Here is the trade-off in one number: buying at the gate, one adult ticket to Isla Mágica costs 39.90 euros, more than the Real Alcázar at 15.50 euros and the Cathedral’s 13-euro online ticket put together. Bought online at least a day ahead, the same ticket starts at 24.90 euros. For a visitor, how to buy matters almost as much as whether to go.
Isla Mágica is Seville’s theme park on Isla de la Cartuja, with rides in six themed areas and free entry for children under 90 cm. The gate sits just across the Barqueta bridge from the old town. It opens from April to early November on set days, and in summer from 12pm to 11pm.
Is Isla Mágica in Seville worth it? Isla Mágica is worth it for families with children between 90 and 130 cm, who pay the child rate from 20 euros online and can ride almost everything. Adult tickets start at 24.90 euros online, against 39.90 euros at the gate. Thrill seekers get only two big rides, Jaguar and El Desafío.
Is Isla Mágica worth it, and which ages it suits
The park works best for children between 90 cm (2 ft 11 in) and 130 cm (4 ft 3 in). They pay the child rate and, according to the park’s own ride rules, can go on everything except its two headline rides. The 130 cm line that separates child and adult tickets is also the minimum for Jaguar, which adds a minimum age of 8; El Desafío needs 140 cm (4 ft 7 in).
Below 90 cm, entry is free but the choice is short: about six gentle rides, such as Los Toneles and the Topetazú bumper cars from 85 cm, plus the carousel and the boat ride with an adult. From 90 cm the family coaster Tren del Potosí and most of the children’s area open up, the Navío Barbarroja ship from 1 metre, and Anaconda, Iguazú and El Vuelo del Halcón from 110 cm.
Under-14s must enter with a responsible adult. Teenagers who have outgrown the children’s rides are the group most likely to feel short-changed, unless the visit falls on a Halloween weekend, when the scare mazes carry a recommended minimum age of 12.
Getting to Isla Mágica from Santa Justa, Plaza de Armas or the airport
Most visitors arrive without a car, and the bus drops you at the gate. Buses C1 and C2, run by the city bus company, leave from the José Laguillo stop outside Santa Justa train station; C1 stops at Puente La Barqueta, 94 metres from the gate, and C2 at José de Gálvez, 126 metres away. A single fare is 1.40 euros per TUSSAM, paid on board or with a contactless bank card.
From the Plaza de Armas bus station, or from Puerta de Jerez near the Cathedral, line C3 runs to Torneo (Barqueta), 403 metres from the gate on the far side of the bridge. Cartuja station on the C2 commuter rail line is a 13-minute walk. On foot from the Cathedral it is 2.3 km as the crow flies, a long walk with children in July.
From the airport, the EA bus costs 6 euros and is not covered by city travel cards; it stops near Santa Justa station, where you can change to C1 or C2. The park itself points out that a taxi goes straight there via the SE-20 ring road without crossing the centre. If you plan to stay close to the park, the options by area are in where to stay in Seville by neighbourhood, and the full fare system is in Seville public transport fares explained.
Which Isla Mágica ticket to buy, and when
| Isla Mágica ticket | Gate price, same day | Online, one day ahead or more |
|---|---|---|
| Adult, 130 cm and over | 39.90 euros | from 24.90 euros |
| Child 90-130 cm, or senior 60+ | 28.90 euros | from 20 euros |
| Combined with Agua Mágica water park, adult | 59.80 euros | from 29.90 euros |
| Afternoon, adult | 25 euros | 24 euros |
| Afternoon, child or senior | 18 euros | 17 euros |
| Night, any age | 12 euros | not sold online |
| Under 90 cm | free | free |
Online prices are starting prices, which according to Isla Mágica rise as the date approaches and vary by day, while gate prices stay fixed. Book online at least a day ahead to get that rate; tickets are dated and non-refundable, so fix the day before buying.
For a family of two adults and two children between 90 and 130 cm, full-day tickets cost 137.60 euros at the gate and from 89.80 euros online. Adding the Agua Mágica water park online takes the family total to 111.60 euros. If you decide on the morning itself, the afternoon ticket bought on the day comes to 86 euros for the four, and in summer the night ticket costs 48 euros.
Which one to pick depends on how fixed your plans are:
- Dates fixed a week or more ahead. Full day online, and the combined ticket only on days the water park is open.
