Palacio de las Dueñas
A Seville residence of Gothic-Mudejar origin, with courtyards, four gardens and art collections.
Read the guideAn independent guide to Seville
Seville's Palaces: An Independent Guide to Palaces and Courtyards
Seville's palaces have a world-famous anchor: in 1987 the Royal Alcázar was added to the UNESCO list together with the cathedral and the Archive of the Indies. But the city's heritage reaches far beyond that recognition and beyond any single monument. We are the editorial team of Patios y Palacios, and we write about buildings where Mudejar, Gothic and Renaissance styles sit side by side, as well as whitewashed courtyards with fountains, flowerpots and tiles.
Four Topics in One Place
We focus on four topics: Palacio de las Dueñas, Casa de Pilatos, the Royal Alcázar, and the Andalusian courtyard with its tiles. A guide to planning your visit to Seville comes on top of those. We write each piece so that by the end you know what to look for and understand where the things you see came from.
Palacio de las Dueñas is a fifteenth-century building, remodeled between the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries in the Gothic-Mudejar style and later expanded in the Renaissance style. Casa de Pilatos combines Mudejar style with the Italian Renaissance, and its courtyard is decorated with tiles from a Triana workshop. Comparing these palaces shows how the same influences produced different buildings in one city.
Casa de Pilatos
Mudejar and Italian Renaissance in a palace with more than 150 tile designs.
Read the guideRoyal Alcázar
From the Almohad enclosure to the palace of Pedro I: layers of history among courtyards and gardens.
Read the guideCourtyards and Tiles
How to read an Andalusian courtyard: its origins, its plants and the tiles that cover it.
Read the guidePlan Your Visit
A sensible order for three palaces, and where to find the details that change.
Read the guideThe Andalusian Courtyard: How to Recognize One
You can recognize an Andalusian courtyard by its fountain or well, potted plants, bougainvillea, whitewashed walls and tiles. These elements recur in many courtyards, but each one arranges them differently. In our texts we show how they fit together and why a courtyard is more than a backdrop for a photograph.
Knowing these features also helps when you visit the palaces. If you know what to look for, it is easier to appreciate how one courtyard differs from another.
Why Read This Guide
We are independent. We do not represent any palace or handle bookings: what we offer is carefully prepared descriptions. Nor do we promise what we cannot guarantee. Opening hours, prices and ticket availability change, so we leave those details out and point you to the official sources. That way we avoid publishing figures that could become outdated. We want each text to be useful to you, not just to look complete.
How to Plan Your Visit to Seville
Build your trip around the topics that interest you most. If you like Mudejar style, you could choose the Royal Alcázar, Casa de Pilatos and Palacio de las Dueñas. If you prefer to focus on details, you can concentrate on the courtyards and tiles. In the guide we suggest how to combine those interests into a route. Once you have decided, check the practical details directly with the official source.
Explore the Descriptions
We invite you to read our descriptions. Pick the palace or courtyard that intrigues you most. In this guide we explain clearly what we know and tell you when to consult the official sources.
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