10 Things to Do in Barrio Santa Cruz in Seville

Famous for being one of Seville's most emblematic and touristic neighbourhoods, a stroll through the narrow streets and pretty squares of the Barrio Santa Cruz is one of the best things to see and do in the city, allowing you to soak up the history, tradition, colour and architectural beauty of Seville.

Like other travellers visiting Seville for the first time, you may well be wondering what to prioritise and what to pay more attention to. This article comes to answer those questions. Take this list of activities as a point of inspiration and, depending on your itinerary, include as many of them as possible to enjoy Seville to the fullest!

Enjoying a flamenco show is one of those activities that is worth doing in Seville before anywhere else in the world, due to the strong historical link of this beautiful city with flamenco culture.

Fortunately, the options to enjoy a show by first class artists abound in the city and even more so in the beautiful Santa Cruz neighbourhood.

In Spain, the venues where traditional flamenco performances are held are known as tablaos, which is the name used to define the stage or platform on which the artists perform.

Where to see a Flamenco show in Barrio Santa Cruz

• Flamenco Los Gallos This tablao was founded in 1966, the performances start at 19:00h and cost around 35€ per ticket.
• La Casa del Flamenco Here they perform every day, although show times vary depending on the season. Tickets available from 20€ per person.
• Casa de la guitarra A cultural centre with excellent references and a great favourite with travellers, adult tickets are available from €18.

If you are going to be in the city for several days, say 3 days in Seville or more, and you can spend some time exploring the Hospital de los Venerables, you will find one of the most impressive baroque style buildings in Sevillian architecture.

Erected in 1675 as a home for the homeless, the elderly and retired priests, the decorative richness of its interiors is well worth a leisurely visit.

Walk around the two floors that make up the Hospital de lo Venerables complex and admire its interiors, pausing for a moment to enjoy the beautiful central courtyard around which the complex is organised and laid out.

• Address: The hospital is located in the square of the same name, Plaza Venerables.
• Opening hours: Varies according to the season; all year round from 10am but during the winter in Seville they only work until 6pm.
• Cost: Around €10 for an adult ticket.

What would a visit to Spain be without tasting the delicious Spanish tapas? What would a visit to Seville be without sampling its fantastic gastronomy?

The best way to combine both elements into a unique and memorable tour is to go on a tapas tour and the Barrio Santa Cruz lends itself perfectly to this activity.

The best tapas bars in Santa Cruz

When it comes to tapas bars and typical restaurants the Barrio Santa Cruz is full of alternatives to choose from; although I leave you below a small list of my favourites, I invite you to do your own research.

• Cervecería Giralda One of the oldest places in the city opened in 1923 in what was once an old hammam or Arab bath.
• Bar Catedral A house built in 1923 serves as a space for a fantastic piano bar specialising in tapas and where you can enjoy live jazz music.
• Casa Tomate A space that serves to evoke the culture of flamenco and bullfighting in the south of Spain, the menu is characterised by its selection of local products.
• Taberna Belmonte Belmonte was an important Spanish bullfighter and this tavern honours the historical figure. The decoration of the ambience includes numerous bulls' heads hanging on the walls.

The Real Alcázar of Seville is considered to be one of the finest examples of Moorish architecture in Spain and a must-see on any tour of the city.

My recommendation is that whenever possible you book a guided tour of the Alcázar of Se ville with the intention of learning about and appreciating in detail its delicate interiors, the wonderful decorative work of the many arches that make up the structure and of course the tranquil internal courtyards.

Visiting the Alcázar of Seville is the closest thing to a journey through time and the history of the city, as the architectural ensemble is among the oldest palaces still in use in the world.

It has been declared a World Heritage Site, as have other important architectural gems of Seville.

• Address: It is located in the Plaza Patio de Banderas.
• Opening hours: From October to March from 09:30h until 18:00h and from April to September extended opening hours until 20:00h.
• Cost: Around €15 for an adult ticket.

