Alameda is a small district in Seville that sits between the river and the Macarena neighbourhood and is sometimes referred to by it’s full name: Alameda de Hércules. It’s basically a long, paved promenade that has recently undergone rennovations in an effort to clean the area up and improve the public space that has come to nurture an alternative/ youth culture scene.

Today it’s one of the trendier neighburhoods in Seville and property pricing has been reflected in this district’s development. Many Sevillian style villas are being rennovated and more and more visitors are choosing to stay there. Its also the location for the popular Alameda flea market on Thursdays and Sundays.

This charming neighbourhood was established during the Middle Ages but experienced a growth spurt of important buildings during the Rennaissance and Baroque periods, which remain in excellent condition today. Still standing are two important churches: Church de La Veracruz and the Church of San Lorenzo. Nearby are the Baths of the Moorish Queen, dating back to the 13^th Century. A walking tour of the neighbourhood will reward visitors with the opportunity to see many of the original houses from the 18^th and 19^th Centuries many of them having been magnificently restored and well kept.

The area is also famous for it’s excellent selection of lively tapas bars and authentic restaurants serving a range of Andalucian cuisine and an excellent selection from the northern Basque Country. Plaza San Lorenzo is a good place to scout for a good venue for a great meal out!

On the western banks of the Guadalquivir river in Seville, you’ll find the Triana district. Essentially, this area was once an island. The bridge connecting it to the rest of the city was built in 1582, and before then, people would be ferried across the river in small boats. Today it’s known as a cultural corner of the city, with lots of artist workshops, potters and tile shops and flamenco schools dotted around, and bars which stay open until late.  Some even accredit the birth of flamenco music to this small village. Although this continues to be argued by experts and enthusiasts today, the area is a good place to watch an authentic performance. Triana has remained minimally influenced by tourism and is a very atmospheric part of Seville you can enjoy wandering around.  

The main Chruch of Triana, Santa Ana is in fact the oldest Church in Seville, begun by Alfonso X ‘The Wise’ in the 13^th Century. Predominately Gothic in style, it also features a Renaissance and Baroque style alter with colourful tiles. A large collection of 18^th Century silver work inside is also usually of interest to visitors. Although it suffered great damage from an earthquake in 1755, it survived and was restored. Today it is a colourful attraction for locals and visitors.  

Those interested in the history of the Spanish Inquisition will most likely enjoy a visit to the ruins of the Castillo de San Jorge, which is very close to the Triana Market. From 1481 it was the place where those suspected of religious faiths other than Christianity (mainly Jewish and Islamic) were stripped of their belongings, tortured and executed. Today you can visit part of an old cemetery and some of the remaining living quarters.  

While you’re in Triana, its worth taking a trip across to la Isla de la Cartuja, a small island that was substantially redeveloped for the expo held in Seville in 1992. Now it hosts many modern office blocks and part of the Engineering faculty of the University of Seville. For family entertainment, try the theme park Isla Magica or the nature park El Alamillo. There is also the Olympic Stadium and the Monastery of Santa Maria which hosts some excellent art exhibitions from time to time.  

If you fancy a quiet and casual afternoon, visit the Plaza Altozano for the best restaurants and tapas bars. You can enjoy watching life go by as well as some authentic southern Spanish tapas. .

Macarena district is located in the north end of Seville. It was home to the virgin La Macarena de Esperanza, and has a church dedicated to her. Its a good area to visit the best section of the Old City Walls which used to surround Seville when they were built in the early 1100’s. La Macarena used to be a slum part of town and did once have a problem with prostitution and drug related activity. Things have improved a lot recently and today its famous for its old town character and sizzling nightlife.  

Most of Seville’s nightlife is concentrated around La Alameda, a long promenade marked at it’s end with two Romanesque columns and statues of Hercules and Caesar. Recently under renovation, it’s a busy street to wander along with plenty of bars, cafes and buskers by day, and lively clubs by night. 

 El Convento de Santa Paula is the only working women’s convent in Seville which allows tours of the grounds, although conducted somewhat infrequently by one of the nuns in Spanish. Once inside you’ll be impressed by the combination of Catholic, Moorish and Gothic features of the cloister. There’s also a small museum of religious art from the 16^th and 18^th Centuries.  

