2 Days in Seville: An Amazing Itinerary for First Timers

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How Many Days Should You Spend in Sevilla?

We think that two days in Sevilla is a good amount of time to spend in Sevilla itself, and will give you a great overview of what makes the city special.

You can split up the two major sites – the Alcázar and the Cathedral – to do them on separate days, and fill in the rest of your time with wandering cool neighborhoods, seeking out good views, food, and drinks. 

However, we also really, really don’t think you should miss the chance to head over to Córdoba, a city even more heavily influenced by the 600 (ish) years of Muslim rule in Andalucía.

The world-famous Mezquita – a gorgeous Mosque-turned-Cathedral with many of the original elements from the mosque intact – is one of the most unique sights in Spain, right up there with the Alhambra in Granada. 

A third day will give you the opportunity to take a day trip to Córdoba, which is an easy 40 minute train ride away, to see the Mosque-Cathedral. We’d recommend the day trip, because we really enjoyed Córdoba (we spent three days there).

However, if you only have two days, we wouldn’t try to fit in the day trip because it will be way, way too rushed. 

We have more on what to do with more or less time in a dedicated section below the main itinerary. 

2 Days in Sevilla: A Perfect Itinerary for First Timers

And now, with those logistics out of the way, let’s talk about how to make the most of your time in Sevilla. 

An important note at the top here: Matt has Celiac Disease, which means the way we experience a city’s food scene is almost certainly different from the way you will.

If you also need to eat gluten free, here’s our gluten free guide to Sevilla, which has lots of great options. 

If you don’t, we wanted to take a second to link you to resources we’d use to figure out what to eat and where to eat it (aside from booking this food tour with Devour, which we’ve done a version of elsewhere in Spain and loved).

The first place we’d turn to is the Eater guide to Sevilla, which is a look at the essential places that local food writers recommend.

It’s not the end-all, be-all, but it’s a great starting point (we look at the Eater guide to Portland often as a sort of gut check, and generally agree with their recommendations). 

Another place we like to look for food recommendations is Reddit threads, mostly because on Reddit, you’re usually getting crowd-sourced information from locals or fellow travelers that have actually experienced the things they’re mentioning.

Check out this thread and this thread as a starting point. 

Here’s an overview of the detailed itinerary you’re going to find below.

• Day 1: The Cathedral, a Foodie Adventure, and Flamenco
  
• Day 2: Plaza de España, the River + Triana, and the Alcázar, 

Now, let’s get into exactly how to plan an amazing itinerary!

You’re going to want to book two attractions well in advance of your trip: the Royal Alcázar and the Catedral de Sevilla, because they are extremely popular and will sell out.

You can get tickets onsite, but we witnessed MASSIVE lines that take 2-3 hours at the Alcázar to buy tickets for the same day, and you can spend that time elsewhere with a little advance planning.

You’ll have to choose a timeslot for entry, provide passport details (for the Alcázar, which is an active royal palace, hence the need for passport information), and then you can build the rest of your itinerary around those entry slots. 

Day 1: The Cathedral, a Foodie Adventure, and Flamenco

On your first day in Sevilla, start with a walking tour to set the stage for the rest of your time in Sevilla (both in terms of history, and also in terms of what to do, see, eat, and drink). 

Then move on to the incredible Catedral de Sevilla, which gives you some additional hints about Sevilla’s rich history, dive deeper into the food culture with a food tour, and then finish your day with one of the best views in town and a Flamenco show. 

But First, Coffee (near the Alameda)

Before heading out for a major history lesson, you’ll want to be nice and caffeinated. At least I like to be, anyway.

If you, too, are a full-blown caffeine addict, let’s talk coffee!

There are several great places to get coffee in Seville’s historic center, but there is one area in particular that stands out to me: the area near the Alameda de Hércules, which is where I had the two best cups of coffee on my latest trip. 

There are three places in particular that I would recommend in this vicinity. 

MUY Coffee: A charming little hole-in-the-wall with limited seating and great coffee, featuring beans both from Spain and across Europe. Find it here on Google Maps. 

