Planning a trip to Seville? Look no further than Sandra of Seville Traveller. Like me, a visit to Seville brought her back to live in the capital of Andalusia, and she uses her free time to write great tips about how to enjoy the city. You can sign up for her free newsletter, which comes with a PDF of tips, or check out her guest posts on Sunshine and Siestas!
People say that you tend to miss what you have next to you, while you are willing to explore further corners. And it’s true: I hadn’t had a chance to go up the observation deck at the Setas before last December. That day I woke up with one thing in mind: to capture the beautiful dusk light with my camera. The day was going to be clear, though I was hoping for a few clouds since the make the visual experience much more rewarding but I had to do with what I had: a perfect blue sky.
The idea was to explore the whole structure by walking around at a slow pace, looking for the best spots to place my tripod and be ahead of other visitors. Lucky for me, the premises were almost empty and most people spent only a few minutes at the main lookout. I had the Steas to myself, so the only thing left to do was wait. My iPod did the rest. I looked around…
In the background, the view over the Guadalquivir River and both bridges, the Alamillo and the Barqueta, was beautiful. On the right hand side, the sun was slowly going down, from yellow to orange and finally red, reflecting its light on the soon-to-be-completed skyscraper, the Pelli Tower. Right in front of me I had Seville’s main highlights, El Salvador Church, the Cathedral and the Giralda. Finally, on the left hand side of the city was a sea of scattered domes.
The picture illustrating this post shows the main view at a moment photographers call the blue hour. See how amazing the sky looks? Contrary to most European cities, Seville enjoys a light that is hard to find anywhere else. Don’t you want to see it with your own eyes?
Setas de Sevilla (former Metropol Parasol)
The Setas the Sevilla observation deck can be visited from Sunday to Thursday from 10.30am until midnight and on Friday and Saturday from 10.30am to 1am. It only costs 1.35 euros and it’s free for children up to 12 years old. The best part is that you can still as long as you want – there aren’t any time limitations.
The website is only in Spanish but you can still visit it to have a look and watch some very cool videos.
Want to add the Setas to your Seville itinerary? You have to check out the Seville in Two Days e-book, chock full of ideas, routes and logistics when visiting the Andalusian capital.
Sandra lives in Seville and spends all her free time exploring the world (30+ countries so far!). She is the editor of Seville Traveller, an online resource about the city. She has also published a Pocket Guide that will help you plan the trip of a lifetime. You can follow her on Twitter or keep posted through Facebook.
About Cat Gaa
Nice photo Sandra!
Despite having visited Sevilla 3x, I had no idea there was an observation deck! More reason to return to Sevilla!
Lauren @ roamingtheworld recently posted..Taking a drive during a snow day in Basque Country
Thanks a lot Lauren! You take some very nice pictures too -I particularly liked the London ones at night (awesome lights).
You were here for last year’s Feria and the Setas were already there! Too much dancing? 😉
Well, next time you come over (despite it’s a loooong way from Vitoria), you know where to go first.
Sandra recently posted..Semana Santa dates – When does Easter (Holy Week) take place in Seville?
Beautiful picture, Sanda!
I ascended Las Setas on a trip to Sevilla last fall–it was terrific to be rewarded with that amazing view after wandering around the (lower level of) the city. Now if only we’d been able to visit on a cloudless night instead of an overcast day!
Cassandra recently posted..On stage: Mérida’s majestic theater and amphitheater
Thanks Cassandra! I believe the views are jaw-dropping whether the day is clear or not. Still, you now have an excuse to come back and go to the Setas again.
Sandra recently posted..Semana Santa dates – When does Easter (Holy Week) take place in Seville?
Aaaaa I completely forgot I would be arriving in Sevilla at the BLUE HOUR! Totally going to the Setas first thing. Beautiful picture and great view!
Trevor Huxham recently posted..Don Quixote’s Windmills in La Mancha, Spain