The Most Beautiful Places in Seville, Spain

I spent three months living in Seville, a beautiful city in the south of Spain. I was there on an internship with the Estación Biologica de Donaña, studying the nesting behaviour of kestrels, small birds of prey found in many parts of the world. My evenings and weekends were spent exploring the city and the region of Andalucía, and I very quickly fell in love with Seville. Even in winter, there was blue skies and sunshine more often than not, and the historic city centre, with its grand cathedral, Renaissance palaces and plazas galore, is the most wonderful place to walk around and get lost in. I learned so many stories about the city and its history while I lived there. This list of most beautiful places in Seville could have been much longer, trust me.

Other This Wild Life Of Mine city guides:

10 Of The Best Things To See In Granada

All My Favourite Places In Lisbon

A Complete Guide To Visiting Rome

The Best Way To Spend A Day Trip To The Vatican

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Alameda de Hércules

Located between the Guadalquivir River and the Macarena neighbourhood, La Alameda is a long, open public square full of bars and restaurants. First created in the 16^th century, the Alameda is the oldest public garden in Europe, though today there’s far more brick and concrete than garden. It’s still a popular meeting place for tourists and locals alike, with children playing up and down the square, dog-walkers passing by and many people taking long lunches under the sun. At one end sit two tall columns, dating from the Roman Empire two thousand years ago. Perched on top of the columns are two sculptures representing Hercules – the mythological founder of Seville – and Julius Caesar, to whom the restoration of the city during Roman rule is attributed.

By the end of the 20^th century the Alameda neighbourhood had fallen into decline, with numerous brothels and drug dealers in the area. Over the course of two years from 2006 to 2008 the whole square was completely transformed into the one of the most beautiful places in Seville today.

Plaza del Triunfo

Plaza del Triunfo is definitely one of the most beautiful places in Seville. Surrounded by no less than three UNESCO World Heritage buildings – the Seville Cathedral, the Alcázar and the Indian Archives – this is the heart of the historical city. La Giralda rises high above the plaza, which is always full of visitors taking in the sights, melting ice-creams in hand, horse-drawn carriages waiting for passengers to take around the city centre, and guides trying to tempt passersby onto their tours. It’s a busy, noisy part of the city, but it’s so full of life.

La Giralda is probably my favourite building in Seville. The famous tower has the history of the city written in its stones, from the Roman foundation stones, up through Moorish bricks to the intricate Christian section on top. Climbing to the top (easier than most towers as it’s one long ramp instead of many, many steps) is by far the best way to see the city from up high.

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Plaza de España

Ever watched Star Wars? If the answer is yes, you might just recognise Plaza de España, probably the city’s top attraction, and one of the most beautiful places in Seville. The plaza is particularly beautiful at sunrise and sunset when the golden light turns the curving pavilion building pink. During the day the Spanish sun sparkles off the water of the artificial moat.

But while it might look hundreds of years old, the Plaza de España was actually built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition Seville was hosting the following year. Built to showcase Spain’s industry and technology exhibits, each smaller alcove in the pavilion has a tiled representation of one of Spain’s many provinces. It’s a beautiful place that brings all of Spain together.

Alcázar Gardens

Another Sevillian film location, many people will recognise these beautiful gardens from Game of Thrones, where they stood in for the palace at Dorne. Tall palm trees swaying in the gentle breeze, high arching walls all around. Ponds, pavilions, courtyards and many individual gardens housing plants and flowers from different parts of the world are just waiting to be explored. It’s the perfect companion to the ridiculously pretty interior of the Alacázar.

My favourite part of the gardens was going up onto the walls surrounding them. From up there, the view across the very symmetrically-laid out plants and palm trees is wonderful. Though busy (it is, after all, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Seville), the Alcázar gardens still feel like an oasis in the middle of the city centre.

Barrio Santa Cruz

Seville’s Jewish Quarter is located right up against the Alcázar, as many of the King and Queen’s staff were Jewish due to their typically higher level of education, allowing them easy access to and from the royal palace and gardens.

The history of the Jews in Seville is not a particularly pleasant one, culminating in the burning of the neighbourhood by fanatical Christians in 1391, when thousands of Jews were murdered and many buildings destroyed. Over the next couple hundred years, the neighbourhood slowly disintegrated, until a large-scale project in the 20^th-century restored it to its former glory. The winding cobbled streets and cute little squares are full of history and culture, and the Jewish Quarter is not only one of the most beautiful places in Seville, but one of the most popular with tourists too.

