The lower two thirds are Almohad, built as the minaret of the mosque that stood here. The belfry above it was added in the 16th century, and the weathervane figure that gives the tower its name — giraldillo, the thing that turns — stands on top.
⭐ There are no stairs. You go up a series of ramps, built wide and shallow so that a rider could reach the top on horseback. It is much easier than a bell tower usually is, and it is why people who avoid towers should still do this one.
The view is the whole city: the cathedral's roof and buttresses immediately below, the Patio de los Naranjos, the Alcázar's gardens, and the river beyond.
⚠️ The bells are live and they are loud. If you are near the top on the hour you will know.
Look down into the orange courtyard on the way up — it is the clearest view anyone gets of the mosque's original plan.
La Giralda, photographed
