Unmissable Things to See and Do in Santa Cruz, Seville

Opened by acclaimed Sevillana flamenco dancer and actress Cristina Hoyos in 2006, Santa Cruz’s Museo del Baile Flamenco is a theatre and academy as well as a museum. Learn about the history of this singular art form on the first and second floors – where you’ll find, respectively, a permanent interactive exhibition and temporary shows exploring its influence on other mediums. Later on, attend one of the nightly shows, performed either in the courtyard or basement vault. Private lessons are also available.

Sevillano painter Bartolomé Murillo (1618-82) lived and worked in this elegant townhouse during the final years of his life. You can still spot all the features of a late 17th-century dwelling, such as an internal courtyard with a well and rooms furnished in period style. Copies of some of Murillo’s major works are displayed throughout the space, which is also used for temporary exhibitions and educational activities.

Part of the Unesco-protected complex that also includes Seville’s Cathedral and Alcázar, the 16th-century General Archive of the Indies stores 43,000 documents relating to the Spanish Empire of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. If you think their combined 80 million pages sounds like too much reading for one visit, don’t worry: you can also admire a 17th-century cannon, maps charting the Spanish Empire’s Golden Age and several paintings by Goya.

Along with Granada’s old Arabic quarter of Albaicín, Santa Cruz is the best barrio in Andalusia for aimless wandering. Its unfeasibly narrow streets make those of Triana, Seville’s former gypsy quarter, look like Parisian boulevards. Most are impassable by car – meaning you’ll have this charming neighborhood to yourself. Discovering its secret squares and stumbling upon its beautiful old palaces and churches is one of the best ways to pass a long morning or afternoon in the Andalusian capital.

Seville is one of the warmest cities in Europe, so visiting in spring or summer will necessitate frequent stops for refreshment. Santa Cruz is home to a bewildering array of bars and restaurants, ranging from smart eateries to old-school joints. We recommend walking up Calle Mateos Gago, away from the cathedral. This popular street is lined with tapas bars – favourites include Cerveceria Giralda, which serves seared pork cheek inside a 12th-century hammam.

Sitting at the heart of Santa Cruz is the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See – the third-largest church in the world. Construction of this sprawling Gothic complex – which takes up the equivalent of several city blocks and houses 80 chapels – began in 1401 and continued for over a hundred years. The original construction committee of the cathedral wanted to create a church so “beautiful and so magnificent that those who see it will think we are mad.” In 1507, the cathedral was finally completed, quite spectacularly succeeding in its original aim, as well as showing the rest of Europe just how powerful and wealthy Seville had become.

For a dose of history-laden luxury in the centre of Seville, head to Aire Ancient Baths. The Seville branch of this super-sleek bath franchise was established in a refurbished mansion. No expense was spared in the stunning renovation. The mansion’s original brickwork has only been enhanced by the addition of sleek glass and wood fittings and the beautifully illuminated bathing spaces feature pool at a range of temperatures. For those who want a little pampering while exploring Santa Cruz, this place is unbeatable.

A stone’s throw from Seville’s display of Catholic wealth is a very different type of monument. The Alcázar palace is considered one of the finest examples of Moorish architecture in Spain. Though it might lack the architectural pedigree of its more famous counterpart in Granada, the delicate interiors of Seville’s Moorish palace are every bit as fascinating, with patterned archways and tranquil internal courtyards aplenty.

This narrow, shaded alleyway runs alongside the walls of the Alcázar to the beautiful Alfaro and Santa Cruz plazas. It’s named after a mini aqueduct that ran along the top of the Moorish palace’s wall. This mysterious, winding path provides one of the most romantic strolls in Seville. Plaza Alfaro, incidentally, is likely to be busy with tourists pointing their cameras upwards and snapping away at the ornate old buildings. This is because one of them (it’ll be obvious which) is said to have inspired the balcony scene in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

This gorgeous 16th-century mansion is one of Santa Cruz’s hidden treasures and its stunning gardens match anything you’ll see in the Alcázar. Begun by the wealthy conquistador and Mayor of Andalusia, Pedro Enriquez de Quiñones in the late 1400s, Casa de Pilatos is an intriguing mix of mudéjar, gothic and renaissance styles. It’s so beautiful that it has starred in two films – Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Knight and Day(2010). It takes its name – Pilate’s House – from Quiñones’ son Fadrique, who traveled to Jerusalem in 1519 and returned overflowing with enthusiasm for the Holy Land.