This neighbourhood was the site of shipyards and munitions dumps, and the cradle of cunningness of the Andalusian capital. An important port during the 16th and 17th centuries, it owed its growth to commerce with the New World. For this reason, in addition to its "special" character, the Arenal seduced such writers as Cervantes, Quevedo and Lope de Vega. Here you'll find the famous bullring Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza, where on fight days you can experience the pervasive bullfighting atmosphere.
Here also is the Guadalquivir River. To the right, is the colourfulIsabel II Bridge. To your left, the more reserved San Telmo Bridge, with the Torre del Oro (Gold Tower) next to it. And straight head, the neighbourhood of Triana.
Near the Torre del Oro are boats that offer panoramic tours of the city on the Guadalquivir River. The tour lasts one hour and costs 16€. Unless you have extra time or are really interested, we don't recommend it.
City tourist buses also depart from this area (Tourist Bus 16€ and Sevirama 18€). It makes just four stops: Torre del Oro, Plaza de España, Isla Mágica (Magic Island) and La Cartuja (The Charterhouse). Unless you're planning to visit the Isla Mágica theme park or see the former Exhibition site of the '92 EXPO in the Cartuja Island, we don't recommend it. You can see the rest of the city perfectly well on foot or by bike (on this route we don't recommend visiting either of these places).
