Seville, the crown of Andalusia

Seville is one of the most special cities you will ever visit. And I am not saying this because it owns the biggest Spanish historical city centre, it is one of the European cities with the most monuments, or because of its famous feasts like Easter processions or the notorious April’s Fair. No, there is more than that. It has to do with its people and its ambiance. A very popular Spanish song says that Seville has a special colour. And it has! A bright colour that rightfully entitles Seville to be called the crown of Andalusia.

A city with soul: Easter processions and April’s Fair

Easter at Seville has become a huge tourist attraction. The most popular way for Sevillians to celebrate it is through processions, a millennial tradition, perhaps coming all the way from the Phoenicians that gave its name to this city (Hisbaal -Baal being one of their most prominent gods -Hispalis- Ishbīliya-Seville). I simply cannot explain how the Sevillians live their Easter. Even if you are not religious, their emotion will touch you, as their chants and the rhythmic sound of their feet carrying the statues. 

Only a few weeks after Easter happens, April’s Fair is another absolute must. I promise you have never witnessed anything like this in your life. The way Sevillians experience their feria is absolutely unique. They will prepare themselves for weeks, and during those days, the city is full of music - the traditional sevillanas, which you have to learn to dance - colours, horses, and people. It is best if I show you a video then describe it in words! 

A bit of history

What turned Seville into such a special place? First, you have to know that Seville was located on the coast back in the day back in the day. Therefore, it was a great port. But then, its river Guadalquivir started filling the coast with remains, so it got Seville further away from the sea. However, the Guadalquivir being a huge river, Seville never lost its importance as a port. As a matter of fact, it was the main connection by the sea with the Spanish colonies for three centuries. But let us start from the beginning. 

Seville has been inhabited nonstop for at least 2,800 years. The first settlers were either Phoenicians or the mysterious Tartessians, to whom belongs the treasure you can admire at the Archaeological Museum of Seville: the Carambolo treasure. Entirely made of finely worked gold, it shows they were a powerful civilization. Later on, came the Carthaginians, and then the Romans took over. They (some say Julius Caesar himself) established a flourishing colony here. However, you will practically only find five columns from the Roman era, despite having been one of the most important cities then. Everything remains buried five meters under the surface. That is why it is taking so long to build the new underground lines: they keep finding archaeological remains. You can visit the other Roman remains at Plaza de la Encarnación, one of the most popular squares of Seville, and while you are there, you can look at their viewpoint to admire Seville’s skyline. Or visit the nearby Munigua and Itálica if you want to see what a Roman city looked like!

The Moorish kept Seville as an important city and rebuilt its walls, especially after being attacked by… Vikings! They were everywhere, these guys. The most famous Moorish towers are the Tower of Gold (so called because its walls had a special treatment that made it shine like made of gold) and the Silver Tower. 

When America was discovered, Seville turned the economic centre of the Spanish Empire. All the wealth coming from the continent had to go through its port. The General Archives of the Indies was created in 1785 to organize the enormous documentation related to the Spanish colonies. It is located in a beautiful building in the Herrerian style. Its documents occupy a nine-kilometres line of shelves! Here you can find some jewels like personal letters of Christopher Columbus, Magellan, Hernan Corte. UNESCO acknowledged its importance by awarding it with World Patrimony Heritage.

Thus, Seville had become one of the world's most important cities, and they needed to show it. The most popular way at the time was through its buildings. This is why the cathedral is the world's biggest Gothic church and third-biggest religious building! Yet it was built quite quickly (remember, lots of money coming from America), although, over the years, it received many changes that make it look huge and dizzying to the visitor. Some of the greatest early Spanish kings and our most famous explorer, Christopher Columbus, are buried at the Royal Chapel. His bones are being analysed, and soon we will finally know where he came from. 

The ensemble of the cathedral is completed with the orange trees Patio (very refreshing in the extremely hot Sevillian summer) and the romantic Giralda. The Giralda was built in 1184 by califa Abu Yagub Yusuf as a minaret. He specifically asked to build ramps on its interior, so he could climb all the way up by horse and admire the view of its beautiful city, or so the legend says. Nowadays, you can enjoy these ramps and, indeed, the amazing Sevillian skyline from a privileged viewpoint (it is 95 metres high). At its peak, you can see the Giraldillo, the biggest bronze statue of the Renaissance period in Europe. A piece of advice: being such a popular place, there are always huge lines in front of its gates. With this ticket, you can skip them and waste no time visiting it!

Not far away, you will find the Alcázar of Seville, the most ancient and still active royal palace! If you are a Game of Thrones fan, you will recognize it as Dorne’s palace. It has been a royal residence since 720, and its rooms and gardens are stunning works of art. Again, this place is so popular many people quit their visit when they see how long they have to wait (it has happened to me several times). But no worries, you can also skip the line with this ticket!

Another place not to be missed is Plaza de España. The buildings are positioned in a semicircle opened toward America, symbolizing arms stretching out to the continent. In front of it, a lake means obviously the ocean. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century and has undoubtedly become one of Seville's most visited tourist attractions. It is located at the heart of Maria Luisa park. This beautiful garden once belonged to a palace, but Duchess Maria Luisa de Orleans donated it to the city. 

How to get to Seville

Seville is one of the cities in Spain with better connections. You can get here by train from Madrid (AVE) or car on the highway. Last piece of advice: since summer in Seville is very hot, I would try to come during the low season. You can do all the tours for a better budget, and the temperature is great for the rest of the year. Also, since Seville is such a special city, I would advise a hotel with a soul, something distinctive when you look for a place to stay. A place like El Escondite de María would be a good example of this. Plus, it is located at the heart of Seville! With its Wi-Fi connection, you can travel and work simultaneously, giving you enough time to explore Seville. If you travel light and want to explore other dazzling cities from Andalusia, Córdoba and Granada are just an hour away. So you see, there are infinite reasons for you to come and discover why Seville is the crown of Andalusia!