Barrio de Santa Cruz

The old Jewish quarter, now a maze of lanes between the cathedral and the Alcázar. Walls are lime-white and throw soft light back onto faces; doorways are painted ochre and blue; almost every corner has a wrought-iron balcony with geraniums over it.

Calle Agua and Callejón del Agua are the classic runs, and the Plaza de Doña Elvira and Plaza de los Venerables give you small orange-tree squares to open out into when the lanes get too tight.

Because the streets are narrow and white, this works in the middle of the day — the sun never reaches the ground, and the bounce is flattering. That makes it the natural pairing with an early Plaza de España start.