Seville is a city of flamenco,
unique Mudéjar architecture and rich Roman, Arab and Jewish heritage. After the discoveries
of the Americas, Seville became the main port of trade between Europe and the New World and the
city entered its golden age. And as a tour guide, I can't wait to show you the best things to do
in Seville, Spain. To get a sense of Seville start on the top of the world's largest wooden
structure, known as Mushrooms of Seville. This modern landmark in the heart of the old town
provides amazing 360 views. The structure is made out of six interconnected giant mushroom like
structures and has four levels. The underground level houses an archaeological museum with Roman
and Moorish remains. Next to the museum entrance is an access to the viewing platform. First
level is a street-level used as a farmers market. The roof of the first level is an open-air
public square used for public events. Second and third levels are the two stages of the panoramic
terraces has connected by the footbridges. In the evening terraces preform an impressive
light show known as Aurora. Now you can dive in the largest old town in
Europe. For centuries, Seville was a capital of muslim Spain, but was reconquered by Christians
in the 1200s. Thanks to its important river port connected to the North Atlantic Ocean, Seville
soon became the center for Spanish exploration. The conquest of America made Seville one of the
wealthiest cities in Europe. The city became the economic center of the Spanish empire and to
reflect its new status, a massive new city hall was built in the 15th century. Spacious square
in front of the city hall is dominated by the statue of king Ferdinand III of Castile, who
reconquered Seville from the Moors. From here, you can go in any direction to explore the old
town that remains to be a commercial heart of the city. Right behind the city hall is the
beginning of the most popular shopping street in Seville. Street has been a commercial heart of
the city since the middle ages. At the time, it was filled with blacksmiths, cobblers and artisans
of every kind. These days, it is dedicated only to pedestrians as the blacksmiths and cobblers were
replaced by shops and cafes. You can turn left or right in any of the connecting streets as they're
also incredibly charming. Everywhere you turn you will see numerous shops, cafes, tapas bars
and restaurant spreading their tables around. Sooner or later, you'll end up on one of many
charming old squares lined with beautiful houses, churches and palaces. In the northern part of the
old town is one of the best nightlife areas that also happens to be connected to Seville's Roman
past. Not particularly picturesque, but huge boulevard is dedicated to Roman hero Hercules.
It starts with two original Roman columns, once part of the Roman temple devoted to him, as the
legend goes that Hercules founded the city on 6 stone columns. Columns are topped with a sculpture
of Hercules and Julius Caesar, who restored the city during Roman rule. The opposite end of the
square is also adorned with two columns, topped with a lion and a coat of arms, one representing
Spain and the other one Seville. Nowadays this area becomes alive in the evening when music
performances draw people to the numerous bars and cafes lining this huge square. Seville also has
the biggest and the most impressive bullfighting arena in Spain. Bullfighting is a spanish
tradition with much contradiction, but this arena with 13.000 seats gets sold out each time
there is a bullfight. On one bullfight, six bulls are performing and you get to see different teams
of fighters. Bullfights can only be seen during bullfighting season that starts in April and ends
in September. This impressive bullring is among the oldest and the finest in the world and if you
don't want to watch a bullfight, it is worth just to visit the arena and its excellent museum
that explores the history of bullfighting. Arena is very close to the river where you can
find a beautiful riverside walkway dominated by one of Seville's most recognizable landmarks, a
beautiful military watchtower from the 1200s. It was built by the Moors as part of their fortified
city walls to control river access. There was a heavy chain that ran under water to the tower on
the other side to prevent enemy ships from sailing on the river. The name Golden Tower refers to
Seville's prosperous period during the times of the American colonies. When ships landed here, the
tower was used to store Mayan and Incas gold. In addition to being a storage place, the middle part
of the tower was used as a prison. Nowadays it houses a naval museum through which you can get to
the roof terrace although the view is obstructed with Crenellation. Right on the other side of the
river is a lively and colorful old neighborhood of Triana. This was once the commercial heart of
Seville for pottery and production of Azulejos ceramic tiles with a typical blue painting.
Nowadays there are surprisingly few tourists here as this is not the district with spectacular
sights, but it is a perfect place for discovering churches, authentic shops, ceramics, and lots
of tapas bars. This authentic neighborhood is interlaced with quiet, small streets and lively
pedestrian areas that are simply a pleasure to wander through. In different places you might
spot bullfighting posters as the most influential bullfighters of the last couple of centuries were
born right in this neighborhood. Triana is also Seville's former Gypsy quarter where famous
flamenco was born. Initially it started as a type of singing. Later the guitar was added
and from the singing evolve the flamenco dance which developed over time. In Seville
flamenco is performed almost on every corner. But to see a proper flamenco show look for one of
many dedicated places called Tablao. Great shows are also available in the Teatro Flamenco,
the House of Flamenco and in the Flamenco dance museum that also allows you to learn more
about the history of this passionate art form. The most beautiful Andalusian palace in Seville
was built as the biggest private residence by the Medinaceli family. Construction began in the
late 1400s, but throughout the 16th century, the palace was remodeled in italian renaissance
style with Mudéjar elements and decorations. Mudéjar style is unique and common in southern
Spain as it developed as a meeting point between Christian and Muslim cultures. The term
Mudéjar refers to the muslims who continue to practice their religion and customs
also after Christian reconquest advanced into southern Spain. Remodeling of the palace
in the middle of the 19th century completed its picturesque appearance. No wonder that this
lovely building was used in several Hollywood productions. Palace is decorated with precious
artwork and an impressive statue collection, including original Roman and Ancient
Greek pieces, spread across courtyards and gardens. Part of the palace is still
used as the residents of the 18th Duchess of Medinaceli and her family, while the rest
of the house is open to the public year-round. The most famous, beautiful and popular park
in Seville is home to many monuments, ponds, and fountains. Park also serves as a botanical
garden and on its edge is the most famous square in Seville, Plaza de España. The story of
the square dates to 1929 when Seville hosted a world's fair called the Ibero-American
exhibition. In preparation for the exhibition, the entire southern end of the city
was redeveloped, including the park. On the edge of the park great Seville architect
Aníbal González built this spectacular square that immediately became one of the landmarks of
Seville. The shape of the square with its main building and two towers represents the embrace of
Spain and its ancient colonies as it is oriented facing the river as a path to America. The square
is surrounded by a long canal crossed by four bridges representing the four ancient kingdoms of
Spain. There is also a series of 48 benches with Andalusian tiles, each representing one Spanish
province. No wonder that this amazing square was featured in several movies like Lawrence of
Arabia and Star Wars - Attack of the clones. But the city's tourist heart is the Santa Cruz
neighborhood. Heart of historic Seville was once the biggest Jewish quarter in Spain. Here
are some of the most important sights like the Cathedral and Royal Palace. But besides
sightseeing, this picturesque area is also one of the best places for aimless wandering.
