Top 10 Things to Do in Seville

Built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition, this sweeping semi-circular plaza with its bridge-crossed canal and tiled alcoves representing every Spanish province is one of Europe's most theatrical public spaces. Renting a rowboat on the canal at golden hour is pure romance.

Seville is the birthplace of flamenco, and watching a live performance in one of the city's intimate tablaos is one of the most viscerally moving cultural experiences in Spain. The Casa de la Memoria and the Museo del Baile Flamenco offer particularly authentic performances.

The Triana neighborhood across the Guadalquivir River is Seville's tapas heartland, where ceramic-tiled bars have been serving fried fish, jamón, and fino sherry since the 19th century. A leisurely bar hop through its narrow streets is the best way to experience local Sevillano life.

The largest Gothic cathedral in the world took over a century to build on the site of a great mosque, and its interior contains the tomb of Christopher Columbus. Climbing the ramped interior of the Giralda minaret rewards visitors with sweeping views across the city's rooftops.

Known locally as Las Setas (The Mushrooms), this extraordinary wooden lattice structure is the largest timber construction in the world, rising above a Roman archaeological site in the old city. Its rooftop walkway offers a unique bird's-eye view of the historic center.

The former Jewish quarter of Seville is a tangle of whitewashed lanes, hidden plazas scented with orange blossom, and ceramic-tiled fountains that seem designed to make visitors lose their way. Getting lost here deliberately is one of Seville's great pleasures.

The April Fair is the most spectacular fiesta in Andalusia — a week of elaborate casetas (private party tents), flamenco dancing, horse parades, and sherry consumption that transforms a fairground outside the city into the most glamorous party in Spain.

This 13th-century dodecagonal military tower on the banks of the Guadalquivir once formed part of Seville's city walls and helped control river access during the city's golden age as a gateway to the Americas. The small maritime museum inside is unexpectedly absorbing.

Housed in a beautiful 17th-century convent, Seville's Fine Arts Museum holds one of the finest collections of Spanish Baroque painting in the world, with masterworks by Murillo, Zurbarán, and Velázquez. The building's courtyards and painted ceilings are as impressive as the art.

Built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition, this sweeping semi-circular plaza with its bridge-crossed canal and tiled alcoves representing every Spanish province is one of Europe's most theatrical public spaces. Renting a rowboat on the canal at golden hour is pure romance.

Seville is the birthplace of flamenco, and watching a live performance in one of the city's intimate tablaos is one of the most viscerally moving cultural experiences in Spain. The Casa de la Memoria and the Museo del Baile Flamenco offer particularly authentic performances.

The Triana neighborhood across the Guadalquivir River is Seville's tapas heartland, where ceramic-tiled bars have been serving fried fish, jamón, and fino sherry since the 19th century. A leisurely bar hop through its narrow streets is the best way to experience local Sevillano life.

The largest Gothic cathedral in the world took over a century to build on the site of a great mosque, and its interior contains the tomb of Christopher Columbus. Climbing the ramped interior of the Giralda minaret rewards visitors with sweeping views across the city's rooftops.

Known locally as Las Setas (The Mushrooms), this extraordinary wooden lattice structure is the largest timber construction in the world, rising above a Roman archaeological site in the old city. Its rooftop walkway offers a unique bird's-eye view of the historic center.

The former Jewish quarter of Seville is a tangle of whitewashed lanes, hidden plazas scented with orange blossom, and ceramic-tiled fountains that seem designed to make visitors lose their way. Getting lost here deliberately is one of Seville's great pleasures.

The April Fair is the most spectacular fiesta in Andalusia — a week of elaborate casetas (private party tents), flamenco dancing, horse parades, and sherry consumption that transforms a fairground outside the city into the most glamorous party in Spain.

This 13th-century dodecagonal military tower on the banks of the Guadalquivir once formed part of Seville's city walls and helped control river access during the city's golden age as a gateway to the Americas. The small maritime museum inside is unexpectedly absorbing.

Housed in a beautiful 17th-century convent, Seville's Fine Arts Museum holds one of the finest collections of Spanish Baroque painting in the world, with masterworks by Murillo, Zurbarán, and Velázquez. The building's courtyards and painted ceilings are as impressive as the art.