three layers of figures below him show the heavenly host; relatives in purgatory—hands folded—looking to heaven in hope of help; and the wretched in hell, including a topless sinner engulfed in flames and teased cruelly by pitchfork-wielding monsters.
Dominating the room is a nearly 1,000-pound, silver-plated monstrance (vessel for displaying the communion wafer). This is the one locals use to parade the holy host through town during Corpus Christi festivities.
• At the far end of the main sacristy, at the left-hand corner, is a door leading to our next stop.
Treasury: The tesoro fills several rooms in the corner of the church. Wander deeper into the treasury to find a unique oval dome. It’s in the 16th-century chapter room (sala capitular), where monthly meetings take place with the bishop (he gets the throne, while the others share the bench). The paintings here are by Murillo: a fine Immaculate Conception (1668, high above the bishop’s throne) and portraits of saints important to Sevillans.
The wood-paneled Room of Ornaments shows off gold and silver reliquaries, which hold hundreds of holy body parts, as well as Spain’s most valuable crown. This jeweled crown (the Corona de la Virgen de los Reyes, by Manuel de la Torres) sparkles with thousands of tiny but precious stones, and the world’s largest pearl—used as the torso of an angel. This amazing treasure was paid for by locals who donated their wealth to royally crown their Madonna.
• Leave the treasury and cross through the church to see...
More Church Sights: First you’ll pass the closed-to-tourists Royal Chapel, the burial place of several of kings of Castile (open for worship only—access from outside), then the also-closed Chapel of St. Peter, which is filled with paintings showing scenes from the life of St. Peter. In the far corner—past the glass case displaying the Guinness Book certificate declaring that this is indeed the world’s largest church by area—is the entry to the Giralda Bell Tower; we’ll finish our visit there. But for now, continue your counterclockwise circuit. Near the high altar, in the middle, crane your neck skyward to admire the Plateresque tracery on the ceiling, and take in the enormous Altar de Plata rising up in a side chapel. The gleaming silver altarpiece adorned with statues looks like a big monstrance.
The 
Chapel of St. Anthony (Capilla de San Antonio), the last chapel on the right, is used for baptisms. The Renaissance baptismal font has delightful carved angels dancing along its base. In Murillo’s painting, Vision of St. Anthony (1656), the saint kneels in wonder as a Baby Jesus comes down surrounded by a choir of angels. Anthony, one of Iberia’s most popular saints, is the patron saint of lost things—so people come here to pray for Anthony’s help in finding jobs, car keys, and life partners. Above the Vision is The Baptism of Christ, also by Murillo. You don’t need to be an art historian to know that the stained glass dates from 1685. And by now you must know who the women are....
Nearby, a glass case displays the 
pennant of Ferdinand III, which was raised over the minaret of the mosque on November 23, 1248, as Christian forces finally expelled the Moors from Sevilla. For centuries, it was paraded through the city on special days.
Continuing on, stand at the 
back of the nave (behind the choir) and appreciate the ornate immensity of the church. Can you see the angels trumpeting on their Cuban mahogany? Any birds? The massive candlestick holder to the right of the choir dates from 1560. And before you is the gravestone of Ferdinand Columbus, Christopher’s second son. Having given the cathedral his collection of 6,000 precious books, he was rewarded with this prime burial spot.
Turn around. To the left, behind an iron grille, is a niche with 
Murillo’s Guardian Angel pointing to the light and showing an astonished child the way.
• Backtrack the length of the church toward the Giralda Bell Tower, and notice the back of the choir’s Baroque pipe organ. The exit sign leads to the Court of the Orange Trees and the exit. But first, some exercise.
Giralda Tower Climb: Your church admission includes entry to the bell tower. Notice the beautiful Moorish simplicity as you climb to its top, 330 feet up, for a grand city view. The spiraling ramp was designed to accommodate a donkey-riding muezzin, who clip-clopped up five times a day to give the Muslim call to prayer.
• Back on the ground, head outside to the...
Court of the Orange Trees: Today’s cloister was once the mosque’s Court of the Orange Trees (Patio de los Naranjos). Twelfth-century Muslims stopped at the fountain in the middle to wash their hands, face, and feet before praying. The ankle-breaking lanes between the bricks were once irrigation streams—a reminder that the Moors introduced irrigation to Iberia. The mosque was made of bricks; the church is built of stone. The only large-scale remnants of the mosque today are the Court of the Orange Trees, the Giralda Bell Tower, and the site itself.
• You’ll exit the cathedral through the Court of the Orange Trees (WCs are at the far end of the courtyard, downstairs). As you leave, look back from the outside and notice the arch over the...
Moorish-Style Doorway: As with much of the Moorish-looking art in town, this doorway is actually Christian—the two coats of arms are a giveaway. The relief above the door shows the Bible story of Jesus ridding the temple of the merchants...a reminder to contemporary merchants that there will be no retail activity in the church. The plaque on the right honors Miguel de Cervantes, the great 16th-century writer. It’s one of many plaques scattered throughout town showing places mentioned in his books. (In this case, the topic was pickpockets.) The huge green doors predate the church. They are bits of the pre-1248 mosque—wood covered with bronze. Study the fine workmanship.
Giralda Tower Exterior: Step across the street from the exit gate and look at the bell tower. Formerly a Moorish minaret from which Muslims were called to prayer, it became the cathedral’s bell tower after the Reconquista. A 4,500-pound bronze statue symbolizing the Triumph of Faith (specifically, the Christian faith over the Muslim one) caps the tower and serves as a weather vane (in Spanish, girar means “to rotate”; a giraldillo is something that rotates). In 1356, the original top of the tower fell. You’re looking at a 16th-century Christian-built top with a ribbon of letters proclaiming, “The strongest tower is the name of God” (you can see Fortísima—“strongest”—from this vantage point).
Now circle around for a close look at the corner of the tower at ground level. Needing more strength than their bricks could provide for the lowest section of the tower, the Moors used Roman-cut stones. You can actually read the Latin that was chiseled onto one of the stones 2,000 years ago. The tower offers a brief recap of the city’s history: It sits on a Roman foundation, has a long Moorish section, which is capped by the current Christian age.
Today, by law, no building in the center may be higher than the statue atop the tower. (But the new Cajasol Tower, just across the river, is by far the tallest erection in the greater city—and that offends locals in this conservative town. The fact that it’s the headquarters of one of Spain’s major banks, which many Spaniards blame for the economic crisis, hasn’t helped its popularity.)
• Your cathedral tour is finished. If you’ve worked up an appetite, get out your map and make your way a few blocks for some...
Nun-Baked Goodies: Stop by the El Torno Pastelería de Conventos, a co-op where various orders of cloistered nuns send their handicrafts (such as baptismal dresses for babies) and baked goods to be sold. You won’t actually see el torno (a lazy Susan), since this shop is staffed by non-nuns, but this humble little hole-in-the-wall shop is worth a peek, and definitely serves the best cookies, bar nun. It’s located through the passageway at 24 Avenida de la Constitución, immediately in front of the cathedral’s main front door: Go through the doorway marked Plaza del Cabildo into the quiet courtyard (Mon-Fri 10:00-13:30 & 17:00-19:30, Sat-Sun 10:30-14:00, closed Aug, Plaza del Cabildo 2, tel. 954-219-190).
Originally a 10th-century palace built for the governors of the local Moorish state, this building still functions as a royal palace—the oldest in Europe that’s still in use. The core of the palace features an extensive 14th-century rebuild, done by Muslim workmen for the Christian king, Pedro I (1334-1369). Pedro was nicknamed either “the Cruel” or “the Just,” depending on which end of his sword you were on. Pedro’s palace embraces both cultural traditions.
Today, visitors can enjoy several sections of the Alcázar. Spectacularly decorated halls and courtyards have distinctive Islamic-style flourishes. Exhibits call up the era of Columbus and Spain’s New World dominance. The lush, sprawling gardens invite exploration.
Cost and Hours: €9 (free Mon after 15:00), €2 for students and seniors over 65—must show ID, free for children under 16, open April-Sept daily 9:30-19:00, Oct-March daily 9:30-17:00, tel. 954-502-324, www.alcazarsevilla.org.
Crowd-Beating Tips: To skip the ticket-buying line, reserve a time slot ahead online (https://oberonsaas.com/realalcazarsevilla). Mornings are the busiest with tour groups (especially on Tuesdays). It’s less crowded late in the day—but note that the Royal Apartments can only be visited before 13:30.
Nearby Eateries: For restaurants near the Alcázar, see here.
Tours: The fast-moving, €4 audioguide gives you an hour of information as you wander. My self-guided tour hits the highlights, or you could consider Concepción Delgado’s Alcázar tour (see here).
The Upper Royal Apartments can only be visited with a separate tour (€4.35, includes separate audioguide, must check bags in provided lockers). For some, it’s worth the extra time and cost just to escape the mobs in the rest of the palace. If you’re interested, once inside the Alcázar go directly to the desk and reserve a spot. Groups of 15 leave every half-hour from 10:00 to 13:30, listening to the 30-minute audio tour while escorted by a security guard.
(See “Alcázar” map, here.)
Self-Guided Tour: This royal palace is decorated with a mix of Islamic and Christian elements—a style called Mudejar. It offers a thought-provoking glimpse of a graceful Al-Andalus world that might have survived its Castilian conquerors...but didn’t. The floor plan is intentionally confusing, to make experiencing the place more exciting and surprising. While Granada’s Alhambra was built by Moors for Moorish rulers, what you see here is essentially a Christian ruler’s palace, built in the Moorish style by Moorish artisans.
• Buy your ticket and enter through the turnstiles. Pass through the garden-like Patio of the Lions (Patio del León), with the rough stone wall of the older Moorish fortress on your left (c. 913), and through the arch into a courtyard called the . . .
Courtyard of the Hunt (Patio de la Montería): Get oriented. The palace’s main entrance is directly ahead, through the elaborately decorated facade. WCs are in the far-left corner. In the far-right corner is the staircase and ticket booth for the Upper Royal Apartments—if you’re interested, reserve an entry time now.
The palace complex was built over many centuries, with rooms and decorations from the various rulers who’ve lived here. Moorish caliphs first built the original 10th-century palace and gardens. Then, after Sevilla was Christianized in 1248, King Pedro I built the most famous part of the complex. During Spain’s Golden Age, it was home to Ferdinand and Isabel and, later, their grandson Charles V
(a.k.a. Carlos I); they all left their mark. Successive monarchs added still more luxury. And today’s king and queen still use the palace’s upper floor as one of their royal residences.
• Before entering the heart of the palace, start in the wing to the right of the courtyard. Step inside.
Admiral’s Apartments (Cuarto del Almirante): When Queen Isabel debriefed Columbus here after his New World discoveries, she realized what he’d found could be big business. She created this wing in 1503 to administer Spain’s New World ventures. In these halls, Columbus recounted his travels, Ferdinand Magellan planned his around-the-world cruise, and mapmaker Amerigo Vespucci tried to come up with a catchy moniker for that newly discovered continent.
In the pink-and-red Audience Chamber (once a chapel), the altarpiece painting is of St. Mary of the Navigators (Santa María de los Navegantes, by Alejo Fernández, 1530s). The Virgin—the patron saint of sailors and a favorite of Columbus—keeps watch over the puny ships beneath her. Her cape seems to protect everyone under it—even the Native Americans in the dark background (the first time “Indians” were painted in Europe).
Standing beside the Virgin (on the right, dressed in gold, joining his hands together in prayer) is none other than Christopher Columbus. He stands on a cloud, because he’s now in heaven (this was painted a few decades after his death). Notice that Columbus is blond. Columbus’ son said of his dad: “In his youth his hair was blond, but when he reached 30, it all turned white.” Many historians believe this to be the earliest known portrait of Columbus. If so, it’s also likely to be the most accurate. The man on the left side of the painting, with the gold cape, is King Ferdinand.
Left of the painting is a model of Columbus’ Santa María, his flagship and the only of his three ships not to survive the 1492 voyage. Columbus complained that the Santa María—a big cargo ship, different from the sleek Niña and Pinta caravels—was too slow. On Christmas Day it ran aground off present-day Haiti and tore a hole in its hull. The ship was dismantled to build the first permanent structure in America, a fort for 39 colonists. (After Columbus left, the natives burned the fort and killed the colonists.) Opposite the altarpiece (in the center of the back wall) is the family coat of arms of Columbus’ descendants, who now live in Spain and Puerto Rico. Using Columbus’ Spanish name, it reads: “To Castile and to León, Colón gave a new world.”
Return to the still-used reception room, filled with big canvases. The biggest painting (and most melodramatic) shows a key turning point in Sevilla’s history: King Ferdinand III humbly kneels before the bishop, giving thanks to God for helping him liberate the city from the Muslims (in 1248). Ferdinand promptly turned the Alcázar of the caliphs into the royal palace of Christian kings.
