The easiest mistake in a short Seville itinerary is putting the Real Alcázar in the afternoon. From October to March its gates close at 5pm, so a visitor who starts at Seville Cathedral and strolls over after lunch gets a rushed palace or none at all. Seville’s historic core is compact, with the Cathedral, the Real Alcázar and the Archivo General de Indias standing around one tram stop, Archivo de Indias on TUSSAM line T1.
That compactness is why the first day needs no transport. The rest of the plan turns on clocks: the Triana market stalls trade until 3pm, the Museo de Bellas Artes keeps its rooms open until 8.30pm from Tuesday to Saturday, and Las Setas admit visitors until 12.15am. With two days, Plaza de España and Triana join in; with three, Casa de Pilatos and El Salvador.
What is worth seeing in Seville in one, two or three days?
One day covers the Real Alcázar at 9.30am, the free Archivo General de Indias and Seville Cathedral with the Giralda, 28.50 euros for both tickets. Two days add Plaza de España, the Torre del Oro, Triana and Las Setas at night. Three days add Casa de Pilatos, El Salvador and the Museo de Bellas Artes.
Getting from Seville airport to the first sights
The EA bus links Seville airport with the centre for 6 euros single, and TUSSAM treats its 8-euro return as valid only on the day of purchase and the day after. It leaves the terminal between 5.22am and 1am. A taxi runs on a fixed fare of 26 euros on weekdays from 7am to 9pm and 29 euros at other times, charged per car rather than per passenger.
The EA calls at the Paseo Cristóbal Colón (Torre del Oro) stop, 36 metres from the tower, which puts a traveller with light luggage within walking distance of the riverside on arrival. From there, the Puerta de Jerez metro station is 184 metres from the Torre del Oro, and the Cathedral is about 480 metres away in a straight line. Fares and the last departure are compared in the bus and the taxi from Seville airport.
Around town, a TUSSAM single costs 1.40 euros and is bought on board. A weekend of walking rarely needs more: every sight in this plan sits inside a radius of about 1.2 kilometres of the Cathedral, Triana included. Choosing a base? Where to stay in Seville measures every area’s walk to the Giralda.
Day one is the Cathedral block, in the right order
Day one in Seville covers three buildings on a single block. The T1 tram stop Archivo de Indias is 83 metres from the Archivo, 156 metres from Seville Cathedral and 238 metres from the Real Alcázar ticket office in the Patio de Banderas, where the desk opens at 9am and takes cards only.
The Alcázar opens at 9.30am all year and closes at 5pm from October to March and at 7pm from April to September. The Cathedral admits visitors from 10.45am to 6pm Monday to Saturday, at the time printed on the ticket, and every visit starts by climbing the Giralda. The Cabildo puts the tour at 75 minutes. Between the two, the Archivo General de Indias opens Tuesday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5pm with no ticket desk and no booking, as set out in the free Archivo de Indias.
Walking out of the Alcázar leads straight into the lanes of the Santa Cruz quarter, with Plaza de Doña Elvira about 250 metres from the Cathedral; what to look for there is in what to see in Santa Cruz. The Cathedral ticket also covers the Church of El Salvador, about 460 metres to the north, so keep it.
Inside the Real Alcázar, a 9.30am slot leaves 8 hours 15 minutes before winter clearing at 5.45pm, and what to see at the Real Alcázar and how long to spend sorts the rooms worth the time from the ones to skip.
Inside, the Cathedral’s 75 minutes start with the Giralda climb and end at the Puerta del Perdón, and the 13-euro ticket does not open the choir or the roof; the stops in between are in what to see inside Seville Cathedral and in what order.
To end day one facing the Giralda, three rooftop bars within 200 metres of the tower serve non-guests, with a Cruzcampo from 4.50 euros, compared in Seville rooftop bars with cathedral views.
Ticket prices, booking and the best hour for each sight
Paid admission at the main Seville sights ranges from 12 to 16 euros, and none of those tickets requires a booking. Prices below are the general rates; the Cathedral’s 13 euros applies online, 1 euro less than at the desk.
| Sight | Best hour | Price | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Alcázar de Sevilla | At 9.30am opening | 15.50 euros general, 8 euros reduced | Not required |
| Seville Cathedral and Giralda | Afternoon, entry until 6pm | 13 euros online, 14 euros at the desk | Only the free Sunday slot |
| Archivo General de Indias | Morning, 2pm close on Sundays | Free | No |
| Plaza de España | Early morning or after dark | No ticket desk | No |
| Torre del Oro | Morning, last entry 6.30pm | Voluntary 3 euros | No |
| Triana market | Before the stalls close at 3pm | Free to enter | No |
| Las Setas | After dark, last entry 12.15am | From 16 euros | Not required |
| Casa de Pilatos | Before 4.30pm | 12 euros main floor | Only the free Monday slot |
| Museo de Bellas Artes | Late afternoon, rooms until 8.30pm | 1.50 euros, free with EU ID | No |
Added up, day one costs 28.50 euros, two days with Las Setas 44.50 euros, and three days with Casa de Pilatos and the fine arts museum 58 euros a head. The full trip budget, airport bus included, is in what three days in Seville cost, and the visits that do need booking are in Seville monument tickets and booking.
Day two, Plaza de España, the river and Triana
Plaza de España and María Luisa Park, about 300 metres apart, open daily at 8am with no ticket desk and close at 10pm from October, at midnight in summer. The closest bus stop is Avenida La Borbolla (Capitanía), 243 metres away on lines 01, 30, 31, 37 and A6, and the metro and tram share Prado San Sebastián, 420 metres away.
