Royal Alcázar of Seville

About Royal Alcázar of Seville

The Royal Alcázar faces Seville Cathedral across Plaza del Triunfo. Begun as the Umayyad citadel in the 10th century and enlarged by the Abbadids and Almohads, it was rebuilt after the Castilian conquest of 1248, and Pedro I added his Mudéjar palace in the 1360s. The upper floors are still an official royal residence, and UNESCO listed the Alcázar in 1987.

From the Lion Gate the route leads to the Patio de las Doncellas and its sunken pool, the gilded dome of the Hall of Ambassadors, the tiled Gothic Palace and the vaulted Baths of María de Padilla. The gardens, with the Mercury pool, pavilions, palms and orange trees, fill much of the site and appeared in Game of Thrones.

Tickets cost €15.50 (reduced €8; under-14s free with an adult) and are sold online for timed slots or at the Patio de Banderas office, so book ahead. Free entry runs on Mondays in the last opening hour, booked online. Allow two to three hours. The ground-floor palaces and main garden walks suit families and reduced mobility, though some steps and gravel need care. There is no parking.

Spring brings orange blossom, while July and August afternoons are very hot, so take the 09:30 slot for quieter rooms. Hours are 09:30–17:00 from October to March and 09:30–19:00 from April to September. Leave time for the gardens and carry water in summer.

Royal Alcázar of Seville in pictures

What you’ll find

• Audio guideAudio guideBuy
• Free entryFree visit (16:00–17:00)Free
• GardensGarden visit (€8–€16, 09:30–17:00)Ticket
• Monument visitSelf-guided visit (€8–€16, 09:30–17:00)Ticket
• Night visitNight tour (€15)Book
• Step-free accessAccessible visitFree

Nearby places to visit

The General Archive of the Indies (100 m), free to visit, stands between the Alcázar and the Seville Cathedral and the Giralda (100 m), which holds the tomb of Columbus. The lanes of the Santa Cruz quarter begin at the Patio de Banderas, where the Painter Amalio Museum (150 m) is currently closed for maintenance. Towards the river, the Real Maestranza Bullring, Seville (600 m) on the Paseo de Colón still stages the April Fair bullfights, and to the north-east the Casa de Pilatos (750 m), palace of the Dukes of Medinaceli, is lined with 1530s tiles by Diego and Juan Pulido.