3 days in Seville: A complete Seville itinerary for first time visitors

Seville, pronounced as suh·vil, is a city in South Spain in the Andalusia region. It is very well known for its magnificent architecture, rich history and beautiful gardens. The historic neighborhoods and the lively atmosphere have always attracted tourists and it’s on the bucket list for many travelers. My husband and I visited Seville for 3 days in November as part of our 14 days trip to Spain. We covered a few other cities as well and Seville was our second stop after Madrid. This blog aims to provide you with our detailed Seville itinerary to help you plan your perfect vacation. 

Because Seville has a lot to explore and enjoy, 3 days is not really enough in my opinion. But that’s all the time we had so we planned this trip meticulously to make sure that we were able to pack as much as possible in these 3 days. So, if you plan well you can still do a lot in 3 days.

So, let’s jump right into our itinerary!

DAY 1 

9:00 AM – Breakfast

We started our day with a nice breakfast at a cafe called Biomio. The reason we picked this cafe was because it was a short walk from the Real Alcazar which was our first stop for the day. Also, this cafe is well rated on Google. Their coffee was good so I would recommend this if you’re going to be visiting the Real Alcazar because it’s a 4-minutes walk from there.

10:00 AM – Real Alcázar (Must do on your Seville itinerary)

The Real Alcazar is a royal palace in Seville and is one of the best historical sites in the city. This has to be on the top of your list. This palace was declared a UNESCO World heritage site in 1987. It has Moorish and Christian influences and is built using brick, metal, wood, plaster and tile. One of the best parts of this palace is its beautiful, lush green and huge gardens. The day that we went on was a perfectly sunny day so these gardens looked even more beautiful. So I would recommend checking the weather before visiting. Try to schedule it on a sunny day to get the best experience.

Because it is one of the top tourist destinations, it gets very busy as the day progresses. So, I would also recommend making advance reservations online. Here’s the link to book your tickets and I would recommend taking the audio guide option. You don’t need to carry your headphones for the audio guide because that will be provided in the palace. Also, food and drinks are not allowed inside the palace so don’t carry anything with you. There is a cafe inside for coffee and small bites. The palace is huge and you will be walking a lot so dress comfortably and wear a comfortable pair of shoes. Allow at least 2-3 hours to tour the whole palace.

A fun fact – Some parts of this palace such as the Ambassadors’ Hall, Mercury’s Pool, the Baths of Maria de Padilla, and the gardens were used as filming locations for the famous series Game of Thrones. So, be sure to check these out if you’re a fan of the series.

1:00 PM – Lunch

There are a lot of places to eat outside the palace and we picked an Italian place called L’Oca Giuliva. Their pasta and wine options were great so I would recommend this place if you’re in the mood for a nice Italian meal.

2:30 PM – Cathedral of Seville

After lunch, we made our way to the Cathedral Of Seville which is just a 2-minutes walk from the royal palace. This church was also declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1987. It’s a huge cathedral and has such beautiful architecture outside and inside. It also has a very interesting history in that it was a mosque originally but was converted into a church by the Christians that conquered Seville. There are a lot of beautiful religious artworks inside the church that you can enjoy as well. In this church you will also find an amazing statue of the Tomb of Christopher Columbus being carried by rulers of 4 kingdoms.

Here is the link to all the ticket options and for this as well I would recommend booking an audio guide. After exploring the church, head over to La Giralda which is a bell tower of the church. We had to climb 35 floors to get to the top of the tower but the breathtaking views at the top made it worth it. It took us around 2 hours to finish the whole tour.

5:00 PM – El Arenal

El Arenal is a very traditional neighborhood in Seville and is at a walking distance from the cathedral. It is located between the cathedral and the Guadalquivir River. So, once you’re done exploring the cathedral you can walk down here and enjoy the vibe. It’s a very busy tourist area and also very lively. We grabbed coffee and spent some time just walking around and soaking in the ambience. We also walked up to the riverwalk and the Torre del Oro tower. We climbed up the tower and saw a beautiful sunset.

7:00 PM – Dinner and drinks

From the tower, you can walk up to the other side of the river through the bridge as there are a lot of great bars and restaurants here. So spend some time in these bars and sip on the delicious Sangrias to end the day.

DAY 2

9:00 AM – Breakfast

We started our second day with a nice breakfast and coffee at the Jester Cafe. As with all other cafes, their coffee was amazing so I would recommend giving this place a try.

9:30 AM – Italica Tour

The first half of our second day was all about exploring Italica. Italica is the oldest Roman city on the Iberian peninsula and has been declared a world heritage site. Seville has a lot of Roman ruins in different parts of the city but Italica is one of the most impressive ones. It has also been used as a filming location for the series Game of Thrones. If you want to get a glimpse of the Roman way of life, I would recommend adding this tour to your list.

Italica is just outside the city of Seville so you can book a guided tour from Get Your Guide. Here’s the link to our tour. This was a guided group tour so we were picked up by the tour company from a common meeting point and then driven to Italica in the bus. There are around 3-4 pickup points so you can choose your pickup from the point closest to your hotel. The drive was about 30 minutes to Italica where we spent about an hour and a half. Our second stop was the Monastery of San Isidoro del Campo which was also a great place to see.

