Seville in 2 Days: What We Did, What It Costs, What to Skip

We reached the hotel at 12:03. Check-in was at 12:00, and they let us in anyway, no fuss, because whatever else Sevillanos are, they are not unkind. We had just dragged our suitcases for twenty minutes through narrow cobbled streets from the station, in that warm Andalusian October sun, and we already knew Seville was going to be good to us.

We loved it. We spent two and a half days there in October 2025, in the middle of a trip through Spain that started in Barcelona and continued through Madrid, Toledo, and Valencia, and the answer to the question everyone asks is short: yes, two days in Seville are enough. It is enough for the Alcázar, the Cathedral and the Giralda, the river, Triana, Plaza de España, and a sunset on top of Las Setas, without rushing.

This is not a "top 20 things to do" list. It is what we actually did, day by day, with what went well, what went wrong (a cancelled tour, another that nearly turned out to be a scam, and a wine we did not order), and what everything costs in 2026, so you can plan your two days better than we did.

This is how our itinerary worked out. If you arrive early on day one and leave on the afternoon of day three, it is a very comfortable plan.

The high-speed train from Madrid left Atocha on time, and two and a half hours later we were in Santa Justa. We dropped our bags at the hotel, right in the Barrio de Santa Cruz a couple of minutes from the Cathedral, took a quick shower, and went for lunch at El Librero Tapas y Quesos, which turned out to be a gem: a chicken paella that made us question whether we had ever eaten properly cooked rice, croquetas that deserve their own chapter, and a cheese board that explains why Manchego needs no introduction anywhere in the world.

The plan was to rest for an hour and join a walking tour at five. Our bodies said no: headache, ibuprofen, plan revised. At six, heads half recovered, we went on a Guadalquivir river cruise, and it was one of those moments that justify the whole trip: the river at sunset, the towers turning gold, a warm breeze, and a beer in hand. The 1-hour Guadalquivir river sightseeing cruise leaves from the pier next to the Torre del Oro and is the perfect plan for a tired first afternoon.

The Guadalquivir river cruise, our first afternoon in Seville.

From the boat you see a lot: the Torre del Oro, the Almohad tower built in 1220 to control the river; the modern bridges from Expo 92; and the Maestranza bullring. One story we heard, and later found out is a myth: the tower did not store the gold that arrived from the Americas (that was kept at the Casa de la Contratación). The name comes from the golden gleam its materials cast on the water.

Since we had missed the walking tour, we improvised our own with a phone. We wandered through the Barrio de Santa Cruz, a lovely maze of alleys and flower-filled patios, walked past the Cathedral, and stood for a while looking up at the Giralda. We had dinner a block from the Cathedral (good food, calm atmosphere), and that night we also went to Plaza de España, which at night, lit up and almost empty, is something else. It was built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition, and every corner has tiles, bridges, and details worth taking slowly.

Plaza de España at night: no crowds, all the lights.

Day two was supposed to start early at Itálica, the Roman city where Trajan, the first Roman emperor born outside Italy, was born. But the tour needed four people and there were two of us, so goodbye Trajan. If you want to go, check the minimum group size before booking, or pick a half-day trip to Itálica from Seville with a guaranteed departure. You can also go on your own on the M-172 bus to Santiponce, and entry is free for EU citizens.

Plan B: a walking tour of the old town at 10:30. The guide was brilliant, with a very Andalusian sense of humour, the kind who cracks a joke every two sentences so you never know if you should laugh or if he is pulling your leg. Halfway through, between churches, tiles, and patios with orange trees, a giant One Piece sign appeared. Dem was off like a shot: "Vale, photo, now!"

The sign was the front of Buga Ramen, on Calle Méndez Núñez, and of course that is where we had lunch as soon as the tour ended. The place is wild: figures, murals, neon lights, screens playing anime, One Piece on the ceiling. Vale ordered a ramen that smelled like heaven, Dem had fried duck with rice that was incredible, and the best part: our food was delivered by a little cat-shaped robot. We are still not sure whether the future has arrived or we were living inside an episode of Doraemon.

In the afternoon we crossed the Guadalquivir to Triana, with an ice cream on the way because the heat does not forgive, and joined another walking tour of Seville's more flamenco side. It was fine, nothing life-changing, but picturesque: ceramic streets, and the Triana Market sitting on the ruins of the Castillo de San Jorge, which was the seat of the Inquisition for centuries. If we did it again, we would swap the walking tour for a tapas tour across the river in Triana, which is what this neighbourhood does best. On the way back we stopped at a couple of manga shops and Dem found another volume of Slam Dunk. Only two to go.

Triana, a pre-sunset vermouth beneath Las Setas, and the light show on top.

We ended the day up high, on Las Setas de Sevilla, the giant wooden structure designed by Jürgen Mayer and opened in 2011. We got there early, so we sat below with a vermouth and olives while the light turned gold. At 19:30 we went up, and the sunset was a postcard: a pink sky, the towers and low rooftops of the city, and at the end a light show with music that closed the day like magic. The Setas de Sevilla entry ticket starts at 16 euros and lets you come back a second time within 48 hours.

For dinner we went to Restaurante Petra, near Plaza de la Alfalfa and a few minutes from Las Setas, where they bring you raw meat and you cook it yourself on a hot volcanic stone (they have done it this way since 1948). While we waited for a table, they offered us a glass of wine at the little bar next door (a detail we appreciated), and then, with the stone sizzling, we cooked dinner exactly how we liked it. Great fun, and delicious. A day that started with a cancellation ended as pure surprise.

Hot-stone dinner at Petra: they bring it raw and you cook it at the table.

