Citytrip Seville

Citypasses for Seville

When you go on a city trip to Seville, it is wise to have your entry tickets for the Real Alcazar and the Cathedral beforehand. When you purchase the Seville City Pass in advance, you have fast-track entry to the Royal Palace and the Cathedral and you avoid the long waiting lines. What’s more, the Seville Pass allow you a tour on the hop-on hop-off bus, a relaxed way to see the sights of Seville. Both passes have an Audio Guide App with more then 100 points of interest in Seville. You can arrange at home everything you need for a hassle-free city trip. All tickets and passes you have booked, will be sent to you.

Seville passes compared:

• The Sevilla City Pass allows you free and fast-track entry to the popular and therefore always busy Real Alcazar, the Cathedral of Seville and the Giralada Bell Tower. A tour on the hop-on hop-off bus and an audio guide app are also included.
• The Super Seville Combi offers skip-the-line entry to Real Alcazar, the Cathedral and the Giralda Bell Tower.
• The Andalusia Pass is the perfect pass to have when you are holidaying in Andalucia either with your own car or a rental car and you want to include a trip to Seville. This pass includes free and fast-track entry to the Real Alcazar in Seville, the Alhambra in Granada and the Mezquita in Cordoba.

Comparing Seville City Passes and Day Passes:

Andalusia Pass

Included:

• Real Alcazar (Seville)
• Alhambra (Granada)
• Mezquita (Cordoba – including guided tour)
• Audioguide for Real Alcazar and Alhambra
• Audio Guide App for Seville and Granada

Flights to Seville

Seville Airport is only 10 kilometers away from the city centre. The airport’s official name is Aeropuerto San Pablo de Seville. Low-cost airlines have regular flights from a large number of European airports to Seville. KLM, Vueling, Iberia, Ryanair and Transavia connect various European countries with Seville.

Airport to Seville centre

Seville centre is easily reached by public transport. Tussam transport company buses, Tussam EA (Especial Aeropuerto), connect the airport with the city centre. The journey time is about 35 minutes. A single ticket costst €4. The cost of a taxi from the airport to your hotel is about €25.

TIP: purchase the Sevilla City Pass because transfer by a private taxi from the airport to your hotel in the centre of Seville is included!

Hotel or B&B in Seville

Being a popular tourist destination, Seville has a wide range of hotels, apartments, guesthouses and B&Bs. The tourist areas, Santa Ceuz and the city centre, have plenty of accommodation from luxurious hotels to simple hostels and from apartments to B&Bs. Prices range from budget to very expensive. The rule of thumb is the closer to the centre the more expensive. Budget guesthouses and hostales do not usually offer breakfast. This is no problem because it is only a short walk from your guesthouse to one of the many bars and enjoy a typical Seville breakfast.

Be warned! If you visit Seville during the Semana Santa (the holy week before Easter) or the week of the Feria de Abril. (April holidays), the prices of accommodations are often increased by 35% to 40% or even more.

If you are looking for a luxury hotel in the centre of Seville, Hotel Alfonso XIII and Hotel EME Catedral are worth considering. Five-star Alfonso XIII hotel on Calle San Fernando is the most famous and most luxurious hotel in Seville. It was built between 1916 and 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 and housed international dignitaries visiting the Exhibition. The hotel is at a top location, next to Seville Cathedral and only 50 metres away from the Giralda Tower. The roof top bar and swimming pool offer a sweeping view of the city.

You will find more affordable hotels with a Seville feel in Santa Cruz district, the historic centre. Hotel El Rey Moro on the Lope de Rueda 14, most of the rooms overlook a charming courtyard. Las Casas de la Judería is a complex of houses and palaces interconnected by corridors, courtyards and patios. Every room in hotel Santa Maria La Blanca is unique and the guests van marvel at Andalusian decorations and stylish designs.

