5 tips on what to do in Seville, capital of the Spanish region of Andalusia. A blend of Andalusian traditions and modernity, among the best cities to discover by bicycle.
Seville in Andalusia, Spain, is the most sought-after city to visit this year according to Best in Travel 2018, the international ranking of must-see destinations by the guide Lonely Planet: today it is a modern metropolis where, alongside the celebration of ancient traditions, new architecture is taking shape and eco-friendly modes of transport are being pioneered. A green, fascinating city with an eye on the future. A tour through historic splendours and new visions in one of Spain's most beloved cities.
It is our first tip because it is the best way to get to know the city thoroughly without polluting and while getting some exercise: cycling in Seville is easy, effortless and inexpensive. Seville is flat — its average elevation is just 7 metres above sea level — and for most of the year it is sunny (even in January the average temperature is 15 degrees), so you can ride without any trouble in every season. The local authority has built 180 kilometres of cycle paths and launched a bike-hire service called Sevici: 2,600 bikes are available at docking stations, and both long- and short-term subscriptions are on offer. To encourage use, the first 30 minutes of hire are free. The cycle-path network reaches every neighbourhood, making it easy to move freely from one part of Seville to another and even to reach some municipalities in the wider metropolitan area. Today the Andalusian city is among the ten best cities for cycling, and locals themselves have taken enthusiastically to this new mode of transport — so much so that bicycle use has multiplied elevenfold in recent years.
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The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See of Seville (its full name) is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world and the third largest Catholic building by size, surpassed only by St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and Saint Paul's Cathedral in London, and it is also a Unesco World Heritage Site. Built in 1401, it stands on the site once occupied by the Aljama mosque — that is, on the ruins of another religion.
It is magnificent and grandiose, as are its interiors, and visiting it makes you feel truly small: it has five naves (the main one reaching 36 metres in height), and the rectangular floor plan measures 116 metres in length and 76 in width. Tourists are always numerous here; many come to see the remains of Christopher Columbus, kept in a mausoleum that represents the explorer's tomb, borne by heralds symbolising the four kingdoms of the Spanish Crown: Castile, León, Navarre and Aragon. If you have no fear of heights, the recommendation is to visit the Cubiertas — the "rooftop" of Seville Cathedral. From this unique vantage point you walk above the domes, through narrow passageways, to reach the cathedral's spires and take in the panorama over Seville, as well as a view of the bell tower, the Giralda, like nowhere else.
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The official name is Metropol Parasol, but everyone — including the sevillanos (the city's inhabitants) — calls it las Setas: a contemporary architectural structure built in plaza de la Encarnación in 2011, designed by German architect Jurgen Mayer. Not much loved by locals, it has nonetheless proved very popular with tourists, who visit it above all to admire the city from above and rest in its shade. The Metropol is, in fact, an enormous parasol and, as well as being the largest wooden structure in the world, it has served to give back to visitors and residents an area of the city in a key location that had fallen into a state of neglect.
Although it might not look it, las Setas has five different levels, one of which houses an archaeological museum displaying finds uncovered during the structure's construction. Entry requires a ticket costing just 3 euros, while for opening times the advice is to check the official website, as they change with the seasons. This wooden structure, unique in the world, is 150 metres long, 70 metres wide and around 30 metres tall; it is also made up of 3,500 parts joined by nearly 3,000 nodes and 16 million screws. In total, 3,500 cubic metres of micro-laminated raw Finnish pine wood coated in waterproof, breathable and flexible polyurethane. A must-see, especially for those who love architecture.
The barrio of Santa Cruz is the old judería, that is, the Jewish ghetto. In this neighbourhood of Seville, delightful little shaded squares lined with orange trees follow one after another, where the quiet atmosphere of times gone by can still be felt, despite it often being a popular destination for many tourists. Here the streets are narrow and labyrinthine, and sometimes bear evocative yet simple names such as agua (water), vida (life), gloria. The most famous is undoubtedly the calle de los besos, the street of kisses, the narrowest in all of Seville.
Strolling through this barrio, or neighbourhood, is a real pleasure. Not to be missed are plaza Doña Elvira with its beautiful benches decorated with azulejos — the typical decorated ceramic tiles — and the Hospital de los Venerables Sacerdotes, a stunning building from the moment you step into the patio, but one that truly comes into its own in the church, with breathtaking frescoes. If you continue as far as the Casa de la Memoria de Al-Andalus, you can rest in the patio — one of the most beautiful in the city — perhaps taking in one of the flamenco shows that are frequently organised there.
To truly understand the city of Seville, one of the things to do is attend a flamenco show. This is, without doubt, the purest expression of Andalusian folklore. Its origins are traced back to the fifteenth century, with the arrival of the gitanos in the countryside around Cádiz, from Jerez to Seville. In the mid-nineteenth century, flamenco became more popular thanks to café-concerts: until then, it had never left the confines of family gatherings or private parties. The first was opened in Seville itself, around 1885.
Every day it is possible to watch wonderful flamenco performances at the famous tablaos flamencos — direct heirs to the old café-concerts — in neighbourhood clubs, in themed venues, in many bars and, naturally, at festivals such as the Biennale, which this year will take place in September and will host the world's finest flamenco performers. Beyond the festival, Los gallos is one of the best places to watch flamenco dancing, an art declared by Unesco to be an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.