Seville is not measured in kilometres but in hours of daylight. Everything you need to see can be taken in on a single stroll, provided you go with the flow of the city: the pace of someone who walks for pleasure and stops when something is worth it – which, here, is often the case.

This itinerary begins and ends at the Puerta de Jerez, next to the Guadalquivir, at the entrance to Tayko Sevilla. In between, two thousand years of the city’s history condensed into a single day.

Tomorrow: the river and the three monuments

The day begins on the banks of the Guadalquivir, opposite the Torre del Oro, the Almohad watchtower which, for eight centuries, has watched fleets set sail for the Americas and return laden with treasures from across the world. It is a good place to get a feel for Seville before entering the city: for over a century, this was the gateway to an entire ocean.

From there, a few minutes’ walk takes you to the heart of the city’s historic centre. Seville Cathedral, the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, was built on the site of the former Great Mosque with a vision that its own canons put into writing: to build a church such that those who saw it would think them mad. The Giralda, the minaret converted into a bell tower, encapsulates in a single structure the two cities that Seville has been.

Directly opposite, the Real Alcázar is well worth a leisurely visit first thing in the morning: it is the oldest palace still in use in Europe, a masterpiece of Mudejar art, with gardens where water has been bringing refreshment to the city for a thousand years. It’s a good idea to book your ticket in advance; morning slots sell out quickly.

The morning draws to a close, fading away – and I mean that quite literally – in the Santa Cruz neighbourhood: the old Jewish quarter, a network of narrow streets designed to provide shade, where every small square resembles a courtyard and every courtyard, a secret.

Midday: the tapa as the measure of all things

In Seville, people don’t have lunch: they go for tapas, which is both a way of eating and a way of life. Mateos Gago Street, with the Giralda in the background, and the bars around the cathedral serve the classic selection: Iberian ham, salmorejo and fried fish. The local rule is simple: it’s better to have two tapas in two different places than a set menu in one.

For a more extensive visit, the Lonja del Barranco Market, housed in a 19th-century iron structure by the river, offers a varied selection, with the Triana market stalls on the other side of the river.

Afternoon: the square that captivates and the neighbourhood that sings

As the first shadows of the afternoon fall, the walk continues towards María Luisa Park, the city’s grand romantic garden, and leads to the Plaza de España. Built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition, it is one of the few places that surpasses its photographs: a brick-and-ceramic embrace two hundred metres in diameter, with tiled benches depicting each Spanish province. It’s worth looking for your own province and sitting down for a moment; it’s a ritual that Spanish travellers repeat without ever quite agreeing on it.

On the way back towards the river, it’s well worth crossing the Isabel II Bridge to Triana, the neighbourhood that has given Seville many of its potters, bullfighters and flamenco artists. Its market, built on the ruins of the Inquisition’s castle, its tile shops and its promenade along the Guadalquivir offer a view of the city from the other bank – which is how Triana has always preferred to look at Seville: as an equal.

Evening: flamenco and the journey home

You can round off the day with dinner in the city centre or in Triana itself and, if you’ve still got the energy, a flamenco show – which in Seville isn’t just a piece of folklore but a living art form enjoyed by local audiences. The tablaos in the Santa Cruz and Triana areas put on shows every day.

The return journey is the final highlight of the day: from anywhere along the route, Tayko Sevilla is just a short walk away. The entire itinerary has been covered on foot, without any transport and without making any compromises, and the room awaits by the river, where the morning began.

Tayko Seville. The start of your story in the city.