Pop into the room beyond the grand piano for a look at some ornate fans (mostly foreign and well-described in English). A long painting (designed to be gradually rolled across a screen and viewed like a primitive movie) shows 17th-century Sevilla during Holy Week. Follow the procession, which is much like today’s, with traditional floats carried by teams of men and followed by a retinue of penitents.
• Return to the Courtyard of the Hunt. Face the impressive entrance in the...
Palace Facade: This is the entrance to King Pedro I’s Palace (Palacio del Rey Pedro I), the Alcázar’s 14th-century nucleus. The facade’s elaborate blend of Islamic tracery and Gothic Christian elements introduces us to the Mudejar style seen throughout Pedro’s part of the palace.
• Enter the palace. Pass through the vestibule (impressive, yes, but we’ll see better), and continue left through the maze of rooms and passageways until you emerge into the big courtyard with a long pool in the center. This is the...
Courtyard of the Maidens (Patio de las Doncellas): You’ve reached the center of King Pedro’s palace. It’s an open-air courtyard, surrounded by rooms. In the center is a long, rectangular reflecting pool. Like the Moors who preceded him, Pedro built his palace around water.
King Pedro cruelly abandoned his wife and moved into the Alcázar with his mistress, then hired Muslim workers from Granada to re-create the romance of that city’s Alhambra in Sevilla’s stark Alcázar. The designers created a microclimate engineered for coolness: water, sunken gardens, pottery, thick walls, and darkness. This palace is considered Spain’s best example of the Mudejar style. Stucco panels with elaborate designs, colorful ceramic tiles, coffered wooden ceilings, and lobed arches atop slender columns create a refined, pleasing environment. The elegant proportions and symmetry of this courtyard are a photographer’s delight.
• Explore the rooms branching off the courtyard. Through the door at the end of the long reflecting pool is the palace’s most important room, called the...
Hall of the Ambassadors (Salón de Embajadores): Here, in his throne room, Pedro received guests and caroused in luxury. The room is a cube topped with a half-dome, like many important Islamic buildings. In Islam, the cube represents the earth, and the dome is the starry heavens. In Pedro’s world, the symbolism proclaimed that he controlled heaven and earth. Islamic horseshoe arches stand atop recycled columns with golden capitals.
The stucco on the walls is molded with interlacing plants, geometrical shapes, and Arabic writing. Here, in a Christian palace, the walls are inscribed with unapologetically Muslim sayings: “None but Allah conquers” and “Happiness and prosperity are benefits of Allah, who nourishes all creatures.” The artisans added propaganda phrases, such as “Dedicated to the magnificent Sultan Pedro—thanks to God!”
The Mudejar style also includes Christian motifs. Find the row of kings, high up at the base of the dome, chronicling all of Spain’s rulers from the 600s to the 1600s. Throughout the palace (as in the center of the dome above you), you’ll see coats of arms—including the castle of Castile and the lion of León. There are also natural objects (such as shells and birds), which you wouldn’t normally find in Islamic decor, as it traditionally avoids realistic images of nature.
Wander through adjoining rooms. Notice how it gets cooler as you go deeper into the palace. Straight ahead from the Hall of the Ambassadors, in the Philip II Ceiling Room (Salón del Techo de Felipe II), look above the arches to find peacocks, falcons, and other birds amid interlacing vines. Imagine day-to-day life in the palace—with VIP guests tripping on the tiny steps.
• Make your way to the second courtyard, nearby (in the Hall of the Ambassadors, face the Courtyard of the Maidens, then walk to the left). This smaller courtyard is the...
Courtyard of the Dolls (Patio de las Muñecas): This delicate courtyard was reserved for the king’s private family life. Originally, the center of the courtyard had a pool, cooling the residents and reflecting decorative patterns that were once brightly painted on the walls. The columns—recycled from ancient Roman and Visigothic buildings—are of alternating white, black, and pink marble. (Pedro’s original courtyard was a single story; the upper floors and skylight were added centuries later.) The courtyard’s name comes from the tiny doll faces found at the base of one of the arches. Circle the room and try to find them. (Hint: While just a couple of inches tall, they’re eight feet high.)
• The long adjoining room with the gilded ceiling, the Prince’s Room (Cuarto del Príncipe), was Queen Isabel’s bedroom, where she gave birth to a son, Prince Juan.
Return to the Courtyard of the Maidens. Look up and notice the second story. Isabel’s grandson, Charles V, added it in the 16th century. See the difference in styles: Mudejar below (lobed arches and elaborate tracery), and Renaissance above (round arches and less decoration).
As you stand in the courtyard with your back to the Hall of the Ambassadors, the door in the middle of the right side leads to the...
Charles V Ceiling Room (Salón del Techo del Carlos V): Emperor Charles V, who ruled Spain at its peak of New World wealth, expanded the palace. The reason? His marriage to his beloved Isabel—which took place in this room—that joined vast realms of Spain and Portugal. Devoutly Christian, Charles celebrated his wedding night with a midnight Mass, and later ordered the Mudejar ceiling in this room to be replaced with the less Islamic (but no less impressive) Renaissance one you see today.
• We’ve seen the core of King Pedro’s palace, with the additions by his successors. Return to the Courtyard of the Maidens, then turn right. In the corner, find the staircase built in a strikingly different style: a century older than its surroundings, it was originally Gothic, then renovated in Renaissance times. Follow the stairs up to rooms decorated with bright ceramic tiles and Gothic vaulting. Pass through the chapel and into two big, long, parallel rooms, the...
Banquet Hall (Salón Gótico) and Hall of Tapestries (Salón Tapices): The first room you enter is the big, airy banquet hall where Charles and Isabel held their wedding reception. Tiles of yellow, blue, green, and orange line the room, some decorated with whimsical human figures with vase-like bodies. The windows open onto views of the gardens.
Next door, the walls are hung with 18th-century Spanish copies of 16th-century Belgian tapestries showing the conquests, trade, and industriousness of Charles’ prosperous reign. (The highlights are described in Spanish along the top, and in Latin along the bottom.) The map tapestry of the Mediterranean world has south pointing up. Find Genova, Italy, on the bottom; Africa on top; Lisbon (Liboa) on the far right; and the large city of Barcelona in between. The artist included himself holding the legend—with a scale in both leagues and miles.
Facing the map, head to the far left end of room, where the wall is filled by a dramatic portrayal of the Spanish navy. Spain ruled the waves—and thereby an empire upon which the sun never set. Its reign lasted from 1492 until the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805; after that, Britannia’s navy took the helm, and it was her crown that controlled the next global empire.
• At the far end of the Banquet Hall, head outside to the...
Mercury Pool and Gardens: The Mercury Pool, a reservoir fed by a 16th-century aqueduct, irrigated the palace’s entire garden. As only elites had running water, the fountain was an extravagant show of power. Check out the bronze statue of Mercury, with his cute little winged feet. The wall defining the east side of the garden was part of the original Moorish castle wall. In the early 1600s, when fortifications were no longer needed here, that end was redesigned to be a grotto-style gallery.
From the Mercury Pool, steps lead into the formal gardens. Just past the bottom of the steps, a tunnel on the right leads under the palace to the coolest spot in the city.
Finally, explore the gardens. The intimate geometric zone nearest the palace is the Moorish garden. The far-flung garden beyond that was the backyard of the Christian ruler.
Here in the gardens, as in the rest of the palace, the Christian and Islamic traditions merge. Both cultures used water and nature as essential parts of their architecture. The garden’s pavilions and fountains only enhance this. Wander among palm trees, myrtle hedges, and fragrant roses. While tourists pay to be here, this is actually a public garden, and free to locals. It’s been that way since 1931, when the king was exiled and Spanish citizens took ownership of royal holdings. In 1975, the Spanish people allowed the king back on the throne—but on their terms...which included keeping this garden.
• On the other side of the east wall is an air-conditioned cafeteria with a nice terrace overlooking the gardens.
If you’ve booked a spot to visit the Upper Royal Apartments (see “Tours” on here), return to the Courtyard of the Hunt, and head upstairs.
Upper Royal Apartments (Cuarto Real Alto): This is the royal palace of today’s monarchs. Fifteen public reception rooms are open to visitors: the official dining room, Audience Hall, and so on. The rooms are amply decorated with Versailles-like furniture, chandeliers, carpets, and portraits of 19th-century nobility. The highlight is the Audience Room, a Mudejar-style room overlooking the Patio de la Montería.
• Your Alcázar tour is over. From the Moors to Pedro the Cruel to Ferdinand and Isabel, and from Charles V to King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía, we’ve seen the home of a millennium of Spanish kings and queens. When you’re ready to go, head out through the Patio de Banderas, once the entrance for guests arriving by horse carriage. Enjoy a classic Giralda Bell Tower view as you leave.
The Lonja Palace, across the street from the Alcázar, houses the historic archives for all of Spain. Its four miles of shelving contain the precious documents of a once-mighty empire. While little of interest is actually on show, a visit is free, easy, and gives a look at one of the finest Renaissance palaces in Spain. Designed by royal architect Juan de Herrera, the principal designer of El Escorial, the building evokes the greatness of the Spanish empire at its peak (c. 1600).
Cost and Hours: Free, Mon-Sat 9:30-17:00, Sun 10:00-14:00, Avenida de la Constitución 3, tel. 954-500-528.
Visiting the Palace: Originally this was a market for traders—an early stock market. But by the end of the 1600s, Sevilla had become a backwater (after suffering plagues and the silting up of its harbor, which allowed Cádiz to overtake Sevilla as Spain’s main port of embarkation), and in 1717, the building was abandoned. In 1785, it was put to new use as the storehouse for all the documents the country was quickly amassing from its discovery and conquest of the New World.
Start you visit on the ground floor, where an interesting 15-minute intro video plays in a continuous loop. Then climb the extravagant stairs to the top floor and make a big circle to check out the temporary exhibits.
Old Sevilla is bisected by this grand boulevard. Its name celebrates the country’s 1978 adoption of a democratic constitution, as the Spanish people moved quickly to re-establish their government after the 1975 death of longtime dictator Francisco Franco.
The busy avenue was converted into a pedestrian boulevard in 2007. Overnight, the city’s paseo route took on a new dimension. Suddenly cafés and shops here had fresh appeal. (Two Starbucks moved in, strategically bookending the boulevard, but they’re having a tough time winning over locals who prefer small €1 coffees to mammoth €4 ones.) The new tram line (infamously short, at only about a mile long) is controversial, as it violates what might have been a more purely pedestrian zone.
For a self-guided walk through this neighborhood, see here.
Buried in the Barrio Santa Cruz, this former charity-run old-folks’ home and hospital comes with a Baroque church and an exquisite painting gallery that includes the Centro Velázquez, which displays works by one of Spain’s premier artists. Everything is well-explained by the included audioguide.
Cost and Hours: €5.50, free on Sunday evenings, open daily 10:00-14:00 & 16:00-20:00, Plaza de los Venerables 8, tel. 954-562-696, www.focus.abengoa.es.
Visiting the Hospital: In the courtyard, with its sunken fountain, you get a sense of how this facility housed retired priests and Sevilla’s needy.
The church, which takes you back to the year 1700, is bursting with Baroque decor, one of Spain’s best pipe organs, and frescoes by Juan de Valdés Leal. The decor exalts the priesthood and Spain’s role as standard-bearer of the pope.
The top-notch painting gallery is dedicated to one of the world’s greatest painters, Diego Velázquez (1599-1660), who was born here in Sevilla, where he also worked as a young man. Velázquez’s Vista de Sevilla helps you imagine the excitement of this thriving city in 1660 when, with 140,000 people, it was the fourth-largest in Europe. You’ll recognize landmarks like the Giralda Tower, the cathedral, and the Torre del Oro. The pontoon bridge leads to Triana—where citizens of all ranks strolled the promenade together, as they still do today.
The Sevilla that shaped Velázquez was the gateway to the New World. There was lots of stimulation: Adventurers, fortune hunters, and artists passed through here, and many stayed for years. Of the few Velázquez paintings remaining in his hometown, three are in this gallery.
This small, overpriced interpretive museum, standing in the heart of Barrio Santa Cruz, chronicles the history of Sevilla’s Jews, who once called this neighborhood home. Bilingual placards and a few displays give visitors a glimpse of Sevilla’s Sephardic heritage. However, most find the Casa de Sefarad in Córdoba (described on here) more interesting.
Cost and Hours: €6.50, Mon-Sat 10:30-15:30 & 17:00-20:00, Sun 11:00-19:00, guided tours in English may be available on request, Calle Ximénez de Enciso 22, tel. 954-047-089, www.juderiadesevilla.es.
This charity hospital, which functioned as a place of final refuge for Sevilla’s poor and homeless, was founded in the 17th century by the nobleman Don Miguel Mañara. Your visit includes an evocative courtyard, his office, a church filled with powerful art, and a good audioguide that explains it all. This is still a working hospice, so when you pay your entrance fee, you’re advancing the work Mañara started back in the 17th century.
