Seville Travel Guide
Three Days in Seville
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.
Seville is a compact city with a slow, generous rhythm. Its three great monuments stand around a single square, its old town is walkable from end to end in half an hour, and its life happens in the cool of the morning and the long evenings, with a pause in the heat of the afternoon. Three days is enough to see the essentials if you book a handful of timed tickets, group the sights by area, and adapt to local hours rather than fighting them.
Before you fly: the booking list. The Real Alcázar is the first ticket to buy, because entry is by half-hour slot and the good morning slots sell out in spring; add the upper royal apartments tour if you want it, since places are limited. Next, the Cathedral and Giralda, cheaper online than at the door and better at opening time. Book a sunset slot at the Setas de Sevilla in high season, and choose a flamenco show for one of your evenings — a small tablao with live guitar and singing is the best introduction. If you want a rooftop tour of the Cathedral, book it as soon as your dates are fixed. Reserve any special dinners, and if you are planning a day trip to Córdoba, book the train or tour ahead, especially at weekends.
Getting around. You will walk almost everywhere. The old town's lanes are narrow and often pedestrianised, so taxis drop off at the edges; a single tram line, the Metrocentro, runs along the Avenida de la Constitución, and buses link the centre with the train station and the airport. Bicycles are popular, with a good network of lanes. Wear comfortable shoes, carry water, and in summer plan your walking for the morning and evening.
Day one — the UNESCO heart. Be at the Real Alcázar for the first slot of the morning and give it two and a half hours: the Palace of Pedro I, the Patio de las Doncellas, the Hall of Ambassadors, the Gothic halls, the baths and, above all, the gardens. Cross the square to the Archivo de Indias for a free half-hour among the documents of the Spanish empire. Then have lunch in the Arenal or Santa Cruz — a late lunch, around two, as the Sevillanos do. In the late afternoon, visit the Cathedral, see the tomb of Columbus and the great altarpiece, and climb the Giralda as the light softens. Finish with an evening stroll through the lanes of Santa Cruz, a drink beneath the floodlit Giralda on the Calle Mateos Gago, and dinner from ten.
Day two — plazas, river and Triana. Start early at the Plaza de España, when it is nearly empty and the tiles glow in the morning light, and walk through the Parque de María Luisa to the Plaza de América. Walk back past the university, once the Royal Tobacco Factory, and the Hotel Alfonso XIII to the river, and take a cruise from the Torre del Oro. After lunch and a rest through the hottest hours, cross the Triana Bridge in the late afternoon: the market and the castle ruins, the ceramics district, the Calle Pureza and its chapel, and sunset on the Calle Betis. Stay for tapas in Triana and a flamenco show in the neighbourhood or back across the river.
Day three — the old town or a day trip. If you want to stay in Seville, spend the morning at the Casa de Pilatos and its tiled courtyards, then walk to the Church of El Salvador, free with your Cathedral ticket, and the Setas de Sevilla. After lunch, retreat to the cool galleries of the Museo de Bellas Artes for Murillo and Zurbarán. Go back to the Setas for sunset on the walkway and the light show, and finish with a farewell dinner in the Alfalfa. If you would rather see more of Andalusia, take the high-speed train to Córdoba for the Mezquita, under an hour away, or join a day trip to Ronda and the white villages.
If you have a fourth day. Take the day trip you skipped, or explore further: the Palacio de las Dueñas, the Hospital de los Venerables, the Basílica de la Macarena and the Alameda de Hércules in the north of the old town, or the Roman ruins of Itálica just outside the city.
Where to base yourself for this plan. Santa Cruz and the streets around the Cathedral put the monuments on your doorstep, and boutique hotels such as Casa 1800 and the Hotel Amadeus have rooftops facing the Giralda. The Alfalfa is livelier and more local, and the Arenal is close to the river. For a pool and more space at a lower price, Triana is a good alternative across the bridge, and for a grand occasion, the Alfonso XIII is a few minutes from the Alcázar.
Budget and pacing. Seville is kinder to the wallet than most western European cities. The Plaza de España, the Parque de María Luisa, Santa Cruz, Triana and the Archivo de Indias cost nothing, the Cathedral ticket includes a second church, and a tapas dinner in a local bar costs far less than a restaurant meal. Spend where it counts: the Alcázar supplement for the upper royal apartments, a good flamenco show and a hotel with a rooftop. Build in a rest every afternoon; three days in Seville goes much better with a siesta than without one, especially from May to September.
The honest adjustments. In summer, Seville is extremely hot: see the outdoor sights before eleven and after six, spend the afternoon in museums, the hotel pool or a siesta, and dine late. With children, add the rowing boats at the Plaza de España, the river cruise and the Alcázar gardens, and keep the Cathedral visit short. During Holy Week and the April Fair, the city transforms, prices rise and some sights change hours, so book everything early. Whatever the season, leave space for an unplanned evening — in Seville, the best moments often happen in a square at midnight.