Comissioned by the brotherhood of La Macarena, La Basilica church was built during the late 1500’s. Its famous for a 17^th Century statue of La Macarena but the church itself is also worth a look around. Inside there’s a museum with artefacts and historical records of the brotherhood open to the public. This church is often crowded during Sevilles famous religious festival Semana Santa, which marks Easter in Spain.  

There are two famous markets held in La Macarena. Every Thursday you can visit El Jueves on Calle Feria, a must for antique fans, and the oldest market in Seville. You can buy everything from religious art, to home wares to doorknobs to old electronic goods. Best to show up early as stalls often begin to pack up around 1-2pm before their siesta. On Thursdays and Sundays the flea market is open on the Alameda.

The port area of Seville is known as Arenales. This area was a lively neighbourhood as it surrounded the trade activity of this busy Spanish port. The river became clogged with sand during the 17^th century, until it was cleared again for the Expo in 1992. Today it is a more upmarket area with excellent restaurants and bars, and lots of leather goods stores.  

One of the main attractions in Arenales is the bullring, La Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza. Seville is one of the few Spanish cities that still hosts bull fights, but if you’re hesitant on seeing blood spilt you can still take a tour of the stadium, which has a capacity for 14,000 spectators.  The ring was built between 1792- 1881 and is a fabulous example of Baroque style architecture. The main iron gates, La Puerta de Principe (Prince’s Gate) was originally from a convent. Theres also a museum at the ring which has a collection of costumes, posters and other memorabilia covering the history of the sport from the 18^th Century until today. You can also visit the ring’s chapel, where the matadors pray before a match, and the infirmary, for the nasty occasions when a fighter is injured by the bull.  

The bullfighting season is generally between Easter until October but the best time to see a fight is during La Feria, the annual festival held in April, as matadors from all over Spain come together to compete against each other.  

The Torre de Oro (Golden tower) is an old watchtower, a lasting reminder of the Moorish walls which once enclosed the city and fortified Seville against invasion. It was built with stone and decorated with golden tiles, which inspired its name. It was built in 1220, with the upper section added later in the 18^TH century. Inside you can visit a maritime museum which details the history of the navy and the ships that docked at this old port throughout the years. You can see documents relating to overseas discoveries and some old sketches of Seville from the 16^th Century as well as other memorabilia. 

 The Hospital de la Caridad is a Baroque style building that was once a charity hospital for the sick and the poor of Seville. Today it serves as a nursing home but its a beautiful building to visit. It has painted tiles on the exterior by Murillo, one of Spains most famous painters of all time, and two courtyards with decorative fountains and well kept gardens. Inside there is a collection of famous local paintings.

One of the oldest and most delightful areas of Seville is the Barrio Santa Cruz and La Juderia. They were once the Jewish quarters of town, and are made up of a labyrinth of tiny cobble stoned streets and old houses packed tightly close together, in typical Andalucian whitewash or brightly painted colours.  Bougainvillea vines, orange trees and balcony pot plants make these areas very picturesque parts of Seville. You could spend hours wandering the streets, discovering hidden passages and ornate squares.

 In Plaza Santa Cruz you will find rose gardens and hedges and an intricate wrought iron cross, La Cerrajería to mark the site of a church which was destroyed in the 1800’s.  Plenty of the older houses have beautiful courtyards with lush tropical gardens or water fountains, well worth stealing a glance as you walk past. There are also many great restaurants and tapas bars in this area which make a good place for a break in between sight seeing.  

The main sight in Santa Cruz is the Cathedral. The sheer size of the Cathedral is impressive in itself but it also has many points of interest you will enjoy. It was originally a mosque built during the 12^th Century and expanded during the 15^th Century. It boasts five Gothic style naves and a mixture of architectural highlights from other periods in time, including the central nave which stands at 42 meters in height, making this cathedral larger than St Peter’s in Rome. Inside you’ll find the tomb of Christopher Colombus or Colón as he is known to the Spanish. The Cathedral museum has an interesting collection of religious ornaments, paintings and old choir books.  

The Reial Alcázar, or Royal Palace was originally a Moorish fortress but was later re-developed by King Pedro of Castille in the 1300’s as a palace. The King used Moorish workers, continuing it’s distinctive Islamic style. Additions of Classical, Gothic and Modern architectural features were later made by subsequent rulers over time. Its an impressive building with chapels, courtyards and patios, all intricately decorated and well preserved.  

