Among the big cities of Andalusia, Sevilla is one of the biggest and is quite cosmopolitan. Nevertheless it's for sure that you will find real andalusian spirit there. Two really nice places to experience authentic flamenco are the Triana quarter and the Bar La Carbonería.

Of the great cities of Andalusia, Sevilla is a great one if you want a bit of Cosmopolitan Spanish, not only Andalusian flavor. That said, Seville’s Triana district and its night club La Carboneria remain some of the country’s most famous venues for authentic flamenco. Apart from this, expensive shows are set up for visiting tourists. Talented artists perform but this is not the spontaneous type of flamenco heard in tablao bars.

Seville is Andalusia’s most populated city and its political capital (Andalusia is an autonomous community under Spain’s federal system). Historically, it shone brightest during the 16th century as the departing port of expeditions to the Americas. Legend has it looted gold was once stored in the Torre de Oro that still stands along side the Guadalquivir. The Moorish Alcazar fortress offers good examples of Moorish design but features, as other similar monuments in Andalusia, a great deal of subsequent Christian adaptations and modifications. Seville’s cathedral was of course once the main mosque of the town, but the only remaining Moorish monument is the Giralda minaret, converted by the Christians into a bell tower. This can be climbed to the top for a great 360º view of the city.

As witness to the city’s outward outlook, a turn-of-the-century expo brought to Seville new buildings and many visitors from the world. The expo was repeated in 1992 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ first voyage to the Americas. Seville is also famous for the elaborateness of its Easter celebration, a complex and ominous affair throughout Spain. Expect streets blocked by slow-moving shoulder-carried floats carrying effigies of Jesus and Mary. The brotherhoods prepare the floats and ceremonies all year. For anonymity on Easter day, they don the pointed hoods and robes that have inspired a certain unsavory sect in the US.