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Seville Cathedral and the Giralda rising above the rooftops of the old town

Things to do in Seville: 18 experiences

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Photo: Jebulon, CC0

Seville is the capital of Andalucía and has one of the largest old towns in Europe, set along the Guadalquivir, the river that carried Spain's trade with the Americas. Almost everything visitors come for is within walking distance: the Cathedral and the Giralda, the Real Alcázar, the palaces of the old nobility, and the grounds of the 1929 exhibition with Plaza de España and María Luisa Park.

On the east bank, the centre holds the monuments, the Barrio de Santa Cruz and the shopping streets; north of the Setas, around Calle Feria and the Alameda de Hércules, the city feels more local and gets lively at night. Across the river, Triana keeps its own market, its ceramics and its riverside bars. Two trips out of town are worth the bus: the Roman city of Itálica at Santiponce, and Carmona on its ridge to the east.

18 things to do in Seville

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Domes and pinnacles on the roof of Seville Cathedral, with the city beyond

Climb the Giralda and walk the Cathedral roofs

Seville Cathedral

75 minutes; 90 for the roof tourBook ahead

Climb the Giralda on your timed ticket and stay until closing, then walk the cathedral's 15th and 16th-century terraces and passages.

Tours in Seville
Rowing boats on the canal of Plaza de España, with the brick arcades and a tower behind

Row a boat at Plaza de España and walk María Luisa Park

Parque de María Luisa

Free

Row a boat under four bridges in Aníbal González's half-moon of brick and tile, then walk María Luisa Park.

Tours in Seville
The timber canopy of the Metropol Parasol over the Plaza de la Encarnación

Walk the top of the Setas at sunset

Plaza de la Encarnación

60 to 90 minutesBook ahead

Walk across the top of a timber canopy about 26 metres high at sunset, then stay for the light show.

Tours in Seville
A fruit and vegetable stall inside the Mercado de Triana

Cross to Triana for its market and ceramics

Triana

No booking needed

Cross the iron bridge of 1852 to the old quarter of Seville's potters and sailors, for its market and ceramics.

Tours in Seville
The main courtyard of Casa de Pilatos, with its arcades and central fountain

Tour the tiled courtyards of Casa de Pilatos

Plaza de Pilatos

Book ahead

Mudéjar plasterwork, Italian Renaissance marble and 1530s tiles around the courtyards of a house the Dukes of Medinaceli still live in.

Tours in Seville
The arcaded main patio of the Palacio de las Dueñas among palms and plants

Visit the Palacio de las Dueñas, Machado's birthplace

Calle Dueñas

Book ahead

Walk the patios of the house where Antonio Machado was born, whose lemon trees appear in his poems, free on Monday afternoons.

Tours in Seville
The shelved south gallery on the upper floor of the Archivo de Indias

See the Archivo de Indias, the record of Spain's empire

Avenida de la Constitución

Free

Herrera's merchants' exchange, holding about 80 million pages and 8,000 maps from Spain's American empire, free to enter.

The main cloister of the former Convento de la Merced, home of the Museo de Bellas Artes

See Murillo and Zurbarán at the Museo de Bellas Artes

Plaza del Museo

1 hour 30 minutesNo booking needed

Murillo, Zurbarán and Valdés Leal in the rooms around the old cloister of a 17th-century convent, for €1.50 or free.

The white and ochre façade of the Real Maestranza bullring on the Paseo de Cristóbal Colón

Tour the Real Maestranza bullring building

El Arenal

No booking needed

Walk the stands and the oval ring of a bullring that took some 120 years to finish, and see twelve plates of Goya's Tauromaquia.

Tours in Seville
Riders, carriages and visitors in flamenca dresses under the lanterns of the Feria de Abril

Spend an evening at the Feria de Abril

Real de la Feria

Free

More than 1,000 casetas under paper lanterns on yellow albero, and sevillanas into the small hours, at Seville's April Fair.

Tours in Seville
The arena and stone tiers of the Roman amphitheatre at Itálica

Take the bus to the Roman city of Itálica

Santiponce

Half a day from SevilleNo booking needed

Walk the streets of the town where Trajan and Hadrian were born, to an amphitheatre for about 25,000 spectators.

Tours in Seville
White houses, church towers and domes of Carmona seen from the Puerta de Sevilla

Spend a day in Carmona and its Roman necropolis

Carmona

Half a day to a full dayNo booking needed

Enter a ridge-top town through a gate of Carthaginian origin, then go below it to more than 900 Roman family tombs.

Tours in Seville
A tourist boat on the Guadalquivir in Seville at dusk, with rowers and moored cruise ships

Take an hour-long boat trip on the Guadalquivir

Torre del Oro

1 hourNo booking needed

An hour on the Guadalquivir past the Maestranza and the Puente de Triana, back by the quays Magellan and Elcano's expedition left in 1519.

