Discover Villamanrique De La Condesa

Villamanrique de la Condesa brings together the history of the Rocío pilgrimage and links to Doñana. The palace and the Camino del Rocío Museum define its cultural focus; visitor centres and activities turn the spotlight on environmental education and nature.

Palace, architecture and garden

The Palacio de Villamanrique de la Condesa de París and its garden are protected as an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC) in the Monument category under Decreto 98/1998. The palace’s architecture combines the design of a traditional Andalusian country house with surviving remains of the palace of the Manríquez de Zúñiga and French influences in the interior design.

The garden is laid out in a romantic style. Fruit trees stand among trimmed hedges, alongside ornamental plants. The buildings and garden offer different aspects: architecture with its various influences, and a garden whose design includes fruit trees, hedges and ornamental plants.

Rocío pilgrimage and local history

The Centro de Interpretación Etnográfica Camino del Rocío is a museum exhibition space about the relationship between Villamanrique de la Condesa and its Primera y Más Antigua Hermandad del Rocío, the Rocío pilgrimage and the brotherhoods’ passage through the town.

The Camino del Rocío Museum is located on the site of the former Ermita de Santiago. It was the town’s first Christian church and was built in 1253. Its most important exhibit is the “Simpecado Viejo”: an elongated red banner from the 16th century bearing the oldest known painting of the Virgin of Rocío.

The festival “Villamanrique, Paso de Hermandades” has a history stretching back two hundred years. The brotherhood was the first to make the Rocío pilgrimage and establish the first Rocío route; its current name is “Camino de Villamanrique al Rocío”. The brotherhood welcomes pilgrims and visitors wishing to see the Simpecado all year round.

Doñana, visitor centres and activities

Villamanrique is considered a natural gateway to Doñana. The Centro de Visitantes Dehesa Boyal is an environmental education and natural history centre in Doñana Natural Park; it offers tourist services and dining options. Paseo a caballo en Villamanrique is a two-hour horse ride for all levels in the natural surroundings of Doñana.

The cycling route from Villamanrique to the Centro de Visitantes José Antonio Valverde in Doñana follows the same route as the drive and is about 25 kilometres each way. Another named route is Hinojos–Villamanrique de la Condesa: it connects the Centro de Visitantes Los Centenales in Hinojos with the La Dehesa Boyal visitor centre in Villamanrique de la Condesa.

For planning your time, the information given for the two activities uses different measures: the horse ride is listed as lasting two hours, while the cycling route is about 25 kilometres each way. One is a time estimate and the other an approximate distance; for the cycling route, you should also check the route conditions before setting off.

Discover more destinations: Martín De La Jara, Valencina De La Concepción, El Pedroso, El Saucejo, Cañada Rosal, Arahal, Los Rosales, Coripe.

For the regional travel overview: Seville.