Seville: what to book before you go, how far ahead, and the closed days

💡 The Short Version: Book the Real Alcázar first: €15.50 from its own shop, in a name, for a 30-minute slot, with no changes or refunds; the upper royal rooms are a separate €5.50 visit that sells out. The Cathedral and Giralda are €13 online, open from 14:30 on Sundays, and in April and May the most popular slots usually sell out. Monday closes the Archivo de Indias, the Museo de Bellas Artes and the Antiquarium, and opens free windows at the Alcázar and the Palacio de las Dueñas (both booked online). Seville has no tourist tax. From the airport the EA bus is €6. Prices are in euros. Or book a tour: the Cathedral, Giralda and Alcázar tourad is from €53.40, and the small-group walking tourad from €22.50 (GetYourGuide).

What to book before you go

Prices are the adult rate in euros, from the operators. Buy from the operator: search results for the Alcázar, the Cathedral, the Casa de Pilatos, the Palacio de las Dueñas and the bullring include sites with the sights’ names in their web addresses that say on their own pages they are independent sellers.

The Giralda and the Cathedral over the old town’s rooftops. Photo: Gzzz, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Alcázar, the Cathedral, Las Setas, the Palacio de las Dueñas and the Casa de Pilatos come to €71.50 booked online. The passes sold online under names such as “Seville City Card” are sold by resellers, not by the city. Seville in one or two days fits these bookings into a first visit, day by day.

The Estanque de Mercurio in the Real Alcázar gardens. Photo: Felix Caballero Cañadas, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 es.

Where the official ticket is cheaper, and where a tour is

GetYourGuide prices are its lowest “from” prices.

The Cathedral’s own guided tour is €20 and the roof tour €20; the Cathedral page compares them with the resold tours.

What closes, and on which days

Hours are the October to March schedule. Summer hours are on each sight’s page.

• Mondays: the Archivo General de Indias, the Museo de Bellas Artes, the Antiquarium, the Casa Fabiola and the Triana ceramics centre are closed. The Alcázar, the Cathedral, Las Setas, the Casa de Pilatos, the Dueñas, the Torre del Oro, the Maestranza and the Venerables are open.
• Sundays: the Cathedral opens at 14:30, the Archivo de Indias closes at 14:00 and Bellas Artes at 15:00.
• Semana Santa 2027 runs 21 to 28 March, with Holy Thursday on 25 March and Good Friday on 26 March both public holidays. The Alcázar and the Torre del Oro are closed on Good Friday and the Archivo de Indias on Holy Thursday and Good Friday; Semana Santa in Seville 2027 has the rest.
• Feria de Abril 2027 runs 12 to 18 April, with Wednesday 14 April a local holiday: Feria de Abril 2027.
• Wind: the Palacio de las Dueñas can close above 50 km/h, and the Alcázar gardens can close for weather without a refund.

Free things worth a line

• Monday afternoons: the Alcázar sells a free ticket in its shop and the Palacio de las Dueñas is free from 16:00 with a €1 fee; both are booked online and sell out.
• Sundays: the Cathedral holds a free visit by reservation, except on holidays.
• Always free: the Archivo General de Indias (not Mondays), the Plaza de España and the Parque de María Luisa, and the Triana riverside.

Free things to do in Seville has the rule for each, and the Plaza de España page covers the plaza.

The tourist tax

Seville has none: Andalucía has no tourist tax, and the regional government refused councils the power to charge one in August and again in September 2026.

Getting in from the airport

Seville airport (SVQ) has no train or metro. Seville airport to the city centre compares the options.

• EA bus: €6 single and €8 same-day return, from the arrivals area into the centre. It takes about 35 to 55 minutes depending on traffic, and runs 4:30 to 0:05 towards the city and 5:22 to 1:00 towards the airport.
• Taxi: a flat €26 on weekdays from 7:00 to 21:00 and €29 at other times, with no night or weekend supplement.

Getting around

The old town is walkable. Seville public transport has the rest.

The Metrocentro tram runs from Plaza Nueva past the Cathedral to the Puerta de Jerez and San Bernardo. Metro line 1 does not reach the airport.

Entry rules for Spain

Spain is in the Schengen area, and one 90-day allowance covers every Schengen country you visit. The rules below are for a tourist stay.

The passport rule is the EU’s, for every non-EU visitor (Your Europe).

• Entry/Exit System (EES): non-EU visitors are registered at the border on their first entry to the Schengen area, with fingerprints and a photo. It is free, needs nothing before you travel, and replaces the passport stamp; it has run in full since 10 April 2026 (EU).
• ETIAS: not yet required. The EU says it will announce the start date several months before launch (EU).
• Official travel advice for Spain: UK Foreign Office, US State Department, Canada and Australia.

