Bisected by the Río Guadalquivir, Sevilla is fairly easy to find your way about (though hell if you're driving). The old city - where you'll want to spend most of your time - takes up the east bank. At its heart, side by side, stand the three great monuments: the Giralda tower , the Cathedral and the Alcázar , with the cramped alleyways of the Barrio Santa Cruz , the medieval Jewish quarter and now the heart of tourist life, extending east of them. North of here is the main shopping and commercial district, its most obvious landmarks the Plaza Nueva and La Campana , and the smart pedestrianized c/Sierpes which runs between them. From La Campana, c/Alfonso XII runs down towards the river by way of the Museo de Bellas Artes , second in importance in Spain only to the Prado in Madrid. Across the river is the earthier, traditionally working-class district of Triana , flanked to the south by the Los Remedios   barrio , the city's wealthier residential zone where the great April feria takes place.

Points of arrival , too, are straightforward, though the train station , Santa Justa, is a fair way out on Avenida Kansas City, the airport road. Buses #27 and #32 will take you from outside here to the Plaza de la Encarnación, from where all sights are within easy walking distance; alternatively buses #70, #C1 and #C2 will take you to the main bus station. The airport bus, operated by Amarillos (hourly; ¬2.10), terminates in the centre at the Puerta de Jerez, at the top of Avenida Roma between the turismo and the Fábrica de Tabacos. To take the same trip by taxi costs around ¬15.

The main bus station is at the Prado de San Sebastián. Most companies and destinations go from here: exceptions include buses for Badajoz, Extremadura (the provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz), Huelva, Madrid and international destinations which arrive and depart from the station at Plaza de Armas by the Puente del Cachorro on the river.

The main turismo is at Avda. de la Constitución 21 (Mon-Sat 9am-7pm, Sun 10am-2pm; tel 954 221 404); they have good city maps, accommodation lists and you can get a copy of the very useful free listings magazine Giraldillo , here too. There's also a less chaotic municipal tourist office at c/Arjona 28 just north of the bullring (Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, Sat & Sun 8.30am-2.30pm) by the Puente de Triana, with a sub-office at the Santa Justa train station.

One way to get to grips with the city is to take an open-top bus tour - especially good if you're pressed for time. This hop-on hop-off service is operated by Sevirama (tel 954 560 693) and the buses leave half-hourly from the riverside Torre del Oro, stopping at or near the main sites (all-day tickets cost around ¬9).