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Seville is always a delight – yet in the blistering summer heat, it’s essential to find shaded sanctuaries where you can cool down.

Thankfully, the city has a plethora of appealing parks and gardens. In these green spaces, you can find respite from the sun under leafy canopies next to refreshing ponds and trickling fountains – especially important given temperatures can push 90°F (32°C). Here are some of the best parks in Seville.

Start at Seville’s best-known green space, Parque de María Luisa

The most famous park in the city is the expansive Parque Maria Luisa, which encompasses the famed Plaza de España, the monumental square built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition. Its Neo-Moorish tile-studded buildings wrap around a long boating canal and an impressive central fountain, while horses pull romantic carriages down shaded pathways.

Under elegant palms and fragrant orange trees, you’ll find perfectly manicured flower gardens, tranquil ponds, Moorish-tiled ceramic benches and star-shaped fountains. The park is also home to the fascinating Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares de Sevilla, the Museo Histórico Militar de Sevilla (Seville’s Military Museum), and the Casa de la Ciencia (Science Museum). It’s not hard to see why this is one of the most popular parks in Seville.

Pack a picnic to enjoy at Parque de los Príncipes

The Parque de los Príncipes (Park of the Princes) is located in the neighborhood of Los Remedios, across the Guadalquivir River from the center of Seville. Named after former Spanish monarchs King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, this is a tranquil park with lots of green grassy areas and shady trees, making it one of the best picnic parks in the city. It’s also one of Seville’s most colorful city parks, filled with an interesting array of trees including delicate Japanese plums, bright purple jacarandas, and many varieties of orange and lemon trees. At one end is a large pond with a central island and lots of ducks, while a sports field and basketball court at the other end offer active recreation.

Smell fragrant orange blossoms and jasmine at Jardines Catalina Ribera and Jardines de Murillo

Two of the prettiest parks in Seville, the Gardens of Catalina Ribera and Murillo lie side by side and run along the edge of the old walls of the Moorish palace of the Real Alcázar. Listed as part of the Andalusian Historical Heritage, the Jardines of Catalina Ribera were built between 1898 and 1921 and are dedicated to Catalina, a Sevillian noblewoman who founded the Hospital de los Cinco Llagues. In the gardens, you’ll find a large fountain with an image of her created made of the city’s iconic colorful tiles. There’s also a monument to Christopher Columbus situated in the center.

Next to this lie the Gardens of Murillo, named after the famous 17th-century Sevillian painter. Both gardens are made up of a series of pathways and tiled benches, interspersed by fragrant plants from orange trees to jasmine bushes, pink oleanders, and lots of tropical palms. Keep an eye out for the huge ficus tree here, which is over 100 years old.

Read a book in the shade at Jardines de las Delicias

The Jardines de las Delicias (Garden of Earthly Delights) lie across the road from the Parque Maria Luisa and run alongside the Guadalquivir River. Created between 1826 and 1829, this leafy park is dotted with many elegant marble statues and landscaped flower gardens. It consists of both large pathways and secluded areas with benches and is perfect for going for a stroll or sitting and reading a book in the shade. The park is home to more than 100 different species of plants including acacia trees, blue jasmine, bougainvillea and bitter orange.

Follow the riverfront to Jardines de Guadalquivir and Jardín Americano

The gardens of the Guadalquivir River lie on the Isla de Cartuja and follow the water from the Puente de la Barqueta to the Pasarela de la Cartuja bridge. Both spaces were created for the Americas Expo of 1929 and feature pretty riverside walkways and a wide variety of plants. The Jardines de Guadalquivir are filled with eclectic sculptures, lily ponds and a small hedge maze, while the Jardín Americano is a kind of botanical garden filled with plants brought over from the Americas, including cacti, large spiky agave, prickly pears, tobacco plants, yuccas and ferns.

Continue further south along the river and you’ll reach the Parque Fernando Magallanes, a small riverside park with lots of grass, open spaces and exotic palm trees. Next to this is the city’s excellent contemporary arts center Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo, which is housed in an old monastery.

Seek out sports and nature at Parque del Alamillo

Created for the Expo of 1992, the sprawling Alamillo Park lies on the northern edge of the city at Isla Cartuja. With lots of wide-open spaces, it’s ideal for playing sports and taking leisurely riverside strolls. At one end, urban farmers tend vegetable beds and fruit orchards, while golfers take to a nine-hole course. There are also two big lakes, one dedicated to wake boarding, the other with a bird-watching observation deck (the variety of bird life here makes this one of the best parks for nature in Seville). There’s also a bar for refreshments, as well as a miniature train ride for kids. Keep an eye out for the interesting sculptures in the park, including one of Don Quixote.

Channel Seville’s Moorish past at Jardines de la Buhaira

These Arab-inspired gardens are set around a stunning Moorish-style palace and date back to the reign of Al-Mutamid in the 11th century. Filled with Islamic water features and fountains, the park is even home to a restored ancient swimming pool (unfortunately not open to swimmers today). Date palms and tall cypress trees line the pathways; kids can amuse themselves at a small playground.

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