Proud and passionate, Seville it is a city that enchants visitors with attractions unique from which emerges its very particular mix of Arab architecture, gypsy influences and typically Spanish traditions. Thanks to its long history and its glorious past it can boast architectural wonders that attract tourists from all over the world.
Le top attractions of Seville are the enchanting Alcázar and the majestic Cathedral with the Almohad minaret of the Giralda, but the city is full of sumptuous churches and prestigious museums housed in elegant historic buildings. Also not to be missed is La Plaza de Toros, a fine example of Baroque architecture which is considered the temple of bullfighting, a fundamental element of Spanish culture.
Bad things to see in Seville they do not only include evidence of the past: the city also offers avant-garde attractions such as the Metropol Parasol, a futuristic construction that in a few years has become a symbol of modern Seville.
Between museums, monuments, neighborhoods, historic buildings and other attractions, you can fill entire days without getting bored. Time is short? Two or three days are enough to see the best of the city: here are the 10 must-see attractions in Seville.
Quarterdeck
1Patio de Banderas, s / n, 41004 Sevilla, Spain (Website)
THEQuarterdeck (Noto anche come Reales Alcázares is Royal Palaces) is Seville's most famous attraction, and with good reason.
The original nucleus of this extraordinary architectural complex is a defensive fortress built in 912; to this were added over the centuries more elegant buildings, designed as residence of the Spanish nobles, and the result is a fascinating mix of Mudejar, Renaissance, Romanesque and Granada styles.
Walking through the courtyards and palaces of the Alcazar you will feel like you are in a labyrinth and this sense of confusion and bewilderment is one of the charm elements of theAlcázar of Seville. Lose track of time and let yourself be enchanted by patios, gardens, sumptuously decorated rooms, Arabic windows, basins and fountains.
Learn more about the Alcázar of Seville
Cathedral and Giralda
2Av. de la Constitución, s / n, 41004 Sevilla, Spain (Website)The other architectural masterpiece of Seville is the famous Cathedral with the Giralda Tower. Its dimensions are impressive: 126 meters long, 83 wide, five naves.
If from the outside this immense Gothic-style church amazes for its majesty, inside it is the richness of the artistic heritage that amazes visitors.
Inside the Cathedral there is also the monumental tomb of Christopher Columbus: stop and admire it for its beauty, but know that recent scientific studies have shown that the preserved remains cannot be those of the famous Genoese explorer.
La Giralda is a brick tower 90 meters high and was originally the minaret of the mosque on whose remains the Cathedral was built; it was enlarged and decorated by Spanish Christians in the XNUMXth century. The bronze weather vane atop the Giralda, known as The Girardillo, is the symbol of Seville.
Find out more about the Seville Cathedral
Plaza of Spain
3Av. Isabel la Católica, 41004 Sevilla, Spain (Website)Next to the Prado gardens of San Sebastián and inside the Maria Luisa park is the immense Plaza of Spain, one of the most beautiful attractions in Seville, built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 to a design by Aníbal González and has become one of the symbolic images of the city.
This complex is spread over 50 thousand square meters, an area that is equivalent to about 5 football fields, and houses the oval square, a brick building from the semicircular shape in Renaissance-neoclassical style with 2 towers, and a 515 meter long canal crossed by 4 bridges representing the four ancient kingdoms of Spain: Castile, Aragon, Navarre and Leon.
The complex, also known as the Venice of Seville, is decorated with polychrome ceramic tiles, a fountain, a baroque portico on the ground floor and a balustrade with balconies on the first floor: raise your eyes to admire the central one, it is particularly impressive. Furthermore, they are located along the entire perimeter of the square 48 niches with benches representing each of the Spanish provinces.
Plaza de España was also the scene of the second episode of the saga of Star Wars by George Lucas, The Clone Wars.
Find out more about Plaza de España
La Maestranza Bullring
4Paseo de Cristóbal Colón, 12, 41001 Sevilla, Spagna (Website)Regardless of your opinion on bullfighting, the Real Maestranza Bullring, the oldest Spanish bullring, is an unmissable attraction. It is worth seeing both for the beauty of its magnificent architecture and because it will make you understand how and how much bullfighting has become deeply rooted in Spanish culture and has become one of the most followed popular traditions.
This iconic white and yellow ocher building has a distinctive oval shape and sumptuous Spanish late-Baroque facade and is embellished with arches, marble balustrades and sculptures - a triumph of elegance and sumptuousness.
Here under the eyes of 14.000 spectators speechless with emotion (a reverent silence that became famous under the name of Silence of the Maestranza) the most important bullfighters in the history of bullfighting performed.
During the guided tour you can enter the arena where the deadly challenges between men and bulls are held, admire the Prince's Gate from which enter the bullfighters acclaimed by the crowd, enter the infirmary where relief is given to the injured bullfighters, see the chapel where the bullfighters pray before entering the arena and the stables.
The ticket for the Plaza de Toros also includes entrance to the Bullfighting Museum, a collection of documents, photographs, posters, costumes and personal items belonging to bullfighters and other celebrities who have made bullfighting history.
Find out more about the Plaza de Toros
Museum of Fine Arts
5Pl. del Museo, 9, 41001 Sevilla, Spain (Website)Il Museum of Fine Arts of Seville is the most important museum of Andalusia. It is housed in an elegant building from 1612, the work of the architect Juan de Oviedo, which was originally designed to house the Convent of the Merced Calzada. The architectural complex is developed around 3 courtyards and is located in the Plaza del Museo.
