Seductive Seville, Spain
Seville, the captivating capital of Andalusia will seduce you with its melancholic, gypsy guitar-strumming Flamenco singers, and it’s passionate people. Brimming with history, culture and stunning architecture, offering a mixture of styles such as Mudéjar, Renaissance and Gothic masterpieces.
A sunny, warm climate invites an outdoor lifestyle that is enjoyed by all in its beautiful plazas, green spaces, or along the riverbank promenade. We visited March/19 and found it to be a perfect time weather-wise since it can get VERY hot during the summer months. It was the busiest of all the cities we have visited so far on this trip, so I can’t imagine what it would be like in the high season. But don’t let that put you off, it is worth it.
We wandered through its vibrant streets accompanied by our walking tour guide, his passion for his birth city having us enthralled as we wandered from one landmark to another. Doing a walking tour on our very first day of exploring was a great choice and it set us up for the rest of the trip. The heart of the old city is where many of the main landmarks will be found, it is very pedestrian-friendly and fun to wander around.
The very walkable old town
Our guide took us through the maze-like streets of the old Jewish Quarter retracing Jewish history in Spain. During medieval times a wall was built to separate Jews from the rest of the city. It hides a dark history of persecution, deceit, and death when the entire Jewish community became persona non grata and many were killed with their synagogues being converted to churches. A stark contrast to today, when this area is quaint and a real pleasure to walk around or linger in the pretty little plazas and courtyards.
Our guided wanderings ended near the Royal Tobacco Factory where our guide explained that since the 1950’s this beautiful building has been the rectorate of the University of Seville. In fact, our guide himself had attended University here gaining a History degree.
We were very lucky to have such a great guide to ourselves; being a Monday morning there were not enough people to join the walking tour, so it was just us and him as our private guide. When it was over we tipped him well for his efforts and said our goodbyes, heading over to a place he recommended for our lunch. A very traditional, if a little rough around the edges place. We sat outside and ended up being serenaded by a drunk Flamenco singer who was sitting on a table near ours. It was hilarious and rather memorable.
Seville’s Plaza de España
After our meal we headed over to the Maria Luisa Park, the largest park in Seville where people were eating picnics, lying in the grass having a siesta or enjoying riding on some of those funny quadricycles that we often see in places like this. Eventually, we came across the stunning Plaza De España…not really a plaza but a large complex of buildings.
Built for the Ibero-American Exposition in 1929, these fabulous buildings are arranged in a semi-circle set against a man-made little canal. The sprawling compound actually houses some government offices, which is a little amusing considering how gorgeous this place is – I thought the home of Royalty would be a more appropriate use for it.
Plaza De España
Plaza De España
A water fountain in the middle of the semi-circle building complex comes into action for a few minutes every so often. There is also a man-made little canal where people enjoy rowing small boats.
Real Alcázar De Seville
We booked our tickets online the day before our visit, via the official website choosing an afternoon time slot for our visit. Even with a ticket you still have to queue for a short time with all the others that have also been given the same scheduled time slot.
Built by Castilian Christians for King Peter of Castile, it is stunning.
Patio De Las Doncellas “The Courtyard of the Maidens”
The iconic “Courtyard of the Maidens”
Intricate carvings
The Hall of Ambassadors has a stunning golden dome
This Royal Palace is a must for anyone visiting Seville. A UNESCO listed building since 1987, the palace showcases the best of Moorish heritage with stunning Mudéjar architecture. The upper levels of the Alcázar are still used by the royal family as their official residence in Seville.
Looking out over the beautiful gardens
Gothic, Baroque, Renaissance styles throughout the fabulous gardens
The gardens are a labyrinth of secret passages and courtyards, fragrant flowers, fruit trees and beautifully manicured gardens dotted with Renaissance statues. Water plays an important part in its many fountains and ponds.
Don’t miss the basement baths, or rather rainwater tanks, beneath the Patio del Crucero. These are called “Baths of Lady Maria de Padilha”, named after the mistress of Peter the Cruel.
“Baths of Lady Maria de Padilha”
We spent about 3 hours exploring the Palace and the gardens at leisure. Don’t expect to have it to yourself, it is extremely popular (with good reason). It actually surprised me at how busy it was even during the low season.
