The Top Ten Viewpoints in Seville
Seville is a picturesque city blessed with incalculable orange trees and beautiful buildings. If you come to this sun-drenched city, you are naturally going to want to witness this beauty in all its grandeur. Like all great artwork, to truly appreciate the beauty of Seville it will not be enough to merely see it up close. You will also need to take a step back… and up! To aid you in this endeavour, this blog is going to count down the ten best viewpoints in Seville.
There are a multitude of different terraces, and towers, and viewing platforms throughout Seville, so I have tried to compile a good range of all and from all different parts of the city, so that you will be able to appreciate the skyline from different angles. So, without further ado, lets begin.
10: Hotel Amadeus
We start our countdown the heart of the old Jewish Quarter. This hotel in Santa Cruz has a musical theme and one of the most pleasant roof top bars in the city. Tucked away down a back street, this terrace is the ideal place to go if you want to escape the crowds for a quiet drink.
9: Torre de los Perdigones – Quite far out of the city, beyond the Macarena neighbourhood, the appropriately named tower is all that remains of an old bullet factory. It was restored for the ’92 Expo and opened to the public as a camera obscura in 2005. Ever since then it has seen a small, but steady, stream of sightseers making the trip out from the city centre to enjoy the views over the city and surrounding countryside. Unless you have an extremely high quality camera, don’t expect to get many amazing photos as it is very far out, it’s best to just enjoy the moment.
8: Torre Schindler
The Pavillion of Navigation is one of Seville’s best museums with breath-taking exhibits on display year round. What’s more, this museum hides one of the city’s best lookouts. Six tours a day allow visitors to climb the fifty metre high Schindler tower for amazing views of the Rio Guadalquivir and the Andalusian capital sitting on the opposite bank.
7: Torre del Oro
The former Almohad watchtower is one of Seville’s main tourist attractions, but also commands an impressive view over the river and Cathedral. The thirty-six metre high tower is free on Mondays.
6: Hotel Inglaterra/Ayuntamiento
Bookending Plaza Nueva, the Hotel Inglaterra and Ayuntamiento hold two very similar miradors. They come together here for one very simple reason, without a local guide, the roof of the town hall is a very hard place to find. The Hotel Inglaterra, on the other hand, has a welcoming and easy to find roof top terrace with amazing views over the Ayuntamiento and cathedral. From here you can really appreciate just how many churches are in the city.
5: Museo Pintor Amalio
Sitting on one of the quaintest plaza’s Santa Cruz has to offer, this free to enter art gallery opens its rooftop up to anyone with the inclination to climb three flights of stairs. This may not sound like a lot, and indeed it isn’t, but the trek puts enough people off to keep this viewpoint out over the orange trees of Plaza de Doña Elvira quiet. From here you can marvel at the Cathedral standing proud behind the rooftops of the Jewish quarter.
4: Hotel Doña Maria
The oldest of Seville’s many roof terraces is on the roof of a 14th century house-palace. This hotel offers unbeatable views of the Cathedral and la Giralda. Relax by the pool with a drink as you enjoy the views of the Moorish bell tower.
3: Hotel Palacio Alcazar
Less grandiose than the hotel Doña Maria, but no less impressive. This is the former residence of famed American painter John Fulton, who moved to Seville to pursue a dream of becoming a bull fighter. The views from this terrace are just as remarkable as his life.
2: Las Setas
The Metropol Parasol is the worlds largest wooden structure, and exists solely to provide visitors with an amazing view of the city. The surreal walkway at the top of the building affectionately known by locals as ‘The Mushrooms’ is especially spectacular at sunset. This is also the best place in the city to truly appreciate just how large the Cathedral is.
1: La Giralda
If any one building can be called THE landmark of Sevilla, then this is it. The 12th century tower is all that remains of a Moorish mosque which once occupied the spot where the Cathedral now stands. At 104 metres tall, no building inside the city centre is taller than this (by law no building is allowed to be), and as such, no building in Seville will give you a better view over the surrounding cityscape.
So there you have it. Countdown complete, you are now ready to head out into Seville and enjoy it’s alluring skyline for yourself! However, if you would like to know more about these buildings, or would like guiding around some of our favourites, then we’re here to help. Join our rooftop tour to be shown around Seville by a local, stopping off at our favourite spots in the city.
Davey Womack is a tour guide and avid traveller. To read about his adventures around the world, visit his personal blog.