The Charm of Andalusia
from $9,800 per person
Seville guide
Things to do in Seville
The palaces, the food and the evenings of Seville, planned with local expertise.
By Ramin Jafari · Facts checked
In Seville, the Real Alcázar and the Cathedral come first, and we reserve both ahead; then the city is at its best in its tapas bars and taverns, at a flamenco performance and on the river at sunset, with a day beyond it among the horses of Jerez. For each, here is what it involves, how long to give it, and what we can arrange.
At a glance
- Time in Seville
- Three or four days for the city itself
- Best time of day
- Monuments early; flamenco and the river in the evening
- July and August
- Highs near 36°C (97°F): plan the middle of the day indoors
In the city
Six experiences, from the two great monuments to the city’s evenings, each arranged around your days.
Beside the Cathedral
The Royal Alcázar
- Allow
- 1½ to 2 hours
The Alcázar keeps its centuries side by side: rooms and gardens of the original Almohad palace beside the Mudéjar palace of Pedro I, and building in every style from the Renaissance to the Neoclassical. A private guide puts them in order. The upper floor, the Cuarto Real Alto, is still the Royal Family’s official residence in Seville, and we can add it to your visit.
The Alcázar also arranges private visits outside its public hours, for individuals as well as companies, and we can request one for your party, subject to its approval. In the warmer months it opens on some evenings too, for theatrical night visits performed in Spanish and for concerts in the gardens. It is one of our twelve treasures of Spain.
Heart of the old town
Seville Cathedral and the Giralda
- Allow
- About 75 minutes, or 1½ hours with a guide
- The Giralda
- 34 ramps and 17 steps, some 80 metres up
UNESCO calls the Giralda, the Cathedral’s tower and once a minaret, the masterpiece of Almohad architecture; the Cathedral beside it is the largest Gothic building in Europe, and holds the tomb of Christopher Columbus. The climb is not for anyone with reduced mobility, vertigo, or a heart or breathing condition.
The Cathedral’s own guided visit, in Spanish or English, sees the main altarpiece from inside its chapel, and the choir with its late 15th-century stalls and great organs. Its visit to the roofs and terraces explains how the building was raised in the 15th and 16th centuries. We can arrange a private guide instead. The Cathedral’s visit also takes in the Iglesia del Salvador.
Around the old town
A tapas and wine walk
- Allow
- 3 to 4 hours
An evening on foot between historic taverns and well-known tapas bars, with a guide who knows Seville’s food and wine: a sommelier, or a chef where one is available. The pleasure is in the choosing — which dish at which bar, which sherry or local wine beside it — and in the stories of the places as you go. Private, on request and subject to availability.
For the rest of Spain, see our culinary and wine tours and our guide to Spanish gastronomy.
The Cathedral to Casa de Pilatos
Architecture with an art historian
Seville’s buildings run from the Almohad Giralda to the Gothic Cathedral and the Mudéjar and Renaissance courtyards of its palaces, and a guide trained in art history turns them into a sequence you can follow. A private walk starts at the Cathedral and the Giralda and goes on to lesser-known buildings, Casa de Pilatos among them.
Built mostly in the 15th and 16th centuries, Casa de Pilatos mixes Gothic, Mudéjar and Renaissance work and belongs to the Ducal House of Medinaceli Foundation. Once its doors close to the public it can be visited in small groups with an art historian, which we can request for you. For hotels close to the old town, see our Seville accommodation guide.
Flamenco in a historic house
- Allow
- About an hour for the performance
Flamenco is at its most affecting close to. A private performance for your party, by dancers and musicians, in a historic house or palace rather than a theatre, on request and subject to availability, with dinner arranged around it if you wish. UNESCO has listed flamenco as intangible cultural heritage since 2010.
The Guadalquivir
The river at sunset
- Allow
- About 1½ hours
- Sunset
- After 9 pm from mid-April to late August
The Guadalquivir, the only navigable river in Spain, is Seville’s river, and its waterfront — the Torre del Oro, the Triana bridge, the Triana bank — reads best from the water as the light goes. A private boat for your party can be arranged on request, subject to availability. For the months to choose, see our best time to visit Seville.
Beyond the city
One day out of Seville, for the horses of Jerez.
Jerez de la Frontera
The Royal Andalusian School, Jerez The horses of Jerez
- Allow
- A full day from Seville
Jerez keeps two of Andalusia’s great horse houses. The Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art has staged its show, «Cómo bailan los caballos andaluces», since 1973; on other days its visit takes in training in the indoor arena, the stables and saddlery, the Recreo de las Cadenas palace and the school’s museums. It also stages private shows, for individuals as well as companies and groups.
Outside the town, the Yeguada de la Cartuja – Hierro del Bocado, owned by the Spanish State, breeds Carthusian horses, and its public visit ends with the horses shown in the main arena. We can build the day around either, with private transport from Seville and lunch in Jerez, subject to availability. It also fits our four-day Seville itinerary.
Itineraries that include Seville
The Grand Spanish Tour
from $27,200 per person
Luxury Spanish Honeymoon
from $16,800 per person
Spanish Family Adventure
from $9,400 per person
Seville guides
- Seville travel guide
When to go, where to stay, the food, the great sights and three days in the city.
- Seville food and cuisine
Seville's table, where to eat, and the market, the ham and the sherry.
- Four days in Seville
Four days, day by day, where to stay, and how to extend the trip.
- Best time to visit Seville
Season by season and month by month, with the festivals and the heat to plan around.
Further afield in Spain: Spain’s castles and palaces, the most beautiful coastal towns and Spain’s national parks.
Plan your Seville trip
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. Everything else we can work out together.
Plan your Seville trip Our Seville page
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