Free excursions in Seville
You can get an idea of the main sights and history of Seville on a free city tour. There are several companies organizing them in the capital of Andalusia, and you can choose from 45 programs.
The duration of the free tours is 1.5 — 2.5 hours. The guide — a local resident tells the history and interesting facts about the main sights and neighborhoods of the city in Spanish or English, rarely in French.
You will have to walk during the free tours, so wear comfortable shoes. You will only see the sights with paid entrance from the outside. It is customary to leave a tip as a thank you for the guide’s work.
You can choose, read reviews and book a suitable tour on the website.
Free flamenco in Seville
Large flamenco performances in Tablao cost from 20 € with a drink to 90 € with a small dinner. You can watch flamenco for free in small bars, most of which are located in the Triana neighborhood. A prerequisite for visiting bars with free flamenco is to order drinks.
- La Carboneria. Seville’s most famous flamenco bar is located in the Santa Cruz neighborhood. Seats are taken in advance. During the evening there are three performances of 30 minutes each.
- Taberna Flamenca. The most popular bar in the Arenal neighborhood. Located near the Plaza de Toros.
- Lola de los Reyes and El Rejoneo are two flamenco bars in the Los Remedios neighborhood.
- Bars where you can watch free flamenco in the Triana neighborhood: Lo Nuestro, La Taberna, Casa Anselma.
Free cultural events
The Centro de Iniciativas Culturales de Sevilla, or CICUS for short, hosts art exhibitions, music concerts, theater and dance programs, and film screenings. Most of the events are free of charge.
The schedule can be found on the website of the Seville Center for Cultural Initiatives. Registration is required for free events.
Free museums in Seville
Some museums in the capital of Andalusia are always free of charge, and some are open without tickets at certain times.
Archive of the Indies (Archivo General de Indias)
The Archive of the Indies is one of the three UNESCO World Heritage sites in Seville. The Archive was inaugurated in 1785 in the former building of a 16th century merchant guild. Visiting the archive is always free of charge. It contains 80 million pages of documents and maps from the period of Spanish colonization of the New World (XVI–XVIII centuries).
- Mode of work: Tuesday — Saturday from 9:30 to 17:00, Sunday and holidays from 10:00 to 14:00.
- Indies Archive website.
Museo del Castillo de San Jorge (Museo del Castillo de San Jorge)
In the Triana neighborhood, you can visit the museum on the ruins of the castle of San Jorge, destroyed in the 19th century, free of charge.
The ruins are located under the Triana Market. The castle was the residence and prison of the Spanish Inquisition from the 15th to the 18th century. The museum’s exposition is interactive and tells about Catholic repressions in Spain and the religious Inquisition.
- Mode of operation: Tuesday — Saturday from 11:00 to 16:00, Sunday and holidays from 10:00 to 15:00.
The Royal Tobacco Factory (la Real Fábrica de Tabaco)
The first tobacco factory in Europe was located in Seville in a building that took 42 years to erect in the XVIII century.
It is the second largest building in Spain after the Monastery of El Escorial and one of the best examples of industrial architecture. The complex is built of stone, the main facade is in the Baroque style. The two-story factory building is surrounded on three sides by a moat.
Since 1956, the building has housed the rectorate and some faculties of the University of Seville. It is free to look inside.
- Working hours: Monday — Friday from 10:00 to 20:00, Saturday until 14:00.
- Royal Tobacco Factory website.
Andalusian Center for Contemporary Art (Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo)
The museum has about 500 works of modern art: sculptures, tapestries, paintings and ceramics by Spanish masters of the XX century.
The Contemporary Art Center is located in the historic building of the former convent of Santa Maria de las Cuevas, built in the 15th century in the Mudejar style.
- Free admission is Tuesday through Friday from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm and Saturday from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm.
- Website of the Andalusian center for contemporary art.
Cathedral (Catedral de Santa María de la Sede de Sevilla)
The Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that can be visited free of charge once a week.
