Located in the centre of the beautiful city of Seville, the capital of the Andalusian region in Spain and one of the hottest cities in mainland Europe, the Alcázar is probably the city’s main tourist attraction.
A bit of history
Due to its location in the southernmost part of Spain, the city’s architecture has largely been influenced by North-African countries and their inhabitants, the Moors, who actually occupied the peninsula from the 8th century. This is when the Alcázar was built as a royal residence.
Throughout this period, the palace was decorated and built following the rules of Islamic art, with arabesques and geometric patterns, golden details, etc. This is what explains the Moorish style of the whole palace and gardens.

However, in the 13th century the Catholic Kings of Spain claimed the palace as their own, making, over the time, a few adjustments to the palace, leading to its distinct Mudéjar style. To explain it roughly, the word Mudéjar refers to the mix between the Moorish/Muslim culture, art or architecture with Christian touches (like Gothic, Renaissance, etc). It is very common in this part of Spain that was ruled by the Moors and then by Christians.
The Alcázar palace
As it is one of the most beautiful monuments in Seville, visiting the Alcázar has to be on your list. If you know Game of Thrones, some locations will seem quite familiar as some scenes have been shot inside the palace and around its gardens. This is why, in my first post from Spain, I said I was in Dorne!
Anyway, the palace is truly a masterpiece of architecture. I fell completely in awe in some of the rooms that were decorated with such intricate and precise details.

I loved the “Courtyard of the Dolls” (Patio de las Muñecas) for its magical, silvery vibe, and the fact that it didn’t use to have a roof, so that it could be possible to see the stars at night.
The Hall of Ambassadors (see the last picture) was truly breath-taking, as you enter it through gorgeous and colourful arches, and it has this huge, golden roof with amazing details.
Finally, the “Courtyard of the Maidens” (Patio de las Doncellas) is to me what the Alcázar is all about: you can see the wonderful blue sky, you are surrounded by intricate arches made of yellow-y stone that perfectly complement the blue sky and turquoise water in the pond that stands in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by trees.

Sadly, I didn’t get the chance to visit the Upper floors, as all the tickets were sold out. Small tip if you go to Seville: buy every entrance in advance!
I also wouldn’t recommend the audio guide as I felt like it didn’t give the right kind of information. I would however suggest having some sort of basic information (at least) about the historical background of the palace!
The gardens:

You can’t talk about the Alcázar if you don’t mention its gardens. With the ones at the Maria Luisa Park, which I’ll talk about in another post, they are one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen.
The best thing to do in the gardens is just to walk around and discover them, as they hide so many wonderful secrets. On some points they seem more orderly, and you can imagine the royal family having a nice stroll there, while other parts are “wilder”, with a lot of different plants and trees.

I really enjoyed walking around, getting lost in the “labyrinth”, stumbling upon cute fountains, small benches made of colourful tiles and different types of flowers, plants and trees. The weather obviously helps a lot, and it is definitely better to visit it on a sunny day as all the colours seem more vivid and bright.

As if the atmosphere wasn’t dreamy enough, there is a point where you can see a big part of the garden from above. You climb a few stairs and have a lovely view over the portion of the garden that is closer to the palace. You definitely can’t miss it!
Night visit at the Alcázar:

Seville played an important role in Spanish expeditions around the 15th century, especially with personalities such as Ferdinand Magellan who went to discover the East Indies, starting what would become the first circumnavigation of the Earth.
Why am I telling you this? Well, the night visit of the Alcázar tells this story, and it is magical. These visits, that they call visitas nocturnas teatralizadas, are basically a live play, as if you were at the theatre, but it takes place all around the palace.
You are welcomed by actors, dressed in 15th-century fashion, that tell you the story of Magellan’s expedition through an immersive play, guiding you around the palace and its history. As you do it in small groups, this visit allows you to see the palace in a completely new way, free of tourists and with amazing light effects.

What I liked the most about this, was not only the talented actors and the story they told us, but mainly the fact that you can experience this usually crowded place in a completely new way that almost feels magical. You have gorgeous lights that create dreamy atmospheres to go with the play, music to immerse yourself even more in the story, and dancing, which, in this wonderful setting, is even more captivating.
This is a visit I would recommend to anyone visiting Seville, keeping in mind though that you can’t take pictures or videos throughout the visit. I would actually suggest doing both if possible. At least, I was really glad to get the chance to see both!
Here was my very first article about my Spanish experience, and I hope you liked it! The Alcázar is truly a masterpiece, and definitely something that you have to visit when you go to Seville. It is unlike anything I had seen before and really feels magical – in my opinion.
Also, when coming to Andalusia, the Spanish royal family still uses the Alcázar as a royal residence, and I can’t imagine how incredible this may be.
Would you like to live in the Alcázar? 😁 Have you ever been to Seville, or is it on your list? (I don’t accept any other answers 😉 )
Great post 😊
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Thank you so much 😊
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Visiting Alcazar and finally seeing it in person was a highlight of our visit to Seville! Your photos look absolutely amazing, it was raining during our time there and everything was dark and gloomy – would love to go back and see it again
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Wow, it must be really different when it rains, but the inside is pretty amazing anyway! Thank you so much for your comment 😊
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Wow, Seville looks absolutely stunning. I’d heard great things but it’s definitely on my list now!
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Thank you for your comment ! 😊 Seville is really a gorgeous city, I hope you’ll get the chance to visit one day!!
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First article about your Spanish experience about Sevilla…I feel that you loved it!
I’ll wait the next ones! I hope you call me, when you’ll visit the Northen!
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I did love it! I’ll try to put up the next ones as soon as possible! 😊 Right now I am sadly not in beautiful Spain anymore, but if I’ll visit the North I will definitely tell you !
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Is this place for rental? 🤔 Just joking, but I absolutely love it, the night experience must have been fantastic 😍 and Seville is definitely on my list!! 😄
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Ahaha I wish!! The night experience was really amazing, it is really hard to describe it as it felt so magical! Thank you for your comment 😍
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Such a stunning place! It’s so interesting when you share all those historical information alongside your pictures/experience; it adds a wonderful layer of insight into what we see. Love the architecture there. How’s the food? 😮 Great post, Juliette! Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks a lot Lashaan! I try to add at least a few historical information as sometimes it almost makes the place more beautiful because you can understand it in a way! 😊 The food is absolutely amazing! I’ll post more things about Spain and the food will definitely be in one of the posts 😁
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I look forward to it then hahah And happy birthday to you, Juliette! Although it’s probably already the morning of the next day where you’re at! 😂
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Thanks, it’s actually a week later now ahaha sorry 😂
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Thanks for your writing on the Alcazar! It’s one of the most beautiful structures I’ve ever seen. 🙂 I live here now and can visit the site anytime for free. Amazing.
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Wow, thanks a lot for your comment! Being able to visit there anytime must be amazing!! The gardens are such a relaxing place as well, must be wonderful to roam around in your free time!
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I loved the alcazar when I visited, and I didn’t realise until after that it had been used as a set in Game of Thrones! Definitely a highlight of a Seville trip!
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Ahaha I knew it before going but I don’t think I would have realised if I didn’t know either! Thanks for reading! 😊
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