Carmona, Spain Highlights
At just 19 miles from Seville, Carmona is easy to visit on an Andalusian road trip. This is one of the oldest towns in Europe.
The town’s motto, As the Morning Star shines in the dawn, so shines Carmona in Andalusia, was given by Ferdinand III of Castile who captured it from the Moors in 1247.
Carmona, Spain Tours
One of the nicest things about Carmona, Andalucia is that the Tourist Office run complimentary group guided tours of the town from Wednesday to Sunday except in July and August. Our guide showed us to some of the top attractions including The Córdoba Gate.
Cordoba Gate
You can drive through the gate on your way into town. Its borded by two octagonal turrets and though it dates from Roman times, it was altered in the eighteenth century to the monument that you see today.
There were originally four gates in the town and two remain – the other one is The Gate of Sevilla where the Tourist Office is located. Do drop in here as they’re extremely helpful.
Carmona Fort
The Alcazar de la Puerta de Sevilla, or Fort of Carmona is also situated here and is well worth a visit for the far reaching views from its ramparts. Remains found nearby date from the seventh century BC.
Carmona Town Center
Iglesia de Santa Maria is an impressive church, constructed between 1424 and 1518 on Plaza Marqués de las Torres. There are several other picturesque squares in Carmona including Plaza del Mercado, the market square which sells food produce and flamenco costumes.
Carmona Town Hall
Located on Calle el Salvador, Carmona Town Hall houses a hidden gem, a Roman tiled floor that’s extremely well preserved. It features a head of Medusa, and is easily visited during normal weekday hours.
Museo de la Ciudad de Carmona
Carmona City Museum is also interesting for its historic artefacts, presenting a snapshot of local history from the palaeolithic period, through the Bronze Age and Roman Carmona to the Islamic Middle Ages and the present day.
Convento de Santa Clara
Perhaps our favourite of all Carmona’s sights is the Convento de Santa Clara. The interior is breathtaking and a great example of Andalusian Moorish architecture from the 16th century.
You can buy cakes from the nuns, and they’re well packaged enough to bring back as gifts. It’s possible to buy similar cakes in Seville where it’s a popular tourist attraction, but there you don’t meet the nuns.
Parador Carmona
We recommend staying at the Parador de Carmona, Andalucia. One of the best hotels in Carmona, it’s located in an Arab fortress dating from the 14th century. The parador has been sensitively restored to maintain its original features.
The paradors are government-run hotels in impressive buildings and locations and this is one of the very best. There are also great paradors in Jaen and Ubeda, both also in Andalucia. Carmona Parador has a very distinct style of its own.
