Now that we are already used to big cities with Ben, we park in Seville right outside the city. This works especially well in Seville, because we can take the metro comfortably and quickly right into the city center. We have already heard a lot and are now really excited about what Seville has to offer us.
In Seville there are several very exciting sights – this time including the cathedral for both of us.

Seville Cathedral (Santa María de la Sede) and La Giralda

We choose Seville Cathedral as our first tourist stop. And quickly we realize that we can’t visit it that easily. The tickets have to be pre-booked online and can only be booked for fixed time slots. So it happens that today, by chance, we can still get hold of two tickets in the late afternoon. For the Real Alcázar de Sevilla, the second big sight in Seville, we are unfortunately already too late.

Important: All those who want to visit the two biggest sights in Seville: Seville Cathedral and the Real Alcázar de Sevilla, you definitely need to buy tickets in advance so that on the desired visit day a visit is possible.

The cathedral is an imposing building in the Gothic style. Already the view from the outside conveys the gigantic dimensions. This also makes sense, it is apparently the largest religious building in all of Spain and the fourth largest church in the world!
Inside the cathedral, the high rooms catch the eye. The vaults are finished with ribbed ceilings and impressively convey the time-honored craftsmanship that has gone into this cathedral over the centuries.

The organ, the burial chapel and the attached sacristies are also very magnificent and impressive. We visit the rooms one after the other and also pass a chapel that we cannot visit. It is used exclusively for the royal family and on special occasions. Thus, we also get a first impression that here in the city with the Spanish royal seat, a touch of the aristocratic influence still affects the everyday life of the Spaniards.

Another highlight is the tomb of Christopher Columbus, which is located in the cathedral. Very ostentatious and large, it is hard to miss. For a closer look, however, you have to be patient, because huge crowds of tourists are constantly flocking around the tomb.

In addition, we climb the bell tower of the Seville Cathedral – La Giralda. The bell tower is today the most famous symbol of the city of Seville. La Giralda is equipped with a special feature. The height of the tower is almost exclusively overcome by ramps instead of stairs. Legend has it that there must have been a priest who did not want to walk all the way himself and instead wanted to ride up to the bell tower on a donkey.
La Giralda is almost as big a tourist magnet as the cathedral itself. Although the number of tickets per day is limited and there is a precise time window for the visit, the climb is not the most pleasant experience. It’s one big traffic jam in both directions, down and up into the bell tower. So be it, we patiently join in until we too can marvel at the panorama from about 80m above Seville. A wonderful view. And here in Seville there are also beautiful alleys and old houses around the cathedral which make the view even more impressive.

Additionally exciting: The cathedral was originally a mosque! The Almohad mosque was built in 1172 and in 1248, less than a hundred years later, it was converted into a Roman Catholic church. Today’s bell tower, La Giralda, is the former minaret of the Almohad Mosque.

All year round Mon – Sat: 10:45 am – 7:30 pm | Sun: 2:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Admission to cathedral and bell tower: 12€/adult, free up to 13 yrs.

Old Town of Seville

We walk a lot through the old town of Seville over the days we spend in Seville. The walks are also really nice and for us a separate attraction. Over cobblestones we pass many old, partly well restored buildings. Sometimes a square opens up again with inviting chairs of cafés and sometimes the alleys are so narrow that we wonder if we will get further at all at the other end and have not landed in a dead end instead.

Archivo General de Indias

The name translates as the Archive of India. Here, documents from the colonial empire of Spain are collected and stored. Today, most of the building is freely accessible – but the countless document shelves contain dummies and not the original documents. Nevertheless, the building is impressive. Especially the wide staircases and the large rooms remain in our memory.
The entrance is free and a short visit is worthwhile not only for architecture lovers.

Real Alcázar de Sevilla

After waiting for one night, we can also visit the medieval Royal Palace of Seville. The special thing is certainly that the royal palace is still used today as an official residence. This is parallel to the daily stream of visitors that flocks to the Royal Palace.
At first, we are not sure if we need a long time for the visit. But in the end, the visit was more than worth it and we took a good two hours to marvel at the various rooms and annexes. Special attention is paid to the Mudejar architecture. These are buildings built under Christian rule with Islamic influence. So it happens that we feel more like in a Middle Eastern palace. Especially in the Palacio mudéjar we almost can’t get out of the amazement. Beautiful passages with richly decorated columns and walls attract our attention. And also the floors are impressively designed. Some of them are covered with elaborate mosaics, which have been preserved until today.

There is also a courtyard in the palace with a water basin. Here there are palm trees and the surrounding gallery of the buildings is reflected in the water. And this is not the end of the visit.

Next are impressive cellar vaults which also served as baths. Here it remains pleasantly cool all year round, which is certainly appreciated by the royal family. After the cellar vaults, we start to visit the large palace garden. The garden is decorated with plenty of exotic trees and plants as well as fountains. However, we refrain from exploring every path, the impression of the main paths was already enough for us. In addition, the garden is surrounded by a high wall. Thus, if the wall is faded out in the mind, one does not have the feeling at all that we are in the middle of a big city.

All in all, the Real Alcázar de Sevilla is very beautiful and impressive. We can highly recommend a visit to everyone!

01 April – 14 September: daily 09:30 – 19:00
15. September – 31. March: daily 09:30 – 17:00 o’clock
Admission: 14.5€/adult, 1€/children up to 14 years old

Parque de María Luisa and Plaza de España

Probably the largest park in Seville is the Parque de María Luisa. Here the impression of the palace gardens continues seamlessly – and without the palace wall. Tropical trees and plants have been able to flourish here for a long time. In addition, water areas and a small hill interrupt the flat park area. Thus, the park is one of the most beautiful parks we have seen so far on our trip. And there is also a special feature in the Parque de María Luisa: The Plaza de España. Around the square, historical buildings are arranged in a semicircle, forming a coherent gallery. Through various passages, visitors can access the square or the upper floors with balconies. For our amusement, rowing boats can be rented in the semicircular water basin. However, not everyone is proficient in navigating a rowboat. So during our visit we watched several times gentle collisions with the edge of the pool or other rowboats. Those who like it can enjoy the fun themselves. Watching is enough for us.

In one of the halls of the gallery we also enjoy a flamenco performance. A small group of four or five musicians prepare the acoustic backdrop for one or two dancers. Great – this conveys even more the Spanish feeling of Pura Vida!

All in all, we spent several days in and around Seville. We like the city well. It offers so many possibilities and much more than we could experience in our few days. For example, Seville is something like the capital of bullfighting. We deliberately do not want to support this activity and therefore did not visit any bullring. There are also plenty of theaters and cinemas. For those who want to weave a little more culture into their Seville stay. We enjoyed it and who knows when we will be back in Seville next time.