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How to Get to Seville

If you follow my itinerary, you will be arriving from Granada, which is a popular route a lot of travelers choose since the two cities are so close to one another. You can either take the bus or train but I found the bus to be cheaper. When planning our trip around Spain, we found GoEuro to be the most useful website when comparing departure times and prices from across multiple bus and train companies.

If you plan on taking the train, you can do so from Madrid, Barcelona and most other major Spanish cities. Trains are operated by Renfe and can be booked on their own site or Rail Europe, which is more user-friendly for non-Spanish credit card holders.

Itinerary: Top Things to do in Seville

Day 1

We took a 3-hour bus ride from Granada to Seville and arrived mid-morning. Unfortunately, it was Christmas morning so everything was closed! Plus, it was raining so we were confined to only indoor activities. So keep that in mind if you plan to come over the Christmas break or winter as it does rain quite a bit during this period. We spent the rest of the day walking around trying to find luggage storage that would stay open past 10pm as our bus was leaving Seville for Lisbon at midnight the next day. If you’re having problems storing your luggage, read on to find out how we managed to solve this problem.

So let’s get started with the sights of Seville!

Stroll down Guadalquivir River

In the evening, we walked down the Guadalquivir which is a river that cuts through Seville, and is so romantic, especially during sunset.  And this is where I realized I was in love. With Seville. We walked to Torre del Oro where we met our tour guide for our Free Walking Tour with Heart of Sevilla Free Tours. Again, I love my free tours! They have a range of tours to choose from but we loved their night Triana Bridge tour. We were taken across the Triana Bridge and got to explore an entirely different side of Seville!

• Overnight: Pensión Las Setas (€38 per night)

This is a quiet little boutique hotel with a handful of rooms located within walking distance to Metropol Parasol. The room was clean and pleasant and even had a little balcony. The only drawback was that they don’t have luggage storage which caused us to hunt around the city for a place to leave our bags. More on that later!

Compare prices: Agoda | Booking.com | Tripadvisor

Day 2

Visit the Martells at The Real Alcázar

So today we channeled our inner Martells and visited Dorne. Or in the real world, better known as Real Alcázar.  I was super excited to visit this palace as it was used as the set of Dorne in Game of Thrones!

The Real Alcázar is a royal Mudéjar palace originally built by the Moorish empire. It’s the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s said to have been modeled after the Alhambra in Granada so these two palaces are often put in comparison. Alcázar is often to referred to the ‘smaller Alhambra’ so is it still worth a visit if you’ve seen or are going to see the Alhambra? Absolutely, this is definitely one of the top things to do in Seville.

General admission is €9.50. It’s not as difficult to get tickets as for the Alhambra (you’ll need to book way in advance for the Alhambra!), but that might not be the case in Summer. When we arrived at noon, there was already a snaking queue in the front of the entrance to get tickets. We quickly jumped online to purchase our tickets electronically and got them immediately, and zoomed right past the long queue! Helps to have data so you can do as we did 🙂

If we could’ve done it differently, we would probably have loved a guided tour so we could learn about the rich history of this palace.

Nevertheless, we had heaps of fun looking for Game of Thrones locations throughout the grounds of the palace. Check these out!

Row a boat through Seville’s Spanish Square

Just a short walk away from Real Alcázar is Plaza de España, that I greatly underestimated! For shame. Coming from Granada, I wasn’t expecting much from a ‘plaza’ because Granada’s very own Plaza Nueva was a tad disappointing as it was essentially just a large open area lined with shops. So,  Plaza de España wasn’t high on my list but decided to go anyway since it was so close to the Alcázar and we had some time to kill. Man, was I blown away!

Plaza de España is huge, and the grandeur of the complex really leaves you in awe. Known as ‘the Venice of Seville’, there’s also a canal running through it where you can row your own boat! No singing gondoliers here though.

It was certainly one of my favorite spots in Seville which made me fall deeper in love with this magnificent city.

Visit the world’s largest Gothic cathedral

Walking back up towards our hotel, we stopped by the ever-famous Seville Cathedral, where Christopher Columbus’ body is believed to be buried. It costs €8 for both the Cathedral and Giralda tower, where you can get a bird’s eye view of Seville. Psst! Visit on Sundays for free!