LATE Specialty Coffee: More of a brunch-y, Instagrammable vibe, but the coffee here is great and they have a nice breakfast menu, if that’s something you’re missing in Spanish cuisine. Find it here on Google Maps. 

Parcería Café: A little further north (here on Google Maps), this place is worth the journey. It’s on a nice little sun-drenched pedestrian passageway, and we really like this little pocket around the market for both coffee and lunch, if you come back later in the day. 

The Catedral de Sevilla

The first time we did the Cathedral here in Sevilla, we were nearing the end of our three months in Europe and we had seen A LOT of churches.

To be honest, we strongly considered completely skipping the cathedral in Sevilla because, I mean, it’s just another church. 

We were glad we didn’t for two reasons. 

First, it’s the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. It’s an impressive structure, especially from the inside where you can see exactly how cavernous it is.

Second, the view from the Giralda – the bell tower that is built around the minaret of the former mosque that the cathedral is built on top of – is outstanding.

To get there, you won’t climb a never ending set of narrow steps, which seem to be the norm for old churches.

Instead, they have a series of ramps that are much more pleasant to climb.

Which brings us to the important part about the cathedral and the reason it’s the first of the main sights in Sevilla on this itinerary: this building gives you insight into Sevilla’s rich and complex history. 

Like many churches in southern Spain, this massive symbol of Christian power was originally…a mosque. 

After the conquest of Sevilla in the 13th Century, the Christian kingdom that would later become Spain decided that they needed to change the narrative of the city FAST, and the way to do that was to, essentially, slap a cross on the existing mosque and call it a day. 

There are actually three elements of that mosque still standing today: the horseshoe arch on the north side (the Puerta del Perdón), the Patio de los Naranjos, and the Giralda, which was at one point a minaret where the imam of the mosque issued the call to prayer five times a day. 

Do not miss the Giralda or the Patio de los Naranjos, which is the outdoor area that used to be a part of the mosque that has a couple of fountains (used to purify before praying in the Islamic faith) and, of course, those orange trees that you see all over the city. 

The cathedral is the other main sight in Sevilla, along with the Royal Alcázar, that gives you a good insight into the history of the city, since it was originally a mosque that was seized by the conquering Castilian king and transformed into a church over the course of a couple of centuries. 

There’s a stark difference between the somewhat humble area where the mosque used to be, which is built of brick and only a couple of stories high, and the massive cathedral built next to it.

It’s almost like one has a primary function of being a place of worship, and one has a primary function of projecting power.

Which was a VERY common theme over the course of our travels in Spain, Italy, and Portugal. 

Now for the fun part; let’s talk about Christopher Columbus.

Oh, and Christopher Columbus’ tomb is inside the cathedral, and AT LEAST part of his body remains here after traveling around the world a couple of times posthumously.

It’s confirmed that the body in the tomb is Christopher Columbus after DNA tests were done recently, but it’s unconfirmed how much of his body remains in Cuba and the Dominican Republic, two other places he was buried at different times.

Of course, when we mention Christopher Columbus, we should also mention a few things, including the fact that he is basically famous for making a dumb mistake and thinking the Caribbean was the Indies (and refusing to change his mind in the face of evidence saying otherwise).

He also committed ugly acts of genocide and enslavement, and is definitely not the hero we thought we were learning about when we learned that “Columbus sailed the ocean blue” in elementary school. 

Oh yeah, on top of all that, he wasn’t even the first European to make it to the Americas!

The Vikings (who had issues of their own) beat him there by almost 500 years. Here’s a more digestible interview with a historian on the same topic. 

We find it absolutely fascinating how much Columbus is lionized in Spain, particularly in Sevilla, but it makes perfect sense when you take a few minutes to think about it. 

Columbus was instrumental in ushering in Spain’s Golden Age in the 16th and 17th Centuries by unlocking the trade routes to the Americas, even if he had not one single clue what he had actually discovered. 

And the place where all that wealth was gathered? Sevilla.

All trade from the Americas was required to come through Sevilla by royal decree, and the city was extremely wealthy during that period. 

We don’t think a guided tour of the Cathedral is really necessary, and we’d prioritize all of the other tours we’ll mention in this guide (particularly the Alcázar and food tours, which will give you a much deeper understanding of the city). 