The gardens next to the palace, Jardins de Murillo provide an excellent place of relaxation and tranquility, lined with tall palm trees, sculptures, fountains and lush gardens. There is also a monument to Christopher Colombus. 

 Inscribed in USESCO’s World Heritage List is the Archive de Indias. Commissioned by Phillip II and built during the 16^th Century, the archive is a library of historical documentation of Spain’s American Empire from as early as 1492 until the end of the 19^th Century when the empire ended. 9kms of shelving, holding 80 million pages, including Christopher Colombus’ Journal can be viewed here.

Here you can read about what our previous guests have to say about this apartment.

Semana Santa, or Holy Week is the equivalent to Easter celebrations held by Christians throughout the world with annual traditions in Europe that back as far the the 16^th Century. In Spain, and particularly in Seville, it’s one of the most important festivals held during the year.  Generally, the celebrations last for the week that runs from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. At it’s core, the festival is a religious commemoration of the last week of Christ’s life and his resurrection from the dead, but many people who aren’t religious often enjoy the atmosphere of the festival and the beauty of the floats that participate in the processions throughout the week. The processions are held from midday onwards and run late into the night, climaxing with a candlelit dawn procession in the early hours of the morning on Good Friday. Local press often publish the procession schedule in the papers leading up to Semana Santa.  

Each float in the procession, or paso in Spanish, represents a brotherhood (Cofradiza) in one of the districts of the city, and is adorned with religious figures decorated in rich fabrics, gold guilt, candles and flowers.  In Seville there are 52 Cofridias. Each float leaves from it’s church and marches towards the city along a designated route, to the main Cathedral in Seville and then back again. The journey can take as long as 8 to 10 hours.  Each float is accompanied by members of the brotherhood, called Nazarenas, wearing a hood, cloak and sandals or sometimes walking barefoot. The colours and design of the outfits are different between brotherhoods. After the Nazarenas come the Penientes who will march carrying a cross, candles or banner, depending on their level of seniority within the group.  

The men who carry the actual float are called Costaleros. They bear the weight of their float for hours at a time, but their participation in the event is a great honour for them.  Although some are held in silence, the processions may be accompanied by a marching band who perform hymns or marchas. Some are also accompanied by a cantante, or signer, who performs a saeta, from a balcony above the parade in honour of the passing float. A Saeta is a traditional Sevillian style flamenco song that’s deep, mournful and very moving, even for visitors who can’t follow the words. For Semana Santa the lyrics will often tell the story of Christs suffering and the people’s lament at his crucifixion.  

Thousands of tourists will travel to Seville for Santa Semana, so booking your accommodation well in advance is highly recommended. Be prepared to que for hours before the processions in order to get a good vantage point on the streets of the city. The best places, closest to the cathedral will be packed with pre-paid seating that locals will have booked as early as the year before.  Two weeks after Semana Santa, the city’s second biggest festival, La Feria is held. La Feria is a giant carnival that also lasts a week. All the local businesses will close and schools have a weeks holiday to participate in the festival. Its colourful, vibrant and full of drinking and dancing as part of the celebration.If you can, it’s well worth combining these two important but contrasting events.

La Feria de Abril is one of the biggest annual festivals held in Seville. This festival is more than 150 years old. It began as a cattle trade fair in 1847. Gradually the event started to incorporates some traditional Spanish style festivities and over the years the event has evolved into one of the biggest cultural spectaculars you could hope to see in Spain.  

Normally held only 2 weeks after the end of the Semana Santa festival, La Feria is a week long folk festival extravaganza that incorporates singing, dancing, flamenco, music, horses, bull fighting and agricultural shows.  

Schools close, business shut up shop and thousands of travellers come from all over the world for a slice of the action. Local men and women get dressed up in traditional Andalusian costumes, making the event a colourful spectacle.  

La Feria is held in the Real de la Feria, a huge outdoor fairground located just outside the city centre, opposite Maria Luisa park. In the fairground, thousands of large, brightly coloured marquee style ‘casetas’ (tents) are set up and decorated with brightly coloured lanterns and flowers.  

