My 10 best Seville travel tips

This guide covers my 10 best Seville travel tips that will help you make the most of your trip. They will prove helpful if you’re traveling to Seville for the first time.

This practical guide will not only help you plan your trip, but will also show you how to make the best of your time and budget.

But first, let me confess something…

I was not born in Seville.

Neither was I raised here.

However, after more than 10 years living in this beautiful city, my appreciation for Seville has evolved slowly from lust, during those first few hot days, to deep love thanks to finding pieces of the city that felt exclusively mine.

Seville is a city that’s easy to fall in love with on the surface. The Moorish architecture, the riverfront, the romantic horse carriages… It’s hot, vibrant, traditional and beautiful.

Food, traditions, history, architecture – all these and more blend in a vibrant Southern fusion, which leaves you speechless with every step you make.

You are going to love it!

About my 10 travel tips for exploring Seville

For obvious reasons, what you will find here is just that, travel tips, advice or recommendations. I am not here to to tell you how you should prepare your trip or how you should enjoy Seville. So take my advice as a bunch of ideas that you can use to prepare your trip to Seville.

However, if you have already taken all this information into account while planning your trip or you prefer to do things differently, that’s great as well.

I hope that all these ideas and advice your trip to Seville will be a lifetime experience you will never forget.

1. Find out when is the best time to visit Seville

The first question you should ask yourself when planning your trip is “When is the best time to visit Seville?“.

Seville has a climate and a location that allows you to explore it almost all year round. Its climate is a dream with mild winters, and over 300 sunny days annually.

That being said, take into account a couple of things:

1. If there is one word that arises when it comes to Seville travel, that word is “April”. The popular Feria de Abril occurs in the last week of April, and Semana Santa (Easter) often falls earlier in the month (or occasionally in late-March). Both events have a full guide on their own so you can make the most out of them and benefit from my first hand travel tips.
2. Mind the heat! If you decide to visit Seville amidst the summer months, prepare yourself for scorching hot temperatures. It’s not a good idea to explore the stone streets of the city center during midday hours, as the heat is almost intolerable. Hydrate as much as possible and treat yourself to a scoop or two of ice cream.

2. Keep an eye on airline ticket prices

Do you intend to fly to Spain? In all likelihood, you’ll be flying here, unless you’re coming overland from Portugal or France.

The plane ticket is one of the most important expenses of your trip to Spain. Without it, there’s no trip!

So don0t think twice and book your flights as soon as you see a good fare.

Fortunately, with the appearance of low cost carriers in the market the chance to get cheap air flights to Spain has seriously increased. On top of it, very cheap international flights are also available from other parts of the world. It’s just a question of time to do some research and organize your trip in advance.

Seville is linked by air with the main cities of Spain and capitals of Europe. The airport is located just a few kilometers from the center and it is very easy to get there.

3. If you don’t fly to Seville, book your train tickets in advance

Are you considering train travel in Spain? Seville can be easily reached by train, especially from Madrid and Barcelona where you can catch a high speed train. Some suburbs and surrounding towns are also connected by train.

Whereas local trains (Cercanías) have very affordable fares, high speed ones (AVE) are considerably more expensive. Nevertheless, you can access lower fares particularly if you buy your tickets in advance.

Seville has one train station called Santa Justa and it’s located in the northeast area of the city, not very far away from the center.

4. Book your accommodation online

When you are traveling to one of the most visited destinations in Spain, it’s important to book your accommodation in advance. I always find that the sooner you book, the cheaper and better they are!

That’s why I recommend you to book all your hotels online.

This is particularly true in busy tourist times like the Semana Santa or the Feria de Abril that I mentioned earlier, both events drastically drive up hotel rates.

For the lowest rates, travel in July or August (if you can cope with the heat). October and November are also a good month for hotel rates, and March and June are good mid-range months.