If you do visit yourself, get the audio guide if you’re looking for more context behind the things you’re looking at. Buy tickets here. 

Tickets cost €13 per person, plus another €5 for the audioguide (which we would recommend for more details and context). 

You save €1 by booking a timeslot online in advance, which we would strongly recommend to avoid the long lines at the ticket office (which you skip if you have a ticket already).

See their website for updated hours and costs, as they change fairly often, and to book your tickets. 

Again, don’t miss climbing to the top of the bell tower! It’s worth the effort. 

The Archivo General de Indias

There are three UNESCO World Heritage sites in Sevilla, two of which are extremely well known and famous with visitors.

Those would be the Cathedral and the Alcázar, the two most visited attractions in the city. 

However, there is a third UNESCO site – The Archivo General de Indias – that is right on the same plaza as the other two that relatively few people make it to, and we think it’s well worth a small investment of time to see the place where the Spanish Golden Age materialized (sort of).

Especially because it’s completely free to enter. 

As we already mentioned when we were talking about Columbus’ impact on Sevilla, all of the trade from the Americas came through Sevilla by royal decree. 

The building you see today was originally built as a merchant’s guild to house all of the trade happening in Sevilla (and to keep it somewhat removed from the Cathedral).

They were heavily involved in regulating and taxing all of the goods coming in through the new links with the Americas. 

Later on, once that trade had moved to Cádiz, the building was repurposed into an archive to house all of the documents related to the administration of the Americas.

Today, that archive is held in a building nearby, with a small selection of documents on display in the original building. 

We stopped by on a recommendation from a walking tour guide and we loved seeing well-preserved documents from the 15th Century. 

One of the most interesting parts about those documents is how different the writing and spelling of Spanish was at that time.

And how similar it looks to Arabic script, probably because the Muslims were the most educated people on the peninsula at that time and could read and write at higher rates. 

Plus, the building is gorgeous, with its ornamental staircase with red and white marble and ornate ceilings. 

This can be a relatively quick stop. You probably only need a half hour or so, depending on how much interest you have in the exhibits on display, but because the building is so beautiful and the fact that it’s free, we definitely think it’s worth popping in.

Dive Deeper into Sevilla’s Food Culture

Let’s talk about food, which is one of our favorite topics.

First, we should talk about what NOT to eat in Sevilla.

Most people don’t realize this, but Spain is a big country, which means that the food culture is highly regionalized because the raw ingredients that exist in, say, Madrid and Sevilla, are wildly different. 

As much as possible, you should try to eat the local specialties in the place you’re in, rather than trying to seek out the most famous Spanish dishes.

Which brings us to paella.

Paella is a rice-based dish that, aside from being so clearly influenced by cuisine from North Africa, comes from Valencia, a city up the coast towards Barcelona. 

We have one golden rule in Spain that we have broken a few times and regretted it: do not order paella in a restaurant that is not specifically Valencian or specifically known for paella. 

There are, I’m sure, exceptions, but ordering paella out at a random restaurant is usually not going to be good, speaking from experience. 

Another example is sangria. As far as we can tell, sangria is a completely made up concoction designed for tourists. Which doesn’t mean it’s bad, necessarily, but we believe that you should try to drink what the locals drink, and that’s not sangria. 

Instead, opt for vermut, which you may know as vermouth. Typically, the vermouth we get here in the U.S. is more a mixer for cocktails than something you’d drink on its own, and it comes from France or Italy. 

Spanish vermut, on the other hand, is a wild sweet and spicy drink that stands on its own, and it’s one of our favorite things to drink in Spain. Specifically vermut rojo.

Order it on tap if they have it by asking for “vermut de grifo.”

Now, diving into the food culture in places we’re visiting is one of our favorite aspects of traveling, and we try to include a food tour, cooking class, or market tour in most places we visit. 

The food of a place tells you so much about the culture, history, and influences that have shaped it, and exploring a city through its food scene is a unique perspective that a lot of people don’t even consider. 

