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1. Explore the Alcazar

The Alcazar of Seville

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Visit Seville and this serene royal palace will likely be your first stop thanks to its combination of the city’s Moorish and Castilian history. The Alcazar is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe, with soaring gold ceilings, intricate plasterwork and Islamic tiles. Lush gardens of gushing fountains and secluded waterways create a cool escape from the city. While the royal family still has its private apartments here, the rest of the complex is open to the public and its resident strutting peacocks. You may recognise it from various televisual cameos, not least as Dorne in Game of Thrones.

2. Scale La Giralda

La Giralda cathedral

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Legend has it that before the city’s mosque was torn down to make way for a Seville Cathedral, locals said: “Let us build a church so grandiose that those who see it finished will think we are mad.” The result is the largest gothic cathedral in the world, but one which retains some of the architectural features of the original Muslim monument. This is where Christopher Columbus is buried. Scale the minaret-come-bell tower for magnificent city views.

3. Lose yourself in Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is the former Jewish quarter of Seville, where cobbled streets and secret passageways tangle together leading to secret plazas shaded by orange trees. At some points the streets are so narrow that residents can lean out their windows and shake hands. Seville’s eclectic history of faiths is embodied by the Santa Maria la Blanca church in the centre of the neighbourhood. The small site was originally an ancient mosque and then a synagogue before being consecrated by Christians in 1391.

4. Row in the Plaza de España

The Plaza de España in Maria Louisa Park

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The picturesque Plaza de España is a spectacular semi-circular plaza that emerges from the lush greenery of Maria Luisa Park. The handsome pavilion building, all arches, elegant towers and blue and yellow tiles, overlooks a canal that flows under decorative bridges, all built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition. Hire a boat and row along the waterway to see the magnificent plaza from a different perspective. If you’re lucky, your relaxed boat trip may even be accompanied by the mournful tones of a guitar-wielding flamenco singer.

5. Shop at La Triana Market

Explore La Triana Market

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Just across the Guadalquivir River from the historic centre, La Triana is Seville’s most expressive, colourful and artistic neighbourhood. Traditionally a gypsy barrio and one of the birthplaces of flamenco, it has its own distinctive character, great tapas and a buzzing market still frequented by local trianeros. Lose yourself among the stalls spilling over with the rainbow hues of fruit and vegetables and taste local delicacies. The market is built on the remains of the castle of San Jorge, the seat of the Spanish Inquisition in the 15th century.

6. Paddle the Guadalquivir River

The Guadalquivir is the only great navigable river in Spain

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The Guadalquivir is Spain’s only major river that is navigable to the sea and the first trip around the world departed from here with Ferdinand Magellan aboard in 1519. In Spain’s days of empire, the river — whose name comes from the Arabic for “the great river” — became a thriving trade port and stop-off for Atlantic maritime traffic. Today the boats that ply the waters trade in tourism and you can even opt to explore on a stand-up paddleboard tour, perfect for scorching hot days and offering beautiful views of the city and Triana.

7. Attend a Semana Santa procession

A statue of the Virgin Mary is carried through the streets of Seville during Semana Santa

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Visit Seville during Holy Week (Semana Santa) when the streets are taken over by processions of hooded penitents carrying opulent and impossibly heavy religious statues. It’s been this way since the 16th century, with church brotherhoods slowly marching through the streets and around the cathedral day and night, some by candlelight, others accompanied by moving flamenco-inspired saetas sung a capella. The tradition began in the days when monks walked the streets and whipped themselves to repent during Holy Week. Today the focus is on telling the Easter story, carrying statues and processing, with some penitents walking barefoot. Crowds throng the city, which is heavy with the scent of incense, and the dedication of the penitents of all ages is an impressive sight.

8. Enjoy the view at Metropol Parasol

The Metropol Parasol

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One of the city’s quirkiest and controversial attractions, the world’s largest wooden structure officially opened in 2011 to mixed reactions and offers the chance to wander among the rooftops of Seville. The Metropol Parasol is affectionately known as Las Setas, meaning “the mushrooms”, and consists of six platforms fanning out at 85ft high with walkways offering panoramic vistas across the city’s rooftops. Inside the parasol structures at lower levels you’ll also find a tapas restaurant and market, while below ground you can discover impressive Roman and Moorish ruins.