An important tip on visiting Italica – It’s completely outdoor so make sure to carry a water bottle, sunglasses and a hat. If you’re going in the winter months, plan to dress in layers as it can be a bit chilly and windy. And wear a comfortable pair of shoes as there’s a lot of walking involved.

2:00 PM – Lunch

We got back from the tour around 2:00 PM and made our way to the Santa Catalina neighborhood. This is a very nice neighborhood with a lot of architecture and nice restaurants. So we stopped here for lunch at a nice vegan restaurant called Ringo Banana. This restaurant has the best homemade peanut butter I have ever tasted and their veggie burger was also delicious.

3:00 PM – Walk around Santa Catalina neighborhood

After lunch, we just strolled around the neighborhood. Because it was a Saturday, it was bustling with crowds and was very lively. There are also many local shops so you can shop and explore if you’d like.

5:00 PM – Metropol Parasol

This is a very popular tourist attraction so it should be on your list. The Metropol Parasol is basically a huge wooden structure designed by a German architect named Jürgen Mayer. The structure looks like a mushroom and is known as Las Setas de la Encarnación. If you want to go up to the top to get the views you will need to buy tickets. It’s a great way to enjoy the sunset and also get great views of the city center. We just hung out at a bar right below this structure and sipped on Sangrias while marveling at this beautiful structure. The Sangrias we had at the bar were some of the best ones I have ever had so I would highly recommend grabbing a table at the bar and trying a Sangria.

7:00 PM – Opera

A traditional opera typically is organized in a theater setting. However, the opera that we booked was in an outdoor setting in Palacio De Las Dueñas which is a historical palace. That was one of the reasons why we wanted to see this opera because it was something different. The opera is based on a very famous story of “Carmen” by Bizet and it took place in the courtyard of this palace. It doesn’t happen all year round and there are only a few calendared dates when this Opera takes place in this palace. We got lucky in that the day we were in Seville was the opening show so we were able to attend.

Here’s a link to check the show availability and book tickets. Make sure to check the available dates and plan accordingly. We booked a 7 PM show and had to get there 15 minutes before the show started. Since it’s in a patio setting, it was really cold so we made sure to dress in layers. The show lasted for about 75 minutes and it was amazing.

9:00 PM – Dinner

For dinner, we tried a famous Tapas bar in the area called El Rinconcillo which was a 3-minutes walk from the Opera. It’s well rated on Google and has a lot of Tapas options to choose from. It’s a good bar to enjoy some nice tapas and drinks.

DAY 3

10:00 AM – Barrio Santa Cruz

We started our day exploring the Barrio Santa Cruz neighborhood. It’s an old Jewish quarter with narrow alleyways and streets that you can wander about. These narrow streets lined with colored houses are just beautiful to look at. There are also some old churches and little squares with fountains or statues that you can stop and look at. You can also grab breakfast here as there are many good cafes in the area. Some interesting places to stop and look at are – Rosina’s balcony, Callejón del Agua or Water Alley and Jardines de Murillo or Murillo Garden.

12:00 PM – Plaza de España (Must do on your Seville itinerary)

Next, we made our way to the very famous Plaza de España which is another must-do in Seville. I had read a few blogs that recommended this place so I added it to our Seville itinerary but had no idea what to expect. And, man oh man! I was left awestruck when we got here. I don’t think there is a single word that can describe the beauty and grandeur of this place. 

It is, undoubtedly, one of the most magnificent plazas in Europe. Along with the Real Alcázar, it should be at the top of your list of the best things to do in Seville. It’s a huge semi-circular plaza with stunning architecture and was built in 1928. There’s a huge fountain in the center, an emerald green canal that runs along the perimeter and colorful bridges. There are also tap dance performances that take place in the center of the plaza that you can enjoy for free. Allow at least 1-2 hours to spend time here.

The below pictures will show you what I mean! 

2:00 PM – Lunch

After having the best time at the Plaza de España, we made our way to lunch at the Bollywood Indian Restaurant. This place also has really good ratings on Google and their food and service were really good. So if you like Indian food, this place is worth checking out.

3:00 PM – Parque de María Luisa

This is a beautiful public park and is Seville’s largest green space that sits by the Guadalquivir river. This park is spread over 100 acres and strolling through it was one of my best moments of the day. The lush green flora, the beautiful fountains and the artistic buildings were a delight to look at. Because we went here on a Sunday it was quite crowded with families having their picnics, kids playing around and tourists like us enjoying the atmosphere. So, it’s a great way to spend some time in nature after a nice lunch.

Fun fact – We also saw a lot of orange trees in this park and just in general everywhere in the city. There were orange trees lined along the public pathways as well. One of our tour guides told us that Spain sends these oranges every year to the Royal family in Britain where they’re used to make marmalade.

5:00 PM – Train to Granada

We visited Seville as part of our 14 day trip to Spain and our next stop was Granada. Seville was such a magical city that it will always be close to my heart. We had such a great time here and there was just so much to see and do. By the end of these 3 days we were tired but our hearts were so full with all the beautiful experiences this city gave us.

And that’s all as far as this 3-day Seville itinerary goes. I hope you found it useful! If you’re planning to visit other cities in Spain as well, don’t forget to check out my other blogs on this link. This link provides detailed itineraries on other top tourist destinations in Spain like Madrid, Granada and Barcelona.