We walked by this church on Saturday, the last day of out Seville visit, doing some last minute…read moresightseeing and decided to give thanks for a wonderful trip and pray for safe passage home. There was some sort of gathering outside with local folks all dressed up. A baptism? It's beautiful inside the church. Several altars were behind metal bars - to prevent theft and vandalism? A sign of our time I guess.

Guided tour was definitely the best way to visit this amazing cathedral…read more We met in the designated guided tour entrance which was along Av. De La Constitución. We booked the English tour at 15:30 and that would last for about 1.5 hours. Nestor was our guide and met everyone outside. He was a great source of information throughout this tour, patient and also made sure all of our questions were answered. The tour took a limited number of visitors and brought us into areas not accessible on the regular admission including the choir and the largest main altar in the world. The main altar was just amazing to see and it was even larger than the one we saw years ago at the cathedral primada in Toledo. We also viewed one of the most famous occupants in the Cathedral, the monumental tomb to Christopher Columbus. When the tour ended he also brought some of the group over to the entrance to the Giralda, bell tower, to climb the ramps all the ways to the top. Unfortunately by that hour it was hailing and pouring rain so it was difficult to take in the above views of Seville. We did come back the next morning to partake in mass which took place before the general admission. It was a unique experience made even better with the accompanying choir with the organ. This was also the only time one could see the Chapel of Santa Maria de la Antigua before the curtains were drawn across the gate.

Beautiful Cathedral - glad we got to visit…read more Super crowded, so I suggest you go early. I've heard the guided tour is worth it - we just walked the property, wished I would have at least had the English audio guide. Great place to see while in Seville - you should go. Would I go back? If I were bringing others, yes. On my own again, probably not - once was good enough.

I wandered over to Basilica De La Macarena to see the famous weeping Virgin of Hope. The statue…read morewas created in 1680s and was known for its famous sorrowful expression and tears of crystals. It was beautiful and solemn. I sat in the pews for awhile and was mildly annoyed by a blogger who was constantly moving back and forth in front of the altar filming and commenting as he went along. I was surprised at the latitude given. Next door I paid the 3.5E admission fee to enter the basilica's museum. Here you get to see the float where the Virgin of Hope is carried around Seville during Holy Week. It also contained more details about the statue, parade accessories and its importance. There also were matador outfits since the virgin has been relied upon as a protector of bullfighters. Even-though it's away from Seville's historic city center, it's worth the detour.

While eating breakfast on our last day here we saw the long Macarena wall on a tourist map that…read moreintrigued us. I don't recall seeing it while doing Seville pre trip research. We were able to navigate our way here through the narrow confusing alleys. Turned out it's just an ignored abandoned old wall. There were nothing to explain it's origin. The plagues in Spanish were weather worn. We saw a beautiful church right next to the wall. There's a wedding going on with ladies and gentlemen all decked out in fine clothes. A great sight to behold. We only found out the church's significance from reading reviews. While we regret not visiting inside the church we're glad we explored so far north of the city.

If you're interested in seeing the Cathedral of Seville, I strongly recommend checking out this…read morechurch first. A ticket at either one is a double entry, and the lines don't compare. Save yourself a heck ton of time and waiting in the blistering hot sun, and get your ticket at the Iglesia del Salvador first. When you want to check out the Cathedral, you'll be able to skip the winding line and walk up to the front with your receipt! There is an audio option available for this church. Inside is very ornate and beautiful! Definitely something to check out if you're interested in Spanish history and religion.

First a Roman temple, then a mosque, now a church. Supposedly a shining example of Spanish Baroque…read more A Tripadvisor reviewer called the decor 'exuberant' and that certainly seems like a fitting description. If you buy a ticket to Seville's giant Gothic cathedral, you can enter this church for free using the same ticket.

We happened to see the sign on the door advertising dulces for sale. Enter the courtyard, go to the…read moreback where the menus are on the wall near a lazy Susan type door. This style of door allows the women of the convent to maintain modesty and privacy, while also selling foods that help the convent continue. After consulting the menu, we said "hola!" and after a response we didn't understand I asked for tortas de polvoron. A package of 12 cookies swung around to us and we replaced them with 4 Euros, and turned the door again. The cookies were GREAT--soft, shortbread, and just the right sweetness. We are going back for more; they are individually wrapped so we think these will stay fresh a little bit. We tried more the next day. Tortas de aceite were interesting. They are large, very flat cookies with a slight anise flavor. Empanadillas had candied squash inside, but it only tasted of sweet, not squash. They were ok. The tortas de chocolate were, like the polvorone, a good shortbread but not very chocolatey. Wine donuts were out of stock! The first 2 items on the menu are specialties of the house, handed down for many generations.

Fabulous convent sweets!…read more A local gem... we saw people on the street holding bags of their baked goods. We went twice- first for almond cookies (a dozen for less than 4 Euros), and the next day for the Bollitos de Santa Ines (scones with a hint of sesame- still warm when we bought them, for 4 Euros). The sweets were delicious, and the whole experience was charming. You enter a lovely little courtyard. You never see the cloistered nun, but you exchange money for sweets using the "torno"- a lazy susan. I loved that the whole exchange is based on trust. You also support the nuns and their historic convent. A must, I think, if you're anywhere near the Metropol Parasol! Note that like other places in Spain, the sweets may not be available during the afternoon siesta.