Catch the sunset on Seville’s iconic mushrooms

Mushrooms? What? Another 10 minutes walk takes you to Metropol Parasol, locally known as Las Setas, or ‘The Mushrooms’. You can take the elevator up for just €3 and watch the sunset on Seville–something not to be missed. Tickets can be bought in the basement next to the Antiquarium. Make sure to time your arrival properly as there can be quite a queue especially during sunset! We probably waited about 20 minutes in line, so I would suggest arriving at least 30 minutes before sunset to be safe!

Once here, you’ll probably see the prettiest sunset ever…  At least that’s what we thought. We couldn’t stop wow-ing every few seconds because it was just so breathtaking, especially when they light up the monuments around the city. Residents of Seville find this sculpture a real eye-sore but I actually find it to be so pretty! And very photogenic, as you can see!

Well, you gotta have tapas in Seville

For dinner, we headed to a very famous Tapas bar, Taberna Coloniales recommended by our tour guide. We waited about 45 minutes for our table cause they were just that popular. After that, we planned to go for a free Flamenco show close by but because we waited so long for our table, we had to leave for the bus station! If you can spare the time, I’d definitely recommend checking out La Carboneria. You’ll just need to buy a drink or maybe some snacks, and you’ll get a free flamenco show! It’s way less touristy.

What we missed

Barrio Santa Cruz

We probably did walk through this neighborhood when we were walking past Seville Cathedral, but I wish we had more time to wander around the streets and try some tapas bars or cafes. We could have definitely done it on day one if it wasn’t Christmas and shops weren’t closed. This is something you should definitely do when you are in Seville!

Our Luggage Storage Escapade

Okay, I wanna tell you about our little adventure in Seville. In order to maximize our time in Seville, we decided to arrive early in the morning, spend one night in a hotel, and then leave on the last bus out the next day. Unfortunately, due to miscommunications with our hotel (mainly due to language barriers), we found ourselves stuck with our luggage from 3pm to midnight after check out!

Boy, was it hell an adventure trying to store our luggage somewhere because we didn’t want to lug it around with us on a full day of sightseeing. Poor Sammy had to run around almost the whole city with two 30kg suitcases in tow to find lockers for us.

So, upon arrival, we scouted for places to store our luggage but most manned lockers closed at about 8pm. Then, we found coin lockers in the bus station which were perfect so we thought, “Okay, problems solved! Hallelujah!”. We could just drop off our bags at the bus station early in the morning, go off a full day of sightseeing, and then pick them up right before our bus leaves. Sounded like a perfect plan!

But well, what’s a vacation without a little wrench thrown into the works, eh? The next morning, Sammy set off to the bus station to drop off our luggage while I stayed in the hotel to get ready and also because… it was that time of that month. Boo. He’s a faster walker anyway and figured I’d be slowing him down if I went. So off he went!

Alas, by the time he got there, all the large lockers were fully taken! Why thank you, unknowable universe. So we had to scramble to find other options, knowing that we were short on time and it was raining. After a lot of frantic Google searching, I found this app called Keepiz, which is, if you ask me, completely genius. They are like the Uber of luggage storage services, in that they source out hotels, bars, and shops with extra space for you to leave your luggage. We found an education center close to us that closed as midnight which was perfect for us! Thank you Keepiz!

Keepiz is currently available in most major cities in Spain. You can select the time you’d like to drop off and collect your luggage, and the app will search for the nearest drop off points that cater to your timings. You can even drop off your luggage at one point and pick them up at another. If you have any issues storing your luggage like we did, Keepiz is a life-saver. Check it out and thank me later!

So, there you have it. These are the top things to do in Seville in just two days! Could we have done it in just one day? Perhaps. But Seville has such character that you really need to experience it from much more than just the Alcázar or the Cathedral or Plaza de España. Two full days seems like a perfect amount of time to have a feel of the city.

Til then, I can’t wait to return here someday. Which of these things to do in Seville seem the most attractive to you? I surely couldn’t pick just one cause I loved them all! Let me know in the comments below!

Visiting Seville Checklist

⇢ Compare flight prices to Spain
⇢ Compare accommodation options and prices on Booking.com | HotelsCombined.com | Agoda | Airbnb
⇢ Book train and bus tickets via GoEuro |  Renfe | Rail Europe
⇢ Don’t forget travel insurance! Travel insurance is the most overlooked purchase when traveling, but one of the most essential. Anything can happen when you’re on holiday and you’d want to be covered in the case of travel mishaps such as flight delays, personal accidents or theft. Choose World Nomads Travel Insurance, designed by travelers for travelers.