Access Seville A river city built against the sun.

The Mudéjar facade of the Palacio del Rey Don Pedro

SEVILLE · ANDALUSIA

Every ship coming back from the Americas had to unload here, and the city spent the proceeds on the largest church it could build.

A mosque under a cathedral, a Christian king's palace built by Muslim craftsmen, and a river that made the city rich enough to pay for both. ⚠️ It is also one of the hottest cities in Europe, and almost everything about how it is built is an answer to that.

Photograph by the author

Seville in brief

Country	Spain — Andalusia, in the province of the same name
Population	Around 680,000 in the city, about 1.5 million in the metropolitan area
Language	Spanish. English is common in the old city and thins fast outside it
Currency	Euro
Getting around	⭐ On foot, but allow for the size — this is one of the largest historic centres in Europe. There is one metro line and a short tram
Arriving	On the high-speed line — Córdoba is a short hop, Madrid and Málaga further. The airport is east of the city
⚠️ Summer	June to September the middle of the day is genuinely hostile. Plan around it
⚠️ Spring	Semana Santa and then the Feria de Abril fill the city in turn. Best time to come, hardest time to get a bed

1172the Almohad mosque is begun

1198its minaret finished — the Giralda

1248the city turns Christian

1401the cathedral is begun

1503the Casa de Contratación opens

1519Magellan's expedition sails

Start here

Ten sections. The city is small enough to walk in a morning and layered enough to take three days, so these are ordered by what people actually come for.

A MOSQUE, THEN THE LARGEST CHURCH THEY COULD BUILDThe Cathedral & the GiraldaThey kept the minaret and the orange courtyard, and raised something enormous between them.CHRISTIAN KINGS, MUSLIM CRAFTSMENThe Real AlcázarThe oldest royal palace still in use in Europe, and the clearest thing Mudéjar ever built.TWENTY PLACES, ONE PAGE EACHLandmarks & SightsEverything in Seville worth your time, with the walk from the cathedral and what it costs you.HOW A CITY 80 KM INLAND RAN AN OCEANThe River & the EmpireFor two centuries every ship returning from the Americas had to unload here.THE CITY IS BUILT AGAINST THE SUNShadeAwnings, courtyards, narrow lanes and orange trees are not decoration — they are the design.THE OLD QUARTER AND THE FAR BANKSanta Cruz & TrianaOne is beside the cathedral and full of visitors; the other is across the river and is not.BY HOW LONG YOU HAVEItinerariesHalf a day to four, built around the one thing you have to book.FLAT, SMALL, AND HOTGetting AroundYou will walk. The question is when.LATE, COLD, AND OUTSIDEFood & DrinkThe food is built for the heat and so is the timetable.ROMAN RUINS, WHITE VILLAGES AND SHERRYDay TripsSeville is the best-connected base in Andalusia.

All twenty sights