More to book

• Flamenco: flamenco shows compared: the Museo del Baile Flamenco at €29, Casa de la Memoria at €24, Tablao Los Gallos at €38 with a drink, and dinner shows at El Arenal and El Patio Sevillano.
• The bullring: the Maestranza tour is €12 for the arena, the exhibition hall and the chapel.
• The view: Las Setas is from €16 and includes the sunset light show.
• On the water: Guadalquivir river cruises compared: the standard one-hour boat is €18.
• On foot: Seville walking tours sets the free, paid and themed walks side by side.
• Food: Seville food tours compares the tapas walks and cooking classes. To choose your own tables, where to eat in Seville ranks restaurants and bars by how many independent sources name them, and tapas in Seville says what to order.
• Museums: Seville museums gives the price, hours and closed day of each.

Neighbourhoods

Triana is across the river: the market, the ceramics centre, Calle Betis and the flamenco rooms. The Plaza de España stands in the Parque de María Luisa. For the other Spanish cities on this site, see what to book before you go to Barcelona and to Madrid.

Rowing boats on the canal in the Plaza de España. Photo: Gzzz, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Day trips

Day trips from Seville compares every trip by train, bus and tour. The ones with something to know:

• Córdoba: the train takes about 45 minutes, and the Mezquita-Catedral is €15, or free from 8:30 to 9:30 Monday to Saturday.
• Granada and the Alhambra: a long day, about 2 hours 40 each way by direct train. The Alhambra is €22.27, with the Nasrid Palaces entered only at the half-hour on the ticket, and online sales close at 23:59 the day before.
• Cádiz: about 1½ to 2 hours by Renfe train, and the trains stop at Jerez on the way. Jerez is about an hour, for the sherry bodegas and the Royal Andalusian School.
• Ronda and the white villages: no direct train, so a tour of 9 to 10 hours from €47.40.
• Itálica: a Roman city 9 km away, free for EU citizens and €1.50 for everyone else.

Where to stay and when to go

Where to stay in Seville compares the areas, and hotels near Seville Cathedral lists the ones within walking distance of the Alcázar and the Cathedral. Best time to visit Seville has the weather and the crowds month by month. The two events a visit is planned around are Semana Santa in March and the Feria de Abril in April, and Christmas in Seville covers December.

What changed in 2025 and 2026

• 2025: the Alcázar’s reduced ticket, €8 for over 65s and students aged 14 to 30, became open to everyone, not only EU citizens.
• 1 January 2026: the Cathedral’s current rates took effect, €13 online and €14 at the office.
• 3 June 2026: La Carbonería, the free flamenco bar on Calle Céspedes, closed.
• 8 June 2026: the Plaza de España entry charge was reported shelved.
• 10 April 2026: the EU Entry/Exit System became fully operational.

Itineraries

Day-by-day plans for a first visit.

Itinerary

Seville in 1 or 2 Days: A Plan That Works

One day in Seville: the Real Alcázar at 9:30, the Cathedral and Giralda, tapas, a palace and Las Setas at sunset. A second day adds Triana, the Torre del Oro, the Plaza de España and flamenco. What to book, €71.50 for the five paid sights, and what Monday and Sunday close.

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Which ticket to buy

The official ticket, the tours that include entry, and which sells out first.

Tickets

Real Alcázar Seville Tickets: Prices, Slots, Mondays

The Real Alcázar's general ticket is €15.50 from its own shop, €8 reduced for everyone over 65 and students aged 14 to 30. The upper royal rooms are a separate €5.50 timed visit, the ticket office keeps a small same-day quota, and the ticket also opens three council museums free.

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Tickets

Seville Cathedral and Giralda Tickets: Hours, Prices

One €13 ticket covers Seville Cathedral, the Giralda and the Divino Salvador church. Sundays open at 14:30, the roof tour is €20, the Cathedral's own guided tour is €20, and a free Sunday visit needs an online reservation. Hours, the two gates and the order to go round.

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Tickets

Metropol Parasol (Las Setas) Tickets: Sunset, Hours

Entry to the Metropol Parasol (Las Setas de Sevilla) is from €16 for the 360-degree viewpoint, the film Feeling Sevilla and the Aurora light show, open daily from 9:30 to midnight. The ticket allows a second visit within 48 hours, the Antiquarium below is a separate €2 museum, and a flamenco combination starts at €48.

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Tickets

Casa de Pilatos Seville Tickets: Prices, Upper Floor

Casa de Pilatos in Seville is €12 for the ground floor and €6 for the upper floor, a separate ticket, open every day from 9:00 to 18:00. What the ticket and its guide include, who gets in free, and how this private palace differs from the Alcázar and the Palacio de las Dueñas.

