Two days covers the essential Seville if you give the first to the ticketed monuments and the second to the city that lives on the street. The whole plan is walkable: the Alcázar to Triana is 20 minutes on foot, and you won't need the metro or a bus.
The 2 days at a glance
| Slot | Day 1 | Day 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Real Alcázar (9:30), Cathedral and Giralda | Triana: bridge, market and Calle Betis |
| Lunch | El Arenal | Tapas in Triana |
| Afternoon | Santa Cruz and Plaza de España | Casa de Pilatos or the Fine Arts Museum |
| Evening | Flamenco and tapas | Las Setas or the river at sunset, dinner on the Alameda |
What to book, and how far ahead
| What | Official price | Book |
|---|---|---|
| Real Alcázar | €15.50 (reduced €8) | 1-2 weeks in spring and autumn; the 9:30 slot goes first |
| Cathedral and Giralda | €13 online, €14 at the ticket office | 2-3 days |
| Flamenco | from €24 | 2-3 days at weekends |
| Las Setas viewpoint | from €16 | same day |
Day 1: Alcázar, Cathedral and Plaza de España
9:30 — Real Alcázar. The first slot, ahead of the tour groups. Open 9:30-17:00 October to March and until 19:00 April to September. The Courtyard of the Maidens, the Hall of Ambassadors, the Baths of María de Padilla and all of the gardens, which half of visitors skip: allow 2 h 30. The Upper Royal Apartments (€5.50 extra) are optional and skippable on a short trip. More in how to visit the Alcázar.
12:30 — Cathedral and Giralda, across the square (2 minutes). Open Monday to Saturday 10:45-19:00 and Sundays 14:30-19:00. Columbus's tomb, the high altarpiece and the climb up the Giralda by ramps rather than stairs: 1 h 30. The ticket also covers the Church of El Salvador, which you can leave for day 2. If you'd rather not juggle time slots and queues, and want an official guide just for your group, this 3-hour tour covers both monuments with tickets:
14:30 — Lunch in El Arenal, 5 minutes away: Calle Adriano, Arfe and García de Vinuesa. Avoid the terraces on Plaza Virgen de los Reyes.
16:30 — Santa Cruz quarter. Callejón del Agua, Plaza de Doña Elvira and Plaza de Santa Cruz. An hour of aimless wandering.
18:00 — Plaza de España and María Luisa Park, 20 minutes' walk through the Murillo gardens. Free; a rowing boat on the canal is about €6. Go in the low evening light, not at midday.
21:00 — Flamenco. For a first show, Casa de la Memoria: one hour, a small room and top performers, from €24. If you're torn between venues, see which flamenco show to choose in Seville. Afterwards, tapas around the Alfalfa.
Day 2: Triana and Seville without the queues
10:00 — Triana. From the Torre del Oro it's 10 minutes along the river to the Isabel II bridge. On the far side: Triana Market, built over the San Jorge castle, once the seat of the Inquisition, with a small free interpretation centre; Calle Betis facing the old town; the ceramics shops of Calle Alfarería; and the church of Santa Ana.
13:30 — Tapas in Triana. Calle Pureza, Pagés del Corro and San Jacinto. To go straight to the taverns locals actually use, with a food guide just for you:
16:30 — A palace or a museum. Head back across the river (15-20 minutes). Casa de Pilatos (€12, 1 hour), with courtyards that rival the Alcázar's and a fraction of the crowds, or the Fine Arts Museum (free for EU citizens), with Murillo and Zurbarán.
19:00 — Sunset. Two options: the Las Setas viewpoint (from €16), with 360° views and the Giralda in the distance, 10 minutes from Casa de Pilatos; or a one-hour Guadalquivir cruise from the Torre del Oro (from €16.50).
21:30 — Dinner on the Alameda de Hércules, 10 minutes from Las Setas: the neighbourhood with the liveliest local nightlife.
Indicative budget per person
| Item | 2 days |
|---|---|
| Alcázar and Cathedral | €28.50 |
| Casa de Pilatos or Las Setas | €12-16 |
| Flamenco | €24-45 |
| Tapas lunches and dinners | €70-110 |
| Total excluding accommodation | about €135-200 |
The private Alcázar and Cathedral tour (from €300 per group) or the Triana tapas tour push the budget up, but for 3 or 4 people the difference per head narrows.
Variations
- If it rains: day 1 works as planned (you just lose the gardens). On day 2, swap Triana for Casa de Pilatos, the Archive of the Indies (free) and the covered Triana Market.
- With children: the boats at Plaza de España, María Luisa Park and the Las Setas walkway go down well, as does the Alcázar with its hedge maze. More in Seville with kids.
- In summer: Alcázar at 9:30, indoor sights at midday and stay off the streets between 14:00 and 19:00.
Where to stay
El Arenal or Santa Cruz, to walk everywhere; El Arenal is calmer and a bit cheaper. Triana is more local, 15 minutes from the centre. Getting in: from Santa Justa station it's 20 minutes on foot or a short taxi ride; from the airport, the EA bus to Plaza de Armas.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the Alcázar for day 2 without a ticket: if it sells out, your trip loses its centrepiece.
- Plaza de España at midday: no shade and flat light.
- Eating opposite the Cathedral.
- Dinner at 8 pm: Seville eats from 9 pm.
- Dinner-and-flamenco packages in Santa Cruz: better a serious venue and dinner afterwards.
In a nutshell
Monuments on day one, Triana and the river on day two, flamenco in a small room: that's how two days in Seville feel like much more. With a third day, Seville in 3 days adds Itálica; for the whole region, see Andalusia in 7 days.
