Castillo de Alcalá de Guadaíra

About Castillo de Alcalá de Guadaíra

The castle crowns the Cerro del Castillo in Alcalá de Guadaíra, 13 km east of Seville, inside a bend of the river Guadaíra. A Bronze Age settlement stood here, but what survives dates from the 12th century, when the Almohads built a fortress around the Patio de los Silos and the Patio de la Sima. Castile took it in 1247 and Alfonso X founded a walled town on the hill in 1280.

The complex runs from the castle through the medieval town enclosure to the Torre Mocha citadel. Visitors walk among curtain walls, square towers and two early Castilian octagonal towers, see the underground grain silos and the deep pit of the Patio de la Sima, and look out over the river, its old flour mills and the Oromana pine woods.

No admission charge is listed. Published hours are Tuesday to Friday 09:30–13:30, Saturday 10:00–14:00 and 16:00–18:00, and Sunday 10:00–14:00. Free 50-minute guided night visits for up to 40 people have run at weekends in 2026, booked online when tickets are released each Monday. Allow 1 to 1.5 hours. The climb is steep and uneven, so it suits active families more than wheelchair users.

Spring and autumn are best for the hill and the riverside paths below. Book night visits as soon as they are released. Wear sturdy shoes and try the town's bread, long supplied daily to Seville.

Castillo de Alcalá de Guadaíra in pictures

What you’ll find

• Free entryFree visit (09:30–13:30)Free
• Night visitNight tour (from 21:00)Book
• ViewpointSightseeingFree

Nearby places to visit

Below the castle, the riverside paths of the Riberas del Guadaíra lead past old flour mills, and the Harinera del Guadaíra houses the tourist office. Golfers can head to the Real Club de Golf de Sevilla (6 km), on the town's western edge. In Seville, the Plaza de España, Seville (12.5 km) and the Archaeological Museum of Seville (12 km) in María Luisa Park are the closest sights. East along the A-4, the Alcázar de la Puerta de Sevilla, Carmona (24 km) guards the old town of Carmona, and the Roman Necropolis of Carmona (23 km) lies just below it.