Parque de María Luisa & Plaza de España

A large area south of the former tobacco factory (Antigua Fábrica de Tabacos) was transformed for Seville’s 1929 international fair, the Exposición Iberoamericana, when architects adorned it with fantastical buildings, many of them harking back to Seville’s past glory or imitating the native styles of Spain’s former colonies. In its midst you’ll find the large Parque de María Luisa, a living expression of Seville’s Moorish and Christian past.

Plaza de España, one of the city’s favourite relaxation spots, faces the park across Avenida de Isabel la Católica. Around it is the most grandiose of the 1929 buildings, a semicircular brick-and-tile confection featuring Seville tile work at its gaudiest.