Cost and Hours: €5, includes good audioguide, Mon-Sat 9:00-13:00 & 15:30-19:00, Sun 9:00-12:30, last entry 30 minutes before closing, Calle Temprado 3, tel. 954-223-232, www.santa-caridad.es.
Background: The Hospice and Hospital of the Holy Charity in Sevilla was founded by the Venerable Servant of God, Don Miguel Mañara (1626-1679). Mañara was a big-time playboy and enthusiastic sinner who, late in life, had a massive change of heart. He spent his last years dedicating his life to strict worship and taking care of the poor. In 1674, Mañara acquired some empty warehouses in Sevilla’s old shipyard and built this 150-ward “place of heroic virtues.”
Mañara could well have been the inspiration for Don Juan, the quasi-legendary character from a play set in 17th-century Sevilla, popularized later by Lord Byron’s poetry and Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni (“Don Juan” in Italian). While no one knows for sure, I think it makes sense...and it adds some fun to the visit.
One thing’s for sure: Mañara is on the road to sainthood. His supporters request that you report any miraculous answers to prayers asking him to intercede—you need to perform miracles to become a saint.
Visiting the Hospital: The courtyard gives a sense of the origin of the building and its ongoing work as a hospice for the poor. The statues come from Genova, Italy, as Mañara’s family were rich Genova merchants who moved to Sevilla to get in on the wealth from New World discoveries. The Dutch tiles (from Delft), depicting scenes from the Old and New Testament, are a reminder that the Netherlands was under Spanish rule in centuries past.
The Sala de Cabildos, a small room at the end of the courtyard, is Mañara’s former office. Here you’ll see his original desk, a painting of him at work (busy preaching against materialism and hedonism), a treasure box with an elaborate lock mechanism, his sword (he killed several people in his wilder days), a whip that was part of his austere style of worship, and his death mask.
The chapel, which Mañara had built, is the highlight. Once inside, notice the graphic painting over the door you entered that provided a vivid Mañara-style sendoff to worshippers.
Juan de Valdés Leal’s The End of the Glories of the World shows Mañara and a bishop decaying together in a crypt, with worms and roaches munching away. Above, the hand of Christ—pierced by the nail—holds the scales of justice: sins (on the left) and good deeds (on the right).
Immediately opposite is Leal’s In the Blink of an Eye (In ictu oculi). In it, the Grim Reaper extinguishes the candle of life. Filling the canvas are the ruins of worldly goods, knowledge, power, and position. It’s all gone in the blink of an eye—true in the 1670s...and true today.
Sit in a pew and take it in: This is Sevillan Baroque. Seven original or replica Murillo paintings celebrate good deeds and charity: feeding the hungry, tending the sick, and so on. The altar is carved wood with gold leaf. A dozen hardworking cupids support the Burial of Christ. The duty of the order of monks here was to give a Christian burial to the executed and drowned. See the tombstone worked into the altar scene (on the right). Above are the three main Christian virtues (left to right): faith, charity, hope.
Before leaving the church, do Don Miguel Mañara a favor. Step on his tombstone. Located just outside the central door in the back, it’s served as a welcome mat since 1679. He requested to be buried outside the church where everyone would step on him as they entered. It’s marked “the worst man in the world.”
Leaving the church, return to the courtyard, go straight across, and around to the left. Wander around, noticing the brick Gothic arches of the huge halls of the 13th-century shipyards, whose original floors are 15 feet below. Overlooking the courtyard, immediately behind the church’s altar, were the rooms where Mañara spent his last years. Here he could be close to his charity work and his intensely penitent place of worship.
Across the street from the entry is a park. Pop in and see Don Juan—wracked with guilt—carrying a poor, sick person into his hospital.
Sevilla’s historic riverside Gold Tower was the starting and ending point for all shipping to the New World. It’s named for the golden tiles that once covered it—not for all the New World booty that landed here. Ever since the Moors built it in the 13th century, it’s been part of the city’s fortifications, and long anchored a heavy chain that draped from here across the river to protect the harbor. Today it houses a dreary little naval museum. Looking past the dried fish and knot charts to find the mural showing the world-spanning journeys of Vasco da Gama, the model of Columbus’ Santa María (the first ship to land in the New World), and an interesting mural of Sevilla in 1740. Enjoy the view from the balconies upstairs. The Guadalquivir River is now just a trickle of its former self, after canals built in the 1920s siphoned off most of its water to feed ports downstream.
Cost and Hours: €3, €2 audioguide, Mon-Fri 9:30-18:45, Sat-Sun 10:30-18:45, tel. 954-222-419.
This pleasant “New Square” is marked by a statue of King Ferdinand III, who liberated Sevilla from the Moors in the 13th century and was later sainted. For centuries afterward, a huge Franciscan monastery stood on this site; it was a spiritual home to many of the missionaries who colonized the California coast. (It was destroyed in 1840, following the disbanding of the monastic system under a government keen to take back power from the Church.) Today it’s the end of the line for Sevilla’s short tram system (which zips down Avenida de la Constitución to the San Bernardo train station).
Running along the top of the square is the relatively modern City Hall. For a more interesting look at this building, circle around to the other end (on the smaller square, called Plaza de San Francisco) where you can see how the structure has expanded right along with the city it governs: architectural styles evolve, from left to right, along the facade. The newest, right part of the facade is more or less undecorated—a blank canvas for future artists to leave their mark. This square has been used for executions, bullfights, and (today) big city events.
Sevilla’s second-biggest church, built on the site of a ninth-century mosque, gleams with freshly scrubbed Baroque pride. While the larger cathedral is a jumble of styles, this church is uniformly Andalusian Baroque—the architecture, decor, and statues are all from the same time period. The church is home to some of the most beloved statues that parade through town during religious festivals.
Cost and Hours: €3, or free with €8 cathedral ticket (also sold here, with shorter lines), audioguide-€2.50, same hours as cathedral, Plaza del Salvador, tel. 954-211-679.
Visiting the Church: The church’s 14 richly decorated altarpieces, many from the 18th century, are its highlight (and come with excellent English descriptions). Start at the high altar, with the whirling pair of angels holding lamps with red ropes. Then look high above to see frescoes that, once long forgotten, were revealed by a recent cleaning.
In the right transept stands another venerable Mary; this one is Our Lady of the Waters, who predates this church by about 400 years. Though permanently parked now, for centuries she was paraded through Sevilla in times of drought.
In the left transept is the chapel with one of the city’s most beloved statues (visible through the bars): the gripping Christ of the Passion, who is carrying the cross to his death (from 1619, by Juan Martínez Montañés). The statue is so revered by pilgrims and worshippers that the chapel has its own separate entrance (access through the courtyard, free, daily 10:00-14:00 & 17:00-21:00). For centuries the faithful have come here to pray, marvel at the sadness that fills the chapel, then kiss Jesus’ heel (to join them, head up the stairs behind the altar). Jesus is flanked by a red-eyed John the Evangelist and a grieving María Dolorosa, with convincing tears and a literal dagger in her heart. Under the chapel’s main altar, notice the skulls of two Jesuit missionaries who were martyred in Japan. In the adjacent shop, a wall tile shows the statue in a circa-1620 procession.
In the courtyard, you can feel the presence of the mosque that once stood on this spot. Its minaret is now the bell tower, and the mosque’s arches are now halfway underground. What’s left of the structure functions today as part of the church’s crypt.
Nearby: Finish your visit by enjoying Plaza del Salvador, a favorite local meeting point. Strolling this square, you become part of the theater of life in Sevilla.
This 16th-century palace offers a scaled-down version of the royal Alcázar (with a similar mix of Gothic, Moorish, and Renaissance styles) and a delightful garden. The nobleman who built it was inspired by a visit to the Holy Land, where saw the supposed mansion of Pontius Pilate. If you’ve seen the Alcázar, this might not be worth the time or money. Your visit comes in two parts: the stark ground floor and garden (with audioguide); and a plodding, 25-minute guided tour of the lived-in noble residence upstairs (English/Spanish spiel, about 2/hour, check schedule at entry).
Cost and Hours: €8, includes audioguide and tour, daily 10:00-19:00, 9:00-18:00 off-season, Plaza de Pilatos 1.
This aristocratic mansion takes you back into the 18th century like no other place in town. The Countess of Lebrija was a passionate collector of antiquities. Her home’s ground floor is paved with Roman mosaics (which you can actually walk on) and lined with musty old cases of Phoenician, Greek, Roman, and Moorish artifacts—mostly pottery. To see a plush world from a time when the nobility had a private priest and their own chapel, take a quickie tour of the upstairs, which shows the palace as the countess left it when she died in 1938.
Cost and Hours: €5 for unescorted visit of ground floor, €8 includes English/Spanish tour of “lived-in” upstairs offered every 45 minutes; July-Aug Mon-Fri 9:00-15:00, Sat 10:00-14:00, closed Sun; Sept-June Mon-Fri 10:30-19:30, Sat 10:00-14:00 & 16:00-18:00, Sun 10:00-14:00; free and obligatory bag check, Calle Cuna 8, tel. 954-227-802, www.palaciodelebrija.com.
Several years ago, in an attempt to revitalize this formerly nondescript square, the city unveiled what locals call “the mushrooms”: a gigantic, undulating canopy of five waffle-patterned, toadstool-esque, hundred-foot-tall structures. Together, this structure (officially named Metropol Parasol) provides shade, a gazebo for performances, and a traditional market hall. While the market is busy each morning, locals don’t know what to make of the avant-garde structure, and the square is pretty lifeless in the afternoon and evening. A ramp under the canopy leads down to ancient-Roman-era street level, where a museum displays Roman ruins found during the building process. From the museum level, a €1.30 elevator takes you up top, where you can do a loop walk along the terrace to enjoy its commanding city views. It feels like walking on a roller-coaster track. Although the structure is a bit newsy, I found it not worth the time or trouble. Other views in town are free, more central, and just as good (such as from the rooftop bar of the EME Catedral Hotel, across the street from the cathedral).
Though small and pricey, this museum is worthwhile for anyone looking to understand more about the dance that embodies the spirit of southern Spain.
The main exhibition, on floor 1, takes about 45 minutes to see. It features well-produced videos, flamenco costumes, and other artifacts collected by the grande dame of flamenco, Christina Hoyos, including a collection of posters celebrating notable flamenco artists of yore (be sure to stand directly under the “sound showers”). The top floor and basement house temporary exhibits, mostly of photography and other artwork. On the ground floor and in the basement, you can watch flamenco lessons in progress—or even take one yourself (one hour, first person-€60, €20/person after that, shoes not provided).
Cost and Hours: €10, €24 combo-ticket includes evening concert, 10 percent discount with this book, daily 10:00-19:00, pick up English booklet at front desk, about 3 blocks east of Plaza Nueva at Calle Manuel Rojas Marcos 3, tel. 954-340-311, www.flamencomuseum.com.
Performances: Live flamenco performances take place here nightly, just after the museum closes; for details, see here.
Sevilla’s passion for religious art is preserved and displayed in its Museum of Fine Arts. While most Americans go for El Greco, Goya, and Velázquez (not a forte of this collection), this museum gives a fine look at other, less-appreciated Spanish masters: Zurbarán and Murillo. Rather than exhausting, the museum is pleasantly enjoyable.
Cost and Hours: €1.50, Tue-Sat 10:00-20:30, Sun 10:00-17:00, closed Mon, tel. 955-542-942, www.museosdeandalucia.es.
Getting There: The museum is at Plaza Museo 9, a 15-minute walk from the cathedral, or a short ride on bus #C5 from Plaza Nueva. If coming from the Basílica de la Macarena, take bus #C4 to the Torneo stop and walk inland four blocks. Pick up the English-language floor plan, which explains the theme of each room.
Background: Sevilla was once Spain’s wealthy commercial capital (like New York City) at a time when Madrid was a newly built center of government (like Washington, DC). Spain’s economic Golden Age (the 1500s) blossomed into the Golden Age of Spanish painting (the 1600s), especially in Sevilla. Several of Spain’s top painters—Zurbarán, Murillo, and Velázquez—lived here in the 1600s. Like their contemporaries, they labored to make the spiritual world tangible, and forged the gritty realism that marks Spanish painting. You’ll see balding saints and monks with wrinkled faces and sunburned hands. The style suited Spain’s spiritual climate, as the Catholic Church used this art in its Counter-Reformation battle against the Protestant rebellion.
In the early 1800s, Spain’s government, in a push to take some power from the Church, began disbanding convents and monasteries. Secular fanatics had a heyday looting churches, but fortunately, much of Andalucía’s religious art was rescued and hung safely here in this convent-turned-museum.
Self-Guided Tour: The permanent collection features 20 rooms in neat chronological order. It’s easy to breeze through once with my tour, then backtrack to what appeals to you.
• Enter and follow signs to the permanent collection, which begins in Sala I (Room 1).
