Seville
Five centuries under the mosque, nearly eight under the cathedral
- When to go
- October 21° · 8 rainy days
- Per day
- €€€price 3 of 5
- How many days
- 2–3days
- For you
- 6 questions →
- Nearest airport
- 8 km Seville · 71 km Jerez
- Right now
Seville takes two or three days on foot: the cathedral, the Alcázar and Plaza de España are about twenty minutes' walk from one another, and the only ticket to buy ahead is the Alcázar, which lets visitors in by half-hour slot. The city was Muslim until 1248, and it shows in the middle of town — the cathedral's bell tower is the minaret of the Almohad mosque, given a Renaissance top in the sixteenth century.
Heat sets the shape of the day. The average daily high is 36 °C in July and 35.5 °C in August, so summer sightseeing happens before noon and after six, and midday goes to shade or indoors. From March to May and in October the high sits between 22 and 27 °C and the day runs without a break.
The Feria de Abril starts two weeks after Holy Week and lasts six days, so when Easter falls late it moves into May, as it did in 2025. Most of the marquees on the fairground are private — they belong to families, associations and clubs — so without an invitation you watch the horses and carriages from the street.
Guides for Seville
Shorter, practical pages for one concrete question each — how many days, how much money, where to sleep, where to escape the city.
Seville in 2 days
→An order that follows the opening hours: the Alcázar while the cathedral is shut, Triana while the stalls trade, the…
Seville outside the triangle: courtyards and a Roman basement
→Courtyards, ceramics and a Roman basement under a timber canopy — seven places that are not on the list.
The best time to visit Seville
→The daytime high, the night and the rainy days for all twelve months — and the dates of two spring weeks in 2027.
What to see in Seville
The Real Alcázar
A Mudéjar palace King Peter I built in 1364–1366, with craftsmen sent by the Nasrid ruler of Granada. Entry is €15.50, for a set half-hour slot; the upper royal quarters, which the royal family still uses when in Seville, cost €5.50 extra.
The cathedral and the Giralda
The largest Gothic cathedral in the world, built from 1402 on the site of the Almohad mosque, whose orange-tree courtyard also survives. Columbus's tomb is inside. The €13 ticket bought online also covers the climb up the Giralda and the church of El Salvador.
Plaza de España
Aníbal González's square, built in 1928 for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition. The tiled alcoves along the semicircle each stand for a Spanish province, and the four bridges over the canal for the old kingdoms.
Santa Cruz
The old Jewish quarter between the cathedral and the Alcázar. The lanes are narrow enough to hold shade even at noon, which makes this the part of town for the hottest hour of the day.
- F
Flamenco
The hotel dinner show is a performance for the table. For flamenco itself, go to a tablao, a room built for it, or a peña — an aficionados' club that puts on nights of song and dance.
Two things you probably did not know
The Giralda bell tower was the minaret of a twelfth-century mosque. Instead of stairs it has a ramp, wide enough for the muezzin to ride a horse to the top. You still climb that same ramp.
Seville has around forty-eight thousand bitter orange trees. The fruit is too sour to eat, so the city collects it and ships it to Britain for marmalade, and since 2021 some of it goes to a plant that turns it into electricity.
Ready for Seville?
Within reach from here
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