Seville also has a wide choice of budget accommodation. Hostal Alameda is located in the lively Alameda de Hércules square in a hip neigbourhood of Seville brimful with cool bars and outdoor cafes. Hostal Callejon del Agua on Calle Corral del Rey is within walking distance of the Cathedral one of the most beautiful monuments in Seville.

Things to do in Seville

Seville is a beautiful historic city with a wealth of sights and monuments. Wherever you walk in Seville, you will always see beautiful buildings, imposing churches and interesting statues. The Cathedral, Giralda Tower, Real Alcazar and the attractive Santa Cruz neighborhood are close together. Elsewhere in the centre you will find more gems such as the Torre del Oro, the Plaza d’Espana, the Parque de Maria Luisa, the Plaza de Toros and the Triana district. In the evening you wander through the narrow streets looking for a bar or restaurant to enjoy delicious tapas or visit an authentic flamenco show.

TIP: Start your city trip to Seville on the hop-on hop-off bus. You will see the sights of the city in a relaxed way without setting one foot in front of the other. You yourself decide where and when to get off, which attraction or museum you will visit. Then you hop on again and continue to see more highlights of Seville.

Cathedral of Seville

Seville Cathedral, the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the third largest cathedral in the world after Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome and Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London. Be sure to include a visit of this cathedral and the neighbouring Giralda tower during your city trip to Seville. It is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Seville and was built on the former site of a Moorish mosque. When in 1248 Seville was conquered by the Christians, the mosque was converted into a cathedral. In the 13th century it was demolished but the Giralda Tower stayed intact. In 1403 the construction of the present-day cathedral started and in 1507 the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See was consecrated. The most important monuments in the cathedral are the tomb of Cristóbal Colón (the explorer Christoffel Columbus), the altar and the Capilla Real (royal chapel). You can also admire works of famous Spanish painters such as Murillo, Goya, Pedro de Campaña and Luis de Vargas that decorate the walls of the cathedral.

La Giralda

The Giralda Tower, next to the Cathedral of Seville, was built by the Almohads at the end of the 12th century. With a height of 76-metres, it was the tallest minaret in the world. This tower is one of the most important landmarks of Seville. The Giralda was saved when the mosque was demolished. In the 16th century, three floors with balconies and a bell tower were added at the top. The Giralda tower is crowned with a four-metre tall copper statue which symbolizes Faith. Its nickname is Giraldillo meaning wind vane, because the statue moves in the wind. Together with the statue the tower is now 97 metres in height. There are no stairs but a sloping ramp going up to 70 metres via 35 platforms. In the old days the muezzin, the crier who calls out for daily prayer, mounted a mule to get to the top. The view of Seville from the top is breathtaking.

Metropol Parasol

Metropol Parasol is an eye catcher. This modern wooden construction on the Plaza de Encarnación in Seville is nicknamed ‘las Setas’ (the mushrooms). It is a multifunctional building and designed by the German architect Jürgen Mayer. The building has different levels. The lower level is the Antiquarium, an archaeological museum with a collection of archaeological finds in Seville from the Roman and Almohade times. At street level there is a fruit and vegetable market and a large square for cultural events and concerts. A walkway leads to the top of the construction. This meandering walkway offers a sweeping view of the centre of Seville. Information about what you see is given on information plaques all along the walkway. There is a restaurant at the top, where you can enjoy the view while sipping your drink.

Parque de Maria Luisa

Parque de Maria Luisa is the largest and most attractive park in the centre of Seville. Maria Luisa Park was originally part of the San Telmo Palace and was bequeathed to the city in 1893 on condition that it would be a public park. It borders the famous ‘Plaza de España’ laid out for the Ibero-American exhibition of 1929. There are still several original expo pavilions of which two are now used as museums: Museo Arqueológico and the Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares. Former World exhibition pavilions are also on Avenida de las Delicias and its surroundings: The Mexico, Chile, Morocco, Peru and Guetemala pavilions are beautiful buildings and today they are home to several consulates, a tourist office and a police station. This verdant park is the ideal spot to breathe some fresh air on hot summer days during your Seville city trip. Locals and tourists enjoy the shade in this green oasis with leafy walking paths, spouting fountains, exotic vegetation, swaying palms and waterfalls. It is peaceful and above all a cool spot and ideal for romantic walks, an energetic bike ride, a delicious picnic or the perfect spot to read a book and forget the world around you.