There is a range of public and private casetas hosted by various organisations, councils, groups, and local families. You won’t have access to all of them- some of them are by invitation only, but you’re sure to find plenty of places to eat, drink, dance and party like the locals.  

The festival officially begins with ‘El Alumbrado’- the lighting of the lanterns, and ends the following Sunday night with a fireworks display. The day’s events normally begin around noon with a grand parade. The ‘Paseo de Caballos’  features horses pulling brightly decorated carriages. Local Spanish girls are part of the parade, dressed in colourful gypsy style dresses.  

After the parade, in the afternoon, the bullfighting begins in the Plaza del Torros; Real Maestranza. The best Matadores from all over Spain travel to Seville to compete in a colourful display of strength and showmanship.  

But it is after dark when the party really gets into full swing. Music, dancing and drinking wont stop until the early hours of the morning. The traditional alcoholic ‘manzanilla’ wine (sherry) will be flowing, but if you’d prefer something softer, try a ‘Rebujito’- a weaker version mixed with Sprite lemonade. As well as the alcohol, La Feria is a great opportunity to sample some traditional Andalucian tapas.  

Visitors come to enjoy La Feria for more than just the festivities and the food and wine. It’s a chance to witness first hand a traditional Spanish festival that brings out the best of the locals who come together and celebrate their culture. Don’t miss it!

Things to do and see in Seville

1.    Cathedral:
The enormous cathedral stands on the ground where a Mosque of the 12th century took place. It covers an area of 11,520 square meters with a central nave that rises 42 meters to the sky and side chapels as tall as an ordinary church with monuments of successive ages. The decoration is simple and there is a perfect balance between its parts.

What characterizes the main body of the cathedral is the chorus structure. Within the “Capilla Mayor” there is a Gothic woodcarving that represents 45 scenes of the life of Christ. The dome is just splendid. One of the cathedral’s main attractions is Christopher Columbus tomb.

2.    Giralda Tower:
It was the minaret of the mosque previous to the cathedral and as the Lonely Planet on its Spain guide accurately describes it: “Its proportions, delicate patterned brick decoration and colour – which changes with the light- make it perhaps Spain’s most perfect Islamic building”. There are some additions made to the building by the Christians and opinion is divided on whether it has improved or spoiled the tower.

3.    Patio de los Naranjos:
It was once the courtyard of the mosque and as it is stated on the Andalucia web page “worshippers would wash their hands and feet in the fountain here - under the orange trees - before their daily prayers” . It is called the Orange Patio due to the fact that it has a plantation of over 60 orange trees.

4.    Mudéjar Palace – Alcázar:
There are several versions of the history of this place. Some affirm the Alcázar was built by Muslim rulers in the 10th century and others say it was King Pedro the cruel using Moorish workmen. Anyways it has been adapted and enlarged in many occasion depending on the monarchs. You can’t miss this beautiful place with its rooms, chambers, patios and gardens.

5.    Archivo de Indias:
It is the main archive on the conquest and colonisation of America. “It houses over 40 million documents dating from 1492 through to the end of the empire in the 19th century” .

6.    Santa Cruz Quarter:
It was Seville’s medieval Jewish quarter. “It is the most picturesque and delightful part of the city, with narrow winding cobbled streets and whitewashed houses” . The main attractions within it are:
-    Patio de Banderas.
-    Callejón del Agua.
-    Plaza Alfaro.
-    La Cerrajería.
-    Calle Santa Teresa.
-    Plaza Refinadores.
-    Plaza Santa Cruz.

7.    Casa de Pilatos:
The first Marquis of Tarifa tried to resemble in this building Pontius Pilate’s palace in Jerusalem. Subsequent owners have contributed to the building over time which has resulted in a nice mixture of diverse architectural styles.

8.    City Walls and Gates:
Formerly Seville was a strongly fortified city. The walls were designed not only to defend the city but to prevent floods from the Guadalquivir River. From the original 166 watchtowers 9 gates only 3 of each of them remain. In terms of gates: Puerta de Córdoba, Puerta Macarena and Postigo del Aceite and towers: Torre de Oro, Torre de Plata and Torre Blanca.

9.    María Luisa park:
It is “a paradisiacal half mile of palms and orange trees, elms and Mediterranean pines, covered with flower beds and dotted with hidden bowers, ponds and pavilions” .