A trip to Seville

Seville is the capital city of Andalusia and is well worth a visit if you like historic buildings, beautiful cities and a nice walk. We took the train from San Fernando (Cádiz) to Seville and stayed in a small hotel in the old part, near the city centre (See Hotels in Seville...). The hotel was quite close to the Metropol Parasol.

The Metropol Parasol is a large wooden structure in La Encarnación square and was built in 2011. It was designed by a German architect and claims to be the biggest wooden structure in the world. Under the Metropol Parasol there is a small museum where Roman and Moorish remains which were discovered on-site are displayed and walking around the top offers great views of the city.

We spent three days in Seville before catching the train back to San Fernando which gave us just enough time to enjoy the sites, relax at the cafe bars and try out some nice restaurants.

We decided to go on the tour bus and not the tour boat as your ticket allows you to hop on and off at any of the stop locations so you can have a nice walk around the attractions and don’t need to worry about getting back for your bus. You just get on the next one.

My favorite site on the tour bus was the Plaza de Espana in Maria Luisa Park (Parque de Maria Luisa), This building is enormous. The character of the building is amazing, it has large plaques within seating areas indicating the cultures of each of the provinces in Spain. There is a nice big water fountain in front of the main part of the building, and bridges across the moat where you can have a go in a small row or paddle boat.

The building was completed in 1928 and is a semi-circle shape and was used as a location in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) in which it featured in exterior shots of the City of Theed on the Planet Naboo.

I also loved the Torre del Oro (tower of gold) which was a military watchtower built in the 13th century. It was used a prison during the Middle Ages and its name comes from the golden shine it projected on the river.

Today the tower has been restored and is now a naval museum. It contains many interesting instruments, maps and historic documents and tells you about the naval history of Seville and the importance of its river.

See Hotels in Seville...