Plaza de España & Parque de María Luisa
A 1929 world's fair that Seville never took down.
In 1929 Seville hosted the Ibero-American Exposition and built Plaza de Espana as its centerpiece — a sweeping semicircle of brick, ceramic, and ambition designed to showcase every province in Spain. The fair ended. The plaza stayed. It remains one of the most photogenic public spaces in Europe.
This walk covers the plaza and the park behind it, Parque de Maria Luisa, where the national pavilions from the exposition have been quietly repurposed as museums, offices, and at least one police station. The gardens are shaded, the paths are winding, and the peacocks are territorial.
Bring bread for the canal, patience for the crowds, and a willingness to look up at the tilework until your neck aches.
What you'll discover
·48 tiled alcoves, one for each Spanish province. Finding yours is half the fun.
·The canal around the plaza is rowable. Boats cost €6 for 35 minutes.
·The 1929 Ibero-American Exposition was supposed to modernize Seville. It nearly bankrupted it.
·Parque de María Luisa was a private royal garden until it was donated to the city in 1893.
·The plaza appeared in Star Wars and Lawrence of Arabia. The set dressers barely changed a thing.
·A pavilion in the park that was built for Guatemala and is now a police station.
·The park's central fountain was designed by a French landscape architect who never visited Seville.
Before you go
Best time
Morning for the park, late afternoon for the plaza when the light hits the tile work.
Getting there
Bus C1, C2, or 34 to Plaza de España. Or a 15-minute walk south from the Cathedral.
Duration
50 minutes. The park is large enough to extend this to a full morning.
Footwear
Paved paths and gravel. Comfortable walking shoes.
€3.99
This walk. 30 days.
Or all 4 Seville walks for €18.99
Open in app2 devices. One can be a friend's.