35 Best Sights in Seville, Andalusia

This shady square filled with palms and orange trees is separated from the Murillo Gardens by an iron grillwork and ringed with stately glass balconies. At its center is a monument to Don Juan Tenorio, the famous Don Juan known for his amorous conquests.

Sevillanos have spent many a thrilling evening in this bullring, one of the oldest and loveliest plazas de toros in Spain, built between 1760 and 1763. The 20-minute tour (in English) takes in the empty arena, a museum with elaborate costumes and prints, and the chapel where matadors pray before the fight. Bullfights take place in the evening Thursday–Sunday from April through July and in September. Tickets can be booked online or by phone; book well in advance to be sure of a seat.

This 17th-century church has many fine works by artists such as Martínez Montañés and Francisco Pacheco, but its outstanding piece is Juan de Mesa y Velasco's Jesús del Gran Poder (Christ Omnipotent).

Built by the Moors in 1220 to complete the city's ramparts, this 12-sided tower on the banks of the Guadalquivir served to close off the harbor when a chain was stretched across the river from its base to a tower on the opposite bank. In 1248, Admiral Ramón de Bonifaz broke through the barrier, and Fernando III captured Seville. The tower houses a small naval museum.

Fans of Bizet's opera Carmen will want to come here, to see where the famous heroine reputedly rolled cigars on her thighs. At the far end of the Murillo Gardens, opposite Calle San Fernando, stands part of the University of Seville, in what used to be the Real Fábrica de Tabacos (Royal Tobacco Factory). Built in the mid-1700s, the factory employed some 3,000 cigarreras (female cigar makers) less than a century later. Free guided tours (book online only) are available on Tuesdays (11 am, Wednesdays (4  pm), Thursdays (11 am and 4 pm) and Fridays (11 am and 12:30 pm), except in August.