Seville
Recommended Tours
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Santa Cruz y La Judería Districts:
Los Jardines de Murillo is a very convenient point of departure for a tour around the Santa Cruz and la Judería districts, two of Seville's most interesting areas for history and legend. They are also called Jardines de Catalina de Ribera and from there you can see part of the walls of the Reales Alcázares, covered in vines and creepers up to the battlements, and encircled by dense and varied vegetation and ancient trees.
Your first steps take you to the callejón del Agua, at the edge of the Santa Cruz district. In this small street you can contemplate some of the prettiest Sevillian patios, adorned with flowers and fountains, until coming to the Hospital de los Venerables, the first stop on the tour.
You continue on a delightful walk through the narrow streets of the Santa Cruz district, which has pretty squares with orange trees and small bars where you can stop for a refreshment. At the calle Mateos Gago you come to Iglesia de Santa Cruz, very near the Plaza de la Alfalfa, the starting point for a beautiful walk through the narrow and labyrinthine streets of the Judería district.
On the way, you can pass through calle Cabeza del Rey Don Pedro. There, in a niche in the wall, is a piece of marble representing the head of King Pedro I (The Cruel), or the Avenger. Legend has it that the king promised to place the head of someone responsible for a murder there. A local claimed that the author of the crime was the king himself who, keeping his word, put his own head there; it was taken from the marble statue representing him in the gardens of his palace.
In this area, near the Ronda Histórica, are the streets Navarros, Santiago, and Águilas, near the gates of la Carne y Osario, an area of churches, like that of San Esteban, with gothic ogives well that are well worth a visit, next to the Casa de Pilatos.
The streets of the Judería, where the jews and Hebrews came after the expulsion of the Arabs after the reconquest of the city by Fernando III the Saint, bring you to calle Sol, with the churches Santa Catalina, Los Terceros and San Román.
San Luis street, where the church of San Luis is, is the main thoroughfare that comes out onto the Arco and the Basílica de la Macarena.
Historical quarter and El Arenal:
From the Santa Cruz district you arrive in just a few minutes at the Plaza del Triunfo, with the Reales Alcázares on your left, Archivo de Indias opposite, and the Catedral and the Giralda, on the right.
You should really visit, or at least contemplate, these monuments, as they are emblems of Sevilla, along with the Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza (bullring), just five minutes away.
From the Plaza del Triunfo you can go towards the Arenal district, passing under the arch of Postigo del Aceite, one of the old gates of the wall that encircled Seville, and so called because the city's oil (aceite) arrived there.
When you get to the corner of calle Dos de Mayo con Temprado, you'll find the Hospital de la Caridad, the work of the benefactor Mañara, and the Teatro de la Maestranza, very near the "catedral del toreo", in the Paseo de Cristóbal Colón, with a small chapel in calle Adriano, where the Virgins of Pity and Charity are venerated. And just fifty metres away is the Torre del Oro, a monument which is, along with the Giralda, is a symbol of the city.
On coming out of calle Adriano, a small labyrinth of narrow and very commercial streets, full of hotels and restaurants, you come to the Plaza Nueva, the centre of Seville. The Ayuntamiento is a majestic building if seen from this side, and truly colossal if contempalted from the Plaza de San Francisco.
Once there, the next step is Sierpes, the most famous street in Seville, known for its own special charm and atmosphere, where everyhting happens. Plaza del Salvador is just a few metres away and worth a visit, as is the Capilla de San José (San Jose Chapel) that goes practically unnoticed because of its smallness but has one of the most spectacular baroque altarpieces in the city.
La Campana is a good place to rest a while in any of the cafeterias there. Higher up are the church Iglesia de la Anunciación, the Plaza de la Encarnación and Cuna, Puente y Pellón and Franco streets. Now is the moment to visit the Iglesia del Salvador and contemplate the sculptures of Cristo del Amor, Juan de Mesa, and Jesús de Pasión, by Martínez Montañés, the two great masters of Baroque art.
The plaza del Salvador has a magnificent atmosphere at any hour of the day and any time of the year. Have a beer and a tapa in any one of its bodegas and finish off your tour of Seville in style.
Barrio de Triana:
Once, coming to Triana meant taking a boat across the wonderful river Guadalquivir. Today, you just have to get to Puente de Isabel II, the Triana bridge that takes you over the waters to Altozano, next to the Abastos market, where this incomparable district starts: at Plaza de Triana.
You shouldn't go on without taking a look back in order to contemplate Seville from its other bank and discover new perspectives on the city, through the quiet gaze of the statue of Juan Belmonte.
