Wedged in between the Nervión and Huerta del Pilar districts, La Buhaira is a small neighborhood in Seville. Visit La Buhaira’s main tourist attraction, La Buhaira Palace & Gardens (Palacio y jardines de la Buhaira), or come to the neighborhood to feast on Andalusian tapas.
La Buhaira’s streets are lined with trees. This quiet, leafy neighborhood is a fitting backdrop for a stately residence, La Buhaira Palace & Gardens. The complex once stood at the edge of Seville but is now firmly part of the ever-expanding city. It featured as a film set for the TV series Game of Thrones.
Admire the grand entrance, then step into the interior patio through the huge key hole-shaped Moorish gate. This was once the summer palace for Abu Yacoub Yusuf, also named Jucef Abu Jacub, king of Isbilia and leader of the Almohad Caliphs. This Moroccan Berber Muslim movement ruled here in the second half of the 12th century.
See how the formal gardens are dotted with apple, orange and pear trees, palms and grapevines that were imported from all over the region. The quadrangular walled pond that irrigates these trees is called “buhayra” in a North African dialect, giving the complex its name. This pond was connected to a Roman aqueduct.
Walk along the paved paths lined by ornamental hedges trimmed in different shapes. Take a seat on a bench under the shady pergolas by the fountains while the kids run free in the playground.
The palace gardens are open year round and can be visited until midnight from May through to October. Make reservations at the on-site Civic Center for the theater and opera performances held in the garden on weekend nights in summer.
End your day with a visit to one of La Buharia’s tapas bars. The dishes tend to be cheaper than in the city center, with authentic Andalusian flavors that are hard to resist.
The nearest metro stop to La Buharia is Nervión. If you’d like to spend the night in La Buharia after visiting an evening show or concert in the palace, you can book a room at the big hotel overlooking the gardens.