The Alcázar is free to visit on Mondays, although be prepared for huge crowds. We booked our tickets online the day before our visit via the official website.
Seville Cathedral and La Giralda Tower
Just opposite the Royal Palace, once our visit was over, we decided to also visit the Seville Cathedral and La Giralda Tower. Usually, another very popular place to visit with long queues. But there were no queues to contend with being already late afternoon, near closing time.
Seville Cathedral and Bell Tower
Built on the site of a large Mosque, the Catedral de Santa María de la Sede was completed in 1506. Lofty and huge, it is the largest Gothic church in the world. The tall minaret of the old Mosque was preserved and it still towers next to the Christian Cathedral. Now called La Giralda, it is the bell tower of Seville Cathedral, the Renaissance style top was a later addition by the Catholic church. The tower is 104.1 meters (342 feet) in height.
Views from the Bell Tower
We enjoyed walking up the bell tower, particularly because there are no winding, narrow staircases in this tower, like we usually find in such places. Here there are spacious ramps that lead to magnificent views over Seville. (We were told that when the tower was originally built by the Moors, they built ramps so that the muezzin could ride a donkey to the top to issue his five times daily call to prayer.)
The tomb of Christopher Columbus
Inside the Cathedral there are lots to see, including the tomb of Christopher Columbus. Although that is a controversial issue since there is still a great mystery surrounding his final resting place. It appears that his remains have traveled quite a few times from one location to another since his death. The Dominican Republic claims that Mr. Columbus remains are actually buried in Santo Domingo and so the dispute goes on. I guess being more than 500 years since his death, this is a mystery that won’t be easily resolved.
Flamenco Show
No visit to Seville would be complete without enjoying a Flamenco show. There are many to choose from, some more touristic than others. We opted for the free show at La Carboneria, as recommended by our walking tour guide.
We arrived early and managed to grab a seat very close to the stage, a Brazilian group sitting next to us. They were great fun. Later an Australian couple shared our table and the place was packed full.
The place felt very authentic and intimate
A very humble place with long tables and benches. Perhaps not the most comfortable of places to sit down for a show, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. The night was even more enjoyable due to us befriending a group of fun Brazilians who sat on the table next to us and a lovely Australian couple from Melbourne who sat opposite us on our table.
Known locally as a “tablao” these performances are acoustic and feel very intimate. We arrived early and got a seat very close to the stage. We could, in fact, see the musician’s expressions whilst belting out the raucous songs. The music is haunting and emotionally charged. The dance hypnotic and incredibly passionate, it was wonderful to be so close to the artists. They asked that no photos were taken during the show, which is fair enough. I would recommend La Carboneria for some very authentic Flamenco, but do eat your dinner before going to the venue. They serve some snacks there, but not a proper meal. The drinks are excellent and not expensive.
I have already chosen my Flamenco dress for next time
It was well past our bedtime when we headed home in a taxi. We were staying at the Puerto Gelves motorhome Aire (GPS location N37.34004 W6.02324), costing 15 Euros per night, with all facilities and EHU included. A really lovely and peaceful location within an easy 15 minutes bus ride into Seville.
We spent 3 days in Seville and we could have stayed a lot longer, there was lots more to see and do, but as always it is good to leave wanting more and having a good excuse to return.
Weird El Rocio and Doñana National Park.
From Seville we made our way to El Rocio, not far from the border with Portugal, where this town was our last stop in Spain. The weirdest place we have ever visited, El Rocio is not your typical town. The sandy streets have no road markings or signaling, the soft surface is more appropriate for horse-drawn carriages than for cars. There was a real wild west feel about this place.
We decided to stay for two nights to explore the town and most importantly to visit the Doñana National Park.
We stayed at a campsite on the edge of town and just as well since the roads were not very motorhome friendly…more appropriate for 4WD cars.
Sandy road into town
Horse drawn carriages are the normal here, although locals do use cars also.
El Rocio is very atmospheric at night
There are wooden hitching rails outside most buildings so people can tie up their horses. There was hardly anyone around when we first entered the town. We headed towards the church and the edge of the wetlands that surrounds the village. From there we walked along a boardwalk and spotted flamingos in the distance.
Flamingos at El Rocio wetlands
Sanctuario de Nuestra Señora de El Rocio.
