Alcázar de Sevilla – Seville, Spain | Two Soulmates and a Suitcase

We spent most of our second day in Seville touring the Alcázar of Seville, or “Reales Alcázares de Sevilla.” Registered in 1987 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Alcázar is known as one of the most beautiful palaces in Spain and is still used as the official residence for the royal family when they come to Seville.

Like many royal buildings in Andalusia, the Alcázar represents multiple different architectural influences, including Arabic, Middle Ages Mudéjar, Renaissance, and Baroque. Its most famous inhabitant was Phillip V of Spain who oversaw the Treaty of Seville and the ending of the Anglo-Spanish War.

The Alcázar is open Monday – Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. during October – March; it is open Monday – Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. during April – September. It costs €9,50 per person; if you want to get super risky, you can get in for free if you get there one hour before it closes (we do not recommend this…there’s too much to see!)

The first thing you see when entering the Alcázar is the Puerta de León (“Door of the Lion”), marked by a tiled design of a crowned lion holding a cross.

Puerta de León

Once you enter the palace, be sure to grab an audio guide and a map. The audio guide is worth your money; a majority of what you will see is close to impossible to meaningfully understand without a guided explanation.

The tour is broken down into three main areas: the main palace, the upper palace, and the gardens. When you pass through the Puerta de León, you’ll find yourself in a small garden area. To the left is the Sala de la Justicia and the Patio del Yeso.

Continue through that and you will end up in a large, open patio called Patio de la Montería. On either side of the patio are different galleries and small alcoves designed by Queen Isabella, including Salón del Almirante, Sala de las Audiencias, and the Retablo Virgen de los Navegantes. The Patio de la Montería will be your first real glimpse of the different competing architectural styles; pay particular attention to the tiled designs and arches.

Patio de la Monterīa

Salón del Almirante

Ceiling of the Salón del Almirante

One of the many gorgeous tiled walls

The Patio de la Montería will funnel you into the Vestíbulo, a beautiful rectangular door surrounded by intricate designs that lead you into a series of small rooms and patios with an eventual destination of Patio de las Doncellas.

Don and Donna at the vestíbulo.

Along the way to the Patio de las Doncellas, you wander through the Cuarto del Príncipe, Patio de las Muñecas, Alcobal Real, Salón de los Embajadores, Salón del Techo de Carlos V and Salón del Techo de Felipe II.

Ceiling of the Patio de las Muñecas.

Salón de Techo de Felipe II

Wall in the Salón de Techo de Felipe II

Salón de los Embajadores

Ceiling of Salón de los Embajadores

Coming out of the Cuarto del Principe, there’s a small, often forgotten side room called Ampliación Cuarto del Principe (“Extension” of the Cuarto del Principe), which contains the Patio del Cuarto Militar.

After exploring all these little side rooms and patios, you’ll find yourself in the Patio de los Doncellas. Meaning “Courtyard of the Maidens,” this patio is a reflection of the legend that Moors would demand 100 virgins from Christian kingdoms each year as a tribute.

Patio de los Doncellas has two levels with the lower level being the most famous; it was built for King Peter I and contains a beautiful reflecting pool stretching the length of the patio surrounded by sunken gardens. The upper level was added on later during Charles V’s reign.

Patio de las Doncellas

Reflecting pool

Upper level of Patio de las Doncellas

Heading north to the left of the Patio de las Doncellas is the Capilla del Palacio Gótico and the Salón de los Tapices. The Salón de los Tapices (“Tapestry Room”) was one of my favorite rooms; the tapestries were intricate and very detailed. The walls of the tapestry room were lined with lovely tiled murals.

At this point you can head outside to explore the gardens or head to the upper palace. The upper palace has specific hours and separate tickets/guides; it’s open from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have the opportunity to see the upper palace; it was closed that day for some unknown reason. We were frustrated by this, but our annoyance quickly dissipated when we walked out into the beautiful gardens; the gardens made up for the loss. The gardens are full of gorgeous flowers, trees, ponds, channels, pools, and hedges. It’s bright and lively with a beautiful, calming feel.