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Tickets

Palacio de las Dueñas Seville: Tickets, Free Mondays

The Palacio de las Dueñas in Seville is €15 with an audio guide, open 10:00 to 18:00 from October to March. Non-holiday Mondays are free from 16:00 with a €1 online booking fee, and once the places are gone nobody is admitted. Guided, night and opera visits, the wind rule and the closed days.

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Tickets

Seville Bullring Tour: Tickets, Hours, What You See

The Real Maestranza bullring in Seville is open to visitors for €12: the arena, the horses' courtyard, the bullfighters' chapel and an exhibition hall of paintings and prints. Prices for seniors, students and families, the audio guide, the guided tour and the shorter hours on bullfight days.

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Tickets

Best Museums in Seville: Prices and Closed Days

Seville's museums beyond the Alcázar and the Cathedral, with price, hours and closed day for each: the Museo de Bellas Artes at €1.50, the free Archivo de Indias, the Hospital de los Venerables at €12, the Torre del Oro, the Antiquarium and the flamenco museum. Which are open on a Monday.

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Tickets

Free Things to Do in Seville (and Free Mondays)

What is free in Seville and the rule attached to each: the Real Alcázar and Palacio de las Dueñas on Monday afternoons (booked online), the Cathedral on Sundays (reserved), the Archivo de Indias, the Plaza de España and the parks. What costs a small fee, and what has closed.

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Tickets

Flamenco Shows in Seville Compared: Prices, Venues

Seville's flamenco shows compared from each venue's own site: the Museo del Baile Flamenco at €29, Casa de la Memoria at €24, Tablao Los Gallos at €38 with a drink, El Arenal from €45 and El Patio Sevillano from €30. Show length, dinner options, photo rules, Triana's rooms and cancellation.

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Tickets

Guadalquivir River Cruises in Seville Compared

Seville river cruises: the one-hour boat from the Torre del Oro is €18 with two guided walks in the ticket, electric boats are from €16.50, a 90-minute small-group tour is €25, a tapas boat €35 and a lunch boat €69. The May to September cruise to Sanlúcar is €55.

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Tickets

Seville Walking Tours: Free, Paid and Themed

Seville walking tours: tip-based walks on GuruWalk, €19 for a 2-hour city walk, €22.50 in a group of 10, €37.50 to €65 with the Alcázar and Cathedral tickets included, and tuk-tuk, Segway and e-bike tours. The river-cruise ticket also includes two walks.

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Day trips from Seville

Out and back in a day, with the tours compared against going on your own.

Day trip

Day Trips from Seville: Train, Bus or Tour

Córdoba is about 45 minutes from Seville by train, Jerez about an hour, Cádiz 1½ to 2 hours and Granada 2 hours 40 minutes. Ronda has no train and is a 9 to 10 hour tour from €47.40, Itálica and Carmona are half days, and Doñana is a 4x4 from €35. The trips compared.

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Day trip

Córdoba Day Trip from Seville: Train and Mezquita

Córdoba is about 45 minutes from Seville by train. The Mezquita-Catedral is €15, free from 08:30 to 09:30 Monday to Saturday, and guided tours from Seville are 10 hours from €79. Hours to 30 November, the Bell Tower, Medina Azahara and what to see in a day.

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Day trip

Granada Day Trip from Seville: Is It Realistic?

Granada is about 2 hours 40 minutes from Seville by direct train, with four a day each way, and the Alhambra is €22.27 with a fixed half-hour slot for the Nasrid Palaces. Tickets close at 23:59 the day before; tours from Seville are 13 hours from €79. How to plan the day.

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Day trip

Cádiz Day Trip from Seville: Train, Bus or Tour

Cádiz is about 1½ to 2 hours from Seville by train. The Cathedral is €12, Torre Tavira's camera obscura €8 by appointment, a 2-hour walking tour from €10.50, and 10-hour tours with Jerez from €95. What to see in a day and what the train and the tour each cost in time.

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Day trip

Jerez Day Trip from Seville: Sherry Bodegas

Jerez is about an hour from Seville by train. The Royal Andalusian School's horse show is €27 on show days, mostly Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12:00, bodega tours are €18 to €50 with a tasting, and 10-hour tours from Seville pair Jerez with Cádiz from €95.

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Day trip

Ronda and White Villages Day Trip from Seville

Ronda has no direct train from Seville, so most visitors take a tour: 9 to 10 hours from €47.40 for Setenil de las Bodegas and Ronda, €95 in a small group with Zahara de la Sierra, or 13 hours with Córdoba. What each tour visits, how long you get in Ronda, and the coach.

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Day trip

Itálica Day Trip from Seville: Roman Ruins

Itálica, the Roman city at Santiponce 9 km from Seville, is free for EU citizens and €1.50 for other visitors. Closed Mondays, open to 18:00 until 31 March; the Damas M-170 bus runs from Plaza de Armas. Guided tours from €16, a 4-hour tour with transport at €42, and an e-bike tour at €45.