You can start by checking out where to stay. There are different areas within the city center, each one with its own character and charm. To help you decide what neighborhood of Seville is the best for you, have a look my neighborhoods of Seville quick guide.

5. Purchase a good travel and health insurance

The most important piece of advice I can offer among my Seville travel tips is to purchase good travel insurance.

Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past.

6. Get a travel debit card

Ensure you have your travel money set up, especially if you’re traveling from a non-euro country.

Some people prefer changing the money in their home country while others prefer changing on-site or relaying in their debit or credit cards.

I suggest you forget both options immediately and consider getting a travel debit card.

A travel debit card lets you access cash in your destination’s local currency, which is the euro in the case of Seville, without the risk of using your debit card. They also let you avoid the high fees of credit card cash advances or the hassles of having to exchange currencies before you depart.

7. Decide what to see in Seville

Most of my readers are surprised when they start to discover how many monuments and attractions Seville offers. And this should not be the case considering its long history…

Between the orange-scented courtyards, stunning Mudéjar architecture, and joyful, impromptu flamenco dancing in cozy plazas after dark, Seville is a dream come true. But that’s just a first impression… There are so many things to do in Seville!

With that in mind it’s very important to think ahead about what you want to see in Seville and how much time you can spend in the city. It’s not the same spending a weekend or having a full week to explore all the amazing corners.

To truly experience Seville, leave 3 or 4 days and bring good walking shoes. The city center – one of the largest in Europe – is flat, largely pedestrian-friendly and made for walking. That’s why you should have a look at my itineraries.

On top of it, I have created a very complete map of Seville that you can add to your own Google Maps. This map has all the practical information and Seville travel tips you need. In the post I just linked you can find step by step instructions to use them on any device whether you’re still at home or you’re already in Seville.

8. Buy tickets to the main attractions in Seville in advance

It’s easy to visit Seville without any advance planning whatsoever.

You’ll still see a lot.

In my experience, however, people often arrive in Seville with a wish list, only to discover that what they wanted to see/do needed to be booked ahead, and is now sold out.

That’s why you should definitely buy tickets to the main attractions in Seville in advance.

One reason to book in advance in Seville is simply due to high demand and limited availability.

Another reason is to skip the lines.

But, how far in advance should you book the main Seville attractions?

There is no definitive answer, as it depends on the specific attraction and time of year. However, as a general rule of thumb, you should book at least a few weeks in advance, especially if you’re visiting during peak tourist season.

9. Enjoy the city like a local with my Seville travel tips

Don’t stick to the regular Seville experiences. Enjoy it like a local instead. Few European cities can compare to Seville when it comes to spoil visitors with an incredibly good time.

While Seville is full of plenty of tourist attractions, there are endless opportunities to have an authentic experience during your stay.

With its great vibe, authentic traditions, and delicious cuisine, few cities can compare to the things that you can live while in Seville. And while locations like the Cathedral, Plaza de España, and the Alcázar usually top visitors’ bucket list, oftentimes it’s the lesser-known spots that create the richest experiences.

In the spirit of channeling your inner wanderlust, I set out to discover the best places in Seville that fly under the radar. This isn’t your ordinary travel guide: read on to discover my picks for some of the best things to do, see, and eat in Seville — and experience the city like a true Sevillano.

10. Check out what, where and when to eat

Eating in Seville is one of those things that make the trip to this country doubly worthwhile. Spanish cuisine is rich, varied, different and even cheap if you know where to go.

I always like to remember to my readers that Spain is much more than paella, so be prepared to eat very tasty and special local specialties everywhere you go. And this is particularly true in Seville: don’t miss going to a few of its tapas bars.

Oh, one last thing… Eat when the locals eat.

At the times when you may typically be eating lunch or dinner at home, the doors to Seville’s restaurants may not even be open yet.

At lunch bars may be open earlier, but kitchens generally open anytime between 13:00 and 14:00 and close around 16:00 or 16:30.

As for dinner, don’t expect to find a good restaurant open until about 20:30!