Introduction Seville Travel Guide
In December 2021 / January 2022 we made a 10-day trip to Andalusia. Seville was our first stop. We spent 5 nights in this amazing city full of history as the city was Roman, Muslim, and Christian. Seville is one of the most visited cities in this region and super famous for Flamenco, a traditional Spanish dance.
Seville has a population of approx. 690 000 inhabitants, is the fourth-largest city in Spain and the 26th most populous municipality in the European Union. Its old city center of 4 km² contains many UNESCO world heritage site that we will discover.
Seville is perfect for 3 to 4 full days. Let’s discover this Amazing Seville Travel Guide
Table of Contents
Mapping the day
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Getting there
There are plenty of ways to reach Seville :
- By Plane: you can fly to its international import directly, from there you can easily take the bus to the city center. The bus line is called EA and you can buy you ticket in the airport or on the bus for 4e.
- By train: Spain has one of the most extended railway networks in Europe, so you can get to Seville from most of the big Spanish cities.
- By bus: Same as for the train but a bit longer and a bit cheaper.
Moving Around
Once you are in town, you will be staying near the old city center, from there everything can be done on foot. If you need to get to the train station, you can easily take a city bus. Seville has many city-bus line going all around.
When to Visit
Seville can be visited year-round. We visited it in winter and the weather was amazing for Europe with temperature up to 20°C. Yet the peak seasons are around new year and during the summer holidays.
Where to Stay
- (€): Apartamento San Jacinto III
- (€€): Misterhost Triana Patio de las Flores
- (€€€): Hotel Alfonso XIII,
We personally stayed in Misterhost Triana Patio de las Flores
What to Eat
As we are plant-based diet, Spain is not the best option for food for us, but some of the nice things to try are:
- Sangria
- Spanish omelette
- Smoked Ham/Prosciutto
- Paella
Things to do in Seville
Free Walking Tour
Nothing better than to start you first day with a Free walking tour (FWT). That will bring you from Salvador church, through the old city center until the Plaza de España. FWT are in English everyday at 10am and last 2h.
When we did it, the English tour was made of 10 people including us while Spanish ones were over 30 and were more than 1 group.
The FWT will bring you around the monument but not inside them, that’s why you will need in day 2 to return there and explore them.
Salvador Church
Start on the Salvador Plaza with a bit of history about Seville and the Salvador church, a former mosque, converted into a baroque Roman Catholic church as when Seville became Catheloic the kings didn’t have money to build churches.
Catedral de Sevilla
The cathedral of Seville is the 3rd biggest religious landmark in the world. Its construction took over 100 years and started in 1401 on the foundation of an ancient Almohad mosque. Today remain of the mosque can still be see in the cathedral. The monument contains:
- The Capilla Mayor and its Gothic altar made of 45 panels representing the life of Christ
- The tomb of Christopher Columbus
- The collections of jewellery and paintings
Don’t forget to buy your ticket online before going there.
La Giralda
La Giralda is in fact within the cathedral. The entrance of the cathedral gives you the access to this tower which stands as the bell tower. It was a at first a minaret of the former mosque and was modify later by Christians who added the top part of the tower and 24 bells.
A unique feature of its bell tower is that you access its top not by stairs but by ramps as the former Iman was going on top on its minaret on horse/donkey back. He had to go up there to call for prayer 7 times a day!
Archivo de Indias
Next to the cathedral are the Archives of the Indies. Seville used to be a port town and old the title of port of the Indies. As such it was taking trades with the Americas. The building is nowadays an archive where exhibition takes place but used to be the place of trade.
Royal Alcázar of Seville
The Alcázar of Seville is still the Royal residence of the kings of Spain, and there are still supposed to be staying there when there are visiting Seville. It’s also the oldest royal palace in Europe. The palace was first and Arab and Moorish Palace made based on the Mudéjar art. The interior decoration of the place is outstanding.
At the end of the visit, there is a huge garden. We recommend buying your ticket in advance.
Real Fábrica de Tabacos de Sevilla
The old tobaccos factory of Seville used to supply all Europe. Now it’s a university and his worth popping inside. We wished we had studied in such a building.
