We started our trip to Seville with a walking tour of the city (self-guided) and deliberately saved the Seville Cathedral, Giralda and Royal Palace for a dedicated day of sightseeing alongside the Old Town, Santa Cruz neighbourhood and Jewish Quarter. Visiting these UNESCO Heritage Sites was a real highlight of our time in Seville. Here are some ideas for a day exploring the Old Town, Santa Cruz.
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Buy biscuits from Monasterio de San Leandro
We started our day on the hunt for one of the monasteries where you can buy biscuits from the resident nuns. The guidebook warned us that it can be quite tricky to get the right day and time as the opening times of the monasteries isn’t fixed, but early morning is advised.
We headed to Monasterio de San Leandro in the Santa Cruz area and initially wandered into the church, without realising that the monastery was behind us across the road, hidden behind builders’ vans!
The main doors of the monastery led through to a small courtyard with a wooden hatch in the far wall. The hatch contained a revolving table which you put your money on before spinning the turntable and waiting, hoping that it will turn back with biscuits on – which it did!
The biscuits arrived in a nice wooden box with lovely labelling. Inside we found sugar coated treats, which were so sweet that we needed a strong coffee to offset the sugar!
Tour of the 3 UNESCO Heritage Sites in Seville
There are three UNESCO Heritage buildings in Seville – the Cathedral, Alcázar (Royal Palace) and the Archivo de Indias.
Archivo de Indias
We had booked a tour of the Cathedral and Alcázar (Royal Palace) through Get Your Guide and reported to the Archivo de Indias to meet our guide.
Whilst we didn’t go inside the Archivo de Indias on this trip, it is an important centre relating to the Age of Discovery, housing many documents relating to the expeditions to the New World on its free first floor exhibition. Something for next time…
The Alcázar of Seville (Real Alcázar)
We entered the Alcázar of Seville through the Puerta del León (Lion’s Gate), an arch in the old city walls featuring a mural of a Lion and an inscription which says, ‘ready for anything’. The lion is a symbol of royalty and strength – perfect for a palace.
The Alcázar of Seville is comprised of a combination of buildings and a fusion of Spanish and Moorish architecture (Mudejar style) throughout. This historic Royal Palace is used by the Spanish royal family when in the city, making it Europe’s oldest palace still in use, hence the requirement for identity checks and bag searches on arrival.
The constituent areas of the Alcázar of Seville include the:
- Casa de Contratacio (Trade House) – the room from which Queen Isobel I of Castile dispatched navigators on expeditions in the Age of Exploration. The room carries the crest of Christopher Columbus’s family. Christopher Columbus died thinking that he had discovered India, but it was the North American spice islands, which explains why so many of the buildings here reference India!
- Palace of Pedro I – Pedro I (Peter the Cruel) wanted his royal residence, built in 1364, to look like the Alhambra in Granada. It blends Moorish and Christian architecture and references and has stunning lacy masonry work above the entrance. The second floor was added later in Renaissance style, so the buildings look less Moorish as you look upwards.
- Patio de las Doncellas (Maidens) – a wonderful outdoor space inside the Palace of Pedro I with a central rectangular pool surrounded by arches, tiling, and intricate plasterwork. Sunken gardens were discovered in 2005 at the sides of the patio area, so the detailing on these sections is well preserved.
- Hall of the Ambassadors (Salon de Embajadores)– this is an incredible Qubba shaped room (a square floor with a hemispherical dome, referred to as the half orange). There is an 8-point star in the roof covered in gold leaf, horse-shoe shaped arches and a trio of small windows used for spying back in the day. The room is full of Islamic architecture but with Christian embellishments.
- Patio of the Dolls – this is the space outside the Queen’s bedroom where the children of the palace once played. If you look carefully, you will spot several small children’s faces hidden in the stonework – our guide has found 16 faces in the design so far.
Wandering around this part of the Alcázar was just mesmerising – there was just so much detail in the architecture, almost too much to take in. The tiling and intricate stonework are just stunning.
Gothic Palace – elsewhere in the Alcázar complex, you can visit the Gothic Palace commissioned by Alfonso X in the 16th century. It has vaulted ceilings and ornate tiling, but in Italian Pisa style designs rather than geometric Islamic style tiles. The Palace was destroyed by an earthquake in 1755 (the same one which destroyed Lisbon) and rebuilt.
The Gothic Palace has a Tapestry Room displaying 6 huge wall tapestries depicting battles in Tunisia and trade routes which took 12 years to finish.
Royal Alcázar Gardens – outside the Royal Gardens are very pretty indeed with plenty of shady places to sit and contemplate life, peacocks wandering around and lovely views over the gardens from the second floor walkway.
Seville Cathedral and Giralda (Bell Tower)
Before entering the Seville Cathedral and Giralda area, note the Roman columns lying outside which are from the nearby town of Italica which has very well-preserved Roman ruins.
Patio de los Naranjos
When you pass through the Cathedral gates, you enter Patio de los Naranjos, a lovely large space in front of Seville Cathedral and Giralda filled with lots of orange trees. Look for the Moorish water fountains with 8-point stars where foot washing used to take place before worship when the area was a mosque under Moorish rule.
Seville Cathedral or Santa Maria de la Sede (Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See)
Seville Cathedral is the 4th largest cathedral in the world, but the world’s largest Gothic style Cathedral built between 1401-1506. The inside of the Cathedral is very impressive, filled with lots of pink marble. Here are some of its key sights:
- Resting place of 3 kings – Seville Cathedral is the resting place of Ferdinand III (who ended the 500-year Muslim reign), Peter I and Alfonso X.