Narrow streets provide protection from the summer sun. They are lined with historic buildings and
houses, offering a wide variety of tapas bars, restaurants and shops selling souvenirs, hand
crafts, and ceramics. A labyrinth of narrow streets will take you to charming squares lined
with orange trees. But one of the most romantic parts is Calle Agua street that runs alongside
the walls of the Royal Palace and leads to the beautiful Alfaro and Santa Cruz squares. But the
most impressive part of Santa Cruz is Plaza del Triunfo, a small square surrounded by the most
important and popular Seville attractions. First one is the Royal palace, with the entrance right
over there, the second is the Cathedral right here and the third one is stuck between them. It is
called the General Archive of the Indies and for most its name doesn't reveal much. This beautiful
spanish renaissance building from the 1500s and its contents are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Its prime location suggests its high importance as originally it was built as the Merchants'
Exchange. All voyages of explorations and trade to the New World had to be approved here. That is
why Seville could keep the control over the entire wealth transported from the New World. But since
the 1700s this government building has served as an archive of the colonial history of the New
World, hence its name. The archive, with more than 6,5 miles of bookshelves, contains 80 million
pages of documents, photographs, drawings, and diaries from the likes of Columbus, Pizarro and
Cortés. Right next door is Seville Cathedral, the largest gothic cathedral in the world and third
largest church in Europe. But before the city was retaken by the Christians this used to be a
great mosque of Seville. Christians converted the mosque into a cathedral, but a century later the
building was badly damaged by an earthquake. Plans for a new cathedral were made and they
had to reflect Seville's new position as a major trading center between Europe and the
New World. After the discovery of Americas, Seville became the economic center of the Spanish
empire and the main European port of connection with the New World. That is why in 1506 the
largest church in the world was built here. This UNESCO World Heritage Site has
several beautiful doors that lead to an impressive interior with an extremely high
gothic vault ceiling. Builders preserve some elements of the original mosque, most notably a
square floor plan instead of the customary Latin cross and a bell tower that was originally built
as a minaret. Church holds many great artworks created by world-class masters, but one of
the artistic highlights is a golden gothic altar made of 45 panels representing the life
of Christ. Vast interior has about 80 chapels, and some of them contains the remains of Spanish
kings. But on the most prominent spot you will see an impressive tomb of Christopher Columbus,
as Seville reached its golden days thanks to his discoveries. Columbus remains in
the casket are borne by kings of Castile, Leon, Aragon and Navarre. The bell tower of the
Cathedral is probably the best meeting point of Christian and Muslim cultures and one of the
most important symbols of Seville. The tower was originally built in the 1100s as the minaret
for the Great Mosque of Seville. Soon after its completion the Christians reconquered Seville
and added a belfry on the top of the minaret. In the 1500s the tower got a new renaissance
style extension and reached its current height of 342 feet. You can climb to the top by walking a
ramp with 35 turns although the view is obstructed and the bells are very loud. No building in
the city center is allowed to be taller than this bell tower. Its name, La Giralda, comes from
a rotating vane sculpture on its top known as the Giraldillo. Interestingly the city of Marrakech
has a twin tower just like the Giralda and you can compare it if you watch my Marrakech video
in the top right corner. Finally here is the most famous Seville attraction, the oldest
European royal palace still in use today. You could admire it in the TV series Game of Thrones
as this UNESCO World Heritage Site was built over eleven centuries. It was first built in the 900s
as a residential fortress by the Moors as Seville was a capital of muslim Spain. The fortress was
badly damaged during Christian reconquest in the 1200s. Christian kings seemed impressed by the
Arab architecture as they transformed the remains of the Moorish fortress into a collection of royal
palaces adorned with Mudéjar ornamentation and decoration. Part of Mudéjar style is also famous
tile decoration with geometric design inspired by arabesque ornamentation. The most spectacularly
decorated part of the complex is Palacio de Don Pedro. Here you'll find a famous Courtyard of
the Maidens, a superb example of an islamic inner-courtyard. It is centered with a reflection
pool and fountain, encircled with arcades. You also shouldn't miss Ambassador's Hall, the
most elaborately decorated room in the palace, used as the throne room. Its highlight is
exquisitely decorate celling, an excellent example of Mudéjar style design arranged in
geometric artwork. As the palace has many more impressive parts with minimal information
displayed around the site, having some sort of guide is essential. Audio guide is available
at the entrance, but I would recommend you to book a guided tour in the description below. There
you'll also find my other favorite tours, tickets, and experiences. My name is Rok, thanks for the
thumbs up and for watching, and see you next time!
