Famous for its oranges and its women, the city of Seville conjures up images of the Mediterranean idyll, with scorching summers and a reputation for theatricality. Seville is the greatest city in the south of Spain, boasting some significant monuments as a tribute to its illustrious past. Indeed the Moorish poet King Al-Mutamid was one of the first to fall in love with the city's exuberant atmosphere.

The city of Don Juan, Carmen and Figaro boasts many tourist attractions, such as the Parque Maria Luisa, a vast parkland in the centre of Seville, the Plaza de Espana, a semicircular plaza that formed the centrepiece at the 1929 Seville Exposition, Seville Cathedral, the Giralda tower, the Alc�zar fortress-palace and many other major monuments. There are also many important museums in Seville, such as the Museo de Bellas Artes, one of the finest museums in Andalusia and also numerous art galleries in Seville.

But it is not just in its museums and art galleries that Seville has much to brag about. The city's infrastructure was refurbished for the 1992 Expo, with the construction of new roads, seven bridges, a high-speed rail link and a revamped airport. However, with high unemployment reaching nearly 40 per cent, among the highest in Spain, petty crime can be a problem. Bag-snatching is common, as is breaking into cars. However, compared with cities of similar size in northern Europe, violent crime is still relatively rare and provided simple precautions are taken then nothing should happen.

Perhaps the best time to visit Seville is just before or after Easter, when the festivals of Semana Santa in the week before Easter, and the Feria de Abril, which starts two weeks after Easter Sunday and lasts a week. This is the time when the city truly comes alive, displaying the exuberance and vitality that has made Seville renowned throughout Europe. Seville is an absolutely captivating destination to visit, with a refreshing animation that instantly makes visitors feel at home. With its well pedestrianised and compact city centre, combined with its convivial and fun-loving inhabitants, Seville is a destination to visit more than once.

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