This town takes center stage once a year for one of Spain’s biggest religious festivals. The annual pilgrimage and festivities bring about one million people into this small town which is usually only made up of one thousand inhabitants. It is hard to imagine such a dramatic difference.
The El Rocio Pilgrimage is on the second day of Pentecost in honour of the Virgin whose image was reported to have been found by a hunter in the fifteenth century.The pilgrims travel in groups known as brotherhoods or religious confraternities. Travelling on foot, on horseback or in horse-drawn carriages it is apparently quite a sight to behold.
But we are not here for the pilgrimage; the highlight of this area for us was to visit the Doñana National Park, a wetland characterized by marshes, sand flats, small streams, and a wild-life and bird sanctuary. We took the official guided tour, which the only way to see this area since no private cars are allowed to enter the reserve.
Our robust tour bus
We were given binoculars after boarding the large green tour bus. Our guide would watch out for the wildlife and point them out to all of us. We saw wild boar, red deer and lots of amazing birds…too many to remember all their names. but unfortunately, we did not see Iberian lynx.
We booked the wildlife tour via our Campsite at a cost of 30 Euros each, and we had to stay an extra day to be able to do it since places are limited. It is also possible to book online. The tour takes about 4 hours.
I would recommend a visit to this weird and wonderful town and certainly don’t miss the tour to Doñana National Park.
So it is “hasta la vista” to Spain…at least for now.
I was curious to read about Seville from your point of view 🙂 and had to stop what l was doing to read it. Glad you liked the city. Now is great weather time for a visit and also before Feria de Abril thick crowds come in. You did all the best things and your images are awesome. It was our home for two years and l wonder if we would still be there had our last summer there been bearable. Much as l liked it, I prefer our city now. I pictured like western movies being filmed at El Rocio. Looks very authentic.
Kemkem, thank you for the compliments on the pictures…Seville is very photogenic. It is a very liveable city, I could picture myself living here very happily indeed…but not in the summer though. I think if having to choose between Seville and Valencia, I would prefer Valencia…cooler, but also that amazing Jardin Del Turia and being by the sea. Both cities are gorgeous 🙂 El Rocio was such a bizarre place to visit, very authentic and we felt like part of a western movie set.
So many facets to Seville, aren’t there? I have to admit, I’d love to do it with a knowledgeable guide. We’ve seen it in teeming rain too, when it loses its gloss a bit, Gilda, but I’m overdue a return visit. That sounds like a great place for flamenco too. I’ve heard it recommended before. Great post! 🙂 🙂 El Rocio I would like to see when they have the big festival on but I think it might be hard work. 🙂
Jo, such a shame you got wet weather in Seville 🙁 it is a very outdoorsy city, so the rain would definitely spoil things a bit. I hope next time the sun will shine for you Jo. The El Rocio Pilgrimage would be amazing, but I think you would have to book a place to stay well in advance. I wonder if it would became a bit too overwhelming though…still I think I would like to try 🙂
Hi again Gilda. Because the world is such a wonderful place with so much to see, we kind of have a “no return” rule. Sevilla is an exception, loved everything from the ever present scent of oranges to the flamenco to the weird bridges. It’s one of the very few entries on our “we’ll go back” list. (Didn’t quite get used to the red-wine-from-the-fridge thing though, what ever is that all about??!!
Phil and Michaela, I totally agree with the “no return” rule…but we have made some exceptions and perhaps Seville will be one of those. They do love their wine chilled…interestingly in Brazil (where I came from) we also often drink red wine chilled 🙂
Gilda, I loved your walk through Saville. It is even more beautiful than I had imagined and your photographs capture that perfectly. Malcolm never climbs up Bell Towers with me because of those small, claustrophobic steps. Even he would have managed these. I am imagining tumble weeds rolling down main street in El Rocio. Strange indeed. Thanks for sharing this wonderful journey. Seems you guys are getting on well.