Rooms 1-4: Medieval altarpieces of gold-backed saints, Virgin-and-babes, and Crucifixion scenes attest to the religiosity that nurtured Spain’s early art. Spain’s penchant for unflinching realism culminates in Room 2 with Pedro Torrigiano’s 1525 statue of an emaciated San Jerónimo, and in Room 3 with the painted clay head of St. John the Baptist—complete with severed neck muscles, throat, and windpipe. This kind of warts-and-all naturalism would influence the great Sevillan painter Velázquez (some of whose works are often displayed in Room 4).
• Continue through the pleasant outdoor courtyard to the former church that is now Room 5.
Room 5: This room shows off the works of another hometown boy, Bartolomé Murillo (mur-EE-oh, 1617-1682). His signature subject is the Immaculate Conception, the doctrine that holds that Mary was exempt from original sin. Several Inmaculadas may be on display. Typically, Mary is depicted as young, dressed in white and blue, standing atop the moon (crescent or full). She clutches her breast and gazes up rapturously, surrounded by tumbling winged babies. Murillo’s tiny Madonna and Child (Virgen de la Servilleta, 1665; at the end of the room in the center, where the church’s altar would have been) shows the warmth and appeal of his work.
Murillo’s sweetness is quite different from the harsh realism of his fellow artists, but his work was understandably popular. For many Spaniards, Mary is their main connection to heaven. They pray directly to her, asking her to intercede on their behalf with God. Murillo’s Marys are always receptive and ready to help. (For more on Murillo, see here.)
Besides his Inmaculadas, Murillo painted popular saints. They often carry sprigs of plants, and cock their heads upward, caught up in a heavenly vision of sweet Baby Jesus. Murillo is also known for his “genre” paintings—scenes of common folk and rascally street urchins—but the museum has few of these.
Also in Room 5 is The Apotheosis of St. Thomas Aquinas (Apteosis de Santo Tomás de Aquino) by Francisco de Zurbarán—considered to be Zurbarán’s most important work. It was done at the height of his career, when stark realism was all the rage. In a believable, down-to-earth way, Zurbarán presents the pivotal moment when the great saint-theologian experiences his spiritual awakening. We’ll see more of Zurbarán upstairs in Room 10.
• Now head back outside and up the stairs to the first floor.
Rooms 6-9: In Rooms 6 and 7, you’ll see more Murillos and Murillo imitators. Room 8 is dedicated to yet another native Sevillan (and friend of Murillo), Juan de Valdés Leal (1622-1690). He adds Baroque motion and drama to religious subjects. His surreal colors and feverish, unfinished style create a mood of urgency.
Room 10: Francisco de Zurbarán (thoor-bar-AHN, 1598-1664) painted saints and monks, and the miraculous things they experienced, with an unblinking, crystal-clear, brightly lit, highly detailed realism. Monks and nuns could meditate upon Zurbarán’s meticulous paintings for hours, finding God in the details.
In Zurbarán’s St. Hugo Visiting the Refectory (San Hugo en el Refectorio), white-robed Carthusian monks gather together for their simple meal in a communal dining hall. Above them hangs a painting of Mary, Baby Jesus, and John the Baptist. Zurbarán created paintings for monks’ dining halls like this. His audience: celibate men and women who lived in isolation, as in this former convent, devoting their time to quiet meditation, prayer, and Bible study. Zurbarán shines a harsh spotlight on many of his subjects, creating strong shadows. Zurbarán’s people often stand starkly isolated against a single-color background—a dark room or the gray-white of a cloudy sky. He was the ideal painter for the austere religion of 17th-century Spain.
Find The Virgin of the Caves (La Virgen de las Cuevas) and study the piety and faith in the monks’ weathered faces. Zurbarán’s Mary is protective, with her hands placed on the heads of two monks. Note the loving detail on the cape embroidery, the brooch, and the flowers at her feet. But also note the angel babies holding the cape, with their painfully double-jointed arms. Zurbarán was no Leonardo.
The Rest of the Museum: Spain’s subsequent art, from the 18th century on, generally followed the trends of the rest of Europe. Room 12 has creamy Romanticism and hazy Impressionism. You’ll see typical Sevillan motifs such as matadors, cigar-factory girls, and river landscapes. Enjoy these painted slices of Sevilla, then exit to experience similar scenes today.
Sevilla’s Holy Week celebrations are Spain’s grandest. During the week leading up to Easter, the city is packed with pilgrims witnessing 60 processions carrying about 100 religious floats. If you miss the actual event, you can get a sense of it by visiting the Basílica de la Macarena and its accompanying museum to see the two most impressive floats and the darling of Semana Santa, the statue of the Virgen de la Macarena. Although far from the city center, it’s located on Sevilla’s ring road and easy to reach. (While La Macarena is the big kahuna, for a more central look at beloved procession statues, consider stopping by the Church of the Savior, described earlier; or Tirana’s Church of Santa Ana, described later.)
Cost and Hours: Church-free, treasury museum-€5, audioguide-€1, daily 9:30-14:00 & 17:00-20:30.
Getting There: Wave down a taxi and say “Basilica Macarena” (about €6 from the city center). All the #C buses go there, including bus #C3 and #C4 from Puerta de Jerez (near the Torre de Oro) or Avenida de Menéndez Pelayo (the ring road east of the cathedral), tel. 954-901-800, www.hermandaddelamacarena.es.
Self-Guided Tour: Despite the long history of the Macarena statue, the Neo-Baroque church was only built in 1949 to give the oft-moved sculpture a permanent home.
• Grab a pew and study the...
Weeping Virgin: La Macarena is known as the “Weeping Virgin” for the five crystal teardrops trickling down her cheeks. She’s like a Baroque doll with human hair and articulated arms, and is even dressed in underclothes. Sculpted in the late 17th century (probably by Pedro Roldán), she’s become Sevilla’s most popular image of Mary.
Her beautiful expression—halfway between smiling and crying—is ambiguous, letting worshippers project their own emotions onto her. Her weeping can be contagious—look around you. She’s also known as La Esperanza, the Virgin of Hope, and she promises better times after the sorrow.
Installed in a side chapel (on the left) is the Christ of the Judgment (from 1654), showing Jesus on the day he was condemned. This statue and La Macarena stand atop the two most important floats of the Holy Week parades.
• To see the floats and learn more, visit the treasury museum (exit the church; museum entrance is on the left side of the church).
Tesoro (Treasury Museum): This small three-floor museum tells the history of the Virgin statue and the Holy Week parades. Though rooted in medieval times, the current traditions developed around 1600, with the formation of various fraternities (hermandades). During Holy Week, they demonstrate their dedication to God by parading themed floats throughout Sevilla to retell the story of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ (for more, see sidebar on here). The museum displays ceremonial banners, scepters, and costumed mannequins; videos show the parades in action (some displays in English).
The three-ton float that carries the Christ of the Judgment is slathered in gold leaf and shows a commotion of figures acting out the sentencing of Jesus. (The statue of Christ—the one you saw in the church—is placed before this crowd for the Holy Week procession.) Pontius Pilate is about to wash his hands. Pilate’s wife cries as a man reads the death sentence. During the Holy Week procession, pious Sevillan women wail in the streets while relays of 48 men carry this float on the backs of their necks—only their feet showing under the drapes—as they shuffle through the streets from midnight until 14:00 in the afternoon every Good Friday. The men rehearse for months to get their choreographed footwork in sync.
La Macarena follows the Christ of the Judgment in the procession. Mary’s smaller 1.5-ton float seems all silver and candles—“strong enough to support the roof, but tender enough to quiver in the soft night breeze.” Mary has a wardrobe of three huge mantles, worn in successive years; these are about 100 years old, as is her six-pound gold crown/halo. This float has a mesmerizing effect on the local crowds. They line up for hours, then clap, weep, and throw roses as it slowly sways along the streets, working its way through town. A Sevillan friend once explained, “She knows all the problems of Sevilla and its people; we’ve been confiding in her for centuries. To us, she is hope.”
The museum collection also contains some matador paraphernalia. La Macarena is the patron saint of bullfighters, and they give thanks for her protection. Copies of her image are popular in bullring chapels. In 1912 the bullfighter José Ortega, hoping for protection, gave La Macarena the five emerald brooches she wears. It worked for eight years...until he was gored to death in the ring. For a month, La Macarena was dressed in widow’s black—the only time that has happened.
Macarena Neighborhood: Outside the church, notice the best surviving bit of Sevilla’s old walls. Originally Roman, what remains today was built by the Moors in the 12th century to (unsuccessfully) keep the Christians out. And yes, it’s from this city that a local dance band (Los del Río) changed the world by giving us the popular 1990s song “The Macarena.” He-e-y-y, Macarena!
Today’s university was yesterday’s fábrica de tabacos (tobacco factory), which employed 10,000 young female cigareras—including the saucy femme fatale of Bizet’s opera Carmen. In the 18th century, it was the second-largest building in Spain, after El Escorial. Wander through its halls as you walk to Plaza de España. The university’s bustling café is a good place for cheap tapas, beer, wine, and conversation (Mon-Fri 8:00-21:00, Sat 9:00-13:00, closed Sun).
This square, the surrounding buildings, and the nearby María Luisa Park are the remains of the 1929 international fair, where for a year the Spanish-speaking countries of the world enjoyed a mutual-admiration fiesta. When they finish the restoration work here (it’s taking years), this delightful area—the epitome of world’s fair-style architecture—will once again be great for people-watching (especially during the 19:00-20:00 peak paseo hour). The park’s highlight is the former Spanish Pavilion. Its tiles—a trademark of Sevilla—show historic scenes and maps from every province of Spain (arranged in alphabetical order, from Álava to Zaragoza). Climb to one of the balconies for a fine view. Beware: This is a classic haunt of thieves and con artists; many pose as lost tourists, and may come at you with a map unfolded to hide their speedy, greedy fingers. Believe no one here.
In Sevilla—as is true in so many other European cities that grew up in the age of river traffic—what was long considered the “wrong side of the river” is now the most colorful part of town. Sevilla’s Triana is a proud neighborhood, famed for its flamenco soul (characterized by the statue that greets arrivals from across the river) and its independent spirit. Locals describe crossing the bridge toward the city center as “going to Sevilla.”
Visiting Tirana: From downtown Sevilla, head southwest on the busy Calle Reyes Católicos (which passes just north of the bullring), crossing the Puente de Isabel II. Just off the bridge, on the right as you cross into Triana, is the neighborhood’s covered market. Built in 2005 in the Moorish Revival style, it sits upon the ruins of an Inquisition-era castle (the scant remains of which you can see). The market bustles in the mornings and afternoons with traditional fruit and vegetable stalls as well as colorful tapas bars and cafés.
Calle San Jacinto, straight ahead just beyond the bridge, was recently liberated from car traffic. It’s the hip center of the people scene—a festival of life each evening (see my favorite eating options on here). Venturing down side lanes, you find classic 19th-century facades with fine ironwork and colorful tiles. Long home to several tile factories, the district’s crusty and flamenco-flamboyant character was shaped by its working-class industrial heritage and a sizeable Roma (Gypsy) population. You can still see a few flowery back courtyards that were once the corrales (communal patios) of Roma clans who shared one kitchen, bathroom, and fountain.
The first cross-street intersecting Calle San Jacinto, Calle Pureza, cuts (left) through the historic center of Triana, passing the Church of Santa Ana, nicknamed “the Cathedral of Triana.” It’s the home of the beloved Virgin statue called Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza de Triana (Our Lady of Hope of Triana). She’s a big deal here—in Sevilla, upon meeting someone, it’s customary to ask not only which football team they support, but which Virgin Mary they favor. The top two in town are the Virgen de la Macarena and La Esperanza de Triana. On the Thursday of Holy Week, it’s a battle royale of the Madonnas, as Sevilla’s two favorite Virgins are both in processions on the streets at the same time.
As you wander, pop into bars and notice how the decor mixes bullfighting lore with Virgin worship. Keep your eyes peeled for abacerías, traditional neighborhood grocers who also function as neighborhood bars (such as La Antigua Abacería, at Calle Pureza 12).
One of Spain’s most impressive Roman ruins is found outside the sleepy town of Santiponce, about six miles northwest of Sevilla. Founded in 206 B.C. for wounded soldiers recuperating from the Second Punic War, Itálica became a thriving town of great agricultural and military importance. It was the birthplace of famous Roman emperors Trajan and Hadrian. Today its best-preserved ruin is its amphitheater—one of the largest in the Roman Empire—with a capacity for 30,000 spectators. Other highlights include beautiful floor mosaics, such as the one in Casa de los Pájaros (House of the Birds), with representations of more than 30 species of birds. In summer, plan your visit to avoid the midday heat—arrive either early or late in the day, and definitely bring water.
Cost and Hours: €1.50; April-May Tue-Sat 9:00-20:00, Sun 10:00-17:00; June-mid-Sept Tue-Sat 9:00-15:30, Sun 10:00-17:00, mid-Sept-March Tue-Sat 9:00-18:30, Sun 10:00-17:00; closed Mon year-round; last entry 30 minutes before closing, tel. 955-123-847, www.museosdeandalucia.es.