The museum's collection includes works ranging from medieval to modern, with a very large section dedicated to artists from the Seville Baroque school of painting, such as Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Juan de Vales Leal and Francisco de Zurbaran.
On display you will also find works by internationally famous artists such as El Greco, Velázquez and Alonso Cano, among others.
Find out more about the Seville Museum of Fine Arts
Metropol Parasol
6Pl. de la Encarnación, s / n, 41003 Sevilla, Spagna (Website)Il Metropol Parasol is an urban redevelopment project of Plaza de la Encarnacion in Seville and has become one of the modern icons of the city.
This bizarre construction of colossal dimensions is located in the center of the Andalusian capital and is made with 6 huge wooden roofs latticework connected to each other, with a polyurethane coating. Designed by the German architect Jurgen Mayer, who was inspired by the Guggenhein Museum in Bilbao, it is the largest wooden structure in the world.
The Metropol Parasol expresses innovation in form and function in an exceptional way. Opened in 2011, it took 6 years to build this new contemporary urban center which includes:
- il Market of the Incarnation, a covered market of ancient tradition, which with this new complex has found a permanent home;
- un archaeological Museum basement, where you can admire the Roman and Moorish ruins that came to light during the construction works;
- large open-air shaded space on the first floor;
- bars and restaurants.
The main reason tourists want to see the Metropol Parasol, however, is on the top floor: it's the gazebo, a snake-shaped wooden walkway that serves as a panoramic terrace. From here you can enjoy a splendid view over the city.
For Sevillians the Metropol Parasol is a popular meeting place, usually called Mushrooms (mushrooms), because in fact the shape of this structure is somewhat reminiscent of a group of mushrooms next to each other.
Find out more about the Metropol Parasol
tower of Gold
7Paseo de Cristóbal Colón, s / n, 41001 Sevilla, Spagna (Website)La tower of Gold of Seville is an old watchtower 36 meters high located along the left bank of the Guadalquivir river, near the Plaza de Toros Real Maestranza.
Its name is perhaps due to an ancient covering of golden tiles or to the brightness of its walls due to a mixture of lime mortar and straw.
The tower is made up of three built bodies in later periods: the original core, with a dodecagonal shape, was built between 1220 and 1221 by order of the Almohad governor of Seville; the second body, also of a dodecagonal shape, was built in the 1760th century; and the third cylindrical body surmounted by a dome and built in XNUMX.
The Torre del Oro now houses the Naval Museum of Seville where there are models, navigation charts, compasses and various ancient documentation.
Find out more about the Torre del Oro
General Archive of the Indies
8Av. de la Constitución, s / n, 41004 Sevilla, Spain (Website)THEArchive of the Indies it is the main archive concerning the Spanish domination in America, thanks to which it is possible to trace the history of relations with the colonies. It is located in the Plaza del Triunfo, housed in a XNUMXth century building designed by Juan de Herrera and which originally housed the Seville Merchandise Exchange.
The second floor and the Oath Cross were added to the original building, with a square plan with a large central courtyard, in the 1785th century. In XNUMX, when the building was chosen by King Carlos III as the site of the archive, the new decoration of the main staircase was made. The external walls are rhythmically modulated by low-relief pillars.
In the Archive they are preserved beyond 80 million pages of original documents arranged in 9 linear kilometers on the shelves and cover more than three centuries of history. The documentation is organized into 16 sections, from 1480 to 1898 with the last section comprising 6 thousand 379 elements including maps and plans.
Admission is free, so it's worth getting in and taking a look. In addition to the permanent collection, you can also see interesting temporary exhibitions.
Find out more about the Archive of the Indies
Pilate's House
9Pl. de Pilatos, 1, 41003 Sevilla, Spain (Website)The Palace of the Adelantados Mayores of Andalusia, better known as Pilate's House, is a magnificent building built at the end of the XNUMXth century as a symbol of the union of the Enríquez and Ribera dynasties. Already in the sixteenth century the building underwent profound transformations influenced by the new stylistic features of the Italian Renaissance, thanks to which the building took on the appearance that we can admire today.
Late medieval romantic, Gothic-Mudejar elements and Renaissance innovations can be admired in the halls, patios and gardens of the largest private residential complex in Seville.
The facade of the Casa de Pilatos is Renaissance and surmounted by Gothic battlements, the main courtyard is in perfect Mudejar style but has the balustrade of the upper gallery in Gothic style. In the XNUMXth century hall of the Rest of the Judges, there is a beautiful arch decorated with Gothic and Mudejar elements.
During the visit you will admire the precious coffered ceiling, the beautiful stuccoes, the fascinating tiles, along with paintings and Roman and Greek sculptures, the latter dating back to the XNUMXth century BC, which will make you partakers of the glorious past of the city of Seville.
Triana neighborhood
10Plaza del Altozano, 41010 Sevilla, SpainOn the western bank of the Guadalquivir river, the one opposite the historic center where the main tourist attractions of Seville are concentrated, stands the lively and characteristic Barrio of Triana. It is worth crossing the river and wandering through the streets of this district rich in history and personality that still retains a particular atmosphere.
It is the former neighborhood of the gitanos, considered the cradle of flamenco and the original place of production of the splendid ceramics and tiles of Seville.
Even today there are artisan workshops in the area where you can buy valuable souvenirs, while for a tasty and cheap snack go to the Triana market, a traditional covered market.
