Things to do in Seville

What to Do in Sevilla

Seville is a gorgeous and fascinating city that you will surely fall in love with. We propose a series of plans and visits to the most interesting places in the city and its surrounding locations. Although you can enjoy all of these sites on your own, we always recommend that you do them via the available excursions in Seville, accompanied by an official expert guide who will tell you about the history of each place and some popular anecdotes about them as well

Here we’ll outline everything you can see and do in Seville.

1.- Take a cruise along the Guadalquivir

The beginning of any visit to Seville, as well as the origin of the city itself, should be sought in its famous river. A cruise on the Guadalquivir River is almost mandatory in order to get to know the city. It’s an experience that never disappoints, as navigating between the historical centre of Seville and the Triana district is one of those sights that stays with you during your trip to the Andalusian capital.

2.- Enjoy a flamenco tablao

Since we have mentioned the Triana district, we must say that this is one of the greatest flamenco areas. On these streets, you’ll find some of the most iconic tablaos of flamenco singing and dancing. You must go see the great performances at these shows while having a drink or dinner. We recommend you combine a flamenco show with a night tour of Seville in order to make the night even more magical.

What to see – Seville attractions

We have prepared a selection of all the monuments and corners that are essential to discover during your visit to Seville:

3.- Seville Cathedral

To define this unique place, it must be said that the Cathedral of Santa María de la Sede is the largest Gothic temple in the world and the third largest of all Christianity. Its dimensions will leave you speechless, but the artistic treasures found inside will leave you even more so. It is like taking a walk through the history of Spanish art, and we recommend you take a guided tour of the Cathedral to enjoy it to the fullest.

4.- The Giralda Tower

The Giralda is actually part of the Cathedral of Seville, but it has such a special personality that we can almost consider it a separate entity. See it from the outside to check out its Muslim origins. But don’t miss climbing to the top to enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of the streets of Seville.

5.- The Basilica of la Macarena

The Cathedral is the largest of all the churches in Seville, of which there are many. The list would be very long, so in order to avoid overwhelming you, we invite you to discover one of the city’s most beloved and famous temples: the Basilica of Santa Maria de la Esperanza Macarena. This is where one of the most popular processions of the Holy Week starts in Seville.

6.- Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza – The Maestranza Bull Ring

As we talk about traditions, we must also mention the great temple of bullfighting: the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Seville. It is the bullfighting ring par excellence, which even opens for tourists when there are no events scheduled. During your visit to the Seville bullring, you can step into its “albero” and historical grandstand, as well as visit the museum where memories of the most famous matches and most celebrated matadors are kept.

7.- Los Reales Alcázares – The Royal Alcázar

As you will discover during your trip, Seville’s long history has left exceptional monuments. One of them is the Real Alcázar, a half military and half palatial construction built by the Muslims during the centuries they remained in the city. Nowadays, it is where the most elite visitors to Seville are received. However, simple travellers can also take a guided tour through the Real Alcazar.

8.- La Torre del Oro – The Tower of Gold

Another historical monument that you can’t miss during your stay in Seville is the charismatic Torre del Oro, which, like a lighthouse, dominates a large part of the Guadalquivir riverbed as it passes through the city. Years ago, the ships coming from America used to unload the riches they brought next to the Tower of Gold, hence its name.

9.- María Luisa Park

Maria Luisa Park is a great green area that integrates a thousand wonders in the very centre of the city. If you can visit Seville in the summer, in this park you will find refuge and refreshment. There are also many areas to see, such as its different pavilions and squares.

10.- Plaza de España – Spain Square

One of the most beautiful plazas in the entire country is located in Seville: Plaza de España. This construction is part of Maria Luisa Park, which we have already mentioned. It was built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 and was created with the aim of representing the entire Spanish territory in a native architectural style called neomudéjar.

11.- Barrio Santa Cruz – The Santa Cruz Neighbourhood

In the centre of Seville itself is the Santa Cruz neighbourhood, near the Cathedral. Getting to know this old Jewish district and walking through its streets is almost an obligation, but it is also essential to enjoy its many bars and restaurants.

12.- Barrio de Triana – The Triana Neighbourhood

And we must name another iconic neighbourhood: Triana. To get there, we have to cross the river and get to Betis street. The walk along this road and the surrounding roads is most attractive during the day, but perhaps more so at night, when tradition dictates that you go to some of the best flamenco tablaos found in Andalusia.

