Seville hides a second city inside the first, and this route crosses it from north to south. Beneath the Setas market sleeps Roman Hispalis: the Antiquarium keeps its streets, its mosaics and even a fish-salting factory. A few metres away, the Corral del Conde keeps the spirit of 16th-century neighbours' houses, with its courtyard and flowerpots. The cloistered convents of Santa Paula and San Leandro still sell sweets through the turntable, and the Casa de Pilatos keeps a palace built as a copy of a journey to Jerusalem. The route ends in calle Verde, an alley so narrow and so green it seems from another century, and in the Carriage Museum, with gala coaches two hundred years old. None of these stops draws crowds: this is the Seville discovered slowly.
Getting there & around
Bus C1/C2 or taxi from the apartment to the centre (10 min). The route is walked from north to south, with stops to enter the monuments. Some visits (Santa Paula, San Leandro) only in the morning.
The route
Apartamento Esencia Sevilla
Starting point towards the old town: bus C1/C2 or taxi (10 min). The route begins in the Macarena area.
Tip: Several of these visits close at midday: it is better to start in the morning. Wear comfortable shoes, the route crosses the whole centre.
Monasterio de Santa Paula
A cloistered monastery next to the Macarena with a Gothic brick doorway that looks like lace. Inside you visit the church and the embroidery museum, and the nuns sell sweets and preserves.
History: Founded in the 15th century, it is one of the oldest convents still active in Seville. Its Gothic brick doorway has become one of the symbols of the Macarena neighbourhood.
Tip: The church visit is in the morning. Ask for the turntable sweets: almond pastes and seasonal preserves.
Corral del Conde
A 16th-century neighbours' courtyard on calle Santiago, with wooden galleries, flowerpots and hanging washing. One of the last surviving corrales de vecinos in the centre.
History: Corrales de vecinos were the working-class housing model of Seville from the 16th to the 19th century: rooms around a shared courtyard, with all of life shared among neighbours. The Corral del Conde is one of the few keeping its original structure.
Tip: It is a private courtyard with residents: enter slowly, quietly and without disturbing. Take the photo from the entrance.
Antiquarium bajo las Setas
An underground archaeological museum beneath the Encarnación market: Roman streets, houses, mosaics and a fish-salting factory two thousand years old. Walkways run above the ruins.
History: The ruins were found in 1974 while digging the market and turned into a museum in 2011. Beneath the Setas sleeps Roman Hispalis: a city of paved streets, sewers and salting warehouses exporting across the empire.
Tip: Entry is via a stairway next to the market. The visit lasts about 30-40 minutes. The fish mosaics and the Roman house remains are the highlights.
Convento de San Leandro
One of Seville's oldest convents, on calle Imperial. Its silent forecourt is a bubble of peace in the very centre, and the nuns hand out sweets through the turntable.
Tip: The sweet turntable opens in the mornings. Try the yemas and tocino de cielo: convent recipes centuries old.
Casa de Pilatos
A 16th-century palace mixing Mudéjar, Gothic and Renaissance styles, said by legend to be a copy of Pontius Pilate's house in Jerusalem. Its courtyards and tiles rival the Alcázar's.
Tip: The ground floor and gardens are visited with a cheap ticket. Films such as Lawrence of Arabia were shot here: the courtyards feel like another age.
Calle Verde
A narrow alley in Santa Cruz where the wall is pure greenery and flowers. It looks like a green tunnel hidden among the neighbourhood's most photographed houses.
Tip: It takes two minutes to walk but stays in memory. It is a step away from Plaza de Doña Elvira and the neighbourhood courtyards.
Museo de Carruajes
A collection of coaches, berlines, landaus and gala horse carriages in the old Remedios convent by the river. One of Seville's most unexpected museums.
Tip: Cheap entry and quiet visits: ideal to end the route by crossing the San Telmo bridge and strolling through Los Remedios.
