Castles · Tour

Private Alcázar Ending Among the Old Trees and Birds of the Gardens

A private guided visit to the Royal Alcázar, the oldest royal palace in Europe and still used by the Spanish royal family when they are in Seville. The complex mixes Islamic art, Mudéjar work and Gothic building, and on a private tour there is time for the secrets and the legends attached to it rather than only the dates. Palaces this old accumulate stories, and most of them are attached to specific rooms. The visit finishes outside, and the gardens are the reason to keep the last half hour free. They are older than most of the planting in Spain: secular trees with trunks nobody can get their arms around, vegetation left dense rather than clipped, and enough bird species living in it that the noise takes over from the traffic. On a hot afternoon the temperature drops several degrees as soon as you are under the canopy, which is exactly what the design intended. The ticket is paid to the guide on the day, and entry is skip-the-line. Check-in is at the Naturanda tourist office.