Unfortunately, the reality is that because Matt has Celiac Disease and can’t have even a speck of gluten without being sick for days, a food tour or cooking class wasn’t in the cards for us in Sevilla (though we did one up in San Sebastián that was one of the highlights of our entire recent three week Spain trip). 

HOWEVER. That does NOT mean it shouldn’t be for you!

We’d highly recommend it because it gives you a local’s perspective on the city’s food scene – what and where to eat and drink – and you get to connect with fellow travelers and try some amazing food.

Here are some options for you – a couple of different food tours and one cooking class – that have been on our list but can’t accommodate Matt’s gluten-related needs. 

Our bias is to do a cooking class, because we LOVE to cook (and it’s generally easier to accommodate gluten free needs), but we also enjoy a good food tour. 

If you want to do a food tour, which would be our primary recommendation in Sevilla so you can discover some places you wouldn’t otherwise find on your own, we have three options for you. 

First is Devour’s Ultimate Food Tour, which is a three hour afternoon extravaganza that takes you to a bunch of different spots around the center of the city to try local specialties, including drinks. 

We like Devour, who are in many ways the O.G. of this style of food tour in Spain, and their sister company (Walks) is our favorite tour company in Europe (we’ve done 8+ tours with them across Europe over the past few years). 

We actually did a Devour tour up in San Sebastián on this latest trip to Spain and it was arguably the highlight of the entire trip. 

The second tour we’d recommend is Devour’s Tapas, Taverns, and History tour, which is a similar idea but takes place at night and focuses on Barrio Santa Cruz and Arenal. 

Last but not least is this highly rated food tour that takes you to four tapas bars and taverns that are a little bit off the beaten path in Sevilla. 

If you’re more interested in a cooking class, we’d do the class that we saw taking place at Mercado de Triana – this class and market tour – which would be a good way to both dive into the ingredients that are used and get your hands dirty and make a few different dishes (all in the company of like-minded travelers). 

Experience the Magic of Flamenco

There is perhaps, nothing more “Spanish” than Flamenco, though that idea has all sorts of layers to it that we’re going to take a second to talk about here, because it’s fascinating and important.

The term itself is complex. It’s more of a genre umbrella than a specific kind of music, like saying “rock music”, and seeing a show in Sevilla is important because Andalucía is the birthplace of Flamenco. 

It’s legitimately a really impressive art form that involves music (usually a guitar along with some percussion) and dance.

It can feel exciting, sad, tragic, and angry, and sometimes all at the the same time.

If you walk out of a show having felt nothing, I really don’t know what to tell you. 

Beyond the art itself, Flamenco is one of the most interesting examples of the cultural mixing of Andalucía, and it’s an even better example of how so many of the things that are “stereotypically Spanish” (we’d say Flamenco fits that definition) are often rooted in that same diversity. 

That cultural diversity is part of the reason we’ve fallen in love with Spain; the history and identity of modern day Spain are so complex and shaped by literally thousands of years of history and different cultures mixing throughout the Iberian peninsula. 

At its core, Flamenco is the result of the mixing of musical and dance traditions from two of Spain’s historically marginalized communities.

First is Muslims, who were persecuted and forced to the fringes of society during the Inquisition after the conquest of southern Spain.

Second is the Romani, who migrated from northern India over the course of many centuries and were always viewed as outsiders in Spain because of the incompatibility of their semi-nomadic lifestyle with Catholic ideals. 

The first thing I was struck by during my first Flamenco show was how much some of the singing (which is in Spanish) sounded like the Muslim call to prayer in its intonations, which completely makes sense knowing what I know now. 

There are two ways to experience Flamenco in Sevilla; at one of the big “tablaos” that are set up exclusively for tourists, or in a more informal bar setting.

Generally speaking, it’s more convenient to do a show at the tablaos, but it’s a more sanitized, watered down version in a less atmospheric venue.

We opted for this hour-long Flamenco show at the venue in the base of the Setas, and we enjoyed it.

Heads up: there are different ticket levels that come with a variety of drinks, tapas, and seating options – we did the “General Entry Ticket” (the second tier) to get more central seats, and it came with a complimentary cocktail. That’s what I’d do again.