- Deciding on the morning itself. The afternoon ticket from the gate, valid from 5pm in summer and 4pm at autumn weekends.
- July or August with young children. The night ticket from 8pm, when the worst of the heat has passed.
A second day costs 18.90 euros, bought inside the park during the first visit, and the Acceso Express queue pass starts at 3.50 euros for one ride, 19.90 euros for seven and 29.90 euros unlimited. Large families with Spanish título de familia numerosa get 8 percent off.
Opening days and Spanish hours at Isla Mágica
The park keeps Spanish hours: it opens at noon and, in summer, stays open until 11pm, with the afternoon ticket valid from 5pm and the night ticket from 8pm. Allow 6 hours for an afternoon visit and 3 hours for a night one.
This season it opened on 11 April at weekends, ran daily through June, July and August until 8 September, and went back to weekends in the autumn. The Agua Mágica water park opened from 30 May to 13 September, from 12pm to 8pm.
Right now the park is in its Halloween season, from 3 October to 8 November: Saturdays 12pm to 10pm, Sundays and public holidays 12pm to 9pm, Fridays afternoon only from 4pm to 11pm, and three late nights to midnight on 24 and 31 October and 1 November. Next season’s calendar is not out yet; it appears on the park’s calendar and opening times page, where each date shows its own hours when clicked. Ticket windows open 30 minutes before the park, and rides start closing one hour before the park does.
Lunch follows the Spanish clock too. The air-conditioned El Cañón restaurant serves its set menus from 1.30pm to 4pm; booked online, the Bucanero meal costs 10.90 euros, the adult El Fuerte menu 16.90 euros and the children’s 11.90 euros.
Heat, food rules and what to bring
Outside food and drink are not allowed, but water bottles are, and every one of the seven toilet blocks has a drinking fountain. Anything else goes in the lockers outside the gate, from 4 to 8 euros a day, and you can leave to eat and come back in with a re-entry pass requested at the exit. Strollers can be hired for 7 euros a day, or 10 euros for a double.
July in Seville averages a daily high of 36.0 degrees according to AEMET, and the park is mostly open-air queues and splash rides such as Iguazú and La Flota Mercante. In July and August, avoid the midday hours and plan around the afternoon or night ticket; the hour-by-hour approach for the rest of the city is in Seville in August, what the heat data says. The park stays open in rain, with some rides closing while it lasts.
Who may be disappointed by Isla Mágica
Thrill seekers who know the big European parks will find it small: the park itself rates only Jaguar, El Desafío and the Navío Barbarroja as high intensity. Parents of toddlers under 90 cm pay full price themselves for about six rides, which is when Seville’s free parks and squares in Seville with kids, free sights by age make more sense.
It also suits rigid plans badly: dated, non-refundable tickets and online prices that move with demand. Pets are not admitted, except assistance dogs. On the same island, 1.1 km from the gate, the Cartuja monastery and contemporary art centre are free on Saturdays, as set out in the CAAC and Cartuja monastery guide, a calm morning before an afternoon ticket.
Frequently asked questions about Isla Mágica tickets
Is Isla Mágica worth it for adults without kids?
Only for a light day out. Isla Mágica lists just three high-intensity rides: Jaguar, a 32-metre inverted coaster at 85 km/h, the 68-metre El Desafío drop tower and the Navío Barbarroja swing ship. Thrill seekers usually finish them in a morning, so the 12-euro summer night ticket is the better buy for adults.
Can you buy Isla Mágica tickets at the gate?
Yes, Isla Mágica sells tickets at the gate on the day, but full-day prices there are 39.90 euros for adults and 28.90 euros for children of 90 to 130 cm. Online prices start at 24.90 and 20 euros, and the online rate is only available if you buy at least one day ahead.
Is Isla Mágica open in winter?
No. Isla Mágica opens for a season that runs from April to early November, closing after its Halloween weekends; this year the last day is 8 November. It is closed from December to March, and even within the season it opens only on the days marked in its online calendar.
How do I get to Isla Mágica from Santa Justa station?
Take TUSSAM bus C1 or C2 from the José Laguillo stop at Santa Justa station. C1 stops at Puente La Barqueta, 94 metres from the Isla Mágica gate, and C2 at José de Gálvez, 126 metres away. A single ticket costs 1.40 euros, paid on board or by contactless card.
At Isla Mágica the gate is the expensive door; the day before, the afternoon or the night are the cheap ones.