The last day started with drama. It was eight o'clock, we were at breakfast, and the Real Alcázar tour we had booked still had not sent us a meeting point. No WhatsApp, no email, nothing. A quick Google search showed the company had a 1 out of 5 rating across a thousand reviews: "they don't show up", "scam". Lovely.

We walked to the Alcázar anyway. At the gate there was an endless queue of people hoping to get same-day tickets. We called support, they swore the guide existed, and at 9:12 he appeared, all smiles, with his umbrella. The tour was real, and it even ended up private, just the two of us. The lesson: read the reviews before you book, not after. The safest options are the official ticket online, or a skip-the-line Alcázar ticket with a guided visit on a platform where you can read other travellers' reviews before paying.

The Real Alcázar of Seville is a jewel. It began as a Muslim fortress in the 10th century, and in the 14th century Pedro I rebuilt it in Mudéjar style, so today it mixes Islamic, Gothic, and Renaissance styles as if someone had played architectural Tetris. The Patio de las Doncellas, with its delicate arches and tiles, looks straight out of One Thousand and One Nights, and the upper floor is still the Spanish royal family's official residence in Seville, which makes it one of the oldest royal palaces still in use in Europe. Game of Thrones fans will recognise the gardens as Dorne from season five.

Inside the Real Alcázar: the golden dome, and the gardens that played Dorne in Game of Thrones.

At one o'clock we had the Cathedral and Giralda tour. We got there a bit early and sat at a little bar for a drink, all very civilised. This time the tour started on the dot, and surprise: the other two people in our group were Uruguayan, like us. Where there is mate, there is a Uruguayan, and where there is a Uruguayan, there is conversation.

Seville Cathedral is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world and one of the largest churches on the planet. It was built on top of the old Almohad mosque, keeps the former ablutions courtyard (now the Patio de los Naranjos), and holds the tomb of Christopher Columbus. And then there is the Giralda, the 12th-century minaret turned bell tower. There are no stairs: you walk up 35 ramps, designed so the muezzin could ride up on horseback (really), plus 17 steps at the end. From the top, Seville is a sea of terracotta roofs and orange trees. If you prefer a guide, the Cathedral and Giralda guided tour with entry tickets is a solid option, and if you want to sort everything in one go, the Alcázar, Cathedral and Giralda skip-the-line combo tour bundles the two visits we did that morning.

The Giralda, the Cathedral's main altarpiece, and the view from the top after the 35 ramps.

Our farewell lunch was the one bad food moment of the trip. Near the hotel the staff treated us as if we owed them money, took forever, and when Dem ordered a white wine he was brought a vino naranja. "What is this?" "Orange wine." It turns out the vino naranja of Condado de Huelva is a local fortified wine, aged and flavoured with bitter orange peel, and nothing like the skin-contact "orange wine" you see in natural wine bars. Interesting, but not what we ordered.

We went back to the hotel for our bags, the Uber we ordered never came, and we ended up walking 20 minutes to Santa Justa in the sun, suitcase wheels squeaking on every paving stone. From there, the 16:50 train to Valencia: the direct service takes about 4 hours 20 minutes, so bring snacks and patience.

We stayed at the Hotel Murillo on Calle Lope de Rueda, right in the Barrio de Santa Cruz, and we recommend it. The location is unbeatable: a couple of minutes from the Cathedral, the Giralda, and the Alcázar, so we walked to every visit on the last morning and still had time to go back and shower in between. Keep in mind that cars cannot get into the lanes of Santa Cruz, so you will walk the last stretch from the station with your bags.

For two days, Santa Cruz is the best area: everything important is on foot. If you want something more local and better value, Triana is just across the river. You can compare Barrio de Santa Cruz hotels on Booking.com.

We did not track every euro, so these are 2026 reference prices, taken from each attraction's official website where possible. The good news: compared with other European capitals, Seville is still very affordable for eating and drinking.

A couple of money savers: the Alcázar has a free slot on Monday in the last hour before closing (you still need to book online, and it sells out weeks ahead), and the Cathedral has a free visit on Sundays from 16:30 to 18:00, also with booking. In October the average high is around 26 to 27 degrees, so carry water for the midday walks.

A multi-city trip through Spain has its surprises too (on this same trip one of us ended up in a Valencia emergency room after a very bad bout of indigestion), so it is worth sorting out travel insurance before you go.

• Booking tours without reading reviews. Our Alcázar guide showed up, but a 1 out of 5 rating across a thousand reviews meant a morning of unnecessary nerves.
• Tours with a minimum group size. If you travel as a couple, confirm the departure is guaranteed. That is how we lost Itálica.
• Trying to buy Alcázar tickets at the gate. The queue for same-day tickets was enormous. Buy online.
• Eating at any place right next to the Cathedral. Some have very poor service. Walk two blocks and things improve.
• Relying on Uber to catch your train. Ours never showed up. Leave with a margin, or plan on the 20-minute walk to Santa Justa.
• Going up Las Setas at any old time. Go for sunset. It is a different experience.

And the one thing we missed: a flamenco show. Seville is the city to see one, and next time we will definitely book one of the flamenco shows in Seville.

We loved Seville, and two days are enough. It is a city you can walk end to end, where the big visits (the Alcázar, the Cathedral, and the Giralda) sit right next to each other, and where the best things happen in the late afternoon: the river at sunset, Triana, Las Setas under a pink sky, and Plaza de España at night. With two full days you leave with the essentials and a reason to come back, which is exactly how we left.

If you have a third day, add Itálica in the morning and flamenco at night. And if you are planning a longer trip through Spain like ours, our guides to the best things to do in Madrid and the best things to do in Barcelona will help, as will our guide to skip-the-line tickets in Europe, which covers which sights are worth booking ahead.