Another option that we liked was La Casa del Flamenco, which stood out because of the venue, a restored palace in Barrio Santa Cruz.

We also got a recommendation for this place from a walking tour guide, for what it’s worth.

If, instead, you want to experience a more intimate Flamenco show at a local bar, there are a couple of recommendations we got from Sevillans on our latest trip.

The gist of how it works is you’ll show up, pay a “cover” at the door (usually in cash), and there’s open seating and drinks and tapas at the bar.

There are two places that came up multiple times across our research, both in person in Sevilla and online.

Peña Cultural Flamenca Torres Macarena: Up in the Macarena, which few tourists make it to. Tickets on sale at the door at 8pm (cash only), show is ~2 hours long. 

La Carbonería: Recommended by a walking tour guide as we walked by it, this is an outdoor courtyard with Flamenco happening several nights a week. It’s basically just a bar, no formal shows or anything like that.

Day 2: Plaza de España, the Alcázar, and the River + Triana

Start with an early morning stroll through Plaza de España to beat the crowds (which are intense later in the day), and then spend the bulk of your time on the Royal Alcázar. 

Along with the Alhambra in Granada and the Mosque-Cathedral in Córdoba, this royal palace forms a triumvirate of exquisite pieces of Islamic architecture in Andalucía (though you’ll learn why that statement is only partially correct at the Alcázar). 

Explore Plaza de España in the Early Morning

After experiencing Plaza de España in both the early morning, when we had the entire place to ourselves and were able to appreciate the incredible detail of the design, and later in the day when it was packed full of people, we strongly recommend a visit first thing in the morning. 

This semi-circle shaped plaza was built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, when Spain was looking to strengthen relationships with their former colonies in the Americas to stimulate more trade.

Unfortunately, it also happened to be the year that the stock market crashed.

So it had, shall we say, room for improvement in terms of meeting their objectives. 

Regardless of how successful it was in growing the Spanish economy, the plaza is gorgeous and is well worth a visit.

Especially when you can see all the detail and fully appreciate all the effort and expertise that went into it (which is why you’re here in the early morning!). 

The two towers on either end loom over the half-circle, which has canals and four bridges representing the four kingdoms of Spain – Castille, Aragon, León, and Navarre.

Those four kingdoms are also represented on the crest in the middle of the Spanish flag, which I didn’t realize until noticing it here. 

The other cool part of the design is the 48 tiled alcoves depicting the different provinces of Spain around the arch, starting with “A” (Albacete) on the left side, and ending with “Z” (Zaragoza) on the right. 

This is another place where famous movies have been filmed, and the most famous movie might also be the worst Star Wars movie ever made – Attack of the Clones (this might be a controversial take in 2021 post-Palpatine-revival, but I’m here for it). 

Scenes from Naboo were shot in the corridors of the buildings around the plaza. 

Make sure you head up to the second floor of the buildings next to the towers using the wide, open staircase. The views from the second floor out over the plaza are nice. See?

It’s also worth poking around the gardens, fountains, and all around loveliness of Parque de María Luisa, which is adjacent to the Plaza. Look for the gigantic geese (but don’t feed them!). 

The River + Triana

For lunch and some afternoon exploration, head over to the other side of the river. 

The Guadalquivir River, which runs through the center of Sevilla, plays an important role in the city’s history. 

It connects the city to the ocean, which made it the connection point between the Spanish Empire’s holdings in the Americas and the Spanish mainland.

That is, until the boats became large enough that the river could no longer accommodate them, and the connection point moved closer to the coast in Cádiz. 

The neighborhood of Triana sits on the river’s western bank, connected by a series of bridges to the Casco Antiguo.

Even today, though the city has undoubtedly changed drastically, you still see signs of that working class heritage of Triana, with the presence of the ceramics industry still evident (head to the Ceramics Museum and the area nearby with all the ceramics shops if you’re interested), along with the thriving flamenco scene.

When we’re talking about Triana, we’re referring to the neighborhood on the western bank of the river, between the Puente del Cristo de la Expiración (here on Google Maps) and the Puente de los Remedios (here on Google Maps). 

Generally speaking, the closer to the river you are, the closer to the vibe of the Casco Antiguo.