Both are covered in detail in Plaza de España and María Luisa Park.
About a kilometre north-west, the Torre del Oro houses the Museo Marítimo Torre del Oro, which the Armada opens Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 7pm and at weekends from 10.30am to 7pm, last entry 6.30pm, for a voluntary contribution of 3 euros.
Cross the Triana bridge, 740 metres from the tower, and the Triana market is on Plaza del Altozano. Its fish, meat and produce stalls trade Monday to Saturday from 9am to 3pm, while the bars inside stay open until midnight, so the market comes before lunch, as Triana market hours explain. The Triana ceramics centre, about 100 metres away, charges 2.10 euros, or nothing with the previous day’s Alcázar general ticket. The rest of the neighbourhood is in what to see in Triana, and lunch options are in where to eat in Seville.
End the day at Las Setas on Plaza de la Encarnación, open until 1am with the Aurora light show from 9.30pm between April and October; Las Setas tickets start at 16 euros.
The hour-by-hour version of both days, with walking distances between stops and what changes on a Sunday, a Monday or in August, is in the Seville in 2 days itinerary, where the day-one Alcázar ticket gets you into the Triana ceramics centre and the Antiquarium free.
To end day two with flamenco, an hour-long show in the old town costs 25 to 35 euros and seven of eight venues start one between 7pm and 7.30pm, as compared in which flamenco show in Seville to book and what it costs.
What a third day adds, and what to cut
A third day in Seville stays in the northern old town. Casa de Pilatos opens every day from 9am to 6pm and charges 12 euros for the main floor, audio guide included; the Fundación Casa Ducal de Medinaceli advises entering by 4.30pm because the palace hosts private events. The upper floor is a separate guided visit for 6 euros more, detailed in Casa de Pilatos tickets.
The Museo de Bellas Artes closes the day, Tuesday to Saturday until 9pm. Its fee is where nationality matters: EU citizens with ID enter free and everyone else pays 1.50 euros, the same split the Junta de Andalucía applies at Itálica.
How to choose:
- Half a day only. The Archivo de Indias and the Cathedral, 13 euros online, on one tram stop.
- Travelling with small children. The Real Alcázar is free for under-13s with an adult; the Giralda climb takes no pushchairs.
- Tightest budget. The Archivo, Plaza de España, the Triana market and the fine arts museum cost 1.50 euros in total, or nothing with an EU passport.
- A fourth day. Itálica’s Roman ruins are about 30 minutes away on the M-170A from Plaza de Armas; the other trips are in day trips from Seville by bus.
What drops out with only two days is the third one in full: Casa de Pilatos and the fine arts museum.
Which weekday and which month change the plan
Monday closes the Archivo General de Indias, the Museo de Bellas Artes, the Triana ceramics centre and Itálica, while the Cathedral, the Real Alcázar, Casa de Pilatos, Las Setas and the Torre del Oro stay open. Casa de Pilatos admits people born in or resident in the EU free on Monday afternoons, with an online booking released a month ahead.
Sunday shortens the Cathedral to entry from 2.30pm to 6pm, with the free slot from 4.30pm, and closes the Archivo at 2pm. The Triana stalls trade only Monday to Saturday, so day two belongs elsewhere in the week.
Summer flips day one. In July and August the Cathedral opens at 9.30am and stops admitting at 5pm, so it goes first and the Alcázar, open until 7pm, second. AEMET gives Seville Airport an average July maximum of 36.0 degrees and 35.5 in August, which pushes Plaza de España to the early morning or the evening. The fine arts museum closes at 3pm every day in August. The month-by-month picture is in when to visit Seville, and the hour-by-hour summer plan in Seville in August.
Buying tickets without paying a reseller
Look-alike websites are the one scam worth knowing about in Seville, and they sit where search results for tickets start. The Real Alcázar states on its own homepage that alcazarsevilla.org is its official site, and the Cabildo asks visitors to buy Seville Cathedral tickets only through its official sale.
An intermediary can sell a valid ticket but adds its margin, and it rarely handles free-entry cases such as under-13s at the Alcázar. Buying directly also keeps the Alcázar’s general ticket in hand, which is what opens the Triana ceramics centre free the next day. For evenings beyond Las Setas, Seville’s monuments after dark lists the Alcázar’s 15-euro dramatised night visit.
Frequently asked questions about what to see in Seville
Is two days enough for Seville?
Two days cover Seville’s headline sights: the Real Alcázar, the Archivo General de Indias and Seville Cathedral on day one, then Plaza de España, the Torre del Oro, Triana and Las Setas after dark on day two. Admissions come to 44.50 euros. Casa de Pilatos and the Museo de Bellas Artes need a third day.
What can you see in Seville for free?
Plaza de España and María Luisa Park have no ticket desk and open at 8am, closing at 10pm from October and at midnight in summer. The Archivo General de Indias charges nobody and needs no booking. The Triana market costs nothing to walk through, the Torre del Oro asks only a voluntary 3 euros, and the Cathedral runs a free Sunday slot from 4.30pm to 6pm with a booking.
Should I visit the Alcázar or the Cathedral first?
From October to March, the Real Alcázar first: it opens at 9.30am and closes at 5pm, while Seville Cathedral admits visitors until 6pm. In July and August the order flips, because the Cathedral opens at 9.30am and stops entry at 5pm, while the Alcázar stays open until 7pm from April to September.
The palace goes first in winter and second in summer. Everything else in Seville fits around that one swap.