Getting There: You can get to Itálica on bus #M-172A (30-minute trip, frequent departures from Sevilla’s Plaza de Armas station). If you’re driving, head west out of Sevilla in the direction of Huelva; after you cross the second branch of the river, turn north on SE-30/A-66, and after a few miles, get off at Santiponce. Drive past pottery warehouses and through the town to the ruins at the far (west) end.
Some of Spain’s most intense bullfighting is done in Sevilla’s 14,000-seat bullring, Plaza de Toros. Fights are held (generally at 18:30) on most Sundays in May and June; on Easter and Corpus Christi; daily during the April Fair; and at the end of September (during the Feria de San Miguel). These serious fights, with adult matadors, are called corrida de toros and often sell out in advance. On many Thursday evenings in July, the novillada fights take place, with teenage novices doing the killing and smaller bulls doing the dying. Corrida de toros seats range from €25 for high seats looking into the sun to €150 for the first three rows in the shade under the royal box; novillada seats are half that—and easy to buy at the arena a few minutes before show time (ignore scalpers outside; get information at a TI, your hotel, by phone, or online; tel. 954-210-315, www.plazadetorosdelamaestranza.com).
Follow a bilingual (Spanish and English) 40-minute guided tour through the bullring’s strangely quiet and empty arena, its museum, and the chapel where the matador prays before the fight. (Thanks to readily available blood transfusions, there have been no deaths in nearly three decades.) The two most revered figures of Sevilla, the Virgen de la Macarena and the Jesús del Gran Poder (Christ of All Power), are represented in the chapel. In the museum, you’ll see great classic scenes and the heads of a few bulls—awarded the bovine equivalent of an Oscar for a particularly good fight. The city was so appalled when the famous matador Manolete was killed in 1947 that even the mother of the bull that gored him was destroyed. Matadors—dressed to kill—are heartthrobs in their “suits of light.” Many girls have their bedrooms wallpapered with posters of cute bullfighters. See here for more on the “art” of bullfighting.
Cost and Hours: €7, entrance with escorted tour only—no free time inside, 3/hour, daily May-Oct 9:30-20:00, Nov-April 9:00-19:00, until 14:00 on fight days, when chapel and horse room are closed. The last tour departs 15 minutes before closing. While they take groups of up to 50, it’s still wise to call or drop by to reserve a spot in the busy season (tel. 954-224-577, www.realmaestranza.com).
For a seven-day period that falls a week or two after Easter, much of Sevilla is packed into its vast fairgrounds for a grand party (April 29-May 4 in 2014). The fair, seeming to bring all that’s Andalusian together, feels friendly, spontaneous, and very real. The local passion for horses, flamenco, and sherry is clear—riders are ramrod straight, colorfully clad girls ride sidesaddle, and everyone’s drinking sherry spritzers. Women sport outlandish dresses that would look clownish elsewhere, but are somehow brilliant here en masse. Horses clog the streets in an endless parade until about 20:00, when they clear out and the streets fill with exuberant locals. The party goes on literally 24 hours a day for the entire week.
Countless private party tents, called casetas, line the lanes. Each tent is the private party zone of a family, club, or association. You need to know someone in the group—or make friends quickly—to get in. Because of the exclusivity, it has a real family-affair feeling. In each caseta, everyone knows everyone. It seems like a thousand wedding parties being celebrated at the same time.
Any tourist can have a fun and memorable evening by simply crashing the party. The city’s entire fleet of taxis (who’ll try to charge double) and buses seems dedicated to shuttling people from downtown to the fairgrounds. Given the traffic jams and inflated prices, you may be better off hiking: From the Torre del Oro, cross the San Telmo Bridge to Plaza de Cuba and hike down Calle Asunción. You’ll see the towering gate to the fairgrounds in the distance. Just follow the crowds (there’s no admission charge). Arrive before 20:00 to see the horses, but stay later, as the ambience improves after the caballos giddy-up on out. Some of the larger tents are sponsored by the city and open to the public, but the best action is in the streets, where party-goers from the livelier casetas spill out. Although private tents have bouncers, everyone is so happy that it’s not tough to strike up an impromptu friendship, become a “special guest,” and be invited in. The drink flows freely, and the food is fun and cheap.
For the best local shopping experience, follow my shopping stroll (described next). The popular pedestrian streets Sierpes and Tetuán/Velázquez—along with the surrounding lanes near Plaza Nueva—are packed with people and shops.
Clothing and shoe stores stay open all day. Other shops generally take a siesta, closing between 13:30 and 16:00 or 17:00 on weekdays, as well as on Saturday afternoons and all day Sunday. Big stores such as El Corte Inglés stay open (and air-conditioned) right through the siesta.
El Corte Inglés also has a supermarket downstairs and a good but expensive restaurant (Mon-Sat 10:00-22:00, closed Sun). Popular souvenir items include ladies’ fans, shawls, mantillas, other items related to flamenco (castanets, guitars, costumes), ceramics, and bullfighting posters.
Collectors’ markets hop on Sunday: stamps and coins at Plaza del Cabildo (near the cathedral) and art on Plaza del Museo (by the Museo de Bellas Artes).
Mercado del Arenal, the covered fish-and-produce market, is perfect for hungry photographers (Mon-Sat 9:00-14:30, closed Sun, least lively on Mon, on Calle Pastor y Landero at Calle Arenal, just beyond bullring). For tips on dining here, see here.
Although many tourists never get beyond the cathedral and the Santa Cruz neighborhood, it’s important to wander west into the lively pedestrian shopping center of town. The best shopping streets—Calle Tetuán, Calle Sierpes, and Calle Cuna—also happen to be part of the oldest section of Sevilla. A walk here is a chance to join one of Spain’s liveliest paseos—that bustling celebration of life that takes place before dinner each evening, when everyone is out strolling, showing off their fancy shoes and checking out everyone else’s. This walk, if done between 18:00 and 20:00, gives you a chance to experience the paseo scene while getting a look at the town’s most popular shops. You’ll pass windows displaying the best in both traditional and trendy fashion. The walk ends at a plush mansion of a local countess (open to the public).
Start on the pedestrianized Plaza Nueva, a 19th-century square facing the ornate city hall, which features a statue of Ferdinand III, a local favorite because he freed Sevilla from the Moors in 1248. From here wander the length of Calle Tetuán (notice the latest in outrageous shoes). Calle Tetuán becomes Calle Velázquez, and ends at La Campana (a big intersection and popular meeting point, with the super department store, El Corte Inglés, just beyond, on Plaza del Duque de la Victoria).
Turn right. At the corner of Calle Sierpes awaits a venerable pastry shop, Confitería La Campana, with a fine 1885 interior...and Sevilla’s most tempting sweets. From here, head down Calle Sierpes, which is great for shopping and strolling. Calle Sierpes is the main street of the Holy Week processions—imagine it packed with celebrants and its balconies bulging with spectators. At the corner of Sierpes and Jovellanos/Sagasta, you’re near several fine shops featuring Andalusian accessories. Drop in to see how serious local women are about their fans, shawls, mantillas (ornate head scarves), and peinetas (combs designed to secure and prop up the mantilla). The most valuable mantillas are silk, and the top-quality combs are made of tortoise shell (though most women opt for much more affordable polyester and plastic). Andalusian women have various fans to match different dresses—they’re considered an accessory. The mantilla comes in black (worn only on Good Friday and by the mother of the groom at weddings) and white (worn at bullfights during the April Fair).
From here turn left down Calle Sagasta. Notice that the street has two names—the modern version and a medieval one: Antigua Calle de Gallegos (“Ancient Street of the Galicians”). With the Christian victory in 1248, the Muslims were given one month to evacuate. To consolidate Christian control during that time, settlers from Galicia, the northwest corner of Iberia, were planted here; this street was the center of their neighborhood.
Finally, you’ll arrive at charming Plaza del Salvador. It’s teeming with life at the foot of the Church of the Savior (described on here and well worth a visit). Backtrack left along Calle Cuna, famous for its exuberant flamenco dresses and classic wedding dresses. Local women save up to have flamenco dresses custom-made for the April Fair: They’re considered an important status symbol. If all this shopping wasn’t enough to make you feel like a countess, follow Calle Cuna to the Museo Palacio de la Condesa de Lebrija. Nearby is the mod, mushroom-shaped structure that towers over Plaza de la Encarnación (both described on here).
This music-and-dance art form has its roots in the Roma (Gypsy) and Moorish cultures. Even at a packaged “flamenco evening,” sparks fly. The men do most of the flamboyant machine-gun footwork. The women often concentrate on the graceful turns and smooth, shuffling step of the soléa version of the dance. Watch the musicians. Flamenco guitarists, with their lightning-fast finger-roll strums, are among the best in the world. The intricate rhythms are set by castanets or the hand-clapping (called palmas) of those who aren’t dancing at the moment. In the raspy-voiced wails of the singers, you’ll hear echoes of the Muslim call to prayer.
Like jazz, flamenco thrives on improvisation. Also like jazz, good flamenco is more than just technical proficiency. A singer or dancer with “soul” is said to have duende. Flamenco is a happening, with bystanders clapping along and egging on the dancers with whoops and shouts. Get into it.
Hotels push tourist-oriented, nightclub-style flamenco shows, but they charge a commission. Fortunately, it’s easy to book a place on your own. And if you don’t care to see an actual show, you can still clap your castanets at the Flamenco Dance Museum (described on here).
Sevilla’s flamenco offerings tend to fall into one of three categories: serious concerts (usually about €18 and about an hour long), where the singing and dancing take center stage; touristy dinner-and-drinks shows with table service (generally around €35—not including food—and two hours long); and—the least touristy option—casual bars with late-night performances, where for the cost of a drink you can catch impromptu (or semiimpromptu) musicians at play. Here’s the rundown for each type of performance:
While it’s hard to choose among these three nightly, one-hour flamenco concerts, I’d say enjoying one is a must during your Sevilla visit. To the novice viewer, each company offers equal quality. They cost about the same, and each venue is small, intimate, and air-conditioned. For most, they are preferable to the “shows” listed later (which are half the cost, half the length, and have half as many seats). They also take place relatively early in the evening, especially compared with the flamenco you can see for free in various bars around town (that scene doesn’t ignite until very late at night).
My recommended concerts are careful to give you a good overview of the art form, covering all the flamenco bases. At each venue you can reserve by phone and pay upon arrival, or drop by early to pick up a ticket. While La Casa del Flamenco is the nicest and most central venue, the other two have exhibits that can add to the experience.
La Casa de la Memoria is a strangely wide venue (just two rows deep), where everyone gets a close-up view and room to stretch out (€16, nightly at 19:30 and 21:00, no drinks, no children under six, 80 seats, Calle Cuna 6, tel. 954-560-670, www.casadelamemoria.es, flamencomemoria@gmail.com, run by Rosanna). They also have an exhibit on one easy, well-described floor, with lots of photos and a few artifacts (€3, or free with concert ticket—but only open 10:00-18:00).
The Flamenco Dance Museum, while the most congested venue (with 115 tightly packed seats), has a bar and allows drinks, and you can visit the museum immediately before the show. It has festival seating—the doors open at 18:00, when you can grab the seat of your choice, then spend an hour touring the museum and enjoying a drink before the show (€20, nightly at 19:00, €24 combo-ticket includes the museum and a show, see museum listing on here).
La Casa del Flamenco is in a delightful arcaded courtyard right in the Barrio Santa Cruz (€18, €2 discount when booking direct with this book, nightly at 21:00 in April-Sept, at 19:30 in Oct-March, no drinks, no kids under 6, 60 spacious seats, reception at adjacent Hotel Alcántara serves as the box office, Calle Ximénez de Enciso 33, tel. 954-500-595).
These packaged shows can be a bit sterile—and an audience of tourists doesn’t help—but I find both Los Gallos and El Arenal entertaining and riveting. While El Arenal may have a slight edge on talent, and certainly feels slicker, Los Gallos has a cozier setting, with cushy rather than hard chairs—and it’s cheaper.
Los Gallos presents nightly two-hour shows at 20:15 and 22:30 (€35 ticket includes a drink, €3/person discount with this book in 2014—but limited to two people, arrive 30 minutes early for best seats, noisy bar but no food served, Plaza de la Santa Cruz 11, tel. 954-216-981, www.tablaolosgallos.com, owners José and Blanca promise goose bumps).
Tablao El Arenal has arguably more professional performers and a classier setting for its show—but dinner customers get the preferred seating, and waiters are working throughout the performance (€38 ticket includes a drink, €60 includes tapas, €72 includes dinner, 1.5-hour shows at 20:00 and 22:00, near bullring at Calle Rodó 7, tel. 954-216-492, www.tablaoelarenal.com).