We wouldn’t eat on the riverfront promenade because, like the other side, you’re going to be paying a lot for a meal that probably isn’t the best quality you can find in Sevilla. 

We really enjoyed a walk along both sides of the river. 

Start from the Torre del Oro, which is a former defensive tower along the river that has been turned into the naval museum. 

A note here: We had read in multiple places that the museum was okay, but the view from the top was worth the price of admission. We think the people – and there were multiple – who wrote some version of that had never actually done it.

The museum is tiny, but kind of cool if you’re into naval history.

The view from the top is average at best, and we’d save your money to do either the Giralda at the Sevilla Cathedral or to go to the top of the Setas, the giant wooden structure in the middle of the city.

Both are significantly better views all around. 

Admire the Torre del Oro from the outside, and head north along the eastern bank of the river.

Follow the river north to the Puente de Triana – the bridge that crosses over into the more residential Triana neighborhood. 

As soon as you cross the bridge, you’ll find the best market in Sevilla’s center, the Mercado de Triana. 

It’s part produce, meat, and cheese market, part place to get some prepared food for lunch or a snack.

There’s even a cooking school inside the market which focuses on both international and Spanish cuisine. 

This is where we’d recommend having lunch. You can either go to one place and eat your fill, or you can wander to a few different places for a bite and a drink, which is the way we’d do it. 

If you’re interested in going deeper on the market, the cooking school does a guided market tour where you’ll visit with a local guide and taste your way through the market. 

Meander back through the Triana neighborhood to the Puente de San Telmo, and cross back over the river to the point where you started. 

Learn About Sevilla’s History at the Royal Alcázar

We’ve intentionally saved the best for last here, both because you’ve spent the past day and a half gathering the context to really make the most of your time here, and because we think the Alcázar is best in the later afternoon, when it’s a bit quieter than the morning rush. 

The Royal Alcázar of Sevilla is perhaps the best introduction to the history of Sevilla, because its construction and subsequent updates over the centuries involves many of the main cast of characters in Sevilla’s history.

An Alcázar is a structure with two purposes – half defensive structure, half palace.

From the outside, it looks like a fortress with its imposing walls and gates, but once you’re inside, it’s much more opulent. 

This has to do with the history of the building, which was originally built by the first Caliph of Andalucía (on the site of a former Visigothic basilica, which adds to the layers of history here).

It was expanded over the several centuries when the caliphate was in control of Sevilla, but it looked nothing like it does today. It was much smaller and more modest. 

That is, until the Castillans showed up in 1248, and King Ferdinand III took the city for what would become the Spanish kingdom.

From that point, the palace was continually expanded and improved over the centuries as each new royal came into power and wanted to put their own decorations up (essentially).

At one point, King Charles V decided he wanted a whole second story added. And, well, he’s the king (emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, too!), so what he says goes, I guess. 

The most interesting expansion, at least in our eyes, is the Mudéjar palace that was built by King Pedro I in the 14th Century.

It’s the part of the complex that you should spend the most time on because it’s the most emblematic of the different styles and influences present in Sevilla during that time period. 

For reference, the term Mudéjar refers to a specific architectural style that you’ll find in the southern parts of Spain and Portugal.

It had its heyday in the 13th – 16th Centuries, and is the movement that introduced Islamic elements like intricate plaster designs, horseshoe arches, and beautiful tilework similar to what you’ll find at the Alhambra in Granada to the now-Christian kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula. 

However, unlike the Alhambra, which was a palace for a Muslim ruler, this palace was built for a Christian king, which we think is fascinating.

Especially when you consider that the two kingdoms had recently been at war. For a LONG time. 

If you’re not quite convinced that you should spend some time in that particular palace, Game of Thrones chose this palace as a filming location in Season 5 for the scenes in Dorne.

If it’s good enough for Game of Thrones (pre Season 8, at least), it’s good enough for us. 

There are three other main parts of the complex that are worth visiting: 

• The Casa de Contratación – where everything related to trade and the Americas was done until the 18th Century.
  
  
• The Gothic Palace – which has some incredible tapestries, including a cool map or the Spanish Empire.
  
