See the harmonious marriage of Spanish and Moorish architecture at the Alcazar Palace or Reales Alcazares at Plaza Triunfo. Constructed between the 14th and 16th centuries, it is built around a series of courtyards and formal gardens and is notable for its elaborate archways and intricate ornamentation.
Marvel at what is reportedly the largest Gothic building in the world--the Catedral de Sevilla in the Plaza Virgen de los Reyes and the Avenida de la Constitución. A mosque once stood on the site and remnants of it were incorporated into the present structure. The mosque's minaret, for example, was added onto and renamed the Giralda Tower; today it's the bell tower. The Patio de los Naranjos is named for the orange trees growing within it; this was the original mosque courtyard. On the south side of the church is the elaborate tomb of Christopher Columbus, which is topped with a sculpture of Spanish knights bearing the explorer's coffin aloft. The elaborately-carved golden altarpiece is the largest in the world.
Examine some of the finest examples of Spanish art at the Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla at the Plaza del Museo 9. Located in a former convent, it includes Spanish and Sevillan art. The works of native son Bartolomé Esteban Murillo are well-represented.
Prowl around the Barrio de Santa Cruz. It's a great place to nosh on tapas and drinks, buy a few souvenirs, watch the passers-by or just get lost. While you're there, ponder why someone named this former Jewish ghetto, "Holy Cross."
Seek out the flamenco--the traditional, almost cliched, dance of Spain, with its stomping feet, clicking castanets and incessant clapping. It takes some doing to sort out the decent flamenco clubs from the tourist traps--both can be found mostly in the Barrio de Santa Cruz and the Triana district. Check out Casa Anselma at Pages Del Corro 49, La Taberna at Duarte 3, La Carboneria at Leviés 18 and Los Gallos and El Tamboril--both in the Plaza de Santa Cruz.
Enjoy the Sevillan tradition of Semana Santa, or Holy Week, which is characterized by religious parades that include floats, crosses, brass bands and marchers wearing robes and pointed hoods.