El Patio Sevillano is more of a variety show, with flamenco as well as other forms of song and dance. While hotels may recommend this, they’re just working for kickbacks. I like the other two much better.
Spirited flamenco singing still erupts spontaneously in bars throughout the old town after midnight—but you need to know where to look. Ask a local for the latest.
La Carbonería Bar, the sangria equivalent of a beer garden, is a few blocks north of the Barrio Santa Cruz. It’s a sprawling place with a variety of rooms leading to a big, open tented area filled with young locals, casual guitar strummers, and nearly nightly flamenco music from about 22:30 to 24:00. Located just a few blocks from most of my recommended hotels, this is worth finding if you’re not quite ready to end the day (no cover, €2.50 sangria, daily 20:00-3:00 in the morning; near Plaza Santa María—find Hotel Fernando III, the side alley Céspedes dead-ends at Levies, head left to Levies 18, unsigned door; tel. 954-214-460, for location, see map on here).
While the days of Gypsies and flamenco throbbing throughout Triana are mostly long gone, a few bars still host live dancing; Lo Nuestro and Rejoneo are favorites (at Calle Betis 31A and 31B).
Sevilla is meant for strolling. The paseo thrives every non-winter evening in these areas: along either side of the river between the San Telmo and Isabel II bridges (Paseo de Cristóbal Colón and Triana district; see “Eating in Sevilla,” here), up Avenida de la Constitución, around Plaza Nueva, at Plaza de España, and throughout the Barrio Santa Cruz. On hot summer nights, even families with toddlers are out and about past midnight. Spend some time rafting through this river of humanity.
Savor the view of floodlit Sevilla by night from the Tirana side of the river—perhaps over dinner.
For the best late-night drink with a cathedral view, visit the trendy top floor of EME Catedral Hotel (at Calle Alemanes 27). Ride the elevator to the top, climb the labyrinthine staircases to the bar, and sit down at a tiny table with a big view.
All of my listings are centrally located, mostly within a five-minute walk of the cathedral. The first are near the charming but touristy Santa Cruz neighborhood. The last group is just as central but closer to the river, across the boulevard in a more workaday, less touristy zone.
Room rates as much as double during the two Sevilla fiestas (Holy Week and the weeklong April Fair, held a week or two after Easter). In general, the busiest and most expensive months are April, May, September, and October. Hotels put rooms on the discounted push list in July and August—when people with good sense avoid this furnace—and from November through February. A price range indicates low- to high-season prices (but I have not listed festival prices).
If you do visit in July or August, you’ll find the best deals in central, business-class places. They offer summer discounts and provide a (necessary) cool, air-conditioned refuge. But be warned that Spain’s air-conditioning often isn’t the icebox you’re used to, especially in Sevilla.
These places are off Calle Santa María la Blanca and Plaza Santa María. The most convenient parking lot is the underground Cano y Cueto garage (see here). A self-service launderette is a couple of blocks away up Avenida de Menéndez Pelayo (see “Helpful Hints” on here).
$$$ Hotel Casa 1800, well-priced for its elegance, is worth the extra euros. Located dead-center in the Barrio Santa Cruz (facing a boisterous tapas bar that quiets down after midnight), its 24 rooms circle an elegant chandeliered patio lounge that hosts a daily free afternoon tea for guests. With a rooftop terrace offering an impressive cathedral view and elegantly appointed rooms with high, beamed ceilings, it’s a winner (standard Db-€147, superior Db with private patio-€164, deluxe Db with terrace and outdoor Jacuzzi-€194, “grand deluxe” Db with all of the above and more-€320, breakfast-€9.50, air-con, elevator, guest computer, free Wi-Fi, Calle Rodrigo Caro 6, tel. 954-561-800, www.hotelcasa1800.com, info@hotelcasa1800.com).
$$$ Hotel Las Casas de la Judería has 178 quiet, elegant rooms and suites, many of them tastefully decorated with hardwood floors and a Spanish flair. The service can be stiff and stuffy, but the rooms, which surround a series of peaceful courtyards, are a romantic splurge. Some are rather dated, though, so request one of the newer ones (Sb-€110-160, Db-€120-244 depending on season, mention this book for 10 percent discount, check their website for even better rates, expensive but great buffet breakfast-€19, air-con, elevator, free Wi-Fi in lobby, pool in summer, valet parking-€20/day, Plaza Santa María 5, tel. 954-415-150, www.casasypalacios.com, juderia@casasypalacios.com).
$$$ El Rey Moro encircles its spacious, colorful patio (which tourists routinely duck into for a peek) with 19 rooms. Colorful and dripping with quirky Andalusian character, and thoughtful about including extras (such as free loaner bikes and private rooftop Jacuzzi time), it’s a class act (Sb-€79-99, Db-€100-129, breakfast-€9—or free if you reserve on their website, check their site for other specials, air-con, elevator, guest computer, free Wi-Fi, Calle Lope de Rueda 14, tel. 954-563-468, www.elreymoro.com, hotel@elreymoro.com).
$$$ Hotel Amadeus is a little gem that music lovers will appreciate (it even has a couple of soundproof rooms with pianos—something I’ve never seen anywhere else in Europe). The rooms, lovingly decorated with a musical motif, are situated around small courtyards. Elevators take you to two roof terraces (one with an under-the-stars Jacuzzi). Though small, this 24-room place is classy and comfortable, with welcoming public spaces and a very charming staff. The €8.50 breakfast comes on a trolley—enjoy it in your room, in the lounge, or on a terrace (Sb-€90, Db-€105, big Db-€120, suites-€165-195, cheaper July-Aug, air-con, elevator, guest computer, free Wi-Fi—plus iPads in every room, laundry-€15, parking-€20/day, Calle Farnesio 6, tel. 954-501-443, www.hotelamadeussevilla.com, reservas@hotelamadeussevilla.com, wonderfully run by María Luisa and her staff—Zaida and Cristina). Their next-door annex is every bit as charming, and a similarly good value: $$$ La Música de Sevilla offers six beautifully appointed rooms—three facing the interior patio, and three streetside rooms with small balconies (patio Db-€110, exterior Db-€130, air-con, reserve through and check in at Hotel Amadeus).
$$$ Hotel Palacio Alcázar is the former home and studio of John Fulton, an American who moved here to become a bullfighter and painter. This charming boutique hotel has 12 crisp, modern rooms, and each soundproofed door is painted with a different scene of Sevilla. Triple-paned windows keep out the noise from the plaza (Sb-€85-120, Db-€95-130, Tb-€130-145, prices depend on room size and season, breakfast-€9, air-con, elevator, free Wi-Fi, rooftop terrace with bar and cathedral views, Plaza de la Alianza 11, tel. 954-502-190, www.hotelpalacioalcazar.com, hotel@palacioalcazar.com).
$$ YH Giralda, once an 18th-century abbots’ house, is now a charming 14-room hotel tucked away on a little street right off Calle Mateos Gago, just a couple of blocks from the cathedral. The exterior rooms have windows onto a pedestrian street, and a few of the interior rooms have small windows that look into the inner courtyard; all rooms are neatly appointed (Sb-€50-84, Db-€50-94, Tb-€75-115, Qb-€85-135, higher rates are for weekends, no breakfast, air-con, free Wi-Fi, Calle Abades 30, tel. 954-228-324, www.yh-hoteles.com, yhgiralda@yh-hoteles.com).
$$ Hotel Alcántara offers more no-nonsense comfort than character. Well-located but strangely out of place in the midst of the Santa Cruz jumble, it rents 21 slick rooms at a good price (Sb-€71, small Db-€82, bigger Db twin-€93, fancy Db-€117; 10 percent discount or a free breakfast—your choice—if you book direct, pay cash, and show this book in 2014, offer not valid during Holy Week or April Fair; breakfast-€6, air-con, elevator, free Wi-Fi, rentable laptop and bikes, outdoor patio, Calle Ximénez de Enciso 28, tel. 954-500-595, www.hotelalcantara.net, info@hotelalcantara.net). The hotel also functions as the box office for the nightly La Casa del Flamenco show, next door (see here).
$$ Hotel Murillo enjoys one of the most appealing locations in Santa Cruz, along one of the very narrow “kissing lanes.” Above its elegant, antiques-filled lobby are 57 nondescript rooms with marble floors (Sb-€69-95, Db-€85-111, about €30 more for “superior” rooms with fancier decor, breakfast-€9, air-con, elevator, free Wi-Fi in lobby, bar across the street closes at midnight, Calle Lope de Rueda 7, tel. 954-216-095, www.hotelmurillo.com, reservas@hotelmurillo.com). They also rent apartments with kitchens (Db-€90-120, see website for details).
$$ Pensión Córdoba, a homier and cheaper option, has 12 tidy, quiet rooms, solid modern furniture, and a showpiece tiled courtyard (S-€35-45, Sb-€40-55, D-€50-65, Db-€60-75, no breakfast, cash only, air-con, guest computer, free Wi-Fi in lobby, on a tiny lane off Calle Santa María la Blanca at Calle Farnesio 12, tel. 954-227-498, www.pensioncordoba.com, reservas@pensioncordoba.com, Ana and María).
$ Plaza Santa Cruz Hostal is a charming little place, with thoughtful touches that you wouldn’t expect in this price range. The 17 clean, basic rooms surround a bright little courtyard that’s buried deep in the Barrio Santa Cruz, just off Plaza Santa Cruz (Sb-€55, Db-€60, Qb-€75, includes breakfast, air-con, free Wi-Fi, Calle Santa Teresa 15, tel. 954-228-808, www.hostalplazasantacruz.com, info@hostalplazasantacruz.com).
$ Samay Hostel, on a busy street a block from the edge of the Barrio Santa Cruz, is a youthful, well-run slumbermill with 90 beds in 23 rooms (bunk in 4- to 10-bed dorm-€15-20, Db-€50-64, includes linens, buffet breakfast-€2.50, shared kitchen, air-con, elevator, guest computer, free Wi-Fi, laundry service, 24-hour reception, rooftop terrace, Avenida de Menéndez Pelayo 13, tel. 955-100-160, www.samayhostels.com, Pablo).
$$$ Hotel Alminar, plush and elegant, rents 12 fresh, slick, minimalist rooms (Sb-€60-95, Db-€95-125, superior Db with terrace-€115-155, extra bed-€25, breakfast-€6, air-con, elevator, loaner laptop-€2/hour, free Wi-Fi, just 100 yards from the cathedral at Calle Álvarez Quintero 52, tel. 954-293-913, www.hotelalminar.com, reservas@hotelalminar.com, run by well-dressed, never-stressed Francisco).
$ Hotel San Francisco may have a classy facade, but inside its 17 rooms are sparsely decorated, with metal doors. It’s centrally located, clean, and quiet, except for the noisy ground-floor room next to the TV and reception (Sb-€40-55, Db-€50-68, Tb-€62-80, no breakfast, air-con, elevator, small rooftop terrace with cathedral view, free Wi-Fi in lobby with loaner netbook, located on pedestrian Calle Álvarez Quintero at #38, tel. 954-501-541, www.sanfranciscoh.com, info@sanfranciscoh.com, Carlos).
$$$ Hotel Vincci La Rábida, part of a big, impersonal hotel chain, offers four-star comfort with its 103 rooms, huge and inviting courtyard lounge, and powerful air-conditioning. Its pricing is dictated by a computer that has it down to a science (see website for prices—rates can spike to €400 with high demand and dip to €80 during slow times, when that air-con is most welcome; elevator, pay Wi-Fi, Calle Castelar 24, tel. 954-501-280, www.vinccihoteles.com, larabida@vinccihoteles.com).
$$$ Hotel Taberna del Alabardero is unique, with only seven rooms occupying the top floor of a poet’s mansion (above the classy recommended restaurant, Taberna del Alabardero). It’s nicely located, a great value, and the ambience is perfectly circa-1900 (Db-€90-140, Db suite-€122-190, includes breakfast, 10 percent discount with this book in 2014, air-con, elevator, free Wi-Fi, parking-€20/day, closed in Aug, Zaragoza 20, tel. 954-502-721, www.tabernadelalabardero.es, rest.alabardero@esh.es).
$$ Hotel Maestranza, sparkling with loving care and charm, has 18 simple, small, clean rooms well-located on a street just off Plaza Nueva. It feels elegant for its price. Double-paned windows help to cut down on noise from the tapas bars below (Sb-€41-53, Db-€57-87, family suite-€105-135, extra bed-€20, 5 percent cash discount, no breakfast, air-con, elevator, free Wi-Fi, Gamazo 12, tel. 954-561-070, www.hotelmaestranza.es, sevilla@hotelmaestranza.es, Antonio).
$$ Sevilla Plaza Suites rents 10 self-catering apartments with kitchenettes. Just opened in 2013, it’s squeaky clean, family friendly, and well-located—and comes with an Astroturf sun terrace with a cathedral view. While service is scaled down, reception is open long hours (8:00-22:00) and rooms are cleaned daily (small Db-€75, big Db-€90, Qb apartment-€85-100, 6b apartment-€100-150, no breakfast, air-con, inside rooms are quieter, best deals though their website are nonrefundable, a block off Plaza Nueva at Calle Zaragoza 52, tel. 955-038-533, www.suitessevillaplaza.com, javier@suitessevillaplaza.com, Javier).