  
• The Gardens – which have one of the two water organs in operation in Europe (it plays every hour, on the hour).

One last thing to know – the complex still technically serves its function as a royal palace to this day, it’s just that the royals don’t make it to Sevilla very often, and when they do they usually stay at a luxury hotel in the city instead. 

It’s one big mishmash of different architectural elements, partially because of the Mudéjar style, and partially because it was tweaked by countless royals over the several centuries since it was built.  

Throughout the palace –  including over the front door – you’ll find Arabic script referencing Allah alongside Christian elements like shields with a coat of arms.

For that reason, we’d highly, highly recommend a guided tour so that you can truly understand what you’re seeing.

If you only have time for one guided tour in Sevilla, this is the place we’d do it. 

At first glance, it looks similar to the Nasrid Palaces at the Alhambra, but diving a level deeper you’ll start to understand that it’s actually very different, and it’s an interesting look into the history of Seville (and Spain as a whole, really). 

We’ve done this excellent guided tour, and at the end Alysha turned to our guide (who was great) and remarked that we never, ever would have noticed half of the details he pointed out and explained over the course of the two hours we spent working our way through the palace complex. 

We actually liked it so much that we did the same exact tour a second time on our latest visit to Sevilla, and it was equally great (and we learned new things despite having done it before) with an equally knowledgeable guide who was a natural storyteller. 

Click here to check prices, reviews, and availability for that tour.

If you want to visit the palaces independently, you definitely need to buy tickets in advance. 

We walked through the Patio de Banderas to get to the Jewish quarter one morning and found a HUGE line wrapping around the entire plaza, which we later learned was the line for the ticket office to buy tickets onsite. 

And that huge line was there at roughly 8:00 am, a whole hour before the ticket office even opened. Wild stuff. 

By booking your ticket in advance, you can spend that two to three hours on something other than standing in a long line. 

You can get them on the official website. Tickets cost €15.50 for adults. 

The complex is open 9:30 am to 5:45 pm (last entry at 5:00 pm) from October 1 to March 31, and from 9:30 am to 7:45 pm (last entry at 7:00 pm) from April 1 to October 28.

Like we mentioned, we’d do an afternoon visit (call it a 4:00-5:00 pm entry slot) when the crowds are a little thinner than first thing in the morning. 

An important note: you will need to both provide your passport information when you buy tickets (and the information for anyone visiting with you), and bring that same passport to show as you enter so they can check your information against the tickets.

This is, technically, an operational royal palace, hence the extra security. 

These things change, so check the official website for up-to-date information.

Climb Atop the Setas de Sevilla

For the last of the nice views in Sevilla, head up to Las Setas de Sevilla, which is the giant mushroom-shaped wooden structure in the middle of the city.

They’re also known as the “Metropol Parasol,” and you’ll find them at Plaza la Encarnación in the Casco Antiguo, about 10 minutes north of the Cathedral and Alcázar. 

At one point, this whole plaza was a concrete parking lot, and the city decided that they wanted to beautify it. So they held a contest, and eventually awarded the contract to the designer of the building you see today.

Sevillans, at the time, were less than enthusiastic. Which kind of makes sense, because the Setas don’t really fit the vibe of Sevilla.

However, we do think it’s cool how they’ve used the space in a variety of ways within the same vertical structure, and the views from the top are very nice.

The highlight here is the view from the top of the building, which will cost you €16 to access.

It will take you about 15 minutes to walk along the path on the top, which has nice views in all directions, so you’ll need to decide if that’s worth it for you.

We did it, and were glad we did, but I can also see being disappointed by how little there is to do and see at the top. 

You can also come up here after the sun goes down, when there’s a light show that looks pretty fun. It costs extra, as does coming up around sunset. 

On the bottom floor of the building, there’s some ancient Roman ruins, and on the ground floor there’s a nice market where you can get fresh produce, meat, and cheese (among other things). 

Learn more and buy tickets in advance to skip the lines here. 

What to Do with More Time in Sevilla

If you find yourself with extra time in Sevilla, here are some additional things that we wanted to fit into the itinerary above, but couldn’t find the time.