9. Catch a flamenco show

Witness street flamenco at the Plaza de España

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With a stamp of feet, a strum of guitar and a flick of the wrist, flamenco performers can sum up hundreds of years of passion, loss and heartache. Let the lilting song and rhythmic clapping of a flamenco show in the Triana neighbourhood transport you to a different time and culture. Combine the show with a foodie tour to some of the neighbourhood’s favourite tapas bars then settle in to be mesmerised by the hypnotic footwork and the ferocity in the faces of the dancers. It’s the ultimate Seville experience.

10. Cool off at Isla Magica

The Isla Magica theme park

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Perfect for those hot summer days with the whole family, Isla Magica — the magic island — is a theme park and water park in one. With six themed zones based on 16th and 17th-century swashbuckling adventure, you can make like pirates, discover El Dorado and even plunge into the “Amazon”. There are rollercoasters, log flumes and live shows, while Agua Magica makes a splash with water slides, pools and its own beach. Set near the centre of Seville, next to the river, it is ideal if you’re looking for a rest from sightseeing.

11. Discover the beauty of Casa de Pilatos

The patio of La Casa de Pilatos

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The perfect example of an Andalusian palace, the 15th-century Casa de Pilatos combines a touch of Renaissance style with Spanish Mudejar design, influenced by intricate Islamic decorative art. From the outside it is hard to get a feel for its size, but step through the doors and you’ll discover a sprawling complex of colonnaded buildings set around airy courtyards with beautiful tilework and delicately carved stone. With bubbling water features and lush gardens, it is a surprisingly quiet oasis set right in the historic centre of Seville.

12. Climb the Torre del Oro

The former military watchtower, Torre del Oro, dates back to 1760

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For panoramic views of the Guadalquivir River and the city itself, the Torre del Oro is a viewpoint with a difference. Standing 118ft tall, it was once the corner of the ancient walls that guarded the city and defended the Alcazar. A thick chain connected it with another tower on the other side of the river to prevent enemy ships entering the city. The original dodecagonal structure was built back in the 13th century and it was rebuilt as a military watchtower in 1760. It now serves as a naval museum as well as a lookout point rising above the city’s palm trees.

13. Stroll Alameda de Hercules

Alameda de Hercules is a hub of youth culture and a popular LGBT spot. This eclectic part of the city is known as the trendiest part of Seville, where contemporary bars and restaurants mingle with traditional tapas tavernas, ensuring there’s something for everyone. One of the oldest public gardens in Europe, this tree-lined boulevard is crowned with two columns taken from a Roman temple dedicated to Hercules and creates an open pedestrianised area lined with eateries and perfect for evening drinks or long, lazy lunches in the sunshine.

14. Discover the General Archive of the Indies

The ornate interior of the General Archive of the Indies

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The General Archive of the Indies is a must for history buffs fascinated by the rise and fall of the Spanish Empire. This stout building, inaugurated in 1785, houses one of the most important collections of documents relating to the discovery of the New World. There are with 80 million pages of documents including an almanac annotated by Christopher Columbus. Once the merchants’ exchange for the city, where riches brought back from the colonies were traded, the building itself is a work of art.

15. Pedal through Maria Luisa Park

Maria Luisa Park

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With ornamental gardens, ponds, and pretty tiled fountains, Maria Luisa Park provides much-needed respite from the Seville sunshine. Found in the historic centre, close to the Alcazar and cathedral, this park used to be the private gardens of the San Telmo Palace but has become the city’s principal public green area. Pedal among the orange trees, palms and pines, admire the opulent pavilions and perhaps take a few local delicacies for a shady picnic the whole family will enjoy.

16. Tour the bullring

The 18th-century bullring

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If there are two things Seville is best known for, it’s flamenco and bullfighting. Some of Spain’s most admired toreros come from this city and the striking red, yellow and white bullring is the oldest and most important in the country. Built in the 18th century, this cathedral to bullfighting was also immortalised in Bizet’s opera Carmen, another Seville classic. Take a tour of the museum to discover more about the history of the controversial sport, the lavish costumes worn by the toreros and the chapel where they pray before a fight.