$ Oasis Backpackers Hostel is a good place for cheap beds, and perhaps Sevilla’s best place to connect with young backpackers. Each of the eight rooms, with up to eight double bunks, comes with a modern bathroom and individual lockers. The rooftop terrace—with lounge chairs, a small pool, and adjacent kitchen—is well-used (€15-44/bed, includes breakfast, guest computer, free Wi-Fi, just off Plaza de la Encarnación on the tiny and quiet lane behind the church at #29 1/2, tel. 954-293-777, www.hostelsoasis.com, sevilla@hostelsoasis.com). Oasis also runs popular branches in Granada, Málaga, and Lisbon.
Eating in Sevilla is fun and affordable. People from Madrid and Barcelona find it a wonderful value. Make a point to get out and eat well when in Sevilla.
A clear eating trend in Sevilla is the rise of gourmet tapas bars, with spiffed-up decor and creative menus, at the expense of traditional restaurants. Even in difficult economic times, when other businesses are closing down, tapas bars are popping up all over. (Locals explain that with the collapse of the construction industry here, engineers, architects, and other professionals—eager for a business opportunity—are investing in trendy tapas bars.) Old-school places survive, but they often lack energy, and it seems that their clientele is aging with them. My quandary: I like the classic típico places. But the lively atmosphere and the best food are in the new places. On thing’s for certain: If you want a good “restaurant” experience, your best value these days is to find a trendy tapas bar that offers good table seating, and sit down to enjoy some raciones.
Before heading out, review my “Tapas Menu Decoder” on here, and drinks vocabulary on here.
Crusty and colorful Triana, across the river from the city center, offers a nice range of eating options. Its covered market is home to a world of tempting lunchtime eateries—take a stroll, take in the scene, and take your pick (busiest Tue-Sat morning through afternoon). Beyond the market, the neighborhood has three main restaurant zones to consider: trendy Calle San Jacinto, the neighborhood scene behind the Church of Santa Ana, and several riverside restaurants with views of central Sevilla.
(See “Sevilla Restaurants & Flamenco” map, here.)
The area’s newly pedestrianized main drag is lined with tables of several easy-to-enjoy restaurants.
Taberna Miami is a reliable bet for seafood. Grab a table with a good perch right on the street (€7 half-raciones, €11 raciones, Wed-Mon 11:00-17:00 & 20:00-23:30, closed Tue, Calle San Jacinto 21, tel. 954-340-843).
Blanca Paloma Bar is an untouristy classic that’s a hit with the neighborhood crowd. It offers plenty of small tables for a sit-down meal, a delightful bar, and a fine selection of good Spanish wines by the glass, listed on the blackboard (tapas at bar only, €7 half-raciones, €12 raciones, Mon-Sat 12:00-17:00 & 20:00-24:00, Sun 12:00-17:00 only, at the corner of Calle Pagés del Corro, tel. 954-333-640).
Las Golondrinas Bar (“The Little Sparrows”) is the talk of the Triana tapas scene, with a wonderful list of cheap and tasty tapas. Favorites here are the pork solomillo (sirloin) and champiñónes (mushrooms). Complement your meat with a veggie plate from the aliños section of the menu. Though they don’t post a wine list, they serve plenty of nice wines by the glass. Cling to a corner of the bar and watch the amazingly productive little kitchen jam; you’ll need to be aggressive to get an order in. To make a sit-down meal of it, nab one of the tables upstairs (Tue-Sun 13:00-16:00 & 20:00-24:00, may also be open Mon; one block down Calle San Jacinto from Isobel II Bridge—take the first right onto Calle Alfarería, then the first left onto Calle Antillano Campos to #26; tel. 954-331-626). The same owners also have a modern, less atmospheric place a couple of blocks away at Calle Pagés del Corro 76.
(See “Sevilla Restaurants & Flamenco” map, here.)
This is the best place in the area to take a break from the trendy dining scene. It offers a charming setting where you can sit down under a big tree to eat dinner along with local families.
Bar Bistec, with most of the square’s tables, does grilled fish with gusto. They’re enthusiastic about their cod fritters and calamari, and brag about their pigeon, quail, and snails in sauce. Before taking a seat out on the square, consider the indoor seating and the fun action at the bar (€8 half-raciones, €14 raciones, daily 11:30-16:00 & 20:00-24:00, Plazuela de Santa Ana, tel. 954-274-759). Taberna La Plazuela, which shares the square, is simpler, doing fried fish, grilled sardines, and caracoles (tree snails).
Bar Santa Ana, just a block away alongside the church, is a rustic neighborhood sports-and-bull bar with great seating on the street. Peruse the interior, draped in bullfighting and Weeping Virgin memorabilia. It’s always busy with the neighborhood gang, who enjoy fun tapas like delicia de solomillo (tenderloin) and appreciate the bar’s willingness to serve even cheap tapas at the outdoor tables. If you stand at the bar, they’ll keep track of your bill by chalking it directly on the counter in front of you (facing the side of the church at Pureza 82, tel. 954-272-102).
(See “Sevilla Restaurants & Flamenco” map, here.)
Abades Triana Ristorante is the new hit in town for special occasions and fancy riverfront dining. It’s a dressy restaurant with formal waiters serving modern Mediterranean cuisine. You’ll sit in air-conditioned comfort behind a big glass wall facing the river or on a classy outdoor terrace (€3.50 cover, €15-20 starters, €20-25 fish and meat plates, daily 13:30-16:00 & 20:00-24:00, directly across from Torre del Oro at Calle Betis 69, tel. 954-286-459, www.abadestriana.com, reservations smart but they don’t reserve specific tables).
Restaurante Río Grande is your stuffy, traditional, candlelit-fancy option—a good place for a restaurant dinner, with properly attired waiters, a full menu rather than tapas, and lots of seafood. Dining on the terrace (closer to the bridge) is less expensive and more casual (€3 tapas, €10-20 starters, €18-25 main dishes, daily 13:00-16:00 & 20:00-24:00, air-con, next to the San Telmo Bridge, tel. 954-273-956).
More Riverside Dining: El Faro de Triana charges high prices for basic food, but its fun setting—on four levels within the old yellow bridge tower overlooking the Isabel II Bridge—might make it worthwhile (€7-9 half-raciones, €12-18 raciones, open daily, tel. 954-336-192). The little fish joints fronting the river just beyond the bridge (La Taberna del Pescador, Betis 12 La Terraza, and Taberna Antigua Barberia) charge a little extra for their scenic setting, but if you want to eat reasonably on the river, they are worth considering.
(See “Santa Cruz Hotels, Restaurants & Flamenco” map, here.)
For tapas, the Barrio Santa Cruz is trendy and romántico. Plenty of atmospheric-but-touristy restaurants fill the neighborhood near the cathedral and along Calle Santa María la Blanca. From the cathedral, walk up Calle Mateos Gago, where several classic old bars—with the day’s tapas scrawled on chalkboards—keep tourists and locals well fed and watered.
Bodega Santa Cruz (a.k.a. Las Columnas) is a popular, user-friendly standby with cheap, unpretentious tapas. You’re not coming here for the food (which is basic), but for the bustling atmosphere, as locals and tourists alike crowd the place, inside and out, for hours on end. You can keep an eye on the busy kitchen from the bar, or hang out like a cowboy at the tiny stand-up tables out front. Separate chalkboards list €2 tapas and €2 montaditos (little sandwiches served on a bun).
Las Teresas is a characteristic small bar draped in fun photos. It serves good tapas from a tight little menu. Prices at the bar and outside tables (for fun tourist-watching) are the same, but they serve tapas only at the bar. The hams (with little upside-down umbrellas that catch the dripping fat) are a reminder that the Spanish are enthusiastic about their cured-meat dishes (€3-4 tapas, €8-10 half-raciones, €14-20 raciones, open daily, Calle Santa Teresa 2, tel. 954-213-069).
Cervecería Giralda is a long-established meeting place for locals. With an almost genteel tiled setting and stiff waiters, it has an exclusive air. It’s famous for its fine tapas, but feels particularly touristy—confirm prices, and stick with straight items on the menu rather than expensive trick specials proposed by waiters. You can order from the same menu, and at the same prices, whether you sit outside, at an inside table, or at the bar (€3-4 tapas, €10 raciones, daily 9:00-24:00, Calle Mateos Gago 1, tel. 954-256-162).
Restaurante San Marco serves basic, reasonably priced Italian cuisine under the arches of what was a Moorish bath in the Middle Ages (and a disco in the 1990s). The air-conditioned atmosphere may feel rather upscale, but it’s also easygoing and family-friendly, with live Spanish guitar every night (€7-9 salads, pizza, and pastas; €11-12 meat dishes, daily 13:00-16:15 & 20:00-24:00, Calle Mesón del Moro 6, tel. 954-564-390, staff speaks English, welcoming Angelo).
Casa Roman Taberna has a classic bar and tavern interior, with good tables inside and a few more on a great little square outside. When they’re quiet, they may serve tapas at the tables (ask); otherwise, it’s your standard raciones (easy menu, lots of wines by the glass, Plaza de los Venerables 1, tel. 954-228-483).
(See “Santa Cruz Hotels, Restaurants & Flamenco” map, here.)
This lively street, which defines the eastern boundary of the Barrio Santa Cruz, has an inviting concentration of eateries and is only slightly less touristy.
Taberna Poncio, with a well-known chef who recently downsized from a formal restaurant to a gourmet tapas bar, offers about 30 different €5-10 plates (including desserts). It’s good for restaurant-type seating, both inside or on a quiet square at the edge of the Barrio Santa Cruz (Mon-Sat 13:00-16:00 & 20:00-24:00, closed Sun, just off Plaza Santa María la Blanca at Calle Ximénez de Enciso 33, tel. 954-460-717).
Tapas Restaurants on Paseo Catalina de Ribera: Three easy and good-value places located next to each other are worth considering; they have similar prices (€3-4 tapas, €8-10 plates), fine bars, good indoor seating, and wonderful tables outside on a busy sidewalk facing the Murillo Gardens at the east end of the Barrio Santa Cruz. Modesto Tapas is the old-fashioned place, with standard tapas and a crowd that seems averse to trendiness. The other two are more happening and creative. Vinería San Telmo advertises “vino and tapas” and offers lots of wine by the glass (tel. 954-410-600). Catalina Tapas Bar is my favorite—like me, it’s more up-to-date and creative than Modesto, but less hip than San Telmo (tel. 954-412-412).
Restaurante Modesto is a local favorite serving pricey but top-notch Andalusian fare—especially fish—with a comfortable dining room and atmospheric outdoor seating in the bright, bustling square just outside the Barrio Santa Cruz. It offers creative, fun meals—look around before ordering—and a good €20 fixed-price lunch or dinner served by energetic, occasionally pushy waiters. The €9 house salad is a meal, and the €15.50 fritura modesto (fried seafood plate) is popular (€7-15 starters, €12-20 main dishes, daily 12:00-17:00 & 20:00-24:00, near Santa María la Blanca at Calle Cano y Cueto 5, tel. 954-416-811).
Freiduría Puerta de la Carne and Bar Restaurante El 3 de Oro are a two-for-one operation. Freiduría is a fried-fish-to-go place, with great outdoor seating, while El 3 de Oro is a fancier restaurant across the street that serves fine wine or beer to the fry shop’s outdoor tables. First go into the fry shop and order a cheap cone of tasty fried fish with a tomato salad. Study the photos of the various kinds of seafood available; un quarto (250 grams, for €5-7) serves one person. Then head out front and flag down a server to order a drink (technically from the restaurant), all while enjoying a great outdoor setting—almost dining for the cost of a picnic (Freiduría open daily in summer 20:00-24:30, also open for lunch in off-season; Santa María la Blanca 34, tel. 954-426-820).
Breakfast and Dessert on Plaza Santa María la Blanca: Several nondescript places work to keep travelers happy at breakfast time on the sunny main square near most of my recommended hotels. I like Café Bar Carmela. For the cost of a continental breakfast at your hotel (€5.50-7.50), you can be out on the square, with your choice of either a smaller, local-style breakfast, or a hearty American-style meal (breakfast served 9:00-13:00, easy menus, Calle Santa María la Blanca 6, tel. 954-540-590).
Villar Ice Cream is the neighborhood favorite. Maestro Heladero Antonino has been making ice cream in Sevilla for the past 40 years, with a focus on fresh, natural, and inventive products. They are generous with samples and creative with their offerings, so try a few wild flavors before choosing. Antonino’s friendly wife, Cecilia, speaks English and doles out samples (daily 12:00-24:00, Puerto de la Carne 3, mobile 664-608-960).
