Andalusia (Spain)
Seville is the city of orange blossom and Moorish courtyards, of flamenco born on the far bank of the Guadalquivir and a cathedral so vast its builders wanted later generations to think them mad.
This guide books it properly — timed entry to the Real Alcázar, still a working royal palace after a thousand years, the Cathedral and the ramps of the Giralda, the timber waves of the Setas de Sevilla at sunset, the tiled half-moon of the Plaza de España, the Renaissance patios of the Casa de Pilatos and an evening in a real tablao — then adds the high-speed train to Córdoba's Mezquita and a road trip to Ronda and the white villages. Between the tickets come the free pleasures: lost in the lanes of Santa Cruz, crossing the bridge to Triana for ceramics and sherry, Columbus's letters in the Archivo de Indias, Murillo in a former convent. Then it matches you to the right hotel, from the 1928 palace of the Alfonso XIII to rooftop plunge pools facing the Giralda, because in a city that comes alive after dark and bakes at noon, where you sleep decides how well you live it.
Plaza de España
Aníbal González's tiled half-moon built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition — a sweeping brick palace with two towers, four bridges over a canal where you can row a boat, and a ceramic alcove for every Spanish province. Free to enter and spectacular at any hour.
Alhambra and Granada Day Trip from Seville
The last palace of Moorish Spain in one long, unforgettable day — coach from Seville to Granada, a guided visit through the Nasrid Palaces, the Alcazaba fortress and the Generalife gardens, and the Sierra Nevada as a backdrop. The trip that completes the story the Alcázar begins.
Real Maestranza Bullring and Museum
Spain's most beautiful and most storied bullring, on the riverfront since the eighteenth century — a guided tour of the white-and-ochre arena, the Prince's Gate, the royal box, the chapel and a museum of paintings and costumes, whatever you think of the corrida.
Jerez and Cádiz Day Trip from Seville
Sherry, horses and the sea in one day — a tasting in a historic Jerez bodega, the optional dancing-horse show of the Royal Andalusian School, then a guided walk and free time in Cádiz, one of the oldest cities in Europe, on its peninsula in the Atlantic.
A thousand years of palaces in one walled compound — the Mudéjar Palace of Pedro I with its Patio de las Doncellas and golden-domed Hall of Ambassadors, Gothic halls hung with tapestries, vaulted baths and acres of orange-scented gardens. Still a royal residence; book a timed slot.
The largest Gothic cathedral in the world, raised on the site of the Almohad great mosque — with the tomb of Christopher Columbus, a gilded altarpiece of breathtaking scale, the Patio de los Naranjos and the Giralda, a twelfth-century minaret you climb by ramps instead of stairs.
FreeAníbal González's tiled half-moon built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition — a sweeping brick palace with two towers, four bridges over a canal where you can row a boat, and a ceramic alcove for every Spanish province. Free to enter and spectacular at any hour.
Six giant timber parasols over the Plaza de la Encarnación, with a rooftop walkway winding between the old town's domes and bell towers, a 360-degree viewpoint, an immersive show and an evening light display — plus Roman and Moorish ruins in the basement.
See flamenco where it grew up — in an intimate tablao with a guitarist, a singer and a dancer close enough to hear the footwork crack, or at the Flamenco Dance Museum in Santa Cruz. Book an early show, choose a small venue, and let the cante carry you.
The finest noble palace in Seville — a sixteenth-century blend of Mudéjar plasterwork, Gothic tracery and Italian Renaissance marble around a tiled courtyard filled with Roman statues, with secret-feeling gardens and the largest display of historic azulejos in the city.
An hour on the river that made Seville rich — departing beside the thirteenth-century Torre del Oro, gliding past the bullring, the Triana waterfront, the bridges of the 1992 Expo and the palms of the Paseo de las Delicias. Best at sunset with a drink in hand.
Under an hour by high-speed train, Córdoba holds one of the wonders of the world: the Mezquita, a forest of red-and-white horseshoe arches with a Renaissance cathedral rising from its heart. Add the Jewish quarter, the Roman bridge and the flower-filled patios for an unforgettable day.
A town split by a dizzying gorge, joined by the eighteenth-century Puente Nuevo, with one of Spain's oldest bullrings — reached through the white villages of the Sierra de Grazalema, clinging to crags above olive groves. The great Andalusian road trip, done in a day.
Seville's old Jewish quarter — a maze of whitewashed lanes, flower-hung balconies and tiny orange-tree squares tucked against the walls of the Alcázar. Free to wander, best at dawn or after dark, and the setting of half the city's legends.
Across the river, the barrio of sailors, potters and flamenco singers — the iron Triana Bridge, the painted façades of the Calle Betis, a food market built over the Inquisition's castle, ceramic workshops and some of the most local tapas bars in Seville. Free to explore.
The Renaissance merchants' exchange that became the archive of the Spanish empire — 80 million pages, maps and documents signed by Columbus, Magellan, Cortés and Pizarro, displayed in vaulted galleries lined with mahogany shelves. Free, and the quiet third of Seville's UNESCO trio.
