The Astonishing Royal Alcazar Palace & Gardens. Seville, Day 3

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The Royal Alcazar of Seville is a place to fall in love with and one of the top attractions in Seville. Originally a Moorish fortress ('alcazar' basically means fortified castle), it is now a huge royal palace with some of the most beautiful gardens we've ever seen. 

The fortified palace was originally built in the 10th century by the first Caliph of Andalusia. It remained in really good conditions through the centuries, and today it is one of the best remaining examples of mudejar architecture, a style we've met all over Andalusia, but also further north, in Teruel, a small town hidden between Aragonian mountains.

The Royal Alcazar of Seville is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is situated just next to Seville's famous cathedral, the largest cathedral in the world and burial place of Christopher Columbus.

The Royal Alcazar of Seville is so big that one needs at least half a day to explore it and take it all in. The crowds are inevitable here, as this is one of the main attractions in the city. I personally can't imagine the Alcazar without a cue in front of the main gate. 

The fan exhibition is an interesting one, especialy if you are into this kind of stuff. I personally started appreciating the old artistic fans a couple of years ago, after visiting an incredible fan exhibition with exhibits from private collections, in Valencia. 

All ceilings of the palace are breathtaking and heavily decorated and we couldn't spot two looking the same. I could have stayed there forever admiring them. 

The place lacks furniture, but the decorated walls and ceilings make up for it. Actually, to be honest, it would be silly to have furniture in these chambers, as that would steal away the charm of the place. 

Some of the most beautiful tiles can be found here too. There are a myriad of designs, all stunning. Not to be missed is the little ceramic museum, a room where all tile types present in the palace are representated and an interestingly done floor projection stole my husband's attention for a quarter of an hour.

When I first visited the Royal Alcazar of Seville, five or six years ago, I told my husband that if we'll  ever have a garden, I want it to look just like this one. This is still valid today. Apart from the fact that it is huge and hosts forests of trees and amazing roses, the Royal Alcazar's walls are tall. And when I say tall I mean very tall. 100% privacy guaranteed, except if you are a peacock looking for your wife, and then you start screaming and calling her in a loud voice. The Alcazar's gardens are home to a couple of peacocoks and while we were taking pictures of the husband, he desperately started screaming. I've never known peacocks could be so loud.  We were a couple of meters away, we weren't harming him, I promise. Anyways, all his efforts ended with one of the ducks in the garden coming to him. Not a very successful try.  

The Alcazar's gardens host an impressive array of fountains and sculptures and strolling among them is simply delightful.

Getting lost on purpose is another great idea. We loved discovering all the rooms, patios and hallways, all varying in style, from Islamic to Neoclassical and combining Muslim and Christian architectural elements in perfect harmony.

The Royal Alcazar of Seville definitely is a place not to be missed when visiting the city. For all the beauties it encompasses, it is on our list of 7 must see places in Seville. 

  

We received two complimentary entrances from the Royal Alcazar of Seville. However, the receipt and acceptance of complimentary items and services will never influence the content of this blog. All opinions expressed here are our own.

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