(See “Sevilla Restaurants & Flamenco” map, here.)
I don’t like the restaurants surrounding the cathedral, but many good places are nearby, just across Avenida de la Constitución. In the area between the cathedral and the river, you can find tapas, cheap eats, and fine dining. Calle García de Vinuesa leads past several colorful and cheap tapas places to a busy corner surrounded with an impressive selection of happy eateries (where Calle de Adriano meets Calle Antonia Díaz).
Bodeguita Casablanca is famously the choice of bullfighters, and even the king. Just steps from the touristy cathedral area, this classy place seems a world apart, with elegant locals, a great menu, and a dressy interior complete with a stuffed bull’s head. Sit inside for a serious meal of half-raciones. Be bold and experiment with your order—you can’t go wrong here (€2.50 tapas, Mon-Fri 13:30-24:00, closed Sat-Sun, across from Archivo de Indias at Calle Adolfo Rodríguez Jurado 12, tel. 954-224-114).
La Piemontesa Pizzeria creates its own world, with a calm, spacious, elegant interior built upon 12th-century Moorish ruins (look through the glass floor) and under historic arches of what used to be the city’s treasury. It’s a good, dressy Italian alternative to the tapas commotion, with mellow lighting and music (€12 salads, pastas, and pizzas; Calle Santander 1, tel. 954-503-921).
La Bulla feels like the brainchild of a gang of local foodies who, intent upon mixing traditional dishes, create an inventive international menu that’s a welcome break from the usual fare. The place is bohemian-chic, with rickety tables gathered around a busy kitchen. The day’s offerings are only listed on big chalkboards; insist on a stand-up English-language tour of what’s available. While risotto is their signature dish, I prefer their other offerings. You’ll enjoy gourmet presentation, a hip local crowd, easy jazz ambience, and good-looking servers. There’s no bar—only table seating (and only indoors)—and the €4-10 dishes are easily splittable; three will stuff two people (daily 12:00-16:30 & 20:00-24:00, midway between cathedral and Torre del Oro at Calle 2 de Mayo 26, tel. 954-219-262, no reservations).
Horno San Buenaventura, across from the cathedral on the corner of Calle García de Vinuesa and Avenida de la Constitución, is a big, venerable bakery with tables out on the avenida and a quiet dining room upstairs. Its slick, chrome-filled, spacious main floor is lined with long display cases of sandwiches and desserts. The tapas bar upstairs has table service only (open daily, light meals are posted by the door, avoid the frozen paella).
Bodega Morales, farther up Calle García de Vinuesa (at #11), oozes old-Sevilla ambience. The front area is more of a drinking bar; for food, go in the back section (use the separate entrance around the corner). Here, sitting among huge adobe jugs, you can munch tiny sandwiches (montaditos) and tapas; both are just €2 (€6 half-raciones, order at the bar, good wine selection, daily 13:00-16:00 & 19:30-24:00, tel. 954-221-242).
Bodega Paco Góngora is colorful and a bit classier than most tapas bars, with a tight dining area and delightful tapas. Its sit-down meals are well presented and reasonably priced (€3-4 tapas at bar only, €8 half-raciones, €11 raciones at tables, daily 12:00-16:00 & 20:00-24:00, ask for the English menu, off Plaza Nueva at Calle Padre Marchena 1, tel. 954-214-139).
Bar Arenal is a classic bull bar with tables spilling out onto a great street-corner setting. It’s good for just a drink and to hang out with a crusty crowd. While they sell cheap, old-school tapas, you can complete the experience memorably by buying a load of fried fish from El Arenal Freiduría next door—this is perfectly permissible (€6-7 fresh-fried portions can feed two, open evenings only, bar is at Calle Arfe 2, tel. 954-223-686).
(See “Sevilla Restaurants & Flamenco” map, here.)
La Azotea Bar is a modern place that makes up for its lack of traditional character with gourmet tapas—made with local, seasonal ingredients—that have earned it a loyal following. It’s run by Juan Antonio and his partner from San Diego, Jeanine, who’ve taken care to make the menu easy and accessible for English speakers. You can dine elegantly, yet cheaply, on tapas at the bar, or enjoy a sit-down meal at its tables—but you’ll need to arrive early. The big, €10 half-raciones feed two (Mon-Sat lunch starts at 13:30, dinner at 20:30, closed Sun, Calle Zaragoza 5, tel. 954-564-316).
Zelai Bar Restaurant is completely contemporary, without a hint of a historic-Sevilla feel or touristy vibe. Their pricey gourmet tapas (€5-6) and raciones (€10-13) are a hit with a smart local crowd, who enjoy the fusion of Basque, Andalusian, and international flavors. They also have a dressy little restaurant in back (reservations generally required) with a €40 tasting menu (closed Sun-Mon, just off Plaza Nueva at Calle Albareda 22, tel. 954-229-992).
Abacería Casa Moreno is a rare, classic abacería, a neighborhood grocery store that doubles as a standing-room-only tapas bar. Squeeze into the back room and you’re slipping back in time—and behind a tall language barrier. Help yourself to the box of pork scratchings at the bar while choosing from an enticing list of €2.50 tapas. They’re proud of their top-quality jamón serrano and queso manchego, and serve hot tapas only at lunch. Rubbing elbows here with local eaters, under a bull’s head, surrounded by jars of peaches and cans of sardines, you feel like you’re in on a secret (Mon-Fri 8:00-15:30 & 19:30-22:30, closed Sat-Sun, 3 blocks off Plaza Nueva at Calle Gamazo 7, tel. 954-228-315).
Restaurante Enrique Becerra is a fancy little 10-table place popular with local foodies. It’s well-known for its gourmet Andalusian cuisine and fine wine. Muscle past the well-dressed locals at the tapas bar for gourmet snacks and wine by the glass, or head to the quieter, more elegant upstairs dining room. While the restaurant satisfies its guests with quality food, given the tight seating and its popularity with tourists, it can feel like a trap (€3-4 tapas available at the bar and ground-floor tables, €10 half-raciones, €20 plates upstairs, Mon-Sat 13:00-16:30 & 20:00-24:00, closed Sun, reservations essential, Gamazo 2, tel. 954-213-049, www.enriquebecerra.com).
Taberna del Alabardero, one of Sevilla’s finest restaurants, serves refined Spanish cuisine in chandeliered elegance just a couple of blocks from the cathedral. If you order à la carte, it adds up to about €45 a meal, but for €48 (or €58 with wine) you can have a fun five-course fixed-price meal with lots of little surprises from the chef. Or consider their €18/person (no sharing) starter sampler, followed by an entrée. The service in the fancy upstairs dining rooms gets mixed reviews (carefully read and understand your bill)...but the setting is stunning (daily 13:00-16:30 & 20:30-24:00, closed Aug, air-con, reservations smart, Zaragoza 20, tel. 954-502-721, www.tabernadelalabardero.es).
Taberna del Alabardero Student-Served Lunch: The ground-floor dining rooms (elegant but nothing like upstairs) are popular with local office workers for a great-value, student-chef-prepared, fixed-price lunch sampler (three delightful courses-€13 Mon-Fri, €18 Sat-Sun; €20 dinner available daily, drinks not included, open daily 13:00-16:30 & 20:00-23:30). To avoid a wait at lunch, arrive before 14:00 (no reservations possible).
(See “Sevilla Restaurants & Flamenco” map, here.)
Mercado del Arenal, the covered fish-and-produce market, is ideal for both snapping photos and grabbing a cheap lunch. As with most markets, you’ll find characteristic little diners with prices designed to lure in savvy shoppers, not to mention a crispy fresh world of picnic goodies—and a riverside promenade with benches just a block away (Mon-Sat 9:00-14:30, closed Sun, sleepy on Mon, on Calle Pastor y Landero at Calle Arenal, just beyond bullring).
Marisquería Arenal Sevilla is a popular fish restaurant that thrives in the middle of the Arenal Market, but stays open after the market closes. In the afternoon and evening, you’re surrounded by the empty Industrial Age market, with workers dragging their crates to and fro. It’s a great family-friendly, finger-licking-good scene that’s much appreciated by its enthusiastic local following. Fish is priced by weight, so be careful when ordering, and double-check the bill (€6-18 fish plates, Tue-Sat 13:00-17:00 & 21:00-24:00, closed Sun-Mon, reservations smart for dinner, enter on Calle Pastor y Landero 9, tel. 954-220-881).
Note that many destinations are well served by both trains and buses.
Most trains arriving and departing Sevilla, including all high-speed AVE trains, leave from the larger, more distant Santa Justa Station. But many cercanías and inter-regional trains heading south to Granada, Jerez, Cádiz, and Málaga also stop at the smaller San Bernardo station a few minutes away, which is connected to downtown by tram. Hourly cercanías trains connect both stations (about a 3-minute trip). For tips on arrival at either station, see “Arrival in Sevilla,” earlier.
From Sevilla by AVE Train to Madrid: The AVE express train is expensive but fast (2.5 hours to Madrid; hourly departures 7:00-23:00, see here for more on the Sevilla-Madrid train route). Departures between 16:00 and 19:00 can book up far in advance, but surprise holidays and long weekends can totally jam up trains as well—reserve as far ahead as possible.
From Sevilla by Train to Córdoba: There are three options for this journey: slow and cheap regional trains (7/day, 80 minutes), fast and cheap regional high-speed Avant trains (9/day, 45 minutes, requires reservation), and fast and expensive AVE trains en route to Madrid (2-3/hour, 45 minutes, requires reservation). Unless you must be on a particular departure, there’s no reason to pay more for AVE; Avant is just as quick and a third the price. (If you have a railpass, you still must buy a reservation; Avant reservations cost about half as much as ones for AVE.)
Other Trains from Sevilla to: Málaga (6/day, 2 hours on Avant; 5/day, 2.5 hours on slower regional trains), Ronda (5/day, 3-4 hours, transfer in Bobadilla, Antequera, or Córdoba), Granada (4/day, 3 hours), Jerez (nearly hourly, 1.25 hours), Barcelona (11/day, 5.5-6 hours; plus one overnight train, 13 hours), Algeciras (3/day, 5-6 hours, transfer at Antequera or Bobadilla—bus is better). There are no direct trains to Lisbon, Portugal, so you’ll have to take AVE to Madrid, then overnight to Lisbon; buses to Lisbon are far better (see later). Train info: Tel. 902-320-320, www.renfe.com.
Sevilla has two bus stations: The El Prado de San Sebastián station, just south of the Alcázar, primarily serves regional destinations; the Plaza de Armas station, farther north (near the bullring), handles most long-distance buses. Bus info: Tel. 954-908-040 but rarely answered, go to TI for latest schedule info.
From Sevilla’s El Prado de San Sebastián station to Andalucía and the South Coast: Regional buses are operated by Comes (www.tgcomes.es), Los Amarillos (www.losamarillos.es), and Linesur (www.linesur.com). Connections to Jerez are frequent, as many southbound buses head there first (7-10/day, 1.5 hours, run by all three companies; note that train is also possible—see above). Los Amarillos runs buses to some of Andalucía’s hill towns, including Ronda (8/day, 2-2.5 hours, some via Villamartín, fewer on weekends) and Arcos (1-2/day, 2 hours; many more departures possible with transfer in Jerez). For the Costa del Sol, a handy Comes bus departs Sevilla four times a day and heads for Tarifa (2.5-3.25 hours), Algeciras (3-4 hours), and La Línea/Gibraltar (4-4.5 hours). However, if Algeciras is your goal, Linesur has a much faster direct connection (8/day, fewer on weekends, 2.5-3 hours). There are also two buses a day from this station to Granada (2/day, 3-3.5 hours); the rest depart from the Plaza de Armas station.
From Sevilla’s Plaza de Armas station to: Madrid (9/day, 6 hours, www.socibus.es, tel. 902-229-292), Córdoba (7/day, 1-2 hours), Granada (7/day, 3 hours directo, 3.5-4.5 hours ruta), Málaga (6/day direct, 2.5-3 hours), Nerja (2/day, 4-5 hours), Barcelona (2/day, 16.5 hours, including one overnight bus). Information: Tel. 902-450-550.
By Bus to Portugal: The best way to get to Lisbon, Portugal, is by bus (2/day, departures at 15:00 and 24:00, 7 hours, departs Plaza de Armas station, tel. 954-905-102, www.alsa.es). The midnight departure continues past Lisbon to Coimbra (arriving 10:30) and Porto (arriving 12:15). Sevilla also has direct bus service to Lagos, Portugal, on the Algarve (4/day in summer, 2/day off-season, about 4.5 hours, buy ticket a day or two in advance May-Oct, tel. 954-907-737, www.damas-sa.es). The bus departs from Sevilla’s Plaza de Armas bus station and arrives at the Lagos bus station. If you’d like to visit Tavira on the way to Lagos, purchase a bus ticket to Tavira, have lunch there, then take the train to Lagos.
