Entertainment Guide to Seville

Seville is a city where leisure and culture mix with tradition and modernity, the specifically Andalusian and the cosmopolitan, maintaining roots without renouncing the present or the future. In Seville you can visit the most famous monuments, eat out on a terrace while you soak up the southern sun and hear concerts by the most outstanding musicians.

Art: Seville has a wide variety of salons and galleries for art exhibitions, among which the following stand out: Juana de Aizpuru , specialists in new movements; Félix Gómez and Rafael Ortiz, two of the city's classics; and Cavecanem, a space in which to see the best artists.

The city itself is a museum that has to be discovered by walking through its streets or by taking a ride in a horse and carriage, but without forgetting the obligatory sights of the cathedral, the Giralda, the Reales Alcázares and the Torre del Oro, which houses the Museo Naval. Among the most interesting spaces is the Museo de Bellas Artes, with pictures by Pacheco, Roelas and, above all, Murillo. The Museo Arqueológico, (Archaeological Museum) in the Parque de María Luisa contains pieces from the old Roman town of Itálica, and the Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares takes you on a trip through the traditions of Andalusian culture. In the Plaza de Toros is the Museo Taurino, and two centres occupied with the new movements are the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo and the Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo, in the isla de Cartuja.

Cinema: Seville has plenty to offer the filmgoer, with lots of cinemas (most of them multiplexes) so that it is easy to find the film that suits you. For their spaciousness, these cinemas stand out: the Nervión Plaza, with 20 screens and Los Arcos Multicines, with 12. If you like traditional cinemas with just one large screen, there is only one choice: Cervantes, with beautiful interior architecture. If you prefer original language cinema, visit the five studios of Avenida Multicines.

Besides the commercial cinemas, there are other ways to see films, such as classic cinema in the Pabellón de Uruguay and theme seasons at the Cinemateca UGT, all in the original versions with Spanish subtitles.

Music: For opera and classical music concerts in Seville there is the Teatro de la Maestranza, but you can also see live rock and pop in the studios of Fun Club and Salamandra, or in late night bars like La Carbonería, which dedicates one day a week to Blues.

Flamenco: One of the cradles of flamenco is a propitious place for this art. That's why performances and festivals take place throughout the year in Seville and its province. Every night you can listen to flamenco while having dinner or a drink in the Palacio Andaluz, or El Arenal.

Theatres: There are theatres dedicated to the classics, such as the Teatro Lope de Vega, theatres specialising in new movements, like the Teatro Central, and children's theatres, like the Teatro de la Alameda. Of the private theatres, there is the Teatro Imperial and, for alternative productions, there are the Sala La Imperdible, the Sala Cero, and the Sala Talía.