To all my travelling friends interested in architecture and history, I recommend taking a moment to get to know a religious building listed among the most beautiful temples in Seville, mainly due to the remarkable cultural mix it represents.

Known among the locals as the Church of Las Nieves, after its construction the temple functioned as a mosque, but in 1391 it was transformed into a Christian church. For this reason, the traces and influence of both cultures are evident in both the art and architecture of the site.

Perhaps the most striking feature of Santa María la Blanca is the contrast between its main architectural elements, with a façade that stands out for its simplicity and plainness but with interiors richly decorated in white and gold and in the purest baroque style.

• Address: It is located at No.5, Calle Sta. María la Blanca.
• Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 10am to 1pm. In the evenings from 18h to 20:30h.
• Cost: Approximately 3€.

Located in the heart of Seville is one of its most important monuments and also a building of incalculable historical importance. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the structure was erected in 1875 to keep in a safe place the documentation relating to the administration of the Spanish colonies, mainly in the New World.

When you visit the Archivo de Indias in Seville, you will find not only a beautiful building, but also an impressive collection of archives, maps, documents, and all kinds of historical resources organised in some 43,000 folders - impressive!

• Address: Located on Avenida Constitución.
• Opening hours: Closed on Mondays; Tuesday to Saturday from 09:30h to 16:45h, Sundays and public holidays from 10:00h to 13:45h.
• Cost: It is a free attraction for all public.

If you want to enjoy nature in the heart of Seville, I recommend a quick visit to the Murillo Gardens in Seville, named after the famous Sevillian painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, one of the most important historical figures of the Spanish Baroque style.

The beautiful garden is located just behind the Alcázar of Seville in a rectangular and elongated surface that occupies an area of approximately 8500 m2.

The garden was designed by the architect Juan Talavera Heredia, with numerous walkways and many beautiful arbours.

As you will see in your exploration of Santa Cruz, walking the paths of the gardens becomes a really pleasant experience, especially if you visit during springtime in Seville.

Being one of the architectural and historical landmarks of the city, walking along the Callejón del agua in Seville is one of the most romantic walks to do in the city.

The stone wall, colourful facades and balconies with lush window boxes give the walk a very nostalgic atmosphere, especially if you decide to walk through the historic centre of Seville at night.

The street runs alongside the old city wall for about 140 metres and at the end of the route you will find the Murillo gardens. The alley and the area around it is also the source of numerous legends and myths, which is why many ghost and mystery tours in Seville include this walk among their itinerary of activities.

The parish church that gives its name to the neighbourhood is also, of course, one of the oldest religious temples in Seville. Built in 1391, its small façade was updated in a conservative baroque style between 1665 and 1728 to give us the church we can enjoy today.

Due to its conservative dimensions, a tour of the Santa Cruz church is a short visit that you can easily fit into a short trip to the city, such as a two-day trip to Seville.

During your visit you will be able to see the tomb of the famous painter Bartolomé Murillo.

• Address: Located in Calle Mateos Gago.
• Opening hours: From 09:30 to 12:30 and from 19:00 to 21:00.
• Cost: Free admission

When talking about the Santa Cruz neighbourhood, you will find specific elements that define the identity and character of this location.

These elements can be grouped into three: its narrow, welcoming streets, its houses with colourful façades and its pretty squares where children, the elderly and Sevillian citizens in general go about their daily lives.

I invite you to soak up all this atmosphere by taking a tour of the most beautiful squares that Santa Cruz has to offer. Below is a list of my favourites and what is worth admiring in each of them.

• The Plaza del Alfaro, if you are familiar with the Italian opera The Barber of Seville, you should know that this square is the famous balcony where Figaro declaimed waiting for the response of his beloved.
• Plaza de Doña Elviraenchantingsquare full of small tiles made from Triana ceramics. It is worth sitting down to enjoy its fountain with flowers and the shade of its orange trees.
• Plaza de los Refinadores Here you will find the statue of the famous lady conqueror Don Juan Tenorio.