Suzanne, thank you:) Seville is a very photogenic city, every corner you turn there is something you just want to capture. We also had perfect sunny days with very pleasant temperatures. Malcolm would be absolutely fine going up the Bell Tower in Seville, it is very roomy with plenty of lights and windows from where to admire the views. El Rocio was the strangest of places…it is a real town, but it just looks like a film set. An odd place, but in a endearing way 🙂
Oh, I love Seville Gilda and often think that a good reason to live in Portugal is because it’s so close to Spain. A two-fer-one of two magnificent countries. 😊 Gorgeous photos! Anita
Anita, your home in the Algarve is perfectly located. A two-for-the-price-of-one type of place, we loved travelling through Spain it has captured our hearts. We are yet to see more of Portugal, but so far we are loving it. Such a shame we did not get to meet up, but I am sure our paths will cross very soon 🙂
Seville is fantastic. We spent a month there back in 2016 and it’s just so beautiful. And having been to Morroco – well, the Moorish architecture is more impressive in Seville than it is in either Fez or Marrakech. We were really blown away by the tile work in the many different palaces we visited.
We’re planning on making Spain our next base and will be back to hunt around in 2020. I don’t think our base will be Seviille. It gets just too hot. But we want to come back for another visit.
Frank, we were impressed with the Moorish architecture in Spain and particularly in Seville. It is another very liveable city…except for the very high temperatures in the summer months. It has so much character and a vibe that is captivating. Spain is an amazing country, coming back for more exploring is a great idea and basing yourselves here will definitely be a winner.
Ho lucky you were to end up with the guide all to yourself. Great as well that he was able to give you suggestions for the rest of the visit. The architecture looks astonishing. Living in a young country such as Canada, especially here i nthe west where an old building is one at 100 years, these grand displays are jaw dropping to me.
Sue, we had not expected to have his full attention all to ourselves. He was also a great guide and gave many good suggestions of places to eat, where to go for a more authentic Flamenco show etc. Like you being from a relatively young country such as Brazil, I am fascinated by the incredible history and architecture found here in Spain. It is jaw dropping to me also 🙂
In 1984, I studied in Sevilla for a semester. It will always hold a special place in my memory. I am so impressed with your travels through Spain, and the many interesting and beautiful places that you included in your itinerary. I am happy to see that you exited the country via Parque Doñana and El Rocio. It is hard to imagine a million people in that dusty little town. Continued safe and happy travels as you begin your tour of Portugal.
Joe, thank you. How wonderful to spend a semester studying in Seville. Did you study at the main University there (former Tobacco company)? Such a beautiful building 🙂 I was also at University in 1984, feels like a life time away now.
It is hard to believe that it was 35 years ago. I was in a program sponsored by a U.S. university, but remember going to the Tobacco company building for some functions. It has been interesting for me to return to Spain after all these years, to see how much has changed, but also how much has stayed the same.
Joe, how fantastic to get a sponsorship abroad. Now you can look back with fond memories for sure and share it with Esther.
I love Moorish design and architecture, so that Royal Palace would be a must see for me!
I think you would love Seville, lots of fabulous Moorish architecture 🙂
Spectacular Seville. What a great idea to get a walking tour of this magical city and learn some of its history. The Moorish design is so pleasing to the eye and so artistic. You have given us such a wide window into Spain. Thank you Traveller Interrupted! Hopefully, all these informative, heart warming posts and photos will end up in a book one day.
Val, to start our exploring with a walking tour did set us up well for the rest of our time in Seville…we got our bearings. There is so much to see and do here. I would love to write a book, but know my limitations hahaha my writing skills are not good enough for a book, but it is nice to be able to write this blog. Thank you for your kind comment 🙂
Great photos of the Real Alcazar. It really is the highlight attraction in Seville. We spent 3 months there a few years back and just loved the city. If you ever get back I’d recommend some of the private palaces like Palacio de las Duenas and Casa de Pilatos (where you’ll find the most beautiful tiles in Seville if you’re into that).
El Rocio on the other hand – wow, like stepping back in the wild west!
Frank,
Wow you guys spent 3 months in Seville? I do remember reading some of your posts a few years ago, but didn’t realise that you practically lived in Seville.
It is a gorgeous place, the Real Alcazar is absolutely amazing. Unfortunately we were only there for a few days and did not have time to explore the Palacio de las Duenas and Casa de Pilatos, but thank you for these suggestions and we will definitely check them out next time.
El Rocio is like stepping into some sort of wild-west town for sure, a very bizarre place. We particularly loved visiting the Doñana National Park there, really worth doing the tour.