Seville Travel Guide - Best Things to Do, Shopping, Food
When it comes about Seville, arriving here is the easiest part of your journey. The dangers of having too much fun and being seduced by the magic of the city will make it extremely hard for you to leave. Most visitors who set step in the wonderful city are mainly attracted by its romantic past – the Moorish fortress, the magnificent cathedral, the palaces, fountains and gardens.
Seville’s most famous buildings are concentrated on a distance you can cover by foot, in the city’s historical center, on the eastern shore of the river Guadalquivir. Horse-drawn carriages wait for clients next to the Cathedral, in Plaza de Triunfo, to offer them a tour of the city.
Touristic buses without roofs give the visitors another alternative to visit the city’s attractions, and their main starting point is on the opposite side of the river, called Torre del Oro. Torre del Oro is a very interesting tower, built in the 13th century, and it is one of the last buildings constructed in the Almohade period. The 12-facet tower houses the Maritime Museum – Museo Nautico – with exhibits from ancient times of the port of Seville.
If there is a building no tourist who comes here leaves without visiting at least once, Seville’s Cathedral would be it. The cathedral is a huge, impressive construction, 116 meters in length and 76 meters in height. It is the third largest Christian church in the world and it could have occupied the first spot. It is said that its initial plan would have ranked it the first largest cathedral in the world, but it was intentionally reduced in proportions so that Rome’s cathedral would occupy the first place. However, it still remains the largest gothic religious construction on the planet.
Even if you are not a fan of visiting old buildings, you can still have a great fun here in Seville. You have the chance of spending unforgettable moments together with the locals, as Seville is the Spanish city with the best bull fights, concerts and football games. Whenever you want to relax and spend pleasant moments with your friends or your date, you can attend a classical concert or see a play in one of the numerous theaters in Seville travel.
From a touristic perspective, Seville is a greatly appreciated city because of the locals who surely know how to make their lives fun and dynamic, and are proud with their city. Most of them feel the need to prove how wonderful their city is and make great efforts to show that to any visitor they meet.
Simply the Best of Seville
Seville is the capital of the Spanish region, Andalusia, and one of the oldest cities in Europe. In the past, during Spain’s Golden Age, it was said that riches brought back from the New World was carried on the river Guadalaquivir to Seville and people called the city “the Capital of the World”.
Places you must see in Seville:
Gothic Cathedral
The gothic Seville Cathedral is the third largest cathedral in Europe after St Peter in Vatican and St Paul’s Cathedral in London. Formerly known as the Cathedral of Santa Maria from Sede, Seville Cathedral is currently the largest Roman Catholic cathedral in the world and the largest medieval place of worship. Its construction began in 1401 and lasted for many centuries; for its foundation, builders used stone from the ancient Roman monuments. Inside the cathedral, you can see an impressive shrine, many gold decorations, religious objects, sculptures, paintings, and the tomb of Christopher Columbus.
Giralda Tower
Giralda Tower hosts the bell of Seville Cathedral and is, without doubt, the most visited landmark of Seville. Like so many other constructions in this city, the tower was initially part of a Moorish building, built in the 12th century AC by the engineer Gever.
Alcazar Palace
Alcazar Palace, also known as the Royal Palace, was initially a Moorish fortress. The construction is a gorgeous result of several centuries of architecture, and successfully combines Islamic with Gothic elements. Its construction started in the first century AC, under the rule of Abd ar-Rahman II, the Emir of Cordoba.
Museum of Fine Arts
The Museum of Fine Arts is the most visited museum in Seville and the second most important pinacoteca in Spain after the Prado Museum. Its construction was finished in 1835 and the museum was officially inaugurated in 1841.
Torre del Oro
Torre del Oro or the Gold Tower, built between 1221 – 1222, is one of the last buildings dating back to the Almohad period; it was part of the initial last wall of defense that made the connection between Alcazar and the river. Formerly the dome was covered with plates of gold, hence the name. Today, the Naval Museum is located here, and gold has become just a legend.
Real Alcazar
Real Alcazar is the Royal Palace of Seville; it is a magnificent complex of courtyards, terraces and large halls built in different architectural styles, from Mudejar (Moorish architectural style) to Gothic.