13.- Puente de Triana – Triana Bridge

Now we end up in the same place where we started our proposals for things to do in Seville: on the Guadalquivir River. But now, we will cross its most famous bridge: El Puente de Triana. This bridge is from the mid-19^th century and is still in use today. Despite the many modern bridges laid between the banks of the river, none has the charm of this iron construction.

What to visit around Seville

You can also take advantage of your stay to undertake several excursions from Seville. The truth is that taking advantage of good highways in the main road network of Andalusia can result in interesting trips that will allow you to discover some of the treasures near Seville.

14.- Granada

The Seville to Granada day trips offer us the possibility of visiting the Alhambra Palace and the Generalife Gardens. Not only does the great jewel of Nasrid architecture await us there, but so does a spectacular city along the banks of the Darro River, plus the neighbourhoods of Sacromonte and Albacin, as well as the city centre with its famous Cathedral and Royal Chapel, hosting the Tomb of the Catholic Kings.

15.- Cordoba

An Seville to Cordoba day trip is an ideal way to visit another city rich in Arabic history in the South of Spain. In this case, its history manifests in a monumental way in its Mosque-Cathedral, which is a cathedral inside an old mosque. And if that were not enough, the Jewish neighbourhood unfolds around it. It’s no surprise to learn that Cordoba is known as the City of the Three Cultures.

16.- Cádiz

We are still giving you options to discover beautiful corners of Andalusia via one-day trips from Seville. In this case, we want to talk about a tour to Cadiz, also known as the Tacita de Plata. It’s the oldest city in Spain and has seen countless cultural changes over 3,000 years. There are traces of all of it in his historic and artistic heritage. But above all, the excursion to Cadiz is interesting because you can stroll through its maze-like historic centre and sooner or later end up at the ocean in places as beautiful as La Caleta Beach.

17.- Jerez de la Frontera

In the province of Cadiz, you can also do an excursion to Jerez de la Frontera. It is another spectacular destination and a place with tons of personality in Andalusia. This charm manifests itself in both the wineries of the famous wines that bear the city’s name all over the world, as well as in its exquisite Royal School of Equestrian Art. Both are essential visits that make the trip to Jerez de la Frontera worthwhile all on their own.

18.- Ronda

Now we propose a very different visit. It is about going on an excursion from Seville to Ronda, in the mountains of the Malaga province. A town that usually appears in the listings of Spain’s most beautiful villages awaits us there. And the truth is that it’s enough to walk around Ronda looking at its bridges or historic bullring to understand why this place is so famous.

19.- Gibraltar

And to finish off the tours that are possible to do from Seville, we propose a trip to another country. In particular, we’re talking about the British territory of Gibraltar. The reason for an excursion to Gibraltar is not only to ascend the famous Rock to enjoy a panoramic view of the Strait and the neighbouring Moroccan coast. In addition to that, you can also go shopping, taking advantage of the unique fiscal regime of the colony.

Other plans to do  

The truth is that a holiday in Seville allows you to enjoy the city from multiple points of view, not only with tourist visits to historical sites. Here are a few more ideas of things you can do in Seville:

20.- Go out for tapas and try typical Andalusian cuisine

It would be unforgivable to not spend at least one day getting to know the city’s most typical bars and taverns. These places await you with counters full of tapas and menus indicating the thousand and one items available: croquettes, Iberian ham, prawns, chopitos, sardines, flamenquines, tenderloin, shrimp omelettes, mushrooms … and so on. An endless array of cuisine made from Andalusia’s most iconic products.

21.- Experience the passion of football

If you are a football fan, then you will want to go see a match of the city’s two teams: Betis and Sevilla F.C. And it’s even better if these two irreconcilable enemies compete in one of Spain’s most passionate tournaments.

22.- Spend Holy Week and the April Fair in Seville

To finish, we want to mention two things on the calendar that are part of Seville’s greatest celebrations. If you want to enjoy these moments, you’ll need to book your trip well in advance. But in return, you will enjoy two very different faces of the city and its people. One of the most intimate and religious moments is during Holy Weet (Semana Santa), when the processions show exciting fervour. And another is the April Fair that shows us Seville at its most festive, with famous booths where music, dancing, food and drink do not stop.

As you will have seen, there are many things to experience in Seville, even more than what we can describe to you here. But to discover them, you must travel as soon as possible to the Andalusian capital.