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Welcome to the Royal Alcázar, the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe. For more than a thousand years Muslim rulers, Castilian kings and today's Spanish monarchs have all lived here. You cross the Lion Gate into the Patio de la Montería, where the king's hunters used to gather. In front of you stands the façade of the Palace of Peter I, a 14th-century Castilian king who, with craftsmen from Toledo, Granada and Sevilla, ordered the masterpiece of Mudéjar art — Christians and Muslims working side by side. Step into the Patio de las Doncellas with its long reflecting pool and lace-like plaster arches. Read the inscriptions: they praise God in Arabic and King Peter in Castilian, with no contradiction. Continue to the Hall of Ambassadors, crowned by a gilded wooden dome representing the starry sky, and to the more intimate Patio de las Muñecas. Outside stretch twelve hectares of gardens — orange trees, myrtle, fountains, peacocks and water galleries. Many scenes of Game of Thrones were filmed here. Visitor tip: book online, avoid midday and set aside at least two hours. In spring, the scent of orange blossom is unforgettable. On your way out, sit for a moment in the Patio de Banderas: you'll hear swallows calling as the Giralda cuts against the sky.