Skip to content
guiaensevilla.comMaría Ramírez · Official guideTalk to María

ESENIT

Vaults of the Baths of Doña María de Padilla reflected in the water

Private tour · Stories

Stories and legends to see Seville differently

Kings, neighbourhoods, love affairs, betrayals and characters who left more than a date in the history books.

Ask María about this tour
Format
Private: just your group
Area
Historic centre

Documented history and handed-down tales

A city more than two thousand years old accumulates stories. Some are recorded in chronicles and archives; others have passed from mouth to mouth, changing with every telling. Both explain Seville, but not in the same way.

This tour keeps them clearly apart. When something is documented, you are told. When it is legend, you are told that too, and then the interesting question becomes why the city needed to tell itself that story.

Some of the characters

Seville is generous with protagonists. These are some who may appear along the way:

  1. Al-Mutamid and Rumaykiyya

    The poet king of the Taifa of Seville and the woman he met on the riverbank. A story of love, poetry and an ending in exile.

  2. Pedro I and María de Padilla

    The king some called the Cruel and others the Just, and the woman he loved outside political alliances. The baths that bear her name, in the Alcázar, still feed the tale.

    Vaults of the Baths of Doña María de Padilla reflected in the water

  3. La Susona

    A young woman of the Jewish quarter, a forbidden love and a betrayal that, legend says, left a skull hanging over her door.

  4. Don Juan Tenorio

    Spanish literature’s most famous seducer lives in Seville. Separating the fictional character from the real Sevillians linked to him is part of the game.

A route that changes with the story thread

Not every story fits into one tour, and not every group wants the same ones. The focus can be on kings and the Alcázar, on love and passion, or on neighbourhood tales. When you enquire, tell María what appeals to you and she will suggest the thread.

Special route · In Spanish

La Sevilla Enamorada

If love stories are what interests you most, María has created an evening route devoted to them.

Discover La Sevilla Enamorada

Which stories would you like to hear?

Send María your date, group size and the kind of tales that draw you.

Ask María about this tour

Frequently asked questions

Are the legends real history?

Some have a documentary basis and others do not. On the tour it is always clear what is history and what is a handed-down tale.

Is it a ghost tour?

No. There are betrayals and tragic endings, but the aim is to understand the city, not to scare.

How is it different from Seville by night?

Seville by night is a walk through the illuminated city. This route is built around characters and stories, and can be done by day.

How much does a private guided tour of Seville cost?

It depends on the length of the tour, the size of your group and whether it includes monuments that require tickets. Send María your date and group size and she will reply with a proposal and its price before anything is confirmed.

Is the tour private?

Yes. Just your group and María, with the pace, breaks and questions you want.

You may also like

Shall we talk about your visit?

Tell María when you are coming, how many of you there are and what interests you. She will reply with a clear proposal.

Ask María about this tour