The grand Gothic cathedral is famous for its size and collected art treasures and relics. For example, you can see paintings by Velázquez and Goya, as well as the tomb of the most famous navigator, Christopher Columbus.
The temple is active and free to visit during the service, but during this time parts of the cathedral may be blocked off and cameras will be asked to be removed.
- Free admission is Monday, 4:30 to 6 p.m.
- To receive confirmation for free admission, send a request one week in advance to [email protected] with the names of no more than five attendees.
- Seville Cathedral website.
Golden Tower (Torre del Oro)
On the left bank of the Guadalquivir River, the Golden Tower has stood since 1220. Formerly part of the city’s fortifications, it now houses a naval museum.
- Free admission: on Mondays from 9:30 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.
- Golden Tower website.
Alcázar Palace (Real Alcázar de Sevilla)
The oldest palace in Europe, the Alcazar of Seville is built in the Mudejar style. It is the most popular attraction of the capital of Andalusia and has been the filming location for several movies, including Game of Thrones. Members of the Spanish royal family stay here, and UNESCO has inscribed the palace as a World Heritage Site.
It is free to visit the palace and royal gardens, but only one hour a week is allotted. This is enough time.
- Free admission: Mondays April through September from 6:00 to 7:00 pm, October through March from 4:00 to 5:00 pm.
- Alcazar Palace website.
San Telmo Palace (Palacio de San Telmo)
The Baroque palace of San Telmo was built by the Spanish Court of Inquisition in the 17th century. Originally it was a school for orphaned sailors. In the middle of the XIX century the palace became a royal residence, and half a century later — the property of the Archbishopric of Seville.
Since 1989, the palace has housed the Presidency of the Council of Andalusia.
- Attendance is always free, but only as part of an organized group.
- You can sign up for a tour on the website.
- The duration of the tour is 1.5 hours.
Museo de la Corrida (Bullfighting Museum)
Under the grandstands of the Maestranza bullfighting arena is the bullfighting museum. It displays portraits of famous bullfighters, paintings of bullfighting, costumes, weapons and trophies of bullfighters and stuffed bulls from the Seville bullfight.
The museum tour is guided, in Spanish and English only.
- Free admission: Monday, from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- The website of the bullfighting museum in Seville.
Free Wi-Fi in Seville
Besides hotels and Hop-on, Hop-off tourist buses, free internet in Seville can be found in public places. For example, in cafes, plazas and parks. Here is a list of available Wi-Fi hotspots in Seville.
- Cafes: Starbucks chain, Cafe de Indias, Texas Lone Star Saloon, Café Ciudad Condal, Cafe Bar Java. Using the pin code from the receipt, you can use the Internet at McDonald’s for half an hour free of charge.
- Plaza de la Encarnacion, Plaza Alfalfa, Plaza Salvador, Plaza del Pan, Plaza de la Pescaderia, Plaza San Francisco.
- Parks: Park de la Buhaira, Park de los Principes, Park Alamillo.
Free water in Seville
The capital of Andalusia is very hot in the summer, so there are drinking water fountains on the streets. Take a bottle with you and fill up on free water to spare.
To be sure the water is drinkable, look for the label agua potable (potable water).
Seville’s free parking lots
Seville is a densely built city, especially in the center. There are few surface parking lots and most of the time they are paid for.
Paid hours in Seville’s surface parking lots: weekdays from 9:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 20:00, Saturday from 9:00 to 14:00. During other hours and on Sunday, parking is free, but for a maximum of three hours. The maximum parking time will be indicated by the color of the parking space:
- Parking in the city center is marked in gray. The maximum time is 1 hour.
- Blue or orange indicates parking spaces of 2 hours or less.
- Along the river the parking lots are painted green, here you can leave your car for 3 hours.
It is difficult to find free parking in the central part of the city. Places near the center where parking is easier:
- San Vicente neighborhood (El barrio de San Vicente).
- San Julián neighborhood (El barrio de San Julián).
- Near the Santa Justa station (Estación de Santa Justa).
- Near Parque Maria Luisa (Maria Luisa Park).
