What to do in Seville: 15 must-sees, from the Giralda to Triana

Saint Mary's Cathedral was built in the 15th century on the site of the great Almohad mosque; it is one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in the world. Inside, the gilded altarpiece of the Capilla Mayor and the tomb of Christopher Columbus, carried by four heralds, hold most visitors' attention.

The Giralda, the mosque's former minaret that became a bell tower after the Christian conquest, is climbed by a series of ramps, with no steps, up to the bell terrace and its view over the roofs of Santa Cruz. The ticket (€13 online, €14 at the ticket office in 2026) also covers the church of El Salvador.

The Alcázar is a royal palace founded in the Umayyad period and reworked for more than a thousand years. Its heart, the Mudéjar palace of Peter I of Castile (1364), combines stucco, wooden ceilings and azulejos made by Muslim craftsmen for a Christian king; the Courtyard of the Maidens is its most photographed space.

The gardens, with their pools, orange trees and the Grutesco gallery, take almost as long as the rooms. The general ticket costs €15.50 in 2026 (€8 reduced); the upper floor of the Cuartos Reales is an extra €5.50.

Plaza de España was built from 1914 to 1928 by the architect Aníbal González for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition. Its huge half-circle of brick and ceramics, in the Andalusian Regionalist style, opens onto María Luisa Park.

At the foot of the façades, azulejo benches depict the Spanish provinces, each with its map and a scene from its history. A canal runs along the square, crossed by four bridges, and you can hire a rowing boat on it.

Santa Cruz, Seville's former Jewish quarter, is a maze of white lanes between the cathedral, the Alcázar and the Murillo gardens. Flower-filled patios can be glimpsed behind iron gates, and small squares, Doña Elvira, Santa Cruz or Los Venerables, punctuate the walk.

The quarter is also full of tapas bars and ceramics shops. You wander it freely on foot, ideally after leaving the Alcázar, one of whose gates opens onto Plaza de la Alianza.

The General Archive of the Indies occupies the former Lonja, the merchants' exchange built at the end of the 16th century to plans by Juan de Herrera, between the cathedral and the Alcázar. Since 1785 it has held the records of the Spanish administration of the Americas and the Philippines.

Inside you see the great marble staircase, the galleries with mahogany shelving and exhibitions of maps and manuscripts. Together with the cathedral and the Alcázar, it forms the ensemble inscribed by UNESCO in 1987.

The bullring of the Real Maestranza de Caballería, beside the Guadalquivir, was built in masonry between 1761 and 1881, making it one of the oldest in Spain. Its white and ochre façade, oval ring and arcaded galleries are typical of Sevillian Baroque.

A guided tour takes you into the stands, the bullfighters' chapel and the bullfighting museum, without attending a bullfight. Bullfights, which are controversial, take place mainly during the April Fair.

The Torre del Oro is a twelve-sided Almohad tower, raised in the 13th century on the bank of the Guadalquivir to control access to the port. A chain stretched to a twin tower on the far bank then closed the river to ships.

Today it houses Seville's small naval museum, with charts, models and navigation instruments, and a terrace looking out over Triana and the Maestranza. Entry is cheap.

The Metropol Parasol, nicknamed "Las Setas" (the mushrooms), is a wooden structure by the German architect Jürgen Mayer, opened in 2011 on Plaza de la Encarnación. Its six parasols shelter a market, a raised square and, underground, the Antiquarium with its Roman remains uncovered during construction.

At the top, a walkway circles the parasols with a 360° view over the city. The ticket covers the viewpoint, the "Feeling Sevilla" experience and, after dark, the Aurora light show.

Casa de Pilatos is a 15th and 16th-century palace built by the Enríquez de Ribera family and later passed to the Dukes of Medinaceli, whose foundation runs it today. It blends Mudéjar, Gothic and Italian Renaissance around a large courtyard of azulejos and ancient statues.

On the ground floor you walk through the main courtyard, the rooms with wooden ceilings, the Chapel of the Flagellation and the gardens. The upper floor, with its paintings and furniture, can only be seen on a guided tour.

The Paseo de Cristóbal Colón follows the east bank of the Guadalquivir, from the Torre del Oro past the Maestranza bullring to the Triana bridge. On the far bank, Calle Betis lines up Triana's colourful façades and their terraces.

The route is flat, shaded in places and lined by a cycle lane. Cruise boats leave from the quay near the Torre del Oro.

Triana, on the west bank of the Guadalquivir, is the old quarter of potters, sailors and the Roma families who shaped Sevillian flamenco. You enter it by the Isabel II bridge, known as the Triana bridge (1852), which leads straight to the covered market.

Triana market stands on the site of the Castle of San Jorge, seat of the Inquisition, whose remains can be visited underground. Around it, the ceramics workshops of Calle Alfarería and the bars of Calle Betis define the district.

Casa de la Memoria is a tablao set in an old house on Calle Cuna, in central Seville. Shows take place in an intimate courtyard: singing, guitar and dance a few metres from the audience.

Every evening, Sevillian artists take turns in a programme that changes regularly. It is a good choice for a restrained flamenco, with no dinner or tourist frills.

Aire de Sevilla is a contemporary bathhouse set in an old palace on Calle Aire, on the edge of Santa Cruz. These are not historic baths: the circuit is inspired by Arab baths, with hot, warm and cold pools, a hammam and a saltwater bath.

The lighting is dim and the number of bathers is limited in each slot. You can add a massage when booking; it is a welcome break after a day of sightseeing in summer.

María Luisa Park is named after Infanta María Luisa Fernanda, Duchess of Montpensier, who gave these gardens to the city in 1893. It was redesigned for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition, from which it keeps pavilions, fountains and ceramic benches.

Its shaded paths link Plaza de España, to the north-east, with Plaza de América, to the south, home to the archaeological museum and the museum of popular arts and customs. It is the coolest place in the city in the afternoon.

Lebrija Palace, on Calle Cuna, is a 16th-century mansion bought in the early 20th century by the Countess of Lebrija, who gathered her archaeological collection there. Its floors are covered with Roman mosaics, several of them from the Roman city of Itálica, north of Seville.

The main courtyard, the azulejos and the Mudéjar ceilings can be seen on the ground floor; the upper floor, with the countess's apartments, library and furniture, only opens on a guided tour.