My name is Vladi and I’m a Slovak girl based in Spain. Thanks for reading my article on the best things to see and do in Seville! I grew up in a small village near Trencin, a city in the west of Slovakia. After my first year at the uni in Bratislava, I decided to travel abroad on my own for the first time.
Since I was studying Spanish and literature, I thought Spain would be a great destination. I spent one summer there and fell in love. After a few years of long distance relationship, I finished my studies and decided to move to Spain. Later, I got married and with my husband we started going on little trips around Spain and also other countries in Europe. That is how I discovered my passion for travel and discovering new places.
My trip to Seville was for only one weekend. Indeed, it was a short trip but we tried to explore as much of the city as we possibly could. I decided to visit Seville for several different reasons. The first big reason was having seen hundreds of beautiful pictures on Instagram. I was also aware of how important Seville is in Spanish culture, both nationally and internationally.
Last but not least, I was looking for great locations in Spain in order to create content for my Instagram and I was sure Seville with its cultural and architectural heritage would certainly be a success with my followers.
My first impressions of the city were fantastic. We visited Seville at the beginning of October, and the weather was still hot and sunny (although we got rain on our second day). The neighborhood where we stayed had lots of spectacular houses in a style typical of southern Spain and gardens full of beautiful flowers, so even before heading into the historic centre we could already feel the atmosphere of Andalucia that people love so much.
My Favorite Spot in Seville: Plaza de Espana
The two places that I enjoyed the most in Seville were Plaza de Espana and Real Alcazar de Sevilla. If I really had to choose one, I would go with Plaza de Espana. First of all, the size of it is absolutely insane – the square is huge! Secondly, the architecture left me speechless – the amount of detail is truly outstanding. One could spend literally hours there admiring the details.
My favorite parts of the plaza were the tiled alcoves representing the different provinces in Spain. I have lived in Valladolid for over the last 10 years and it’s my adopted hometown, so naturally I felt excited to find it amongst the many beautiful alcoves. I also enjoyed looking for those other alcoves of the other towns in Castilla y Leon, especially Segovia and Soria.
7 Amazing Things To Do in Seville
On my Instagram page I actually shared a list of the top 7 places that everyone should visit in Seville. However, I wasn’t able to explore all of them myself due to the lack of time. I couldn’t visit the last two places on my list, but still I believe that all of them are must-see sights in the city of Seville.
- Explore Plaza de Espana: Its size, architecture and the tiled alcoves representing the provinces of Spain – all of it is just incredible!
- Visit Real Alcazar de Seville: Palaces and courtyards built in the Moorish architectural style, royal gardens and orchards full of flowers and fountains – this is another extraordinary place to visit in Seville.
- Check out Catedral de Sevilla and La Giralda: Catedral de Sevilla is the biggest cathedral in Spain and one of the largest (and most impressive) churches in the world, while La Giralda stands at a height of 104 meters.
- Admire the Beauty of Plaza de Cabildo: A quiet and secluded square in the middle of the city which comes in the form of a semicircle shape, adorned with beautiful balconies painted with lots of colorful details.
- Head to Las Setas Viewpoint: For some of the best views of the city!
- Capture Torre del Oro: A tower on the banks of the Guadalquivir River.
- Marvel at Casa de Pilatos: Similarly to Real Alcazar de Sevilla, you can admire palaces in the Moorish style with colorful tiles and gardens.
Friendly Faces & Phenomenal Food
As we only spent one weekend in Seville, we didn’t get the chance to meet locals or go to events. However, we did experience the essence of a typical Andalusian city just by walking the streets. In Seville people dance, sing, sit and enjoy tapas with wine or sangria and take things slow. The streets are bustling with visitors and the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly.
The food is also epic in Seville. We had two meals here and enjoyed both of them. I would recommend going for tapas, so that one can share and try several different things at the same time. We loved all the tapas that we ordered but our favourite was definitely “solomillo al whiskey”.
Where to Base Yourself in Seville
We stayed at a hotel next to Plaza de Espana in Seville and we absolutely loved the location. I recommend staying as close to the historic centre as possible. We were happy that at the end of the day we didn’t need to walk a very long distance or use public transport to get to our hotel.
I also recommend checking out Airbnb’s because the prices are quite reasonable, and many of them are beautiful and very well located. In order to have more options to choose from, it’s important to book in advance.
Personal Best Experiences in Seville
As I said before, the greatest experience for me in Seville was exploring the extraordinary Plaza de Espana and its beautiful tiled alcoves. As someone who has lived in Spain for many years and visited many places around here, I felt excited to look for some of my favorite cities and see how they were represented. And the cherry on the cake was of course finding my city.
Another one of my favorite things was seeing the display of antique tiles and tableware in Real Alcazar de Sevilla. I love tiles and there were so many beautiful ones to see. But the most “wow” moment in Real Alcazar de Sevilla was walking into The Wall of Ambassadors and looking up at the ceiling. I promise that it’s a sight that will leave no visitor feeling indifferent.
Need to Know Before you Go
- For visitors interested in exploring Real Alcazar de Sevilla (or any other sights), I suggest purchasing tickets online to avoid long queues. I also recommend going when it first opens in the morning or at around 2pm (lunchtime in Spain). We went around 11am and it was really crowded.
- Seville can be unbearably hot in the summer and in spring there are several festivities going on, so I think that fall and winter are the best seasons. There will be fewer people and the weather is still pleasant.
- I think that it would be best to spend at least 3 or 4 days in the city in order to explore everything without rushing too much. Visitors should also set aside a couple of hours for each of these places inside the city itself: Plaza de Espana, Real Alcazar de Sevilla and Casa de Pilatos.