In 1364 Pedro I ordered the construction of a royal residence within the palaces which had been built by the city’s Almohad rulers. Within two years, craftsmen from Granada and Toledo had created a jewel box of Mudéjar patios and halls, the Palacio Pedro I, now at the heart of Seville’s Real Alcázar. Later monarchs added their own distinguishing marks: Isabel I dispatched navigators to explore the New World from her Casa de la Contratación, while Carlos I (the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V) had grandiose, richly decorated apartments built.
Puerta Jerez.
Archivo de Indias.
9:30am–7pm Tue–Sat (to 5pm Oct–Mar), 9:30am–5pm Sun & hols (to 1:30pm Oct–Mar).
Ornate detail of Real Alcazar
Gardens of the Alcázar
Laid out with terraces, fountains and pavilions, these gardens provide a delightful refuge from the heat and bustle of Seville.
The complex has been the home of Spanish kings for almost seven centuries. The palace’s upper floor is used by the royal family today.