Archives of India
The construction called the Archives of India, built in the fifteenth century, hosts valuable documents that describe the relationship between Spain and the American colonies. The building was erected in 1572 and has 8 km of shelves containing over 80 million documents dating from 1492 until the end of empire in nineteenth-century.
Archivo de Indias, the Seville Cathedral and Real Alcazar were included in the UNESCO World Heritage in 1987.
Shopping Guide in Seville
Seville is a city that oozes beauty and exuberance like the Andalusian sun that shines above it. It is one of the oldest cities in Europe, sprinkled with ancient vestiges of past civilizations. However, Seville mixes the old with new in a graceful manner; it is the cultural, financial, social and artistic center in southern Spain and a heaven for avid shoppers from all over the world.
Where can you shop in Seville?
Most of the shops in Seville open at 9 a.m. in the morning, so tourists have plenty of time to wonder and find small bargains. Beautiful, cheap souvenirs can be discovered especially in artisan shops around Seville Cathedral or shops that sell anything, from bracelets and other small, cheap jewelry to other types of tourist gifts and they are called “tienda de veinte duros” or “todo a cien”.
Mercados are open-air markets where you can also buy gifts and other small items. They are spread around the main district, Calles Tetuan Sierpes, and Nervión Plaza. Nervión Plaza is a large shopping mall, close to the city center, and houses a food court and many clothing and accessories stores that you would expect to find in a larger mall.
Plaza de Armas is placed in the Córdoba Train Station, also close to the center of the city. While in Plaza de Armas, you can eat from McDonald’s or other chain restaurants and do your shopping in Mercadona, a large supermarket.
Another shopping mall is built on the E1 road, just as you enter the city. There is a large offer of clothes and accessories, at extremely affordable prices. Across the street, a Mango outlet offers sales all year long, together with many other small stores nearby.
Calle Alcaicería de Laloza is another wonderful street filled with countless small shops, offering accessories and shoes in particular. Clothing stores on Calle Sierpe and Plaza San Francisco have fancier items and if you want to purchase a traditional flamenco outfit, expect to pay around 200 euro.
Delicious Food in Seville
Spain’s rich history and cultural influences have led to the birth of a unique Spanish gastronomy, with thousands of recipes and flavors. Its roots are Mediterranean and fish and seafood are the basic ingredients for Spain food.
Daily meals are still traditionally prepared from fresh ingredients purchased from local open-air markets. This practice, however, is more common in rural areas than in cities, where supermarkets have replaced traditional markets.
Spanish traditional cooking often revolves around outdoor grill, in a brick or clay oven.
Tapas in Seville
Seville is a playground for lovers of gastronomy. There are restaurants, bars and cafes at every step, where they serve typical Andalusian dishes and drinks. Seville is a city where a genuine phenomenon was born and it crossed the borders of Spain itself: it is called tapas.
Tapas are small bites of snacks sold (or even offered for free) to go with the drinks in Spain’s restaurants and other eating places. They can be served either plain, as snacks, or combined, in order to form a complete menu, and in some parts of Spain they are included in the price of the drinks. In Seville, tapas are “upgraded” to larger rations, the equivalent of a “media ration”.
Other Andalusian Traditional Dishes
- Another specific dish is Andalusian gapacho. Gapacho is a soup made of tomato puree, which is served cold, with ice.
- Churro is a sweet pastry product, fried in oil and sometimes called Spanish donut. It is usually served together with a cup of thick, hot chocolate. Cinnamon is churro’s typical aroma; this donut is served with powdered sugar.
- Paella are appetizer plates, accompanied by a glass of wine. In Seville you can find all types of paella, from the simplest variants, with ham, sausages, cheese, to the finest delicacies with fish, shrimp, octopus and seafood; paella is served with traditional sauces.
Among the many recipes included in the Andalusian cuisine, we can also mention tortilla de patata (potato omlet), fabada asturiana (bean stew), migas (a day-old bread with garlic and pimento – smoked paprika and olive oil), mariscos (sea fruit), lechazo asado (fried lamb), and chuletillas (grilled lamb).
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