If you turn to the left to go into the calle Pureza, in its impressive narrowness you can imagine the glories of innumerable madrugás, next to the Capilla de los Marineros (Sailor's Chapel), where the queen of Triana, her glorious Hope, lets out impassioned cries on beholding her apparition during Holy Week, known as Semana Santa. Only then, having greeted the Señora, can you go on your way again towards the bridge, in order now to pass through la calle San Jacinto, but don't forget to have something to drink first at Mariscos Emilio.
A walk through the numerous shops of the area and you can satisfy the children's desire in Juguetes Barreiro, and purchase some lovely local tiles to decorate the house.
Retrace your steps and this time, before coming to the bridge, walk to the left and cross the Plaza de San Jorge, towards Calle Castilla.
If you're thirsty, a glass of wine at Casa Cuesta and, further on, Paco Álvarez might even get you a taste of flamenco. If you've had enough of walking by now, you can bring your tour to an end by going back to the bridge and walking along the river bank through famous Calle Betis.
Along the way enjoy some typical fried fish at the Kiosco de las Flores, after a look through the newspapers at the Café de la Prensa; the pathway will take you from the Argentinian beef pampas La María, to a most elegant Italy in the form of San Marco. And, if you like bar terraces Río Grande has the largest.
At the end of the street, you are coming out of Triana and into the district of Seville called Los Remedios that runs into Plaza de Cuba.
Barrio de la Macarena:
This walk begins by skirting around the wall, historical symbol of this district. As you're walking you pass the Basílica de la Macarena. Here the treaure best loved by Sevillians, the image of the Virgin for whom the devout sigh each Good Friday, is kept. La Esperanza Macarena is a late 17th-century statue whose passage causes the populace to break out into applause in the Alameda de Hércules.
On a level with the church, with the Arco—the only Almoravid gate that survives—and crossing the avenue, is the majestic Hospital de las Cinco Llagas, a Renaissance building that has been the headquarters of the Andalusian Parliament since 1992.
Above all, La Macarena is a popular district, with a number of paved streets, churches and tall buildings. It is in this area of the university Hospital, filling the neighbourhood with medical students.
On one side are the streets León XIII, and Ronda de Capuchinos, as well as Avenida de la Cruz Rioja, and on the other, the framework of the little San Gil roads, with its iglesia (church), as well as Plaza del Pumarejo, Pasaje Mallol and the Convento de Santa Paula, now en route to the centre. If you choose Calle San Luis, you'll find one of the most beautiful baroque churches in the city, San Luis de los Franceses, impressive for its dimensions and sculptures. It is an example of the baroque art that prevails still in the city.
The walk ends coming into the old quarter through the Plaza de San Román y Los Terceros, or going out through Resolana to Calle Torneo, in which direction you'll find yourself facing the Barqueta bridge which takes you to la Cartuja and Isla Mágica, the amusement park.
Parque de María:
It was once a gift from Seville to the Infanta María Luisa Fernanda de Orleans, in 1893, and then the scene of the Iberoamerican Exhibition celebrated in Seville in 1929. Today the Parque de María Luisa (Maria Luisa Park) is the city's main green area and of the most important parks in the country, much to the pride of Sevillians, who remember playing in the gardens as children, and also a recreational area for tourists.
But let's start at the beginning. The entrance through the Plaza de España will dazzle you. If you have chosen a sunny day (not hard to do here) it will be perfect: a large building, semi-circular in shape, including an artificial lake, fountain and two towers, one to the north and one to the south, from which you can get a view of the park. This building, which housed the Spanish Pavilion in 1929, was built by the architect Aníbal González and is refurbished in ceramic tiles with representations of all the Spanish provinces. The tiles are beautiful, and this is a lovely spot for photos; you will often see Spanish tourists going to snap themselves in front of the tiles of their province.
Quite inside the park now, you can walk along the Avenue of the Swans to the lake where you can feed these gorgeous animals. The grassy areas are ideal for resting a while and soaking up the sun, but there are also café terraces in the area if you prefer to take a coffee as you contemplate the scene.
The central point of the park is in the Plaza de América, where the real stars are the pigeons. From here three pavilions rise majestically: the Real, the Bellas Artes and the Mudéjar. These latter two are home to museums: the Arqueológico (Archaeological) and the Artes y Costumbres Populares (Popular Arts and Customs).
Another of the avenues, Hernán Cortés, guarded by high poplars, pays homage to the Alvarez Quintero brothers. And if you fancy a touch of romance, you can go through the Avenida de Pizarro to the monument dedicated to someone who was the greatest poet of these parts, Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer. There you can sit down to read verse, declare your love, or just rest, because there is still a lot of Seville to see.
Also,
Outside the City
Classic Journeys offers a guided tour of Andalucia departing from Seville.
