7 Amazing things to do in Seville for first time visitors

We have just returned from a trip to Seville and we are already making plans to go back and explore Andalusia again.

Seville is possibly the most underrated city break in Western Europe, or at least in Spain. Often overshadowed by it’s more high profile siblings in Madrid and Barcelona, but Seville offers the best of both.

The city gets great weather (albeit too hot for our liking during peak summer months); it is the spiritual home of Spain’s tapas culture and its historical links to Morocco mean it has a unique style woven into its architecture as well.

The best things to do in Seville are also either free or fairly inexpensive compared to other major cities which is an added bonus.

You could spend an entire day at the Plaza de España without spending a penny; walk around Santa Catalina to enjoy the colorful streets and admire the lights at Las Setas from the outside without dipping into your budget.

Seville is also a very walkable city so we found it very easy to explore the best things to do there without feeling like we were in a rush at all.

Where to stay in Seville

We have a more detailed guide on the best areas to stay in Seville but ultimately the city is quite compact so it will come down more to choice of hotel rather than location.

That being said you can get a more authentic feel for the city in areas like Triana or else take the safe option around Alfalfa and Santa Catalina to make sure you have easy walking distance access to the main attractions.

We stayed close to Santa Catalina on our last visit to Seville and would recommend it as we felt we could stay out late in the heart of the city knowing we were within walking distance of our hotel.

If you are only spending a few days in Seville, we would recommend staying as centrally as possible to get the most out of your stay.

• 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

1 – Plaza de España at Sunset

If you can only do one thing in Palma, make it this one. The Plaza de España is found in Santa Maria Luisa park and is definitely one of the best places to enjoy the sunset in Seville.

We visited the Plaza de España twice during our trip to Seville, once during the day and once at sunset and can definitely say it is a better experience at sunset.

The fading light against the orange facade of the main buildings is a perfect photo opportunity and as we visited in June, we found the heat much more manageable in the evening time.

You can also rent a row boat and have a casual boat ride around the canal running through the Plaza. The row boat rental costs €6 for 35 minutes and was one of the standout experiences of our time in Seville.

After you leave the main Plaza area, there are also a couple of bars dotted around the main entrance to the park so you can stop off for a drink or something to eat on your way back to the city centre.

2 – Las Setas Rooftop Walk

Another must do experience in Seville is to do the rooftop walk along Las Setas.

Las Setas are the largest wooden structures in the World and offer one of the best panoramic views of Seville in the city from the rooftop, while you will also find ancient Roman ruins in the underground area.

Tickets for Las Setas start at around 15 euro per person and from April to October you can still access it up until 1am. One thing to be mindful of is that the tickets for Las Setas around the time of sunset and thereafter tend to sell out much sooner than other options.

With that we would recommend booking your tickets well in advance to make sure you are actually taking the tour while the lights display is taking place.

If you book the tickets for roughly 10-20 minutes before sunset that will allow you to enjoy both the sunset views of the city and the lights display after dark which is perfect.

If you don’t want to pay for the boardwalk experience but still want to enjoy the view, make a reservation at the rooftop bar at the Abba Sevilla hotel where you will get to enjoy the view and a nice setting for a drink as well.

3 – La Real Alcazar

One of the highlights of our last trip to Seville, was this guided tour of the Alcazar and La Giralda.

For us, this was a must do activity as these are some of the most unique places in the city and give you a real sense for the history of Seville.

As well as that, they are both beautiful places to capture some nice photos, with the Alcazar in particular having so many stunning archways running through it, as well as the water feature running through the centre.

For Game of Thrones fans, the courtyards here were also used as a filming location for the series so you can enjoy a nostalgic window into the show’s history.

Equally, La Giralda has beautiful views looking out on to the city that you will struggle to match from any other vantage point.

This tour is great if you are only in Seville for a couple of days especially, as the skip the line tickets mean you won’t have to waste any time waiting around at each of the locations.

4 – Go on a Tapas crawl

In some cultures, you will have heard of going on a bar crawl (especially where I am from). But in Seville, we would recommend taking advantage of of their greatest exports, tapas.

If you would prefer not to take a guided tapas tour, then there are two standout places that we would recommend visiting to enjoy a proper tapas experience.

The first is Rinconcillo, which is where tapas originated and is recognised as one of the oldest bars in the world, having opened in 1670.

Our next suggestion would be one of Seville’s most popular tapas spots, Bar Alfalfa. This is possibly the most renowned tapas spot in the city and it is quite small inside so naturally, it feels busy all the time.

One thing we would point out is that many of these tapas spots are very compact, meaning it is a) difficult to get a spot at times and b) in our case, a bit of a nightmare to visit while you are pushing a pram/stroller around.

If you want to fully immerse yourself in the local traditions in Seville, then you will definitely enjoy this tapas and sangria class.

This was such a cool and relaxed way to learn about tapas and bring a few new skills back home with us, something we love having as a way to relive a trip when we get back.

We learned how to make some paella Valenciana, as well as cod fritters and garlic prawns during the class, so as well as picking up a few new skills to show off, we were pretty stuffed with food on the night itself.

5 – Churros at Bar El Comercio

Carrying on the food theme, the next local tradition that is a must for an after dinner treat is to get some churros.

Churros are essentially long donut like sticks that you dip into melted chocolate. I first had them almost twenty years ago and make a point of having them every time I am in this region.

If you only get time to have churros once in Seville, then we would recommend going to Bar el Comercio.

We actually missed out Bar El Comercio the last time we were in Seville. We saved going there until our last day, only to discover it was closed that day for the Corpus Christi festival, it was devastating.

Luckily, there are lots of great alternative spots you can check out as well like La Calenteria so you won’t end up disappointed.

6 – See a Flamenco Show

No trip to Seville would be complete without going to see a live flamenco show.

Seville is the birthplace of the flamenco, so you will see references to it throughout the city but seeing it live and up close will take your breath away.

There are lots of great laces to go and see a show but our favourite was at Tablao Flamenco Las Setas.

We paid €50 for a premium ticket but that included premium seats, a cocktail and a selection of tapas as well. You can get general admission tickets for €38 which excludes the tapas and kids from 3 to 16 cost €20.

The show lasts an hour and it is full on for the entire time. If you are only in Seville for a day or two we would recommend getting an evening ticket for this, followed by dinner at La Malvaloca and then the rooftop walk for the light show on Las Setas.

You can also find lots of great shows around the Triana and Santa Catalina areas, so again, if you miss out on your first preference, there are lots of alternatives on offer.

7 – Spend a morning in Barrio Santa Cruz

Barrio Santa Cruz is the heart of the city and where we based ourselves for our last visit to Seville.

This area is perfect for spending a relaxing morning or evening casually taking in the sights as the city starts to come to life.

Barrio Santa Cruz is a blend of colourful shopfronts and white washed buildings, narrow cobblestone streets and lively

This is the area where we found ourselves most often in Seville and the one that will connect you to the other main areas of the city.

We spent every morning strolling around this area with a coffee from Moin or Jester, before making our way towards La Giralda and the Cathedral area.

If you are looking for a central base to use in Seville, then this is the best area to stay in the city, particularly if you are visiting for the first time.