Seville Travel Guide
Where to Stay in Seville
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.
Seville's old town is one of the largest in Europe, but almost everything a visitor wants to see lies within a short walk of the Cathedral. That makes choosing a neighbourhood less about distance and more about atmosphere: a lantern-lit lane in the old Jewish quarter, a lively square full of tapas bars, a riverside terrace, or a grand hotel with a pool. Here is how the main areas compare.
Barrio de Santa Cruz and the Cathedral. The old Jewish quarter, wrapped around the Alcázar and the Cathedral, is the most romantic and the most convenient base for first-timers. You can be at the Alcázar for the first slot of the morning and back for a siesta, and the evenings in its little squares are magical. The trade-offs are crowds by day, lanes too narrow for taxis, and some noise at night. Our picks: Casa 1800, a restored nineteenth-century patio house 130 metres from the Cathedral, with a complimentary afternoon tea and a rooftop pool facing the Giralda; the Hotel Amadeus, a good-value classical-music boutique hotel with a Giralda-view roof terrace and jacuzzi; and, directly opposite the Cathedral, the five-star EME Catedral Mercer, with its famous rooftop bar, pool and spa.
The Alfalfa and the northern old town. North of the Cathedral, the Alfalfa, El Salvador and the area around the Setas de Sevilla form the lively, local heart of the old town, full of tapas bars, small squares and Baroque churches. It is a little further from the Alcázar, about ten minutes on foot, but closer to the Casa de Pilatos, the Setas and the shopping streets. Evenings are animated, and the bars are often better value than those in Santa Cruz. Our pick: Corral del Rey, a seventeenth-century casa palacio with seventeen rooms, a rooftop plunge pool with a mirador towards the Giralda, and an all-day tapas and sherry bar.
El Arenal and Museo. Between the Cathedral and the river, the Arenal was the port district where the treasure fleets unloaded, and it is home to the Maestranza bullring, the Torre del Oro and some of the city's most traditional tapas bars. Further north, the Museo area around the Museo de Bellas Artes is calm and residential. Both are central, slightly quieter than Santa Cruz, and close to the river walks. Our pick: the Hotel Colón Gran Meliá, a 1929 landmark long beloved by bullfighters, now a five-star member of The Leading Hotels of the World with a spa and rooftop pool.
Puerta de Jerez and San Fernando. At the southern edge of the old town, between the Alcázar and the Parque de María Luisa, this area is grand and leafy, with the university, the old Royal Tobacco Factory and the exposition buildings of 1929. It is ideal for travellers who want calm and space, with the Alcázar and the Plaza de España both within a short walk. Our pick: the Hotel Alfonso XIII, Seville's legendary grand hotel, a neo-Mudéjar palace with a garden pool, inaugurated by the king in 1928.
Triana. Across the river, Triana is the most characterful neighbourhood in Seville, with its own identity, ceramic workshops, flamenco roots and local tapas bars. Staying here gives you a more authentic, residential experience and often more space and better value; the trade-off is a walk of ten to twenty minutes across the bridge to the monuments. Our pick: the Hotel Ribera de Triana, a modern four-star hotel on the riverbank with a rooftop pool, a terrace bar with views of the old town, and on-site parking, useful if you are touring by car.
Other areas to consider. The Macarena and the Alameda de Hércules, in the north of the old town, are lively and bohemian, with good bars and a younger crowd, though further from the main sights. Nervión, east of the centre, is modern and well connected for business travellers, and the area around the Santa Justa station is practical for an early train but has little charm.
Rooftops, pools and patios. In Seville, a hotel's outdoor space matters as much as its rooms. A rooftop terrace with a view of the Giralda turns every evening into an occasion, and a pool, even a small plunge pool, can rescue a summer afternoon. Traditional patio houses are cool and beautiful but can carry sound between rooms, while modern hotels offer more space and soundproofing. Decide which of these matters most before you choose.
How to choose. For a first visit of two or three nights, stay in Santa Cruz, the Alfalfa or the Arenal, as close to the Cathedral as your budget allows. For a special occasion, the Alfonso XIII or a rooftop boutique hotel. For families, prioritise air conditioning, a pool and rooms large enough to rest in during the hot afternoons. For drivers, choose a hotel with parking, as the old town's lanes are a maze of restricted streets.
Booking tips. Book early for Holy Week and the April Fair, when prices rise sharply and the best hotels sell out months ahead. Summer, especially July and August, brings lower prices but intense heat, so a pool becomes essential. Check whether your hotel is on a pedestrianised lane and how taxis reach it, and ask for a quiet room if you are a light sleeper, since old patio houses carry sound. Seville currently has no tourist tax, though the debate continues. Whatever you choose, look for a roof terrace: watching the Giralda light up from your hotel is one of the great pleasures of the city.