Day trips from Seville
Córdoba and Cádiz by train, Jerez on the way, Ronda by bus and Itálica for half a day, with what each trip asks of the day.
- Nearest by train
- Córdoba
- For the Mezquita
- Entry €15
- One line
- Jerez and Cádiz
From Seville the day trips run in three directions: Córdoba to the north-east by high-speed train, Cádiz and Jerez to the south on one railway line, and Ronda and Itálica by bus. Córdoba is the nearest, about 45 minutes each way, which leaves a whole day for the Mezquita and the old quarter, while Ronda is two hours by bus and leaves the least time on the ground. Itálica is the exception, since it takes half a day and is shut on Mondays.
The Mezquita and the old quarter
The Mezquita-Catedral is a mosque that Abd al-Rahman I built from 784 to 786, and after the Christian conquest of 1236 it became a cathedral. The general ticket is €15, and from Monday to Saturday, 8:30 to 9:30, entry is free, with no groups. Regular hours are 10:00 to 19:00 from March to October and 8:30 to 18:00 from November to February; the last entry is half an hour before closing.
Outside the great mosque, the Roman Bridge with its 16 arches was the only bridge in the city for twenty centuries, the Jewish quarter keeps its medieval street plan and a synagogue of 1315, and the Festival of the Patios in May is on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.
On your own
- General ticket
- €15
- Free entry
- Mon–Sat, 8:30–9:30
- Mar–Oct
- 10:00 to 19:00
With a guide
- transport arranged
- a guide on site
- costs more than going alone
Down the southern line
Cádiz is 153 km from Santa Justa by train, from about an hour and a half to nearly two hours depending on the service. The train stops at Jerez on the way. Phoenicians founded Cádiz around 1100 BC, which makes it one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in western Europe. The Casa de Contratación moved here from Seville in 1717. The old town sits on a narrow peninsula in the Atlantic, its cathedral took 116 years to build, and La Caleta beach runs about 400 metres between two castles.
For sherry you go to Jerez, which lies in the sherry triangle with El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and it holds bodegas such as González Byass, the makers of Tío Pepe, and the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art.
On your own
- Train
- from Santa Justa, an hour and a half to nearly two
- On the way
- stops at Jerez
- Beach
- La Caleta, about 400 metres
With a guide
- transport arranged
- a guide on site
- costs more than going alone
A bridge over the gorge
Ronda is about two hours each way by Damas bus, and there is no direct train, so you travel via Córdoba or Antequera and it takes longer. The stone Puente Nuevo was built from 1751 to 1793 and stands about 120 metres above the bottom of the gorge. Four hours on the road mean Ronda gets the least time on the ground, so it goes into a day with nothing else planned.
On your own
- Getting there
- Damas bus, about two hours each way
- Train
- no direct service
- Bridge
- Puente Nuevo, about 120 metres above the gorge
With a guide
- transport arranged
- a guide on site
- costs more than going alone
A Roman city in Santiponce
Itálica is an old Roman city founded in 206 BC, birthplace of the emperors Trajan and Hadrian. It covered about 52 hectares, and its amphitheatre held some 25,000 spectators, making it the third largest in the Empire. It lies in Santiponce, and a bus runs to the entrance from the Plaza de Armas station.
Entry: free for EU citizens, €1.50 for others. From 21 September it opens Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 to 18:00 and on Sundays and holidays from 9:00 to 15:00, while from 21 June to 20 September it closes at 15:00; on Mondays it is shut. That is why in summer you go in the morning, before the heat.
On your own
- Entry
- free for EU citizens, €1.50 for others
- Open
- Tue–Sat 9:00–18:00, Sun 9:00–15:00
- Closed
- Mondays
- Getting there
- bus from Plaza de Armas
With a guide
- transport arranged
- a guide on site
- costs more than going alone
What can share a day
A full day goes to Cádiz alone, and Jerez, which is on the same line, goes with it only if you give each half a day. Córdoba and Ronda each need their own departure and their own day, and Itálica is the only one that fits beside another plan, because it takes half a day, provided it is not a Monday.
Where to next
Where to stay in Seville
→Six neighbourhoods, from Santa Cruz beside the Alcázar to Nervión by the station, with what each gives and what it asks in return.
Málaga · 156 km
→For years just the airport for the Costa del Sol, now a walkable city with more than thirty museums
How well does Seville suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Nomadinho scores out of 100, the same ones behind “Where to go”.
If you like Seville
Three places with the closest scores, from any country.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
How long is the train from Seville to Córdoba?
About 45 minutes by high-speed train from Santa Justa, so Córdoba fits into one day, with the Mezquita and the old quarter.
Is there a train from Seville to Ronda?
No direct one. The Damas bus takes about two hours, while the train goes via Córdoba or Antequera and takes longer.
Do you pay to enter Itálica?
Entry: free for EU citizens, €1.50 for others. It is shut on Mondays, and in summer, from 21 June to 20 September, it closes at 15:00.
Ready for Seville?
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