Seville is the home of Flamenco, a stunning Alcazar and hundreds of winding streets that lead you on memorable Spanish adventures. Here are some of my Seville favorites.
By far my favorite “big city” in Spain, Seville has all the history and amenities of a big city, yet it somehow still feels incredibly small.
Its historic city center is constantly full of people excitedly lining up for the main sights, but even so, it never gets too crowded or overwhelming. The streets are lined with outdoor restaurants, which is the perfect way to avoid crowds, sit back and take in the Seville city vibes.
The city also has easy access to the river, which makes for great sunrise and sunset walks.
If you’re traveling through southern Spain, Seville is a great “home base”. We took day trips from Seville to Cadiz, Jerez, and Cordoba, and all took fewer than two hours.
Sevilla Must-Dos
Alcazar of Seville
Seville’s royal palace was designed by Moorish Muslim kings, making it feel more like a palace in Morocco than an Alcazar in Spain. Deemed one of the most beautiful palaces in Spain, the Alcazar of Seville was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, and is the oldest royal palace in Europe that’s still in use.
The inside boasts high ceilings with Moorish arches and beautiful, multi-colored tiled. Once you’ve finished exploring the inside, you’re led outside to a stunning, expansive garden. Filled with rows of vibrant orange trees, calming fountains and vibrant flowers, the Alcazar of Seville gardens will easily take up half of your visit.
Like most popular tourist sights, lines to the Alcazar can fill up quickly, so I’d recommend getting there right when it opens at 9:30 a.m. Tickets are around 10 euro.
Plaza de Espana
Seville is known for its ceramics, and after a trip to the Plaza de Espana you’ll see why. This landmark square in the heart of Seville is almost entirely made of ceramic tiles.
The bridges over the river? Covered in ceramic designs. The staircases? Beautiful ceramic, too.
Whether you’re into ceramics (me!) or just want to explore the city, the Plaza de Espana is worth a visit. And, if you have a little time on your hands, you can even rent a boat for a scenic ride along the park’s canals.
Museo del Baile Flamenco
You can see flamenco just about anywhere in Spain, but we decided to give it a whirl at a place that knows a thing or two about this style of dance – Museo del Baile Flamenco – a museum solely dedicated to Flamenco.
If you want to learn the ins and outs of Flamenco, you can visit the museum as well as a show. We opted solely for the show, and definitely got our money’s worth (20 euro). The show lasted about an hour and a half, but we kept tapping our toes and pretending to be dancers for at least a good four hours (or maybe that was just me…?).
Maquila Bar
Located a bit outside the main stretch of Seville, the beers at Maquila Bar are well worth the walk. This Spanish brewpub serves a variety of international, national and even their own delicious craft beers on site.
The vibe is what you’d expect from a craft beer bar – lively and loud, yet still laid back – but the addicting food was a welcome surprise. I kid you not, the Maquila Bar’s patatas bravas were by the far best I had anywhere in Spain. So good, in fact, that I got two orders. (And no, I am not ashamed.)
Know before you go
Don’t eat the oranges! Nearly every street in Seville is lined with lush, beautiful orange trees, so I finally decided to be one with Mother Nature and eat straight from the source. (You know, to be trendy and all.)
So much for that.
Oranges from Seville’s orange trees are sour — terribly sour — in fact, I’m making a puckered face as I write this. Ow. Ahh. Mouth watering in bad way … need to stop …
Moral of the story — get your oranges from the grocery store. Not the street.
Seville is one of the most beautiful places in the world!!!