Seville is a holiday city that knows how to enjoy life. It's home to two of Spain's great festivals, at Easter and two weeks later, in April. It's the ultimate late-night city and home to flamenco. bullfighting and tapas. It's everyone's image of the real Spain.
But Seville also has it's problems. Unemployment is high and drug addiction is pretty common. Pickpockets and bag snatchers, sometimes using scooters, mean you must keep your wits about you.
Seville is also a relatively expensive city with hotel rooms pricier than in most of Spain and near impossible to find during the two great festivals of Semana Santa and the Feria de Abril. But don't be put off - the positives massively outweigh the negatives.
Seville sits on the River Guadalquivir with most of the attractions on the east bank where the central area is full of old streets, churches and squares in the Barrio Santa Cruz and El Arenal.
Seville history
Seville oozes history with its greatest monuments a reflection of the city's Moorish and Christian heritage. The city was Muslim for 500 years from 712 until its reconquest by Ferdinand III. Moorish architecture remained dominant under the Christians, producing the Mudéjar style.
It was the Moorish Almohads that built the Alcazar palace- although most of today's structure is from the Christian period - and what was then the world's tallest building - the Giralda tower, originally the city mosque's minaret.
Seville Cathedral is said to house the remains of Christopher Columbus. His discovery of the New World led to a Seville boom time as this became the main port for the Americas. The riverside Torre del Oro is where the empire's gold and silver was stored.
Modern Seville
More recent years saw Seville stage two major events that transformed the city. In 1929, the Fair of the Americas, a celebration of Spanish culture, led to the massive Plaza de Espanya and many national pavilions around the Maria Luisa Park.
The Expo of 1992 led to a complete overhaul of Seville's infrastructure with new bridges, roads, railway station and improved airport. Some of the Expo sites now look a little neglected but there's no doubting Seville's modernity. The city is now seeing the emergence of its tram/metro system.
Sevile language
Spanish, heavily accented, is spoken in Seville. English is quite widely spoken but a few words of Spanish will be appreciated in restaurants and cafes.
Hello/Goodbye - Hola/Adios
Please/Thank you - Por Favor/Gracias
Yes/No - Si/No
1 - un/uno/una; 2 - dos; 3 - tres; 4 - cuatro; 5 - cinco
Seville money
The Euro is the local currency. There many ATMs and a wide range of banks.
Seville emergencies
Dial 061 for an ambulance. The local police number is 092 while the national police is 091. For medical services, go to the Centro de Salud El Porvenir (tel: 955 03 78 17) or Hospital Virgen del Rocio (955 01 20 00).
Seville telephones
To telephone Spain, dial 00 34 followed by the local number. To call the UK from Spain, dial 00 44 followed by the number required omitting the initial '0'. The city's codes are 954 and 955 and should be used when making local calls.
Seville tourist information
There is the Municipal Tourist Office at c/de Arjona (tel: 954 22 17 14); Regional Tourist Offices at Avenida de la Constitución (954 22 14 04) and at the Santa Justa railway station (954 53 76 26). Turismo Sevilla is at Plaza del Triunfo - the very centre of the city (tel: 954 21 00 05).
Flamenco
Seville orange
Tourist office
Giralda lemons
