Seville, capital of Spain’s Andalusia region, is a gay-friendly tourist destination offering cultural and historical riches by day and vibrant nightlife after hours. The Aire Sevilla, a gay-operated inn, can not be recommended strongly enough. Housed in a characteristic 19th-century Seville house on a charming narrow street, Aire Sevilla features modern comforts at moderate prices. The owners and staff cultivate a knowledge of gay Seville and readily share it with their guests.
Among the must-sees in Seville are the Cathedral wherein sits the tomb of Christopher Columbus and the Giralda Tower with its breathtaking views of the city. The Museo de Bellas Artes contains an inspiring collection of Spanish art including works by El Greco, Pacheco, Velazquez, Murillo, and Zurbaran. The museum is inside an erstwhile convent, the Merced Calzada, itself an architectural masterpiece within whose walls Tirso de Molina first imagined the character of Don Juan.
The ancient Roman city of Italica makes for an intriguing day trip outside of Seville; if the communal baths there don’t seem stimulating enough, no fear, back in Seville you won’t want for modern day counterparts. A typical night out begins with a midnight supper, a bar stop at 1:30, and a dance floor whirl starting at 3 and only ending when you recall that you still want to hear songbirds bursting with gay melodies in the flowering orange trees of the gardens outside the Alcazar Palace.
