Seville

Seville has one attraction that sells out weeks ahead and stops most visitors in their tracks — the Real Alcázar. It also has summers that are among the hottest in Europe, which makes the month you choose more consequential here than in most Spanish cities.

This page compares live ticket prices and availability for Seville attractions across our booking partners.

When to visit Seville

March to May is the best season by a distance. Orange blossom in the streets, comfortable temperatures, and the city at its most alive.

Semana Santa in Holy Week and Feria de Abril two weeks later are the two great festivals. Extraordinary to witness, and accommodation books out months ahead at multiplied prices.

June to September is severe. Seville regularly exceeds 40°C in July and August and the city genuinely shuts down in the afternoon. Sightseeing means early morning and after 8pm.

October to February is mild, often sunny, and much cheaper. Winter here is warmer than spring in northern Europe.

Real Alcázar

The royal palace, still in use, and the oldest palace in Europe still functioning as a royal residence.

Timed entry with capacity limits, and it sells out one to two weeks ahead in season — longer in spring.

The Cuarto Real Alto, the upper royal apartments, is a separate additional ticket with limited daily places and its own guided visit.

The gardens are extensive and take as long as the palace. Allow two to three hours total.

Some evening visits are offered in summer, which is both cooler and less crowded.

Used as a filming location for Dorne in Game of Thrones, which brought a wave of visitors that hasn’t fully receded.

The Cathedral and the Giralda

The largest Gothic cathedral in the world by volume, built on the site of the former mosque.

The Giralda — the bell tower, originally the mosque’s minaret — is included in the cathedral ticket. There are no stairs: it’s a series of 34 ramps, built so guards could ride horses up. The climb is gentle and the view is the best in the city.

Columbus’s tomb is inside, carried by four figures representing the kingdoms of Spain.

A combined ticket includes the Iglesia del Salvador across town.

Rooftop tours are available separately and book ahead.

Plaza de España and María Luisa Park

Plaza de España is free, open and one of the most photographed places in Spain — a vast semicircular plaza with tiled alcoves for each Spanish province.

Rowing boats can be hired on the canal that runs around it.

It sits inside María Luisa Park, which is free, shaded and the best place in Seville to be at midday in summer.

Also a Star Wars filming location, standing in for Naboo.

Flamenco

Seville is the home of flamenco and there are three tiers of experience.

Tablaos are professional venues with ticketed shows — reliable quality, tourist-oriented, book ahead.

Peñas are flamenco clubs where aficionados go. Harder to access, more authentic, irregular schedules.

Bar performances in Triana happen spontaneously and are free. Triana is the traditional flamenco neighbourhood across the river.

The Museo del Baile Flamenco combines a small museum with evening performances.

Booking ahead vs walking up

Getting around

The historic centre — Santa Cruz, El Arenal, Triana — is compact and walkable. Everything of interest is within 25 minutes on foot.

The streets in Santa Cruz are deliberately narrow and shaded, designed for the heat. They’re also a maze, and getting lost is part of it.

Bicycles work well; the city is flat and has a public bike system.

Trams and a single metro line exist but are rarely necessary for visitors.

A first-timer’s two days

Day one — the monuments. Real Alcázar with an early slot, Cathedral and Giralda after lunch, then Santa Cruz in the evening.

Day two — the city. Plaza de España and María Luisa Park in the morning, cross to Triana for the afternoon, flamenco in the evening.