The story of Seville
Seville was Roman Hispalis, then Moorish Ishbiliya, the name that slid into Spanish as Sevilla. Legend hands its founding to Hercules himself. Under the Almohads it gained the minaret that became the Giralda; after the Christian conquest of 1248, the mosque made way for the largest Gothic cathedral on earth, where Columbus's remains now rest in a borne tomb.
From 1503 the Casa de Contratación gave Seville a legal monopoly on all trade with the Americas, and for a golden century every galleon's silver passed up the Guadalquivir. Magellan's expedition, the first to circle the globe, cast off from here in 1519. The Alcázar, begun as a Moorish palace, is still in use by the Spanish royal family: the oldest working royal palace in Europe.
Curiosities: flamenco crystallised in Triana's courtyards; April's Feria turns the city into a week-long polka-dot fairground; and the Plaza de España has moonlighted as a film set from Lawrence of Arabia to Star Wars.
What it does best
The Museo de Bellas Artes' Spanish masters.
Tapas and sherry in Triana.
The Alcázar, the Cathedral and the Giralda tower.
An evening stroll through María Luisa Park.
Weather, month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 16 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 27 | 32 | 36 | 36 | 31 | 26 | 20 | 17 |
| Low °C | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain mm | 65 | 55 | 45 | 55 | 30 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 25 | 70 | 80 | 90 |
Highlighted months hit the sweet spot: comfortable highs and manageable rain. Approximate long-term normals, pack for surprises anyway.
What's on
Andalusia's solemn, spectacular Holy Week processions, Seville does it grandest.
A week of flamenco dresses, horse carriages, and sherry in candy-striped casetas.
Pamplona's famous, and infamous, week of encierros and non-stop fiesta.
Buñol's gloriously absurd hour-long tomato battle near Valencia.
Recurring annually; exact dates move around, check locally before planning a trip around one. More on the events calendar.
Budget
hostels, markets, free sights
3★ hotels, restaurants, museums
4–5★, tasting menus, taxis
Rough per-person estimates including lodging, food, sights, and local transport. Compare with other cities.
Day-trip wonders
Moorish Spain's masterpiece in Granada: carved stucco, quiet courtyards, and gardens built around the sound of running water.
~2.5h from Seville by train/bus to Granada. Nasrid Palaces tickets sell out weeks ahead, book the official site the moment dates open.
Pair it with
Photo: Ingo Mehling · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · all credits
