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Seville was my favorite city on our honeymoon, on which we spent 3 weeks in Portugal and Spain! I loved reliving my time in Seville with this Travel Guide!
Seville is located in southern Spain and is the capital of the Andalusian region. Due to its location, the city of Seville is a blend of the cultures that have come into contact with the city.
We spent three days in Seville. This was ample time to get through the major attractions, however, I do wish we had more time to just soak in the city, walk around the Barrio Santa Cruz, enjoy one more flamenco show, and munch on more tapas!
It is a romantic city, filled with lots of history and character, and it draws you in, with it’s history, art, culture and food. Seville is a gateway to Southern Spain, with great architecture, culture, and lots of tapas! Read on for tips on the best of Seville in this guide!
Getting into Seville
We travelled from Portugal into Spain, and our first stop on our itinerary in Spain was Seville.
We took the bus from the city of Faro in Portugal into Seville. Seville is also well connected from other cities in Spain through Spain’s extensive train network!
The bus dropped us at Santa Justa train station which is one of the main transportations hubs of Seville! From there, we took an Uber to our apartment in the Santa Cruz are which we had booked on Expedia!
Getting around in Seville
The main attractions in Seville are walkable, and are connected by public transport.
We did use a hop-on hop-off bus tour, which came in handy since it gave us much needed shade from the heat, and we were able to cover more ground. However, it is not a necessity to explore Seville.
Another great thing about the hop-on hop-off bus tour was that several walking tours were included daily. We did a tour of Plaza de Espana, and the surrounding area. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and gave us notes of other not so well known tourist spots to explore, such as the University of Seville!
A guide of where to stay in Seville
We stayed in Barrio Santa Cruz. I highly recommend this area.
It is located in the heart of all the attractions, and has an extremely romantic feel to it. There are also loads of tapas bars in the area, which made it ideal for us!
How long do I need to spend in Seville?
We spent two and a half days days, and three nights in Seville. The major attractions can be done in a day possibly, but you won’t get much of a feel for the city. One of the best things about Seville was exploring the little shops and bars, and soaking in the sun while walking around the city!
Highlights of Seville
Although Seville is not as big as Madrid or Barcelona, here was lots of see in Seville.
These were the five attractions I would highly recommend you add to your itinerary, if you are in Seville. These give you a good feel of what the city has to offer!
Plaza de Espana
Plaza de Espana was built in 1929 for the Ibero-American Exposition. It is connected to a beautiful park, which you can explore!
There is a lot to explore in the area. The plaza itself is beautiful. The architecture is reminisent of the art deco style, with lots of influence from Moorish and Spanish Baroque times! My favorite part was all the tile work around the plaza.
They have small rowboats you can rent to explore the plaza. Although the rowboats are hard to use, it was still a fun activity to take a break!
Devour all the tapas
Seville is famous for its tapa culture. No travel guide to Seville would be complete if it didn’t talk about the tapas there! Seville had the best tapas we had throughout our trip in Spain.
Each tapas bar had it’s own flair, and the options were endless. The tapas in Seville had more of a flair, than the other places in Spain.
There went beyond traditional tapas. Some of the tapas bars we went to served fusion dishes, but still showcased regional Spanish ingredients.
My suggestion is to make the most of your time, by exploring several tapas bars on one night. Don’t be afraid of the crowds or lineups. If it’s busy, chances are it is good!
Watch a Flamenco Show
Seville is the capital of flamenco.
We watched an intimate show at one of the small theatres in the Barrio Santa Cruz called La Casa del Flamenco. The performers were amazing, and the intimate setting was a great introduction to the art of flamenco!
Giralda Tower & Seville Cathedral
The Seville Cathedral is close to the Real Alcazar, and it also registered by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
The Giralda is the bell tower of the Cathedral of Seville, and is the former minaret of the mosque that stood in the area.
Getting up the tower is a bit of a challenge with the crowds, and it is difficult to see. We enjoyed our time there, but if you’re pressed for time in your itinerary, this is one I might skip!
