Seville Highlights

Tour the Cathedral and Streets of Seville: 

Embark on an enriching tour of the magnificent Seville Cathedral and the delightful neighborhoods surrounding it. Embark on a scenic journey through the breathtaking Andalusian countryside, then take a panoramic drive past iconic landmarks such as the Plaza España, a half circular complex populated by buildings representing the four ancient kingdoms of Spain, en route to the Barrio de Santa Cruz. Visit Seville’s stunning Gothic cathedral, the third largest in Europe. Admire the church’s rich interior, in which Christopher Columbus is entombed. The soaring Giralda, adjacent to the cathedral, stands 321 feet high. There is no finer symbol of the coexistence of Moorish and Christian cultures than this former minaret, now the cathedral’s bell tower. Explore the cathedral’s vibrant and historic neighborhood filled with shops and cafés before returning to your ship. 

This morning, we docked in Cádiz, Spain, the closest port to Seville. Although an excursion to Seville would be another all-day affair, I knew I had to visit that city for one special reason, which I’ll explain later. Tim decided to forego this adventure and take a walking tour of Cádiz instead. 

We reached Seville in just over one hour, during which time our guide gave us a little history of the city. We learned that Seville is the artistic, cultural, and financial capital of Andalusia, a region in the south of Spain. Originally founded as a Roman city, Seville came to prominence after the Islamic conquest in 711. Today, the city is known for its beautiful architecture that blends Islamic and European styles, flamenco dancing, and scorching summers. Luckily, we were there in December. 

As we began our driving tour of Seville, our guide pointed out the many pavilions that were constructed for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. This exhibition was held to promote Seville and create stronger ties between Spain, its former colonies on the American continent, Portugal and Brazil. 

Each participating country built its own pavilion to show off the best it had to offer in terms of architecture, technology, and culture. These buildings were permanent structures that were intended to be used as consulates after the exposition. Twenty-five of these pavilions remain and have been adapted for other uses, although only one serves as a consulate. 

A Few of the Many Pavilions Constructed for the Ibero-American Exposition

The centerpiece of the exposition was the Plaza de España, which I fell in love with as soon as we walked through the doorway. This spectacular building is a huge half-circle, and the walls contain tiled alcoves, each representing a different province of Spain. It is a landmark example of what was then the new Regionalist architecture, mixing elements of the various historic architectural styles of Spain. When I worked in Miami, we called a similar style Mediterranean Revival, and being here, I understood where early architects in Miami got their inspiration.

Plaza de España

Beautiful Tiled Alcoves Represent the Various Provinces in Spain

It was so interesting to learn that it was the architecture from this exposition that completely transformed the city and placed Seville on the world’s cultural map. These buildings, and Plaza de España in particular, have become the most representative structures of Seville.

In addition to building the new pavilions, preparations for the exposition spurred other civic improvements, including the widening of many avenues, creation of new plazas, introduction of a beautiful new architectural style, and the restoration of Seville’s medieval buildings.

Civic Improvements Included Wider Streets, Fountains, and Monuments

Other Buildings that Caught My Eye

After our driving tour, during which time we saw many of Seville’s other beautiful buildings, we were dropped off at Plaza de Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is the one of the most charming neighborhoods of Seville and the former Jewish quarter of the medieval city. Here, we began our walking tour. We wandered through tree-lined squares, down narrow alleys, and past shops featuring colorful ceramics and fans.

A Few Highlights on Our Walking Tour of Santa Cruz

We ended up at Plaza del Triunfo, the location of two of Seville’s most historic sites, the Cathedral of Seville and the Royal Alcazar. The cathedral started off as a mosque, which was completed in 1198, but was later converted into a Christian cathedral and then greatly enlarged to show off Seville’s wealth. It is one of the largest churches in the world. Although we were unable to visit the main part of the cathedral, we did tour one of its many chapels.

The Cathedral of Seville

The Royal Alcazar is one of the oldest royal palaces in use in Europe, and the Spanish royal family stays here when they visit Seville. The first buildings of this massive complex date back to the Middle Ages. Although I had considered visiting there during our free time, the long lines nixed that plan.

The Royal Alcazar

Instead, I spent much of my time admiring the structure that I had come to Seville to see, the Giralda Tower. La Giralda is the bell tower of the Cathedral of Seville, although it began its life as a minaret for the mosque that stood on this site before the cathedral was constructed. After the expulsion of the Muslims from the area, a Renaissance-style belfry was added.

The Giralda Tower

You may wonder why I was so interested in the Giralda Tower. It so happens that this structure was the inspiration for Miami’s Freedom Tower. While the original Giralda Tower was constructed over the centuries, with architectural elements from the time of the Moors to those of the Baroque era, the architects of Freedom Tower blended these features into a style unique to the 1920s in South Florida – what we know as Mediterranean Revival. Since I spent 25 years of my life trying to preserve Miami’s historic buildings, I thought it fitting that I visit the inspiration for one of its landmarks. I was not disappointed!

Can You See the How the Giralda Tower (left) Inspired Miami's Freedom Tower (right)?

On our walk back to the motorcoach, I continued to be amazed at Seville’s wealth of historic sites. I was also happy to get another look at many of the buildings from the exposition as we made our way out of town.

More of Seville's Historic Sites

Although I was impressed with all the cities in Spain that we visited, I must admit that Seville was my favorite.

We Passed Through the Strait of Gibraltar in the Middle of Last Night