In 1929 there was a big Spanish-American exhibition in Seville. Especially for this exhibition Plaza de España was built. The exhibition was held throughout the city, but Plaza de España was the most expensive construction of the exhibition. The building is 50.000 m2 big and this made the construction of the building rather pricy. Plaza de España is a typical Andalusian building with characteristics of the renaissance era in combination with baroque. In the building 48 tiles are installed with the images of the Spanish provinces, historical events and Andalusia's symbol.
Barrio de Santa Cruz is originally a Jewish neighbourhood. Today it is a major attraction for tourists who enjoy walking through the small alleyways. Calle Mateos Cago is the place where all the tourists go to. This street is filled with tourist shops and restaurants, but don't get let down by this, keep going to Plaza de Doña Elvira. Don Juan had one impossible love, Doña Inés de Ulloa. The house where she was born is number 6 on the Plaza de Doña Elvira. Despite that the legend of Don Juan never really existed, the Jewish neighbourhood profits from it. According to the locals of the neighbourhood he did really exist and he was born on Calle Justino de Neve 2. On Plaza de los Refinadores there would even be a statue of him. It is only one of the many sights in the neighbourhood. You can best explore the neighbourhood by simply walking through it.
Because of the founding of the colonies of the new world, Sevilla became very rich. The city wanted to show this by constructing neat buildings with this money. One of the buildings that was built from this money is Torre del Oro or the Tower of Gold. The Tower of Gold was at the same time a defence tower with which a heavy chain could be pulled through the water. Later on it became a prison and a storage warehouse. A few times the city wanted to destroy the tower, but it is still there and a museum is housed inside nowadays.
Alcázar is a royal palace and is still used as a place to stay by the Spanish king. If the king is visiting Seville then he will take up residence in this palace. The palace has, just like many other buildings in the city, a moorish look. The building was already built in the 14th century by the then king Pedro the Cruel. First there was a Roman settlement and then an Arabic fort. This was then transformed to the current palace. Alcázar is the oldest palace in Europe that is still in use. It however rarely happens that the king and queen pay a visit here. If the king and queen of Spain are not in Seville, then the palace is open to the public. Admission is only possible by paying the entree fee.
The Flamenco is originally from Andalusia. In Seville you will find the flamenco bar where you can see this traditional dance live. The professional shows are showcased in tablaos flamenco. This is quite commercial. If you want to see the local dancers, then you are best off going to a local flamenco bar. At Calle Betis 31 you will find a real local flamenco bar, Lo Nuestro. Around this street you will find more flamenco bars if you simply walk around for a little while. There are different schools where you can take up lessons in this traditional dance. At Calle Manuel Rojas Marcos 3 you will find a Flamenco museum.
In the middle of the city Sevilla is the clock tower Giralda. For a long time Seville was under the islamic rule. But at a certain moment the Christians came in and conquered Seville. After conquering the city, they transformed the mosque to a cathedral and a clock tower named Giralda. The court of the cathedral is worth seeing. There is an old orchard with orange trees in the middle of the city. It is possible to climb the clock tower yourself. At 70 metres high you have a wonderful view over the city.
The icon of the city is the cathedral of Sevilla. The cathedral is world famous and is on the same list of the Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome and the Saint Paul's Cathedral in London. The cathedral is built on the foundation of an old mosque. The painted glass in the cathedral is impressive. Inside the cathedral you can find a monument of Christopher Columbus and his son. This monument is worth to have seen.
Sevilla knows with Plaza de Toros the biggest arena for bullfights in Spain. The bullfights happen from April to September and usually on Sundays. Besides seeing a fight you can also visit the arena when there is no fight happening. You can take a walk through the oval arena which can fit 13.000 spectators. You can also find a museum of bullfighting there. Different objects are showcased and there are statues of the persons that were important in the history of bullfighting.
In Sevilla you can find different parks and all of them are beautiful. One of the most well known parks is María Luisa. This park was once part of the palace gardens of San Telmo. In 1893 Sevilla received the gardens as a present and the city decided to make them into a park. In the park you can relax after a walk in the busy city. There are different places that have shade in the park and the walking paths are mostly shaded. The fountains and the flora and fauna make the park for what it is.
Close to the park María Luisa is the archeological museum of the city. The building which houses the museum is impressive. Just like Plaza de España it was part of the exhibition in 1929. In the museum you can find all the objects from excavations in Sevilla. These are objects from the Roman era, Arabian times and the Middle Ages. The findings are showcased in 27 rooms and in chronological order. A unique object is a replica of the Treasure of El Carambolo. The original is housed in a safe. This is a treasure of 650 BC and contains pieces of gold, jewellery and ceramics.
If by now you are convinced to discover the wonderful city of Seville that has so much to offer, it is time to start looking at how to book your trip to Seville. You can of course go to a travel agent, online or somewhere close to you. They can offer you a package of transport and hotel. However, you can also decide to book your transport and hotel yourself. This is easily done online and could save you some money. The best is to get a quote from your travel agent and also compare the prices to what you can find online when you book it yourself.