Walk around barrio Santa Cruz
This is the most popular, and captures the romanticism of Seville. Make sure to spend lots of time in the area.
Take a break from exploring, stop at the various bars and cafes for coffee or a drink, and start again. There are lots of small shops in the area, perfect for some souvenir shopping!
Since we stayed in the area, we had time to explore the are at night and during the day!
We also considered taking a walking tour of the area, but we weren’t able to fit it in our schedule. I would definitely try to do that if I were to visit Seville again!
Real Alcázar of Seville
The Real Alcazar of Seville is a historical palace in Seville from the Moorish times. It is registered by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
There is so much to see, and I would recommend at least a half day to be dedicated to this! Make sure to explore the inside of the palace, as well the gardens!
You can buy the tickets online, and skip the wait!
Seville Itinerary
We got into Seville pretty late in the evening, so we didn’t have too much time to explore the first night.
Since we stayed in Barrio Santa Cruz, we took advantage of exploring the area and were able grab a bite, and get a bit of the feel of the area that night!
Day #1
Seville Catherdral & Giralda Tower
Hop-on / Hop-off tour
As mentioned, this is not a necessity for Seville. However, since we had a 3 day hop-on, hop-off buss pass, we decided to use it on the first full day in Seville in the afternoon, to get a feel for the whole city. It was a much needed respite from the harsh sun of Seville.
As in other cities, the bus takes you across major sights and attractions, and you can get on and off an unlimited number of times in that time!
Day #2
Plaza de Espana
We did walking tour which was included with our hop-on, hop-off bus tour of the Plaza de Espana and the surrounding area. The tour guide gave us good insight into the history of the plaza, as well as the surrounding area, include the Maria Luisa Park, and the University of Seville, just a short stroll away!
Metropol Parasol / Las Setas de Seville
The Metropol Parasol is a modern addition to Seville – a wooden located at La Encarnación square. The view from the top of the structure, was quite nice! I would recommend going up there for sunset!
This would be one location that I personally would skip over if I was pressed for time on my itinerary while in Seville.
Real Alcazar & Gardens
We had reserved it for later in the afternoon, and definitely needed about 3 hours to fully explore the palace and the gardens!
I’m glad we saw it before the Alhambra in Granada, as we might not have been impressed by the Real Alcazar otherwise. It is really a scaled down version. It’s definitely a must-see if you are a Game of Thrones fan!
Flamenco Show
Seville is known to be the birthplace of Flamenco, so you have to experience a show while in the city! We chose to watch a show at an intimate venue at La Casa Del Flamenco. It’s located in the Santa Cruz neighbourhood!
Day #3
Alameda de Hércules
For Day #3, we really only had a half day before we left to go to Granada. We spent the day exploring other areas of Seville, including the Alameda de Hércules, and had some tapas there before heading off to the train station!
Seville Tips
Seville was a great first city to visit in Spain, and it was my favorite city of entire the trip! Here are my best tips to make sure you have a good time if you do choose to travel to Seville:
- Seville Oranges: Seville (and Souther Spain) is known for it’s oranges! Make sure to enjoy freshly squeezed orange juice, at breakfast or as a refreshing afternoon treat!
- Tapas Hopping: The best thing about Seville for me were the tapas! I would recommended trying as many places as you can! Don’t plan for dinner at just one tapas bar. There are so many to explore, so make sure to hop around to multiple places over the course of one night.
- When in Spain…do as the Spaniards do: Most markets and shops are closed in the afternoon. Spaniards take siesta time very seriously. Afternoons are reserved for leisurely lunches, and taking a break from the heat!
- Night Owls: Probably due to the siesta mentioned above, many tapas places don’t open until 8 pm, so plan your meals accordingly! Restaurants are open late, so it is not unheard of to have dinner around 10 pm even!
If you are planning to travel to Seville, let me know in the comments if you have any questions!
Happy Planning!
Cheers,
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