17. Feel festive at the Feria de Abril

Horse riders at Seville’s April Fair

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Seville’s Feria de Abril, or April Fair, is a spectacle of light, dance and colour in which Sevillanas put on their most lavish flamenco dresses, pop a flower in their hair and head out for long days of food and drink, live music and dancing. The fair begins two weeks after Holy Week (Semana Santa) and was originally planned as a livestock gathering, yet has since evolved into a celebration of local culture and cuisine. There is a huge fairground decorated with bunting and fairy lights, and striped tents known as casetas host private parties. Tourists can still get a taste of the action though, as there are several open to the public.

18. Take a cooking class

Learn how to make tapas

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Fresh ingredients from the heart of Spain’s agricultural region? Check. A city with an inherent passion for good food? Check. Exquisite regional dishes? Definitely. Seville is the perfect place to learn how to cook world-class cuisine. Whether you opt to master gazpacho, tapas, paella or Spanish omelette, you’ll take away more than just a meal. Classes typically offer sangria and snacks while you cook and offer interesting insight into Spanish life.

19. Visit Museo de Bellas Artes

Paintings by Francisco de Zurbarán at the Museo de Bellas Artes

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With works by Seville’s baroque masters, from Zurbarán to Valdés Leal, as well as pieces that encompass Spanish art from the Middle Ages through to modern day, the Museo de Bellas Artes is considered one of the country’s leading collections. The building previously housed a convent and is rose-pink with beautiful stonework, set around a courtyard. Inside, the intricate domed halls are a work of art in themselves, a handsome distraction from the works by luminaries such as El Greco and Velazquez.

20. Explore Roman ruins

A Roman statue in Italica, near Santiponce

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Just outside Seville you’ll find the ruins of the city of Italica. This Roman archaeological site was first founded in 206BC as a place for veterans of the Second Punic War to recover, and was the first permanent Roman settlement on the Iberian peninsula. The birthplace of Roman emperors Trajan and Hadrian, much of the stonework was lost as it was raided to build Seville’s grand houses, but you can visit the vast amphitheatre, which once hosted up to 25,000 spectators, and discover excavated villas and the colourful mosaics that decorated their floors.

21. Eat churros for breakfast

Churros and chocolate

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Spanish tradition dictates that Sunday is the day for churros con chocolate, the moreish batons of fried dough typically served as a morning snack alongside gooey hot chocolate for dunking. Regional variations abound, with Seville’s thick, airy iterations drawing queues outside churrerias no matter what day of the week. While it’s been said that the best place to get them is “wherever’s closest”, for some of the tastiest, try Kiosco de Calentitos Macarena, outside the parliament building, El Comercio, on Calle Lineros, or the Chocolateria Virgen de Lujan, in Los Remedios.

22. Dine at Seville’s oldest tapas bar

El Rinconcillo has been trading since 1670

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Since 1670, El Rinconcillo has been welcoming locals into its beautiful tiled interior, where huge legs of jamon hang from the vaulted ceiling and the flagstone floor and heavy wood accents transport you back in time. Pull up a chair, or stand at the bar, order a glass of sherry, crafted just down the road in Jerez, and order a platter of fried anchovies for the authentic Andalusian experience. The tapas bar remains a favourite with both locals and visitors.

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23. Bathe in Spanish wine

Aire Ancient Baths, Seville

AIRE ANCIENT BATHS

An oasis of calm in buzzy Santa Cruz, Aire Ancient Baths is a contemporary reimagining of the Moorish hammam that occupied the same site before its transformation into a magnificent Mudejar-style palace in the 16th century. Ensconced in the candlelit, subterranean space, air heady with the scent of Seville’s bitter orange blossoms, guests are invited to soak in various hot, cold and salt baths and enjoy pampering treatments such as the signature wine-bathing ritual, comprising full submersion in antioxidant Ribera del Duero vino and a one-hour massage with grapeseed oil.

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Additional reporting by Oliver Berry and Julie Alpine

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