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Palacio de las Dueñas

Not exactly a palace, but a huge Renaissance house built in the late 15^th century, the Palacio de las Dueñas is extremely popular with visitors to Seville. The palace itself is covered in ivy, with stunning courtyards around the back, surrounded by white arches beneath yellow walls. The whole place is beautifully decorated, very authentic and lived-in feeling.

The garden wasn’t in full bloom when I visited, but I have no doubt it’s spectacular when it is. It’s the kind of place that would be so dreamy and peaceful if there was no one else around (definitely not on Mondays after 4pm when entry is free).

Triana

This beautiful and historic district south of the main city centre is known for several things: pottery, tiles and its independent identity. Connected to the rest of Seville by the Puente de Triana, when crossing the bridge, one of the first things you’ll see is a Mudejar-style tower that is unfortunately a lot younger than it seems. Together with the bridge, they are the symbols of Triana, which considers itself as separate to Seville proper.

Beneath the famous Triana Market are the remains of Castillo de San Jorge, which served as the Andalucian headquarters of the Spanish Inquisition for three hundred years and now houses a museum dedicated to that dark time in Spanish history. Wandering the streets, the pride the Trianese have for their ceramic work is obvious – many homes and shops are covered in the most beautiful coloured tiles, with small studios and pottery shops on every corner. This historic neighbourhood is definitely one of the most beautiful places in Seville.

Top of Las Setas – Metropol Parasol

These strange modern structures in a large square in the centre of Seville took a while to be accepted by the locals, but now they are an integral part of the city. Known colloquially as the Mushrooms, the huge wooden lattices stretching overhead are quite the sight. The Plaza de la Encarnación, in which Las Setas can be found, used to be a large car park of all things.

Underneath the Mushrooms, teenagers do tricks on skateboards, and latte-holding tourists take selfies on the steps. Riding the elevator up to the top of Las Setas, you find yourself at a small bar, with a long, winding walkway meandering across the top of the structure. From here you get the most beautiful views of Seville in all directions, across the rooftops and gardens, church spires reaching up towards the sky. Time your visit for sunset and you definitely won’t regret it.

By the river

The River Guadalquivir runs through Seville, with the main historical area on the eastern side, more modern neighbourhoods on the west, and the beautiful Triana neighbourhood to the south. Seville has an incredible network of cycle paths and a great (and cheap) bike hire system dotted throughout. Going for a cycle along the banks of the river is a great way to spend a sunny afternoon.

There are several beautiful places in Seville that are situated along the Guadalquivir, such as the Torre del Oro and the Plaza de Toros (the bullfighting ring, which is beautiful outside, but not a place I wanted to support by going inside), and some gorgeous bridges, including the Puente de Triana and the Puente de la Barqueta.

Anywhere serving churros

Yeah, okay. Not exactly what might come to mind when you think of beautiful places in Seville, but trust me, traditional Andalucian churros are a beautiful thing. My absolute favourite place in Seville to get churros is Kiosko de Churros de la Macarena, near the Andalucian Parliament Building. This tiny circular booth has been a fixture of the Macarena neighbourhood since 1927. I walked down to the booth for breakfast more times than I would like to admit. Cheap and with huge portions, you can get both the Spanish churros (the famous ridged ones) and the Andalucian ones, which are thicker and flatter (and more delicious, in my opinion). Wrapped in newspaper, with a cup of thick, melted chocolate in hand, it’s the best way to start your day.

This Wild Life Of Mine Seville Ratings:

Prettiness: 10/10. Don’t know what more I can say! The architecture, the orange trees, the Guadalquivir under the sunshine, the general cleanliness of the city, all of it makes for one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever been in.

History: 9/10. Dating back thousands of the years, the history of Seville spans multiple time periods and civilisations. Everywhere you look the history and the pride of its citizens in that history is obvious.

Weather: 7/10. Sunshine, sunshine and more sunshine. Which is exactly what you’d want, except for the wildly varying temperatures Seville sees during the year. In January I found it very cold, and the houses there are not built with that in mind. In the summer, Seville is the hottest city in Europe, which may be too much for many visitors.

Food: 9/10. It’s Spain, so the food was always going to be good. It’s also possible to find every cuisine imaginable somewhere in the city. And oh, those churros…

Budget: 7/10. Cheap wine, cheap and delicious food, and many attractions that have free or discounted days in, means Seville is very budget-friendly. There are accommodations and restaurants to suit every budget here, too.

There’s quite a few backpacker hostels in Seville, so there’s plenty of choice to suit every need.

Doggos: 4/10. Didn’t see very many around the city, always disappointing.

Have you ever been to Seville? Which of these beautiful locations would you most like to visit?

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