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Where to stay

Areas and hotels, chosen for a visitor rather than a resident.

Where to stay

Where to Stay in Seville: Areas and Hotels

For a first visit, stay in Santa Cruz or Arenal, within 750 m of the Cathedral, or in Triana across the river. Seven Seville areas compared with distances to the Cathedral, 20 hotels with addresses, rooms, pools and Michelin Keys, and why Andalusia has no tourist tax.

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Where to stay

Hotels Near Seville Cathedral and the Alcázar

Hotels near Seville Cathedral by straight-line distance, from Hotel Simón at 170 m to Gravina 51 at 760 m: the Alfonso XIII and Mercer Sevilla with Michelin Keys, pools that look at the Giralda, rooftop terraces and what each is like.

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Airport transfers

From the airport to the centre, every option priced and timed.

Airport

Seville Airport to the City Centre: Bus, Taxi

Seville Airport (SVQ) has no train or metro. The EA bus runs to the city for €6 single or €8 same-day return, taking about 35 to 55 minutes, and the taxi is a flat €26 on weekdays from 07:00 to 21:00 and €29 at other times. Hours, luggage fees and private transfers from €49.90.

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Getting around

Tickets, passes and the transport a visitor actually uses.

Getting around

Seville Public Transport: Buses, Tram, Metro, Bikes

A Seville bus or tram ticket is €1.40 on board, the Metrocentro tram runs Plaza Nueva to San Bernardo past the Cathedral and the Torre del Oro, metro line 1 is €1.35 to €1.80 and a Sevici week is €5. Tourist cards, taxi tariffs, and the stations for the day trips.

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What's on, month by month

Festivals, holidays and closures that change a visit.

Events

Best Time to Visit Seville, Month by Month

Seville month by month from AEMET: highs of 23.4°C in April and 36.0°C in July, December the wettest at 99 mm. Hotel occupancy by month (September 88.0%, July 64.1%), Semana Santa from 21 March 2027, the Feria from 12 April, and the hottest summer on record.

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Events

Semana Santa Seville 2027: Dates and Plan

Semana Santa in Seville runs from Palm Sunday 21 March to Easter Sunday 28 March 2027, with the Madrugá on the night of 25 to 26 March. Which brotherhoods go out each day, the Carrera Oficial, chairs, the sights closed on Good Friday and how to book a room.

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Events

Feria de Abril 2027: Dates and How to Get In

The Feria de Abril 2027 opens at midnight on 12 to 13 April and ends with fireworks on Sunday 18 April, with Wednesday 14 April a local holiday. Most of the 1,052 casetas are private: the public ones, the tourist caseta, what to eat and drink, getting to Los Remedios and where to stay.

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Events

Christmas in Seville: Lights, Markets, Belenes

Seville's Christmas lights ran from 29 November 2025 to 6 January 2026: 304 streets, nine million LEDs on the Avenida de la Constitución, a free nativity scene on the Plaza de San Francisco, markets, the Three Kings parade on 5 January and the sights closed on 25 December.

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Food and drink

Where to eat, what to order and when to book.

Food and drink

Where to Eat in Seville: Tapas, Restaurants, Bars

Where to eat in Seville: Abantal and Cañabota with a Michelin star each, three Bib Gourmand restaurants, then the places 64 English and Spanish publishers name most: El Rinconcillo, Casa Morales, Bodega Santa Cruz and Bodeguita Romero, with hours, booking rules and what to order.

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Food and drink

Best Tapas Bars in Seville and What to Order

The tapas bars in Seville that 13 English and 18 Spanish publishers name most, from El Rinconcillo (19 sources) to Casa Ricardo, the dishes to order, the three sizes of portion, operator prices from €3.20 a tapa and the fried-fish shops.

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Food and drink

Seville Food Tours and Cooking Classes Compared

Seville food tours from €35 for a 2.5-hour Triana walk to €99 for tapas with a flamenco show, the 2,101-review Tapas Crawl at €68.82, and paella classes at €70 and €75. Which operators run them, how long they take, who each suits and how to choose.

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More guides

Guide

Plaza de España Seville: Free Entry, Boats, the Park

The Plaza de España in Seville is free to enter, with no ticket. The charge of €3 to €4 for visitors from outside the city that the mayor announced in 2024 has not been introduced. The canal and its boats, the tiled provincial benches, the Parque de María Luisa around it and the museums in the park.

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Guide

Triana, Seville: What to See, Eat and Hear

Triana is across the Guadalquivir from Seville's old town. What is open: the market, the ceramics centre (free with an Alcázar ticket, closed Mondays), Calle Betis and the flamenco rooms on Calle Pureza. What has closed: the Castillo de San Jorge exhibition, now a tourist office.

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