Palomares Del Rio offers two distinct focuses for planning your trip: architectural history and nature along the Water Route. The Arab Baths take you back to the Almohad period, while haciendas, with their courtyards, mills and towers, tell the story of different periods of construction and former uses. The route complements these architectural themes with native birds and riverside vegetation. You can therefore shape your stay around whether historic architecture or nature should take centre stage.

Arab Baths and architectural history

The Arab Baths date from the Almohad period, between the 12th and 13th centuries. Protected as a Bien de Interés Cultural, they are unique in the rural setting of Seville Province. This makes them a distinct historical highlight, different from the later haciendas: here, the focus is on an archaeological site, while the surviving parts of the buildings elsewhere offer insight into different courtyard and mill areas.

The site includes a garden with Hispano-Muslim design. Its fountains are tiled in colour and connected by channels. The combination of garden, water and design is more than a single architectural feature: the channels link the fountains into a recognisable whole. If you are interested in historic garden design, this offers another way to appreciate the site alongside the dating of the Arab Baths.

The 16th-century Hacienda Casa Alegre has preserved nearly all of its areas: the main courtyard, the service courtyard, the olive oil mill and the residence. This variety sets it apart from a single surviving tower or mill building. The different areas reveal the estate’s various functions and offer a tangible glimpse of its architectural layout.

Several other haciendas show the variety of the architectural heritage. The 18th-century Hacienda Ulloa preserves original wooden beams and a press stone in its olive oil mill. Today, only a 16th-century mill building remains of the Hacienda de Córdoba. Hacienda Santa María dates from the 18th century; its olive oil mill building and counterweight tower are well preserved. At Hacienda El Molino, also dating from the 18th century, a counterweight tower is associated with the former production of olive oil. These examples differ both in how much has survived and in the mill features that can be seen.

The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Estrella adds sacred architecture to the picture. Its tower is of Mudéjar origin. The first storey contains seven horseshoe and multifoil arches. This distinctive architectural style provides a contrast to the courtyards and mills of the haciendas.

Nature along the Water Route

The Water Route is classified as an easy route. Native birds and riverside vegetation can be found along it. This offers a different focus from the historic buildings: rather than courtyards, towers or milling technology, the emphasis here is on natural features. This distinction can help you choose your activities if you would prefer to focus your stay on architecture or nature.

Each description of the haciendas highlights different features: Casa Alegre preserves a range of different areas, while only the mill building remains at Hacienda de Córdoba. Ulloa, Santa María and El Molino, in turn, point to olive oil production through mill features that have survived or were once used. These differences help show that the buildings are not interchangeable examples. Together with the Arab Baths and the tower of the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Estrella, they offer a range of architectural themes; the Water Route complements them with a landscape perspective.

Discover more destinations: Valdezorras, Castilblanco De Los Arroyos, Mairena Del Alcor, La Puebla De Los Infantes, Alanís, Peñaflor, Sanlúcar La Mayor, La Algaba.

For the broader travel overview: Seville.