Restaurants and bars in Seville

Seville is not only a wonderful city because of its sights, atmosphere and climate. Good food and drinks are equally important. Seville is the city of tapas and it is brimming with cafes, restaurants and bars where you can savour this delicacy both for lunch and dinner. Lunch is between two and three o’clock and is eaten often together with family, friends or colleagues. After lunch it is customary to take a siesta which in summer may last until 6 pm. Dinner starts from eight o’clock onwards and on long, hot summer evenings even later. Discover the secrets of Seville cuisine order snails (cabrillas), pork tenderloin in whiskey sauce (solomillo al whiskey), fried fish (pescaito frito), croquettes (croquetas), bull’s tail (cola de toro) or the salmorejo (tomato cream with garlic and bread).

Some (almost) Secret Tips

Be sure to go to Bar Eslava on Calle Eslava, one the best tapas bars in Seville and very budget-friendly. Another all-favourite is bar El Rinconcillo on Calle Gerona 40 and dates back to 1670. Their tapas are delicious but also have a look on the menu as their dishes are truly tasty. Their wine list is also impressive from Riojas, Cavas, Rosé to Riberas del Duero. Sol y Sombra in the district of Triana (Calle Castilla 147) is an authentic Spanish tavern where you go for lunch or dinner. Restaurant El Portiguillo on the Calle Dos de Mayo is close to the bullfighting ring La Maestranza in Seville and the interior decoration is certainly worthwhile for lovers of bullfighting.

Shopping in Seville

Seville is the city for shopaholics. There is a wide variety of shops, something for everybody. You can shop in Spanish chain stores such as Zara, Mango, Pull and Bear, Mássimo Dutti, Stradivarius and Bershka. More interesting are the local shops next to restaurants, coffee and tapa bars. After iesta time, people flock to the shops and between 5 and 7 pm the shopping streets are at their busiest. The most famous shopping streets in the centre of Seville are Calle Sierpes and Calle Tetuan. These two shopping streets run parallel to each other. Cuna, Velazquez and Rioja are also popular for shopping and also in the centre of the city. Calle San Jacinto is the most important shopping street in the Triana neighbourhood. Calle Asunción, in the the Los Remedios district, south of Triana is the main street of the district and a pleasant shopping street. Here you find the international chains but also lesser known brands such as Bimba y Lola and Cherubina. Local products ceramics (azulejos), flamenco dresses and shoes, guitars and Spanish fans which cool you down on hot days. Be sure to visit delis and buy local products: Iberian hams, cheese, olive oil, wine, orange wine and sherry.

Open Air Markets of Seville

The oldest open-air market in Seville is held on Thursday morning in the La Macarena district. It has been going strong since the fifteenth century and is still as popular as ever. Calle Feria is best for antiques and art. The Mercado de Triana is a covered market near Triana Bridgea. Here the locals stock up on bread, pastries, herbs, fish, fresh fruit and meat. When the shopping is done, they treat themselves to a snack in one of the bars and restaurants nearby. The gourmet market, Mercado Gourmet Lonja del Barranco, is on the other side of the river. This is where you go for dishes made from fresh products.

Shopping malls in Seville

If you’re tired of strolling in the hot Seville streets, go to one of the air-conditioned shopping malls to cool down a bit. The shopping malls Nervion Plaza and Los Arcos are close to the city centre and highly recommended. A bit further afield is Nervion Plaza in Calle Luis de Morales in the Nervión district. Los Arcos on Avenida de Andalucía is one of the largest shopping malls in Seville with shops, cinemas, bars and restaurants spread over two floors.