Plaza de España, Seville

About Plaza de España, Seville

Plaza de España lies on the edge of María Luisa Park, about 1 km south-east of the cathedral. Aníbal González designed it as the largest building of the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition, built from 1914 to 1929 in Renaissance, Baroque and Neo-Mudéjar styles. It houses an army headquarters and the Military Historical Museum, and became a Bien de Interés Cultural in 2023.

Curving arcades hold 48 tiled alcoves with benches, each devoted to a Spanish province, and 52 medallions of historical figures. A canal crossed by four bridges with ceramic balustrades follows the curve, a large fountain fills the centre, and staircases rise to upper galleries. Lawrence of Arabia and Star Wars: Attack of the Clones were filmed here.

Entry is free and open access, with no tickets or booking, and rowing boats can be hired on the canal. Allow an hour, or half a day with the park and the museums on Plaza de América. The paved ground level is flat and suits wheelchairs and pushchairs; the galleries are reached by stairs. Prado de San Sebastián metro and tram stop is about 500 m away.

Early morning and the hour before sunset are quietest and best for photographs, as groups fill the square from late morning. The plaza has little shade, so carry water in summer. Flamenco dancers often perform under the arcades.

Plaza de España, Seville in pictures

What you’ll find

• Free entryFree visitFree
• Step-free accessAccessible visitFree

Nearby places to visit

The Military Historical Museum of Seville (150 m) occupies part of the plaza's inner gallery. María Luisa Park wraps around the plaza, and at its southern end the Museum of Popular Arts and Customs of Seville (550 m) fills the Mudéjar Pavilion with lace, ceramics and recreated craft workshops, while the Archaeological Museum of Seville (650 m) on the Plaza de América is closed for renovation until 2029. To the north-west, the Royal Alcázar of Seville (950 m) is reached through the Murillo Gardens, with the General Archive of the Indies (1 km) just beyond it beside the cathedral.