Tours in Seville
The whitewashed market hall of the Mercado de Feria on Calle Feria

Shop the Mercado de Feria on a Thursday, then the Alameda

Calle Feria

Free

The oldest municipal market still trading in Seville, best on a Thursday, when a street market recorded since 1292 fills Calle Feria.

Whitewashed houses on a narrow lane in Seville's Barrio de Santa Cruz

Walk Seville's Santa Cruz lanes after dark

Seville

1.5 to 2 hoursFree

Seville's old centre comes alive once the sun is down, and the lanes of Santa Cruz are far quieter at night than at midday.

Tours in Seville
A flamenco dancer on stage at a tablao in Seville

See flamenco up close in a small Seville room

Seville

About 1 hour per showBook ahead

Seville has flamenco every night; in a small room without microphones you hear the footwork and the guitar unamplified.

Tours in Seville
The Patio de las Doncellas in the Real Alcázar of Seville, with its long pool and orange trees

Take a late slot at the Real Alcázar, then find the sunset

Seville

2 to 3 hoursTimed entry

Low sun on the tiled courtyards and gardens emptier than at noon, then the Giralda or the river in evening light.

Check dates and pricesGuided Real Alcázar visit with entry ticketTicket guide
A Holy Week procession of the Hermandad de la O on Calle Betis, Seville

Watch Seville's Holy Week processions from the right corner

Seville

At least two evenings; the week runs 21 to 28 March 2027Book ahead

Nearly 70 brotherhoods carry their pasos from church to Cathedral and back, and you do not need a paid seat to see them.

Tours in Seville

Plan your trip

  • Getting there

    Seville airport (SVQ) is about 10 km north-east of the centre. The EA airport bus leaves from outside arrivals, stops at Santa Justa railway station and ends at the Plaza de Armas bus station, in about 35 minutes. High-speed AVE trains from Madrid Puerta de Atocha reach Santa Justa, about 1 km east of the old centre, in roughly 2 hours 40 minutes. Intercity buses use Plaza de Armas and Prado de San Sebastián.

  • Getting around

    Walk: the sights in this guide are in or next to the compact old centre. A short tram line runs from Prado de San Sebastián along Avenida de la Constitución, past the Cathedral, to Plaza Nueva, and TUSSAM city buses cover the rest; the single metro line misses the old town. Sevici public bikes need the app and a pass. For Itálica, take bus M-170A or M-170B from Plaza de Armas; for Carmona, the M-124 from Prado de San Sebastián.

  • How many days

    Three days, in must30's view: one for the Cathedral, the Real Alcázar and Santa Cruz; one for Plaza de España, the river and Triana; one for the palaces, the Museo de Bellas Artes and the Setas at sunset. A fourth day buys a morning at Itálica or a day in Carmona.

  • When to go

    Spring and autumn are the comfortable seasons. July and August average daily highs of about 36 °C at the airport, so in summer see monuments in the morning and walk after sunset; Itálica and the Carmona necropolis close at 15:00 from 21 June to 20 September. April brings Holy Week and the Feria de Abril (13 to 18 April 2027), the busiest weeks of the year. December is the wettest month.

  • Where to base yourself

    Santa Cruz and the streets around the Cathedral put you beside the big monuments but are the most touristy. El Arenal, between the Cathedral and the river, is close to the boats and the Maestranza. Triana, across the river, is more residential, with its own market and bars. The Alameda de Hércules and Calle Feria area suits travellers who want evenings out, and Santa Justa is practical for early trains.

Questions travellers ask

How many days do you need in Seville?

Three days covers the Cathedral and the Real Alcázar, Plaza de España, Triana, a palace or two and the Setas at sunset without rushing. Add a fourth day for Itálica or Carmona, both reached by intercity bus.

Is Seville too hot to visit in summer?

July and August average daily highs of about 36 °C, so afternoons are hard going. Plan monuments for the morning, rest at midday and go out after sunset, when the Setas, the river cruise and the Alameda de Hércules are at their best. Itálica and the Carmona necropolis close at 15:00 from 21 June to 20 September.

Do I need to book Seville Cathedral tickets in advance?

You can buy at the Puerta del Príncipe ticket office, but online is €1 cheaper (€13 against €14), and the time on your ticket is your entry time for the Giralda. Book the rooftop tour ahead: from October to May it runs only at 10:00 and 10:30.

Which Seville monuments are free?

Plaza de España and María Luisa Park cost nothing, and the Archivo de Indias is free whenever it is open. The Museo de Bellas Artes, Itálica and the Carmona necropolis are free for EU citizens with ID. The Cathedral is free on Sundays from 17:00, liturgy permitting, and the Palacio de las Dueñas on non-holiday Mondays from 16:00 with an online reservation.

When is the Feria de Abril in 2027?

Turismo de Sevilla gives Tuesday 13 to Sunday 18 April 2027. It opens with the alumbrao, when the lights are switched on at midnight, and ends with fireworks by the river. Most casetas are private, so plan around the public ones, including the one Turismo de Sevilla runs on Calle Pascual Márquez.

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