Things to do in Seville
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Seville
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring is the peak and best time: 20 to 28 degrees, orange blossom in March and everything open.
Summer is the worst stretch: July and August hit 40 to 45 degrees and sightseeing compresses to mornings and nights.
Autumn is the second sweet spot, cooling into perfect October weather, with November milder, quieter and cheaper.
Winter is the budget and culture play: 15 to 18 degree days, the monuments at their emptiest and the lowest hotel prices.
What's on
- Semana Santa 21-28 March 2027
Holy Week processions gridlock the centre, fill every hotel and double prices. Book months ahead or avoid it.
- Feria de Abril April, usually two weeks after Easter
A week of sevillanas, flamenco dresses and rebujito at the Los Remedios fairground. Most casetas are private, public ones exist.
- Bienal de Flamenco Every two years in September; next in 2028
The world's most important flamenco festival, in even years, with performances across the city's theatres.
- Noche en Blanco early October
A free white night of 140 plus cultural events across the city.
- Cabalgata de Reyes 5 January
The Three Kings parade on the evening of 5 January, the city's big family night.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Seville
Real Alcázar de Sevilla
A still used royal palace of carved plaster, tilework and gardens, and the one sight no Seville trip should skip.
Catedral de Sevilla
One of the largest Gothic cathedrals in the world, with Columbus tomb inside and the Giralda tower for the city view.
Plaza de España
A vast tiled semicircle from the 1929 exposition, with a canal and an alcove for every Spanish province, set in a park.
Casa de la Memoria
A small courtyard theatre with no microphones or dinner service, where flamenco happens at very close range.
Barrio Santa Cruz
The old Jewish quarter of whitewashed lanes, tiny plazas and patios, where the quarter itself is the sight.
Casa de Pilatos
A ducal palace mixing Renaissance and Mudéjar work, like a quieter and more intimate Alcázar in miniature.
Palacio de las Dueñas
A House of Alba palace and Machado birthplace, the also good alternative palace pick.
Las Setas de Sevilla
A huge wooden lattice over the square with a rooftop walkway made for a 360 degree sunset over the old town roofs.
Where to stay in Seville
Barrio Santa Cruz
first trip base
The most atmospheric streets in the city beside the Cathedral and Alcázar, with everything walkable.
El Arenal
all round alternative
Nearly as central as Santa Cruz but flatter and easier, by the river, bullring and Torre del Oro.
Centro / Museo
shopping, Las Setas and value
The commercial centre north of the Cathedral: practical, well connected and an easy walk everywhere.
Triana
local, food first repeat trip
Flamenco and ceramics identity, the market and excellent tapas, 10 to 15 minutes from the Cathedral.
Alameda / Macarena
nightlife and budget
Around the Alameda de Hércules: the bar and alternative scene, cheaper stays and a younger local crowd.
Los Remedios
Feria week and calm
A planned residential district by the fairground: well kept and quiet, picked for sleep or the fair, not charm.
Think twice about
- Las 3000 Viviendas / Polígono Sur, Los Pajaritos and Torreblanca
Seville's most deprived peripheral districts, far from every sight, with reputations linked to drug dealing and social exclusion.
- Around Santa Justa station and the Nervión mall strip
Not unsafe, just characterless and traffic heavy, turning a walkable trip into a bus and taxi trip.
- Unlicensed tourist flats in the old town
Unregistered flats risk cancellation and hostile buildings. Check for Junta de Andalucía registration or use a hotel.
Best restaurants in Seville
Espacio Eslava
The modern tapas institution: slow cooked egg on mushroom cake, the cuttlefish cigar and honey glazed ribs.
La Brunilda Tapas
A modern tapas dinner locals book for duck confit, tuna tataki, grilled octopus and mushroom risotto at fair prices.
El Rinconcillo
Reputedly Seville's oldest bar, since 1670: jamón over sherry barrels, chalked bills and the classics done the old way.
Cañabota
Seville's starred temple of fish, where the day's catch is shown before ordering and priced by weight.
Abantal
A one star dining room reworking traditional Andalusian recipes into tasting menus with sane wine markups.
Bodeguita Antonio Romero
The classic no frills bar for the montadito de pringá, with pork cheeks and garlic prawns in a packed local room.
Casa Morales
A historic bodega minutes from the Cathedral where you eat standing between huge earthenware wine jars.
