1 day Seville itinerary – The PERFECT way to spend a day in Seville

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When people think of Spain, their minds will instantly go to places like Madrid and Barcelona but to us, Seville is Spain’s best city break.

While Seville is not exactly a ‘hidden gem’, it doesn’t necessarily get the same exposure as it’s bigger brothers further North but it really should.

We have been to Seville twice over the last few years and each time we left, we had an immediate urge to book another trip and explore Andalucia more broadly.

There are so many great things to do in Seville, from authentic flamenco shows to taking immersive food tours, with Seville famous for its tapas and churros. Seville is great if you’re a foodie, if you enjoy stylish buildings and great photo spots and it a good atmosphere.

The other great thing about Seville is that is a very walkable city so even if you only have a day in Seville, you will still be able to get a great feel for the city without being completely exhausted by the end of it.

In the past when we visited a city for a day we would always try to run from one place to the next, trying to cram in all of the sights without ever allowing ourselves the opportunity to enjoy them.

That being said there is a still a lot you can squeeze into a day in Seville without feeling like the whole thing was a blur in the end.

Where to stay in Seville – at a glance

Where you choose to stay in Seville will largely come down to the type of trip you would like to have and budget.

If you only have a day in Seville, we would always recommend booking a hotel as central as possible to avoid losing time getting to and from key attractions.

That being said, Seville is a very walkable city so you will never be a million miles away from the action whichever area you ultimately choose to stay in but these are our top three:

• Barrio Santa Cruz – This is where you will find most of the cities best attractions like La Giralda, Seville Cathedral and La Real Alcazar. Perfect central base with lots to do. Our favourite hotel in Barrio Santa Cruz is Hotel Rey Alfonso X.
• Triana – This is a more traditional area slightly out from the centre renowned for its Flamenco and Tapas, perfect if you want somewhere with a really local feel to your stay. Our favourite hotel in Triana is Cavalta Boutique
• El Arenal – This is one of the most lively parts of Seville and sits right along the river. El Arenal is a short walk to Plaza España and great for someone looking to enjoy nightlife as part of their stay. Our favourite hotel in El Arenal is Melia Sevilla

Our top picks for things to do in Seville

There are so many great things to do in Seville and the great thing is that most of our favourites are completely free.

If you only have a day in Seville we would always recommend doing something that captures the local experience and there is nothing more authentically Andalusian than taking in the Flamenco at Casa de la Memoria or else a Tapas tour.

The other thing that you will be spoiled for choice with in seville is stunning architecture. We would recommend visiting Casa de Pilatos, la Real Alcazar, La Giralda, Seville Cathedral, Torre del Oro, Las Setas and Palacio de las Dueñas.

Equally as important in Seville is their food. To get the true local experience, make sure to try some Tapas at either Bar Alfalfa or Rinconcello and definitely go get some churros at Bar el Commercio.

1 day Seville Itinerary

Morning – Plaza España

If we could only choose one place to tell you to go to in Seville it would be the Plaza España, so naturally, the perfect day in Seville should start here.

If you are a coffee drinker, grab a coffee at Moin cafe to start the day before taking the 15 minute walk over to the Plaza.

The Plaza itself set in Maria Luisa Park, which has huge grounds to walk around in before spending some time in the main square itself.

Generally speaking we would recommend visiting the Plaza closer to sunset if you have more time in Seville but if you only have one day this is the approach we would choose.

The Plaza is lined with beautiful tile mosaics representing the different regions of Spain and is centred by a small canal.

We rented row boats while we were there which you can do for €6 and casually take in the views of the stunning building surrounding the canal.

Afternoon – Real Alcazar; Giralda & Barrio Santa Cruz

You will likely have built up an appetite from exploring the Plaza España, so as you head into the afternoon we would recommend getting some lunch.

Seville is renowned for its Tapas dishes, small bitesized portions perfect for a sociable meal and the one place that came up and time and time again when we searched for the best tapas in Seville was a small bar called Bar Alfalfa.

Getting tapas here is the quintessential local experience in small cozy setting. We particularly liked the croquetas and brusquetas here but there are lots of options to choose from on the menu.

The great thing with tapas is that even if you don’t like a dish, they are small enough and cheap enough that it won’t ruin your overall experience.

After you have eaten we would recommend taking a walk around our favourite area of the city, Barrio Santa Cruz. This neighbourhood is where you will find lots of great locals bars & restaurants, it is full of great café’s and shops so it is where we tended to use as a base for most of our days in the city.

While we were in the area, we took this great tour of la Giralda and La Real Alcazar. The thing that will immediately hit you in Seville is the North African influence on their architecture and these are two of the places that is most on show.

The tour was one of the highlights of our trip and the great thing with this, particularly if you only have a day in Seville, is that it includes skip the line access so you aren’t wasting time waiting around on your visit.

There was something unique about each of these locations, at the Cathedral we learned a bit about Christopher Columbus’ tomb; La Giralda has incredible views from the top and Real Alcazar is UNESCO listed and one of the most picturesque photo spots in the city.

Evening – Las Setas & Dinner

Our favourite place to spend an evening in Seville is around Las Setas. For us, Las Setas is one of the best places to catch the sunset in the city, there is a great atmosphere around the area and you will often see people playing music etc. on the street.

We took the rooftop walk of Las Setas and we would highly recommend doing that as well. It isn’t overly expensive and gives you great views overlooking the city.

Naturally, the sunset time slots tends to be the most popular so we would recommend booking these times in advance to avoid missing out.

Once the sun sets the buildings lights up in multiple colours and creates a real spectacle around the area, perfect for visitors of any age.

There are also some great restaurants and bars around this area which make it perfect for a night out in Seville.

Two of our favourite dinner options in this area are less than a minute from Las Setas so you can still enjoy the views while you have your dinner.

First up you could try Nudo, a modern restaurant that serves lots of local dishes and has a really beautiful interior.

Alternatively, literally two doors down you could try La Malvaloca, which is a modern Spanish tapas restaurant and wine bar. Of the two we would lean slightly towards La Malvaloca overall but two great options to enjoy the lights with your dinner.

After you have dinner, we would recommend you skip dessert and instead take a 5 minute walk to Bar El Commercio to enjoy one of Seville’s traditional sweet streets, churros.

Churros are basically donut style sticks of batter that you dip into a melted chocolate sauce (so they’re obviously ‘low calorie’) but well worth it and the perfect way to end your day in Seville.