Unlike inside the Alcázar, where you are mostly beholden to your map and the audio guide, you have more freedom to explore in the gardens. The map will direct you to the must see places, but you can also wander around on your own, checking out the hedge mazes, relaxing on the benches, and smelling all the flowers.

The first thing to hit when walking out into the gardens is the Fuente de Mercurio (“Mercury Pond”). The pond sits atop the rest of the garden and boasts a large statue of the god Mercury in the middle designed by Diego de Pesquera in 1576. The pond is surrounded by railings with shields and lions at each corner end. Behind the pond sits a series of frescos along a garden-perimeter wall titled “Gallery of the Grotesque” (more on that later).

Fuente de Mercurio

Before heading down into the main garden, check out the less-exciting, but the definitely-worth-seeing-garden beyond the palace. Head through the Puerto de Marchena to check it; to the left is a small cafe and there are bathrooms about half way down the side of the garden. This area of the Alcázar is made up of neatly lined square hedges that meet at their corners with small fountains and benches. Not a lot of people take time to explore this part of the Alcázar, so it’s a great opportunity to escape the crowds and take in the beauty of the gardens.

There’s two stops you want to make in this area of the gardens; the first is right in the middle of the hedge rows, the Jardin del Marqués de la Vega Inclán, a subtle but pretty fountain standing alone in the maze. Head towards the end of the hedge rows and check out the Jardin de los Poetas, a little fountain backed up against the far wall of the garden dedicated to Spanish poets.

At this point, make your way back up to where you started at the Fuente de Mercurio and head down the stairs to the right of the fountain. From here you can check out the Baños de Maria de Padilla and make your way into the Jardín de las Damas.

Heading into the Jardín de las Damas

As you walk along, check out the tiled murals along some of the hedge corners and bench areas. The pictures and colors are detailed and intricate. Some of the murals were being restored at the time; I stopped and watched them at work; every move was deliberate and delicate.

Towards the middle of the garden, make a left towards the far wall. You’ll eventually run into the Fuente de la Fama, a large orange fountain with a small pool at the bottom filled with ferns. Don’t dismiss this fountain; it’s very unique. Inside the fountain is a hydraulic organ, powered by the fountain’s waterfall pushing air up into the pipes of the organ. It plays beautiful organ music on a set schedule; the audio guide should describe the schedule when it plays. It’s worth a wait to hear it.

If you notice in the picture of the Fuente de la Fama, there’s an alcove above the fountain with railings. This is the Galería de Grutesco, a long narrow hallway that covers the perimeter of the gardens. You can access this perimeter jaunt by the Inicio de los Jardines (Start of the Gardens) near the Fuente de Mercurio. Take the time to walk the entire length; the views of the garden are beautiful.

Once you’ve ran the length of the Galería de Grutesco, head back to the Fuente de la Fama and continue meandering around the garden; check out the Cenador del León, Cendador de la Alcoba and the Puerta del Privilego.

Cenador de la Alcoba

Beyond the Cenador de la Alcoba is a fun little hedge maze; duck inside and try not to get lost!

The rest of the gardens beyond the hedge maze isn’t detailed in your map and audioguide as much, but they are definitely worth the look. Head out towards the gardens from the Cenador del León and move towards the right to the Jardín de la Cruz. This garden has a secret! Look underneath the large hedge in the center of the fountain; you’ll find a marble statue of a woman. She is usually missed by most Alcázar patrons!

There she is!

The gardens continue on, seemingly endlessly. I enjoyed exploring them and walking around. At one point I ran into a gentleman painting. I stood and watched him for a few minutes.

We left the Alcázar after spending a majority of the day there. It was probably one of my favorite parts of our entire Spain trip. It is definitely a must see!

We took a short break at the hotel and relaxed by the pool before heading out to dinner. We wandered around a bit before picking a restaurant; we finally settled on El Rinconcillo which had excellent views online. They served a variety of tapas dishes and had indoor and outdoor seating areas.

Up until this point, “tapas” usually indicated a appetizer-style dish on a small plate. El Rinconcillo was slightly different. All three of us got a little ridiculous with our ordering thinking we were asking for a variety of small dishes and ended up with a feast fit for like ten people. Andy alone had four plates of food in front of him.