- Resting place of Christopher Columbus (well part of) – because his remains were moved around over the centuries, it is thought that only 20% of Columbus’s body lies in Seville Cathedral (the locals say his knee!). The rest of his remains are believed to be in the Dominion Republic and in Cuba. His impressive tomb sits in front of a giant painting of St Christopher, patron Saint of travel.
- The Great Chapel – this Chapel has an ornate ceiling which was rebuilt after the earthquake in 1779. Either side of the great Chapel’s vaulted ceiling, the ceiling is plain making a notable contrast. The walls of the Great Chapel are decorated with a gothic tableau of biblical scenes, one for each book of the bible.
- Pasos (float) – a fabulous pasos featuring the Virgin Mary made from silver brought back from Argentina stands in the Cathedral which is used in the city’s religious processions during Holy Week (Semana Santa). However, it is so heavy that it needs to be carried by 35-40 men of religious brotherhoods.
The Giralda – Bell tower
The gorgeous bell tower, Giralda, looks like the minaret of an Arab mosque, because that’s exactly what it was in the days before the Cathedral was built. It towers over one side of the Patio de los Naranjos and has a twin tower in Marrakech. Giralda means weathervane in Spanish.
There are 24 bells at the top of the tower and superb city views from the top. Interestingly there are no stairs inside the Giralda, just a ramp circling up the 35 storeys designed as such so that the King could ride his horse to the top!
Barrio Santa Cruz
Outside Seville Cathedral, Giralda and the Alcázar, you can wander through Barrio Santa Cruz, one of the oldest parts of the city. The area became the Jewish Quarter after Ferdinand III of Castile took the city from the Moors in 1248 and ordered the Jews to be consigned to this walled area. There were once three gates providing entrance to the Jewish Quarter, each one guarded by soldiers until the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492.
Today you will find a labyrinth of narrow, cobbled streets, cute squares, and artisan pottery shops, with orange trees thrown in for good measure. There was the heavy scent of jasmine in the air as we strolled around the Barrio. In the Jewish Quarter look out for:
- Callejón del Agua – the lane along the city wall which runs parallel to the Alcázar Royal Gardens. It used to carry water to the palace and is now the location of some of the most expensive flats in Seville (2,000 Euros per square meter – millions!) with views from the upper floors across the Royal Gardens.
- Mariscal Street – the narrowest street at just 101 cm wide.
- Reinoso Street (‘Street of Kisses’) – at just 106cm wide you might be able to kiss your neighbour across the street!
- Calle Vida (Life Street) – it connects Juderia Street with the rest of the Santa Cruz neighbourhood and was one of the streets from which Jewish families managed to escape captivity during the 14th century.
- Calle de la Muerte (Death Street, but now known as Callejón de Susona) – a small courtyard sign here mentions the Sephardic Jews who lived here but were forced to leave. One of the houses carries a skull sign marking the spot where the head of Susona once hung – Susona was a Jewish girl who dated a Christian knight at the time of the Inquisition. She told him of her father’s plot to revolt against the need to convert to Christianity. The boyfriend stopped the revolt, and everyone involved was executed. Susona felt so guilty that she never again left her house and then arranged for her head to be hung outside when she died – gory!
- Plaza Doña Elvira – one of the prettiest squares in the Barrio complete with coloured buildings, cafes and a fountain.
- Hostelerie del Lauren – a great spot for tapas in the heart of Santa Cruz, overlooking the pretty Plaza de los Venerables, where the Hospital of the Venerables (building which housed the elderly, poor and disabled priests) is situated and open to visit.
Christopher Columbus Monument in Jardines de Murillo
Before you leave the neighbourhood, pop into Jardines de Murillo to see the impressive monument to Christopher Columbus – two tall pillars with a lion on the top and sailing ship halfway up. Murillo was a 17th century Spanish painter. The gardens are next to the walls of the Royal Palace.
Flamenco at the Museo del Baile Flamenco
Whilst the home of Flamenco is thought to be the Triana neighbourhood, the Museo del Baile Flamenco can be found in the Santa Cruz neighbourhood and is worth a visit. They have flamenco shows there on a regular basis which are impressive and captivating.
If you book on, make sure to arrive a good hour early to look around the exhibits, before you grab a glass of Sangria to enjoy the show.
Sadly, no photos or videos are allowed during the performance, but it was incredible with three men in black attire sitting on high stools singing, and one classical guitarist who played so hard that one of his guitar strings broke!
There were three dancers (two ladies and a man) who gave very intense and polished performances. Amazingly they all kept rhythm and coordination using the guitar, hand clapping and foot stomping.
Tapas near the Flamenco Museum
If you’re looking for some tapas near the Museo del Baile Flamenco, then you could try:
- El Rinconcillo – the oldest bar in the city, operating since 1670. It’s very popular so either book a table or queue outside before opening time at 8.00pm to get a bar table.
- Bar Estrella – with beautiful, tiled rooms and a broad menu.
However there are plenty of places to try on the tapas trail in Seville, so take your pick!
Final thoughts…
After taking a tour of the Seville Cathedral and Giralda, and Real Alcázar you might be keen to take it easy, so just enjoy wandering slowly around the Old Town, stopping for coffees, resting on a bench in one of the gardens and soaking in the atmosphere and history. It really is a lovely area, ready to be savoured, not rushed.
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