Vinería San Telmo
Creative tapas by the Murillo Gardens: oxtail in crispy filo, squid ink spaghetti and a good wine list.
Outdoor things to do in Seville
Conjunto Arqueológico de Itálica
A Roman city founded in 206 BC with a huge amphitheatre and superb house mosaics still in place, and almost no shade.
Córdoba
The highest value day trip in Andalusia by fast train: the Mezquita arches, Jewish Quarter and flower filled patios.
SUP Guadalquivir
Guided kayak and paddleboard tours on the calm river, the only way to see the monumental skyline from water level.
Cycling the city and the river parks
Flat streets, an extensive cycle lane network and riverside paths make a bike tour the fastest orientation in the city.
Real Club Sevilla Golf
Olazábal's championship course, host of the 2004 World Cup, with wide bunkered fairways, nine lakes and immaculate greens.
Club Zaudín Golf
Gary Player's parkland course through an old olive grove, an easier visitor booking than the private feel alternatives.
Parque Nacional de Doñana
One of Europe's great wetlands, visited on guided tours for flamingos, imperial eagles, deer and, with luck, lynx.
Ronda
Ronda's Puente Nuevo over the El Tajo gorge paired with white villages like Setenil, worth it only on a longer trip.
Best hotels in Seville
Hotel Alfonso XIII, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Seville
A Mudéjar Revival palace built for the 1929 Exposition, with tiles, gardens and a pool five minutes from the Cathedral.
EME Catedral Mercer
Fourteen old houses merged into a five star facing the Cathedral, known above all for its rooftop pool and Giralda view.
Hotel Colón Gran Meliá - Seville
A classic bullfighters hotel by the Maestranza, now a calmer grand five star with serious service and a good pool.
Mercer Hotel Sevilla
Just twelve rooms in a 19th century palacio with a courtyard, plunge pool rooftop and cocktail bar near the Torre del Oro.
CoolRooms Palacio de Villapanés
An 18th century palace with courtyard and small pool on the calmer eastern edge of the old town, near Casa de Pilatos.
Hotel Casa 1800 Sevilla
A restored 19th century mansion minutes from the Cathedral, with a small rooftop pool and Giralda views for less.
Hotel Bécquer
A renovated four star two blocks from the river and the Triana bridge, the dependable mid range workhorse of the centre.
Las Casas de la Judería
A labyrinth of old houses and palaces linked by plant filled courtyards, giving Santa Cruz atmosphere at a moderate price.
Is Seville expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €75 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €150 a person |
| Splurge | €375 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Real Alcázar de Sevilla: weeks ahead
- Catedral de Sevilla: a few days ahead
- Casa de la Memoria: a few days ahead
- AIRE Ancient Baths Sevilla: a few days ahead
- Córdoba: weeks ahead
- Real Club Sevilla Golf: a few days ahead
- Club Zaudín Golf: a few days ahead
- Parque Nacional de Doñana: weeks ahead
- Alcázar weeks ahead in spring and autumn, official site only, first slot best. Cathedral days ahead.
- Semana Santa and Feria hotels book out months ahead. Book Feria in January or February.
- La Brunilda, Eslava's restaurant, Abantal and Cañabota need days to weeks. Caminito del Rey sells out well ahead.
Is Seville safe?
- Pickpocketing is the real risk, at the Cathedral and Alcázar queues, Santa Cruz lanes, tram stops and Santa Justa.
- Keep a zipped crossbody bag in front, never leave phone or wallet on a café table, and watch for distraction scripts.
- Heat is a genuine safety issue: carry water and treat 2 to 5pm in July and August as indoor time. Emergency number 112.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Seville travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Restaurants facing the Cathedral on Avenida de la Constitución and Calle Mateos Gago: picture menus and frozen paella.
- Sangria is the tourist order. Locals drink tinto de verano, manzanilla, fino, cañas or rebujito at the Feria.
- Skip the line reseller sites for the Alcázar and Cathedral: markups and occasional invalid tickets. Official sites only.
- Las Setas and Plaza de España at midday in summer are shadeless ordeals. Both are morning or evening picks.
Getting around Seville: public transport and more
- Walk the compact flat centre. TUSSAM buses, the MetroCentro tram and one metro line cover the rest.
- The EA airport bus runs from San Pablo Airport to the centre and Santa Justa. Santa Justa is the AVE hub.
- Do not rent a car for the city. Rent one only on departure day for a White Villages road trip.
Who Seville suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Seville your trip
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