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
$$$$Puerta de Jerez / San Fernando
Seville's legendary grand hotel, inaugurated by King Alfonso XIII in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition — a neo-Mudéjar palace of brick, tile and carved wood around a colonnaded courtyard, with an outdoor pool in the gardens, an Art Deco bar and the Alcázar a few minutes' walk away.
Check rates →El Arenal / Museo
A 1929 landmark beloved by bullfighters and artists, reborn as a five-star member of The Leading Hotels of the World — stained-glass dome, a Spa by Clarins, a little rooftop pool with city views, the bullfighting tavern El Burladero, and RedLevel suites with private terraces.
Check rates →Cathedral / Calle Alemanes
Five-star design hotel directly opposite the Cathedral, made from a cluster of historic houses — with La Terraza del EME, one of Seville's best-known rooftop bars, a pool and solarium, the M Spa thermal circuit and several restaurants under one roof.
Check rates →Barrio de Santa Cruz
A restored nineteenth-century Sevillian house 130 metres from the Cathedral, with a galleried patio, a complimentary afternoon tea, and a rooftop pool and terrace looking straight at the Giralda. Intimate, warm and in the heart of Santa Cruz.
Check rates →Barrio Alfalfa
A seventeenth-century casa palacio turned into a seventeen-room boutique hotel in the Alfalfa quarter — marble and limestone bathrooms, a roof terrace with a plunge pool and a mirador facing the Giralda, and an all-day tapas and sherry bar under the original wooden ceiling.
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$$Barrio de Santa Cruz
A four-star boutique hotel in Santa Cruz devoted to classical music, set in a group of houses partly dating from the eighteenth century — musical décor, a terrace with views of the Giralda, a bar open late all year and a jacuzzi on the roof. Charming and good value.
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$$Triana
A modern four-star hotel on the Triana riverbank, with a rooftop pool and solarium, a terrace bar looking across the Guadalquivir to the old town's monuments, river-view rooms and a gym — a relaxed, good-value base on the local side of the river.
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$$$Barrio de Santa Cruz
A village of restored houses and palaces in the old Jewish quarter, linked by passages, tunnels and some thirty flower-filled patios — characterful rooms, a rooftop pool over the old-town roofs, and the lanes of Santa Cruz at the door.
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$$$$El Arenal
An 1880 casa palacio in the Arenal, restored by the architects Cruz y Ortiz into an intimate five-star boutique hotel — a glazed central patio, a pool and terrace, refined Andalusian cooking and the feel of staying in a private townhouse.
Check rates →Plaza Nueva / Centro
A Seville institution on the Plaza Nueva since 1857 — comfortable classic rooms, some with private terraces over the square, a rooftop terrace, a tapas bar and restaurant, free tea and coffee in the lounge and on-site parking. Reliable, central and good value.
Check rates →Cathedral / Santa Cruz
A palace-style hotel facing the Cathedral, with a small rooftop pool and bar looking straight at the Giralda — traditional rooms of every shape and size, some big enough for a family, a step from Santa Cruz and the Alcázar.
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$$Plaza de España / Parque de María Luisa
A modern four-star hotel facing the Plaza de España and the María Luisa park — a year-round outdoor pool with views of the plaza, family and connecting rooms, four restaurants and bars, a 24-hour gym and a big car park. The easy family base.
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$$Isla de la Cartuja
A striking five-star hotel on the island of La Cartuja, five minutes' walk from Isla Mágica — outdoor pools including one for children, a kids' club, a winter indoor pool, a wellness area and easy parking. The resort-style family choice in Seville.
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$El Arenal
One of Seville's oldest hotels, in an eighteenth-century house with a tiled patio and fountain, about fifty metres from the Cathedral — simple, traditional rooms and a tiled breakfast room at a budget price. Location and atmosphere for very little.
Check rates →Santa Cruz / Alcázar
A modern design hostel on the Calle Miguel Mañara, steps from the Alcázar walls and the Cathedral — shared dorms and private rooms, a 24/7 reception, terraces, a cinema area and its own tapas restaurant. The best budget base in the historic centre.
Check rates →A first-timer's itinerary that books the timed tickets in the right order — the Alcázar at opening, the Cathedral and the Giralda, the Setas at sunset — and fills the gaps with Santa Cruz, Triana, the Plaza de España, a flamenco show and a day trip option.
What to know before you land — which tickets to book, how to beat the heat, how late Seville eats, the festivals that change everything, getting around, staying safe, tourist tax news and the small courtesies that make you a welcome guest.
A neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood guide to choosing your Seville base — who each area suits, what it is like at night, the trade-offs, and our hotel picks from the Alfonso XIII to rooftop plunge pools facing the Giralda.
How tapas work in Seville, the dishes to order, sherry and vermouth, the best neighbourhoods for a tapas crawl, markets, meal times, breakfast rituals and the sweets made by nuns behind convent walls.
A season-by-season guide to Seville — orange blossom and the great spring festivals, how to survive the summer, the golden autumn, mild winters with short queues, and how timing affects prices, crowds and opening hours.
A deep dive into Seville's Islamic and Mudéjar heritage — the Almohad capital, the minaret that became the Giralda, Pedro I's palace, the craftsmen who built Christian Seville in a Moorish style, and where to see it all, including Córdoba.
