In short
Seville is a city of courtyards and organised shade: its architecture answers a heat that regularly passes forty degrees in summer. Understanding that is understanding the rhythm of the local day.
Santa Cruz, the old judería, is the tangle of lanes behind the cathedral. Triana, across the Guadalquivir, keeps an identity of its own, ceramic and flamenco. La Alameda is the district of young nightlife. El Arenal links the cathedral to the river.
Arriving and getting around
The airport is ten kilometres out, served by bus. The AVE takes about two and a half hours from Madrid.
The historic centre is one of the largest in Europe and is covered on foot. A tram and one metro line complete it, but are of little use to a visitor.
Seville is flat: cycling works remarkably well, and the cycle network was built as a single programme from 2006.
What it really costs
Seville is cheaper than Barcelona or Madrid, but Holy Week and Feria prices bear no relation to the rest of the year.
The Alcázar and the cathedral are booked online. The queues on site are long and, in summer, in full sun.
When to come
March–May and October–November. Summer is punishing: July and August commonly exceed 40 °C, and the city organises itself around the siesta.
Holy Week and the Feria de Abril, two weeks apart in spring, fill the city and treble the rates. They are two very different events: one is religious and silent, the other a private festival under marquees, most of which are closed to the public.
What nobody tells you
The Real Alcázar is still a working royal residence: the upper floor is visited separately and in limited slots. Its gardens served as Dorne in Game of Thrones.
The orange trees in the streets bear bitter oranges, not edible as they are. They are harvested by the city and part of the crop goes to the United Kingdom for marmalade.
The Metropol Parasol, known as Las Setas, is a contemporary timber structure planted in the old town, with a walkway at the top and a Roman archaeological site below. It is where you see the city without the Giralda queue.