Things to do in Seville

Landmark · Old city

A royal palace begun under Muslim rule and rebuilt over centuries, with Mudéjar courtyards, tiled halls and gardens that still function as a working royal residence.

Local tip: Book online well ahead and go at opening or in the last hour — the middle of the day is both crowded and unbearably hot. The Baños de Doña María de Padilla, the vaulted rainwater tank beneath the gardens, is the single best room and many visitors miss it entirely.

Landmark · Old city

The largest Gothic cathedral in the world, built on the site of the great mosque, with the minaret retained as its bell tower.

Local tip: The Giralda has ramps rather than stairs — built so a rider could ascend on horseback — which makes the climb far easier than it looks. Go up at the end of the day for the light across the rooftops.

Neighborhood · Old city, east of the cathedral

A maze of whitewashed lanes, patios and small squares that was the medieval Jewish quarter, now the most photographed part of the city.

Local tip: The lanes are crowded by day and lovely at ten at night when the tour groups have gone. Look for the open patios in the early evening — Sevillian houses are built around them and residents leave the gates ajar in summer.

Nature · South of the centre

A large shaded park of ponds, tiled benches and orange trees, with the vast semicircular Plaza de España built for the 1929 exposition at its edge.

Local tip: The park is where the city goes to survive August — the tree cover drops the temperature noticeably. The tiled alcoves around the Plaza de España represent every Spanish province, and finding the one for a place you know is the local way to spend twenty minutes there.

Neighborhood · West bank of the Guadalquivir

The old ceramics and flamenco quarter across the river, with a covered market built over the ruins of a castle and a fiercely separate identity.

Local tip: Cross the Isabel II bridge at sunset for the view back at the city, then eat in the Mercado de Triana rather than on Calle Betis, where the riverside terraces charge for the view. Triana considers itself distinct from Seville and it is worth taking that seriously.

Culture · La Encarnación

An enormous timber lattice structure over the old market square, with Roman remains excavated and displayed in the basement beneath it.

Local tip: Everyone photographs the structure and few go down to the Antiquarium, where a Roman house with intact mosaics sits under the square. The rooftop walkway at sunset costs little and is the best elevated view of the old city.