Seville (Sevilla) is the capital of Andalucia, the artistic, cultural and finnancial centre of southern Spain. A city of more than 700,000 inhabitants making it Spain’s fourth largest city. The city is located on the banks of the Guadalquivir River, which divides the city into two halves: Sevilla and Triana. The city population are known as Sevillanos (femenine form: Sevillanas) or Hispalenses.
Main sights
Monuments
- The Cathedral of Seville was built from 1401–1519 after the Reconquista on the former site of the city’s mosque. Believed the third largest church in the world after Saint Peter’s in Rome and Saint Paul’s in London, It is amongst the largest of all medieval and Gothic cathedrals, in terms of both area and volume. Seville’s fifteenth century cathedral occupies the site of the former great mosque built in the late twelfth century. The central nave rises to an awesome 37 metres over a total area of 11,520 square metres. The Cathedral is the final resting place of the remains of Christopher Columbus.
- The Giralda is a large and beautiful minaret tower, originally intended for the chief mosque, but now is the magnificent bell tower of the Cathedral and a symbol of Seville. Climb the 34 ramps for a great view of the city. It is topped with a statue, known locally as El Giraldillo, representing Faith. The tower’s interior was built with ramps rather than stairs, to allow the Muezzin and others to ride on horseback to the top.
- The Real Alcazar facing the cathedral has developed from the city’s old Moorish Palace; construction was begun in 1181 and continued for over 500 years, mainly in Mudéjar style, but also in Renaissance. Its gardens are a blend of Moorish, Andalusian, and Christian traditions.
- The Torre del Oro was built by the Almohad dynasty as watchtower and defensive barrier on the river. A chain was strung through the water from the base of the tower to prevent boats from traveling into the river port.
- The University of Seville is located in the original site of the first tobacco factory in Europe, La Antigua Fabrica de Tabacos, a vast 18th century building in Baroque style.
- The Town Hall, built in the 16th century in Plateresque style by Diego de Riaño. The Facade to Plaza Nueva was built in the 19th century in Neoclassical style.
- The Plaza de España was built by the architect Aníbal González for the 1929 Exposición Ibero-Americana, and is an outstanding example of Regionalist Architecture, a bizarre and lofty mixture of diverse historic styles and lavishly ornated with typical glazed tiles.
Museums
- The Museum of Fine Arts of Seville: established in 1835 in the former Convent of la Merced. It holds many masterworks by Murillo, Pacheco, Zurbarán, Valdés Leal, and others masters of the Sevillian School, containing also Flamish paintings of the XV and XVI centuries.
- The Flamenco Dance Museum: Cristina Hoyos’ Flamenco Dance Museum offers an experience for all the senses with ambiental music, videos, touch-screens and artifacts to be found in this 18th Century building at the heart of the historical Barrio of Santa Cruz. Flamenco art and photography exhibitions are also on display as well as offering dance, singing, precussion and guitar lessons.
- The Carriages Museum: A small museum with carriages of various kinds.
Other museums in Seville are:
- The Maria Luisa Park contains two museums: the Archaeological Museum, which contains collections from the Tartessian and Roman periods and the Museum of Traditional Arts and Crafts.
- The Andalusian Contemporary Art Center
- The Army Museum
- The Maritime Museum
- The Bullfight Museum
Seville Entertainment and Festivities
April - Holy week, the Easter week processions feature thousands of people, a spectacular display of conspicuous Catholicism. Seville is internationally renowned for the solemn but beautiful processions during this week.
April - Seville Fair (April Fair), is close to the river and covers a huge area and contains hundreds of private and public “casetas” which are laid out to form streets. During Feria, families, businesses and organizations set up casetas, marquees, in which they spend the week dancing, drinking, and socializing. Traditionally, women wear elaborate flamenco dresses and men dress in their best suits. The marquees are set up on a permanent fairground in which each street is named after a famous bullfighter. The day is naturally split in two and between noon and 8PM the streets of the fair throng with horses as riders and carriages strut their stuff dressed in traditional Spanish robes. The Fair is one of the best festivals in Spain and appeals to everything thats great about Spain - Traditional dress, Flamenco dance, guitars, Fino, great tapas and everybody dance, eat and drink all day long.
Go out
The nightlife of Seville is fabulous; no other European city has so many bars per inhabitant than Seville. In summer you could go to Isla Cartuja and find out why the Spanish night doesn’t stop before 7AM. There you can find plenty of open-air discotheques. Other nightlife spots include Calle Betis in Triana, La Alamede de Hércules, and Plaza Alfalfa.
Transportation
Sevilla has a great public transportation system:
By Bus: The buses run frequently and cover the majority of the city in their routes. You can purchase bus cards at any news stand. Transfers are allowed.
By Trolley: El Metrocentro Tranvia is a tram line consisting of four stops, running from el Prado bus station, past the University and the Cathedral, and stopping at Plaza Nueva where the direction of service reverses.
By Metro: Seville’s spanking new metro opened on the April the 2nd 2009. It follows a 18km reverse U from the south-west to the south-east through the southern end of the city centre where it stops at Plaza de Cuba, Prado de San Sebastian and San Bernardo.
By Bike: Across the city, bicycles are available for hire at low cost and green bicycle lanes can be seen on most major streets. This network of lanes (carriles) is also currently being expanded. Sevice bikes are available throughout the city with special docking stations that allow you to easily grab a bike and go wherever you need, then drop it off at another station when you arrive.
By Taxi: Taxis are easily accessible throughout the city. Many offer decent rates, but tourists should beware of the possibility of a crooked cabbie.
By Train: The Santa Justa train station is served by the AVE high-speed rail system, and is operated by the Spanish formerly state-owned rail company Renfe.