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The City of Grace

Seville architecture

Seville is the birthplace of flamenco — the passionate dance and musical tradition that defines Spanish cultural identity worldwide. The city's cathedral is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world and contains the tomb of Christopher Columbus. Seville also hosted the 1992 World Exposition, which transformed the city's infrastructure. The Alcázar of Seville, a royal palace begun in 919 AD, is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  • 5Landmarks
  • 919Oldest · Real Alcázar of Seville
  • 105 mTallest · Seville Cathedral
  • 3Architects

Before you go

  • Fly intoSeville Airport (SVQ)

    Seville Airport is Andalusia's main aviation hub and has grown significantly in capacity since the city's 1992 Expo transformation. A new terminal opened in 1992 with striking contemporary design. The airport is connected to the city center by metro and bus. High-speed rail (AVE) connects Seville to Madrid in under 2.5 hours and to Málaga in about an hour, making train travel often preferable for domestic routes.

  • CurrencyEuro (€)
  • LanguageSpanish

    Andalusian Spanish, as spoken in Seville, is famous for its distinctive accent — the softening or dropping of certain consonants, particularly the final 's', gives it a musical, flowing quality quite different from Castilian Spanish or Latin American dialects. Sevillanos are proud and expressive, and the city's culture of tapas (which originated in Andalusia) encourages lingering in bars for conversation as much as for food.

  • Getting aroundTussam Buses & Metro

    Seville's public transport includes four metro lines, an extensive bus network, and a historic tram (Metrocentro) running through the pedestrianized city center. The city is internationally recognized as one of Europe's best cycling cities — Seville went from almost no cycling infrastructure to a 180km network of segregated bike lanes in just two years (2006-2008), and cycling became a normal mode of transport almost overnight. The Sevici bike-sharing scheme has thousands of stations.

5 landmarks in Seville

  1. Seville Cathedral
    Photo: Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Seville Cathedral

    Av. de la Constitucion, s/n, 41004 Sevilla, Spain

    The largest Gothic cathedral in the world, built between 1401 and 1519 on the site of the former Great Mosque of Seville, and the burial place of Christopher Columbus. Its 105-metre Giralda tower remains Seville's defining landmark.

    Built
    1519
    Style
    Gothic
    Height
    105 m (344 ft)
    Stories
    1
    Today
    Active cathedral & UNESCO World Heritage Site

  2. Real Alcázar of Seville

    Patio de Banderas, s/n, 41004 Sevilla, Spain

    The oldest royal palace still in use in Europe, with origins in a 10th-century Moorish fortress. Its Mudejar architecture — a fusion of Islamic and Christian styles — is among the finest in the world, and the palace inspired set design for Game of Thrones.

    Built
    919
    Architect
    Pedro I of Castile (Mudejar palace)
    Style
    Mudejar
    Height
    12 m (39 ft)
    Stories
    2
    Today
    UNESCO World Heritage Site & active royal residence
  3. Plaza de España, Seville
    Photo: Carlos Delgado, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Plaza de España, Seville

    Av. Isabel la Catolica, 41004 Sevilla, Spain

    A vast semicircular plaza built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition, combining Renaissance Revival and Moorish Revival architectural styles. Its 170-metre colonnaded wings contain 48 alcoves, each representing a different Spanish province with hand-painted azulejo tile maps.

    Built
    1928
    Architect
    Anibal Gonzalez
    Style
    Spanish Renaissance Revival / Mudejar Revival
    Height
    74 m (243 ft)
    Stories
    3
    Today
    Government offices & public space

  4. Torre del Oro

    Paseo de Colon, s/n, 41001 Sevilla, Spain

    A 13th-century military watchtower on the Guadalquivir River built by the Almohad caliphate around 1220 AD to control river access to Seville. Its dodecagonal plan and golden-hued stone gave it the name Tower of Gold. It now houses Seville's maritime museum.

    Built
    1220
    Architect
    Unknown (Almohad)
    Style
    Almohad military
    Height
    36 m (118 ft)
    Stories
    3
    Today
    Maritime museum
  5. Metropol Parasol
    Photo: Anual, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Metropol Parasol

    Pl. de la Encarnacion, s/n, 41003 Sevilla, Spain

    Also known as Las Setas (The Mushrooms), this extraordinary wooden space frame structure completed in 2011 is the world's largest wooden structure at 150 metres long and 28 metres tall. Designed by Jurgen Mayer H., it shelters a Roman archaeological museum below and a rooftop walkway above.

    Built
    2011
    Architect
    Jurgen Mayer H.
    Style
    Contemporary parametric
    Height
    28 m (92 ft)
    Stories
    4
    Today
    Mixed-use cultural complex

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