Seville 7-day itinerary

Be at the Real Alcázar (€14.50) at opening. This Mudéjar palace is one of Europe's most extraordinary buildings — the Patio de las Doncellas, Hall of Ambassadors, and labyrinthine gardens of fountains and orange groves. The tilework and carved stucco are unmatched. Game of Thrones filmed the Dorne scenes here. Allow 2 hours.

Seville Cathedral (€11) — the world's largest Gothic cathedral. Find Columbus's tomb, the gold-laden main altar, and the Chapter House. Climb the Giralda's 35 ramps (designed for horses) for panoramic views. Tapas lunch at Bodega Santa Cruz on Rodrigo Caro — montaditos (€2.50), cold Cruzcampo, and standing room only at the counter.

Get lost in the Barrio de Santa Cruz — whitewashed alleys draped in jasmine, hidden plazas with orange trees. Dinner at Casa Morales on García de Vinuesa — wine from barrels since 1850 and excellent chorizo. Walk to Calle Betis in Triana for sunset riverside drinks with the cathedral silhouetted against the sky.

The 1929 semi-circular plaza with its moat, tiled provincial alcoves, and Renaissance Revival architecture feels like a movie set. Rent a rowboat (€6/35 min). Walk through the Parque de María Luisa — Moorish fountains, shaded promenades, and the Archaeological Museum (€1.50 for EU citizens, free Sundays).

Cross to Triana for the Mercado de Triana — fresh fried fish, jamón ibérico, and cold gazpacho at the market counters. Inquisition ruins under glass floors. Walk Calle Alfarería for ceramic workshops — hand-painted azulejo tiles from €5. Visit the Centro Cerámica Triana (€2.10) for the history of the neighbourhood's tile-making tradition.

Dinner at Casa Cuesta on Calle Castilla — Triana's oldest bar since 1880 for classic sevillano tapas. Try the pavías de bacalao (battered cod) and pringa montaditos. Walk Calle Betis at sunset — the cathedral and Torre del Oro reflected in the Guadalquivir is the iconic Seville view. Drinks at the riverside terraces.

Metropol Parasol (Las Setas, €5) — the world's largest wooden structure with rooftop views and Roman ruins below. Walk north to La Macarena — a traditional barrio with the Basilica de la Macarena (free) housing the famous weeping Virgin. Continue along the ancient Macarena city walls — some of Seville's best-preserved medieval fortifications.

Explore the Alameda de Hércules — Seville's hippest plaza, once a red-light district, now lined with vintage shops, café terraces, and creative studios. Lunch at Eslava on Calle Eslava — award-winning creative tapas (tapa of slow-cooked egg on mushroom purée is legendary, €3.50). Browse the independent boutiques on Calle Amor de Dios and Calle Regina.

Book an evening flamenco show at Casa de la Memoria (€22) on Calle Cuna — an intimate 100-seat venue in a 15th-century palace courtyard where you feel every footstep and guitar note. The shows feature cante (song), toque (guitar), and baile (dance) in their purest form. Afterwards, walk to the Alameda for post-show drinks — the plaza is magical at night.

AVE high-speed train from Seville to Córdoba (45 minutes, €15–30 booked early). Head straight to the Mezquita-Catedral (€13) — one of the world's most astonishing buildings. 856 red-and-white striped arches create an infinite forest of columns, and a Renaissance cathedral was improbably inserted into the centre. The scale and beauty are overwhelming. Allow 90 minutes.

Walk the Judería — Córdoba's medieval Jewish quarter of whitewashed lanes and flower-filled patios. Visit the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos (€5) with its geometric gardens. May is the Patio Festival — homeowners open their courtyards to the public. Any time of year, peek through open doorways for glimpses of private patios overflowing with geraniums. Lunch at Taberna Salinas for salmorejo (Córdoban cold soup).

Walk across the Puente Romano at sunset — the 1st-century Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir with the Mezquita rising behind. It's one of Spain's most photographed views. Quick tapas at Bodegas Mezquita near the mosque — try the flamenquín (Córdoban fried pork roll, €6) and salmorejo. Catch the evening AVE back to Seville — you'll be home by 9pm.

Bus M-172 from Plaza de Armas to Itálica (30 min, €1.70) — an ancient Roman city 9km from Seville, birthplace of emperors Trajan and Hadrian. The amphitheatre held 25,000 spectators and was used as the Dragonpit in Game of Thrones. The mosaic floors of the patrician houses are remarkably preserved. Entry €1.50 for EU, free Sundays. Allow 2 hours to explore the ruins.

Back in Seville, walk along the Guadalquivir. Visit the Torre del Oro (€3) — a 13th-century watchtower with a small maritime museum and rooftop views. Continue to the Hospital de la Caridad (€8) — a 17th-century charity hospital with Murillo and Valdés Leal paintings designed to remind the rich of mortality. Lunch at Mercado Lonja del Barranco — the Eiffel-designed riverside market.

Head to the Macarena and Alameda area for Seville's most authentic nightlife. Start at Duo Tapas on Calatrava for creative small plates (€4–8). Move to the Alameda for drinks — Oso Bar for cocktails, La Taberna for live music, or just settle at a terrace table and watch Seville's social life unfold. The Alameda doesn't get going until 10pm.

Join a cooking class that starts at the Mercado de Triana (from €50 for 3 hours) — shop for ingredients with a local chef, then learn to make gazpacho, salmorejo, and tortilla española. If not cooking, explore the Feria neighbourhood — Seville's most local market on Calle Feria has everything from fresh produce to flamenco dresses. The Thursday Feria street market is excellent for bargains.

Visit Casa de Pilatos (€12) — a stunning 15th-century palace blending Mudéjar, Gothic, and Renaissance styles. The courtyard and tilework rival the Alcázar but with a fraction of the visitors. Walk to the nearby Bodega de las Columnas on Plaza del Cristo de Burgos for a sherry education — fino, manzanilla, oloroso, and palo cortado by the glass (€2–4). Pair with olives and jamón.

Evening walk along the Guadalquivir from Triana Bridge to Plaza de Armas — the river promenade is beautiful at dusk. Dinner at Contenedor on Calle San Luis — a creative restaurant in the Macarena using organic, local ingredients (mains €14–20). The neighbourhood feels authentically sevillano — families in the streets, kids playing, grandparents on benches. This is the real Seville.

Return to the Alcázar specifically for the gardens — use a second-visit ticket or time it for the first hour when they're coolest and emptiest. The English Garden, the Garden of the Poets, and the underground gallery (Baños de Doña María de Padilla) are magical in morning light. Alternatively, explore the Archivo de Indias (free) — the archive of Spain's colonial history in a gorgeous Herreresque building.

Pick up souvenirs: hand-painted ceramic tiles from Triana, olive oil from the Mercado de Triana, flamenco-themed items on Calle Sierpes, and mantecados (crumbly biscuits) from Convento de San Leandro (ring the bell, nuns sell through a revolving hatch). One last walk through Santa Cruz — every visit reveals a new hidden plaza.

Ultimate farewell: a tapas crawl. El Rinconcillo on Gerona — Seville's oldest bar since 1670, tab chalked on the counter, fino sherry in hand. Bar Europa for berenjenas con miel (fried aubergine with honey). Bodeguita Casablanca on Zaragoza for montaditos. Finish at Eslava for the legendary slow-cooked egg tapa. Seville will haunt your taste buds for years.