We have an entirely separate guide to our favorite things to do in Sevilla, which has plenty of other ideas. 

First and foremost is Córdoba, which is absolutely the first thing you should add with a third day. 

Head to Córdoba for the Day

If you find yourself with more time in Sevilla – 3 days in Sevilla or more – the first thing we’d recommend is taking a day trip to out to the city of Córdoba, which was the capital of the Caliphate for centuries and has a ton of heritage related to the Muslim period in Spain, including the world-famous Mosque-Cathedral that is worth the visit alone.

It’s a 40 minute train ride on the high-speed train that leaves from Santa Justa station, so it’s an easy day trip. 

Rather than cover everything we’d do while you’re there, we’re going to direct you to our guide to spending a day in Córdoba, which has all the information you need to plan that day trip. 

We would absolutely not miss the Mezquita – and we’d recommend doing a guided tour to get the most out of it (this is the one we did) – and we loved the gardens of Córdoba’s Alcázar.

Take a Walking Tour for More Context

Walking tours are our favorite way to get oriented in a new city for a few reasons. 

First, you get a crash course in history and culture, which is a valuable baseline that will make the rest of your trip more enjoyable. 

Second, you get to spend a few hours with a local who will give you all sorts of tips about what to eat, drink (and see), and specifically where to find the best version of said things. 

Last but not least, you’ll discover places that you definitely would never have found on your own. 

We always do a walking tour on our first day in a city, and Sevilla was no different.

We even did a walking tour on our latest visit to get re-acquainted with the city.  

We’ve now done a couple of walking tours of Sevilla, and our favorite is this small group tour of Sevilla with Ron, an expat who has been in Sevilla for a long time and can offer a slightly different perspective than other tours we’ve done. 

We really liked the route, which includes stops at the exterior of the Cathedral and Alcázar, and then meanders through the narrow alleys of Santa Cruz. 

We have also done this walking tour, which wasn’t quite as in-depth and rich as Ron’s tour, but still covered the history of Sevilla and was a nice way to spend a couple of hours getting oriented to the city.  

Catch a Fútbol Match

I, Matt, the resident football (soccer, for Americans) nerd, love going to games in Europe because the atmosphere is often so much better than it is at home (though in Portland we’re spoiled with the Timbers and Thorns). 

As soon as we started planning our trip, I started looking at the schedules of the teams in each of the places we were visiting, and circled the game between Sevilla and Real Sociedad as the one I wanted to go to (and the one where the dates lined up). 

The atmosphere was incredible, despite the fact that Sevilla was in a relegation battle and not having a great season. 

Fans were singing for the entire 90 minutes, and we experienced the whole range of emotion with the die-hard Sevilla faithful, from anger and indignation to relief at the final whistle as they scraped a 1-0 win. 

Now there are two teams in Sevilla, both of which would be a fun outing, which gives you a better chance of lining up a game while you’re in town (they tend to play on Saturdays and Sundays unless there’s a rare midweek game). 

First, there’s Sevilla, whose stadium – the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán – is a 30 minute walk east of the center (we walked and it’s a little further east than the train station). 

Then there’s Real Betis, arguably the more popular team with actual Sevillans, who play at the Estadio Benito Villamarín (which is south of the center, probably a bus or tram ride away).

If you’re interested in going to a game, you’ll want to check both schedules and buy tickets through the official club website, which we linked above. 

Tickets can be difficult to come by for bigger games (against Real Madrid or Barcelona, for example), but we got tickets a week or so before the game we went to without too much hassle. 

Don’t buy through third party vendors (like Ticketmaster), which are sketchy at best for football matches in Europe. 

What to Do with Less Time in Sevilla

If you only have one full day to spend in Sevilla, here’s how we’d do it. 

Start with Plaza de España first thing in the morning, and then walk from there to the Cathedral and tackle that when it opens. 

Head across the river to the Mercado de Triana for lunch, and then do a tour of the Alcázar in the late afternoon. 

Finish with an evening of Flamenco, and you have an action-packed exploration of what makes Sevilla special.

You can use the relevant sections in the main itinerary above to fill in the details for each of those activities. 

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