Seville (Spanish: Sevilla) is Andalusia's capital. With heritage from the Arabs and from the Age of Discovery, as well as the flamenco scene, Seville is a diverse destination. Tourist facilities are top-notch and the city is buzzing with festivals, color and a thriving nightlife scene.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
With more than 685,000 inhabitants (2021), and 1.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is Spain's fourth-largest city, dominating southern Spain. The smooth, slow Guadalquivir River flows through Seville, known as Betis by the Romans and as Betik Wahd-Al-Khabir by the Arabs. Since it is hard to navigate upstream from Seville, the cereal-producing region starts here, and Seville has been a busy port from Roman times, under Muslim rule, and exploding during the Age of Discovery.
Walking is the best option for sight-seeing: Seville is a large city but the points of interest are in the compact old centre. Strolling and coming across fine old churches, charming cafes and hidden plazas is part of the experience of being here. With the rechargable green travel card you can use all means of public transport (metro, tram, regional trains (Cercanías), city and regional buses) for a lower price. The card can be bought in tobacco shops for €1.50 and must be charged with at least €5 (Nov 2024).
1 Cathedral (Catedral de Sevilla), Avenida de la Constitución, ☏ +34 902 09 96 92, info@catedraldesevilla.es. Jul-Aug: M 09:30-14:30, Tu-Sa 09:30-14:00, Su 14:30-18:00; Sep-Jun: M 11:00-15:30, Tu-Sa 11:00-17:00, Su 14:30-18:00. Huge 15th-century church on the site of the former great mosque; richly decorated with the central nave rising to 37 m. An ornate canopy and statue marks the final resting place of Christopher Columbus. If there's a queue for tickets then go to the nearby Church of Salvador (Iglesia del Salvador) and buy a combi ticket. Cathedral admission includes La Giralda, the minaret that is now the magnificent bell tower.
Cruises, an hour in duration, leave from beneath the Torre del Oro and travel a circuit on the Guadalquivir river. Horse-drawn carriage rides found near the cathedral take you to the nearby park and other sites of interest. For the sake of the animals, try to avoid carriage rides in the heat of the day in summer. Flamenco is very popular in Spain and is not just for tourists; however finding the right place is hard. Poke around the neighbourhood of El Arenal, following the sounds of flamenco music to find a place. 1 Museo del Baile Flamenco, Calle de Manuel Rojas Marcos, 3, ☏ +34 954 34 03 11. Daily: museum 10:00-19:00, performances 19:00-20:00.
Seville, like most Andalusian destinations, is known for its tapas. "Tapa", while it is associated with certain dishes, is actually a size and many restaurants or bars will offer a tapa, media ración (half serving, although sometimes enough to make a meal) and ración (serving) of the same dish. There are many great tapas places around the foot of the cathedral in the centre of town. You can't go wrong; simply order one of everything to find your favourite! Some typical tapas include tortilla española (potato omelet), pulpo gallego (Galician octopus), aceitunas (olives), patatas bravas (spicy potatoes), and queso manchego (sheep's milk cheese from the region of La Mancha in central Spain).
Most cafés or cafeterías in Sevilla serve slightly longer shots of darkly roasted coffee, and even cortado is quite large compared to what one might expect to get e.g. in Valencia. Speciality coffee connoisseurs will probably prefer one of the cafés serving single-origin or organic coffee: 1 Parcería Café, Calle Calderón de la Barca 9. Situated near Mercado Feria, Parcería is a tiny café serving coffee from a local roaster. Laptops aren’t allowed, but the coffee is worth a walk from the city centre. 2 Utopía Café, Calle Fernán Caballero, 1. Hidden in a side street, Utopía is a takeaway-only café serving coffee from the same local roaster as Parcería. 3 Delatribu, Pje. Andreu, 3.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Jul, Sevilla typically sees ~37°C daytime highs and 0 rainy days.
Cheapest destinations travellers searched recently — refreshed daily.
Flight prices are real fares travellers found in the last 48 hours, refreshed daily — the booking site confirms the final price. Train, bus and ferry fares are shown on the operators' booking sites. Weather data by Open-Meteo; exchange rates: ECB reference. Data updated 2026-07-21. Some links earn Stayonomy a commission at no cost to you.