It’s been a month since we’ve been in Seville but we still haven’t visited the two most famous monuments of Seville. The reason for this is that we booked them (with Cordoba) to visit them with a friend who came to spend 3 days with us in Seville (yaayyy)

Part 1: Travel Diary
Part 2: Practical Tips

Part 1: Travel Diary

The Alcázar of Seville

There are always a lot of people in front of the Alcázar de Sevilla, but we don’t get discouraged because it moves very quickly. After 20 minutes of queuing and 9,5€/person later, we enter the first patio/garden

There are so many things to visit that it is best to take a map and visit in the suggested order. Just like the cathedral-mosques we visited recently, the Alcázar of Seville is an extraordinary blend of cultures and architecture. Here, too, the art of gardening is exemplified by the many indoor and outdoor gardens, with lush vegetation and lots and lots of water

Look at this poooooorte !!!! How long did it take to do all this?

The typical photo of the Alcázar of Seville

here we see ceramic inlays

After having visited about ten rooms, we arrive in the central room, of an unequalled finesse and harmony. The ceiling, the walls, the door, the patterns… we don’t know where to look anymore

Go I put here the official photo

In front of a room like this, humility is the word that best describes how I feel. What did I leave so beautiful to humanity, to future generations, to my cat? Nothing

The gardens, more spacious but less beautiful than the Cordoba citadel, were chosen to shoot some scenes of Dorne in Game of Thrones

I remember this scene very well, where I actually wondered if this garden really existed

Unfortunately we can’t get to the first floor, but we can recognize the columns of the balcony. Tadam!

Here too, in the pond, there are lots of big fish

We then go to the baths. woooowww

The royal family still occupies the upper floor of the Alcázar, the lucky ones!

The Cathedral of Seville

The cathedral stands on the very site of the 12th century Great Mosque, of which the minaret, known as the Giralda because of the weather vane that has adorned its top since the 16th century, is now preserved. The Court of the Ablutions and the present Pardon Gate are also part of the old mosque. It was converted into a Christian church after the conquest of the city by Ferdinand III of Castile in 1248. Its construction stages span the Mudejar, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical periods.

This cathedral is so big that it takes me about twenty minutes to walk around it

Where can I buy a ticket for the Cathedral of Seville?

As there are always a lot of tourists, the trick is to buy a combined ticket at the church of the divine savior, not far from there (9€/person). This ticket will also be valid for the cathedral for 7 days. The entrance on the picture below (type Giralda on Google Maps) is reserved for groups and people with a combined ticket. If you see several groups, don’t be discouraged because there are several lines, the groups line up at the middle line. If you have a combined ticket, enter through the line on the left side (normally there is never anybody).

Here again, you have to take the plan or else you risk getting lost. Immediately on the left is the staircase to go to the top of the tower (Giralda). The view is worth the effort. We discover for example rooftop bars and unsuspected swimming pool (which belong to the EME hotel); and the fact that the city of Sevilla is rather white too (like the other white pueblos in Andalusia)

From here we have a very satisfying view of the Alcázar and its gardens

We go down and then visit the inside of the cathedral which is so huge that we have to look at the map to see if we missed anything

Did you know that you can still get married in this cathedral. So avoid visiting it on a Saturday!

The tomb of Christopher Columbus is really super beautiful and imposing. Impossible to miss it. Note: did you know that there is a holiday in the United States to commemorate the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus (with a big parade in New York)? It’s called Columbus Day

The rest is also very imposing, impressive, borderline… bling bling

We end the visit in the orange tree garden, with a small fountain in the middle (as usual)

We walk to the Spanish square and I show our dear guest everything we visited last time. We end the day by visiting the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions (free entrance for Europeans)

Part 2: Practical Tips

Budget

• Visit of the Alcazar: 9,5€/person
• Visit of the cathedral (combined ticket with the church of the divine savior): 9€/person
• Mojito at the EME rooftop bar: 13€

Tips

• Where can I buy a Queue Cutter ticket in Seville Cathedral?

  • There are two entrances to the cathedral: the first one in front of Giralda reserved for groups and combined tickets; the second one around the cathedral reserved for visitors without tickets. If you want to save a little time, buy the combined ticket at the Church of the Divine Savior (there is a bit of a queue but not as long as the cathedral – this church is also worth a quick visit) – just a few minutes walk from there.

• How to enter the Alcázar without queuing?

  • There are always people in front of the entrance to the Alcázar. If you’re really stressed out, you should know that there are always official guides “prowling” around. If you visit with them, you enter directly without queuing (there are tours every 10 minutes or so) for 19,5€/person – entrance ticket included.
  • The second solution is to reserve your place online on the official website of the Alcazar. You choose the date and time you want, there is a thread dedicated to people who have booked online. Attention, the reservation is only made online.

• How do I get to one of these rooftop bars?

  • Just find the EME hotel/restaurant/bar. The rooftop bar only serves drinks (cocktails/soda – no tea/coffee) and does not serve food. The view is quite impressive, but the price is quite high… 🙁

• How long does it take to visit all this?

  • The Alcázar: between 2h30 and 3hrs
  • The Cathedral: between 1h30 and 2 hours

• I advise you to visit first the cathedral and then the Alcázar because the Alcázar is much, much prettier. However, if you are in a hurry, visit the citadel first because the cathedral closes later.