Sevilla

Visitors come for Moorish and Gothic monuments, the tiled Plaza de España, flamenco in Triana, evenings of tapas and two famous spring celebrations, Holy Week and the April Fair. The historic centre is compact and best explored on foot, so an apartment in one of the old quarters suits couples and first-time visitors, while roomier flats in Triana, Los Remedios or Nervión give families more space for a week or longer. Summers are fiercely hot, which makes spring and autumn the favourite seasons. Córdoba, Cádiz, Carmona and the Roman ruins of Itálica are all within easy reach for day trips.

Where to stay in Seville

Santa Cruz, the old Jewish quarter beside the Cathedral and the Alcázar, is a maze of narrow lanes and small squares that puts the main monuments on your doorstep; it is the classic choice for a first visit, though busy by day. The Arenal, between the Cathedral and the river, has the Torre del Oro and the Real Maestranza bullring and suits travellers who want to walk everywhere. Further north, the streets around the Alameda de Hércules, a tree-lined square laid out in 1574, have a livelier evening scene popular with younger visitors.

Across the river, Triana keeps its own identity, with a tradition of pottery, tiles and flamenco, and it is a short walk into the centre over the Isabel II bridge, better known as the Triana bridge. Los Remedios, to the south, is a calmer residential district that hosts the April Fair grounds. Nervión, east of the centre, is modern and has a metro station, a practical base for families and longer stays.

The Cathedral, the Alcázar and the main sights

Seville Cathedral stands on the site of the great Almohad mosque begun in 1172 and is one of the largest churches in the world; Christopher Columbus is among those buried inside. Its bell tower, the Giralda, was the mosque's minaret and is crowned by a bronze weather vane, the Giraldillo, which gives the tower its name. Next door, the Royal Alcázar grew from an Islamic citadel begun in the 10th century into a palace complex rebuilt after 1248. It is a leading example of the Mudéjar style, with courtyards, tiled halls and gardens, and its upper floors are still used by the royal family when they visit.

The General Archive of the Indies, in the old merchants' guild building, completes the UNESCO trio. South of the centre, the Parque de María Luisa and the curving Plaza de España were created for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. In the old town, the Metropol Parasol, a wooden canopy completed in 2011, shelters a market and Roman remains beneath a rooftop terrace.

A short history of Seville

Seville began as the Roman city of Hispalis, while nearby Itálica, founded in 206 BC, was the birthplace of the emperor Trajan and the home town of Hadrian's family. After the Islamic conquest of 711 the city, known as Ishbiliyah, became the seat of an independent taifa kingdom in the 11th century and was later ruled by the Almoravids and the Almohads, who built the minaret that became the Giralda and, in 1220 and 1221, the riverside Torre del Oro. Castilian forces took the city on 23 November 1248 after a siege of fifteen months.

The golden age came with the voyages to the Americas. In 1503 Seville became the headquarters of the Casa de Contratación, which managed trade with the New World, and by the 16th century it was one of the largest cities in Western Europe. Trade later shifted downriver to the Bay of Cádiz, which took over the Casa in 1717. In the 20th century the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 and Expo '92 reshaped the city, and Seville became the capital of Andalusia.

Festivals, flamenco and tapas

Holy Week, Semana Santa, is Seville's great religious celebration and has been declared a Fiesta of International Tourist Interest. Brotherhoods carry religious images through the streets in processions accompanied by traditional music, and the event is a central part of Sevillian identity. About two weeks later comes the April Fair, the Feria de Abril, when families, companies and associations set up casetas, marquee-style pavilions, on a permanent fairground in Los Remedios and spend the week dancing and socialising. Both weeks are the busiest of the year, so plan and reserve well ahead.

Flamenco runs deep here, from Triana's traditions to La Bienal, a flamenco festival held every two years that lasts nearly a month. Eating is a social ritual too: people move from bar to bar ordering tapas, small dishes whose name means lids, probably from the plates once used to cover drinks. Renting a flat with a kitchen lets you add market shopping to the mix.

Day trips from Seville

Itálica, at Santiponce just outside the city, preserves the streets, mosaics and amphitheatre of a Roman town. Carmona, about 33 kilometres to the north-east, sits on a ridge above the Andalusian plain and has a Roman necropolis and amphitheatre. Córdoba, a stop on the high-speed line between Seville and Madrid, is famous for its Mezquita-Catedral, a former great mosque now used as a cathedral and listed by UNESCO in 1984.

To the south, Cádiz was founded by the Phoenicians as a trading post and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe; its old town lies within the remains of its walls, beside beaches such as La Caleta. Where the Guadalquivir meets the Atlantic, Doñana National Park, established in 1969, protects marshes, shallow streams and sand dunes, home to red deer, wild boar and the Iberian lynx. Guided visits are the usual way to enter its protected core.

Getting there and around

Seville Airport (SVQ) lies about 10 kilometres east of the city centre and has flights to Spanish cities and destinations across Europe and North Africa. Sevilla-Santa Justa, opened in 1991, is the main railway station; it was built for Spain's first AVE high-speed line, which has linked Seville and Madrid since 1992, and it also handles regional and commuter trains to the rest of Andalusia.

The historic centre is best explored on foot or by bicycle. The public bike scheme, Sevici, has hundreds of stations, and cycling has grown quickly since the mid-2000s. Metro line 1, opened in 2009, crosses the southern part of the city and its suburbs, stopping at Puerta Jerez near the centre, at San Bernardo and at Nervión, and a short tram line serves the heart of town. A car is a burden in the narrow streets of the old quarters, where parking is scarce, but useful for Doñana, the white villages or the coast of Cádiz.

Weather and when to visit

Seville has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, with very hot, long and dry summers and mild winters with moderate rain. In July and August average daily highs are above 36°C, so a home with air conditioning, shade or a pool makes a real difference, and sightseeing is best done early in the morning or after sunset. December and January are the coolest months, with average highs of about 16 to 18°C and lows of 6 to 7°C. Rain falls on around 50 days a year, often in heavy bursts.

Spring, from March to May, is usually the most pleasant season, and it brings Holy Week and the April Fair, though those weeks are crowded and in high demand. Autumn, from late September to November, is warm and calmer, good for walking and day trips. Winter is mild enough for comfortable sightseeing, with fewer visitors, while August is the month many residents avoid because of the heat.