Private Alcázar and Cathedral, with the Columbus Tomb Controversy

About three hours with a private guide across the two monuments that matter most in Seville, admission to both included.

The Cathedral is reckoned the largest Gothic church in the world, and the tomb of Christopher Columbus sits inside it, argued over for longer than most people realise: whether the remains are his, and which of the several cities claiming him is right. A private guide has time to lay out that argument properly instead of pointing at the monument and moving on.

The climb up the Giralda is optional. Nearly 100 metres, a minaret before it was a bell tower, and until recently the highest point in Seville.

Then the Alcázar. It was begun under Islamic rule and finished by Christian kings who kept building in the same language, which is why its courtyards, rooms and gardens read as two cultures working together rather than one replacing the other. The Spanish monarchy still stays here when they come to the city.

The group forms in Plaza del Triunfo, on the steps beside the column of the Virgen Inmaculada, between the Cathedral and the Alcázar.