Plaza de España
The world-famous Spanish Square is most probably the most known building of Seville as it was used for film making (Naboo from Star Wars episode II).
The square was built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 to to celebrate the discovery of America by Spanish conquistadors. The plaza is made of canals, bridges, an upper and lower floor and 48 azulejos benches representing each province of Spain.
Parque de María Luisa
Right next to the Spanish Square is the biggest park in the city center. The park is huge and truly beautiful. If you like ducks or swans you can admire some in its pools, but if you prefer architecture, at the end of the park you will find the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions & the Archeological Museum of Seville. 2 Beautiful structures in the park (closed at the moment).
Torre del Oro
Also known as the tower of gold, but not because it had a treasure but because of its color. The tower is nowadays a naval museum. If you are fan you can visit it, If not you can simply walk by it and enjoy the river banks.
Plaza de toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla
The Plaza de toros is the main arena of Seville where the ferias (bullfighting) are taking place. You can visit it on your own. It features a small museum and a visit to the arena.
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz is district also known as the Jewish district of Seville. It’s probably the nicest quarter in town and it is a must to just hang around its little steets.
Centro Cultural Flamenco "Casa de la Memoria"
A nice attraction to finish the day is a flamenco show. Casa de la Memoria is known for its amazing show in Seville that take places in an old palaces. Flamenco is often considered an art form based on various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia
Real Parroquia de Santa María de Sevilla
There are tonnes of churches in Seville, so pick the one you found beautiful. We truly like this one. It doesn’t look like much from outside, but inside is amazing. Be careful the opening time of the church is limited though.
Alameda de Hércules
Garden square located north of the city center. It is interesting to visit for its Roman columns with statues of Hercules and Julius Caesar.
Setas de Sevilla,
Also known as the Seville Mushrrom, it is a morder monument build in 2011. From its rooftop you can get a nice view of the city but we would recommend just popping by it for its architecture and place in Seville.
Casa de Pilatos
The Casa de Pilatos is a place that serves as the permanent residence of the Dukes of Medinaceli. It is a fine example of an Italian Renaissance building with Mudéjar elements and decorations. The casa de Pilatos was was the most important villa after the Royal Alcázar.
Jardines de murillo
Right behind the Royal Alcázar, the Murillo Garden is the perfect place to refresh. It is a urban park with paved walkways, benches & shade trees, plus some street performers.
Triana
Triana is located on the other side of the river and his known for being home to many sailors, gypsies, singers and flamenco dancers as well as many tiles (Azuleros) factories.
It is a nice place to hang around as the smaller streets are amazing as well as its riverbank. There you can also stop by the Iglesia Santa Ana.
Museo Del Castillo De San Jorge
This place is not actually to be visited but just to be admired from outside while crossing the bridge to Triana. A nice thing to do though is visit the market right behind it. The perfect location for groceries.
Centro Cerámica Triana
There are many museums in Seville, but we picked this one and were really happy about it. The small museum retraces the history of the tile factories of Seville and tell you how there were made in the past.
Cordoba
Cordoba is perfect for a day trip from Seville as it is only 40min by train. Cordoba has also a wide and long history but is known for its amazing mosque cathedral (Mezquita) and its old city center.
4-Day itinerary Seville
Day 1
- Free Walking Tour
- Salvador Church
- Real Fábrica de Tabacos de Sevilla
- Plaza de España
- Parque de María Luisa
- Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions, Sevilla
- Archeological Museum of Seville
- Torre del Oro
- Plaza de toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla
Day 2
- Royal Alcázar of Seville
- Catedral de Sevilla
- La Giralda
- Archivo de Indias
- Santa Cruz, Seville
- Centro Cultural Flamenco “Casa de la Memoria”
Day 3
- Iglesia de San Lorenzo
- Alameda de Hércules
- Setas de Sevilla
- Casa de Pilatos
- Jardines de murillo
- Triana
- Museo Del Castillo De San Jorge
- Centro Cerámica Triana
Day 4
- Day Trip to Cordoba
No hay dos sin tres (There is no two without three) – If something happens once, it could be a one-time thing. If it happens twice, it will most likely happen again.
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