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Seville

Seville opens with a meal at El Rinconcillo, the city's oldest bar, founded in 1670 and still hung with cured jamón legs behind the counter; the Baroque tower of Iglesia de San Pedro, sometimes called the little Giralda, rises just a few minutes' walk away. Casa de Pilatos hides an Andalusian courtyard, colonnaded loggia, and manicured gardens behind an unassuming facade, while the real Giralda — capped by the bronze Giraldillo weathervane — anchors the skyline above the Cathedral's carved Gothic portals. Plaza de España curves around a tiled bridge and canal, the Torre del Oro stands guard over the Guadalquivir, and the belle-époque Hotel Alfonso XIII presides over a round of cocktails at the end of the day. The Real Alcázar closes the loop on Seville's layered history: a Mudéjar facade covered in Arabic inscriptions, the gilded dome of the Salón de Embajadores, sun-splashed gardens with the Giralda peeking over the walls, and — a short walk away — the Museo del Baile Flamenco, a reminder that this is still very much a living city, not just a historic one.

The green and gold sign of El Rinconcillo, reading Casa Fundada Año 1670 — El Rinconcillo, Seville's oldest bar since 1670

Jamón legs hanging from hooks above a tiled bar at El Rinconcillo — Jamón legs hanging at El Rinconcillo

The Baroque bell tower of Iglesia de San Pedro topped with a statue — The Baroque tower of Iglesia de San Pedro

A marble fountain in the arcaded Mudéjar courtyard of Casa de Pilatos — The fountain courtyard at Casa de Pilatos

An upper-story loggia at Casa de Pilatos lined with classical busts — The upper loggia at Casa de Pilatos

Manicured gardens with topiary and flower beds at Casa de Pilatos — The gardens of Casa de Pilatos

The bronze Giraldillo weathervane statue atop the Giralda tower — The Giraldillo atop the Giralda

A carved Gothic portal with statues of saints on the Seville Cathedral — A carved portal of the Seville Cathedral

A tiled bridge over the canal at Plaza de España in Seville — The tiled bridge at Plaza de España

The Torre del Oro beside the Guadalquivir River, framed by palm trees — The Torre del Oro along the Guadalquivir

The rooftop and spires of Hotel Alfonso XIII with its name in tile — The rooftop of Hotel Alfonso XIII

Two passionfruit cocktails on a wooden table — Passionfruit cocktails

The Gothic facade of the Seville Cathedral with a rose window and spire — The Gothic facade of the Seville Cathedral

The Mudéjar upper facade of the Real Alcázar with an Arabic inscription frieze — The Mudéjar facade of the Real Alcázar

The gilded wooden dome of the Salón de Embajadores at the Real Alcázar — The gilded dome of the Salón de Embajadores

An archway and courtyard at the Real Alcázar in Seville — An archway at the Real Alcázar

Palm-lined gardens at the Real Alcázar with the Giralda tower visible in the distance — The gardens of the Real Alcázar, with the Giralda behind

The Giralda tower framed through a crenellated opening in the Alcázar's walls — The Giralda framed through the Alcázar's walls

A carved plaque for the Museo del Baile Flamenco Cristina Hoyos in Seville — The Museo del Baile Flamenco plaque

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