Visit the Alcazar of Seville

The Real Alcazar of Seville, more commonly known as Alcazar is none other than the essential number 1 of a visit to Seville. Indeed, with the Cathedral of Seville, the Alcazar is the most visited place in Seville and is one of the most prestigious places. Visit the Alcazar of Seville will therefore, without a doubt, be part of the program of your stay in the city.
The Alcazar is a magnificent palace resulting from a mixture of sumptuous styles. Surrounded by its walls and its incredible gardens, the Alcazar is one of the unmissable places in Seville.
In this article, we will present all the information you need to prepare your visit to this famous Alcazar: where and how to get skip-the-line tickets, book a guided tour in French, opening hours, prices, etc. You will also find at the end of the article, a presentation of the history and what you will visit inside this royal palace. Nice visit!

Visit the Alcazar of Seville: 

• Guided tour and skip-the-line ticket to visit the Alcazar
• Practical information for visiting the Alcazar of Seville
• What to see during a visit to the Alcazar of Seville?
• My opinion on this visit to the Alcazar of Seville

Guided tour in French of the Alcazar:
Book your guided tour in French of the Alcazar of Seville and its gardens. The platform Welink.com exclusively offers guided tours in French. The guides are all selected and certified by this platform made in France! Learn more

Guided tour and skip-the-line ticket to visit the Alcazar

We are going to start this article with a purely practical part, probably the part that will interest you the most to prepare your stay in Seville. Indeed, for visit the Alcazar of Seville, we will see that several choices are available to you. The first is to go, during opening hours, to the Alcazar and buy a ticket there directly. Choice that you strongly advise against. I'll tell you about it a little further down.
The second solution will be to buy your entrance ticket for the Alcazar in advance and, if you wish, opt for a guided tour. Guided tours are offered in many languages ​​including French. You can also opt for a free visit or a combined ticket, that is to say that it includes several emblematic places of the city. We will detail this immediately.

Which visit to choose for the Alcazar of Seville? 

• Why book your visit to the Alcazar of Seville in advance?
• Opt for a guided tour in French
• Choose a skip-the-line ticket to the Alcazar of Seville
• Combined tickets and group visits possible
• Presentation of the city-passes including the Alcazar of Seville

Why book your visit to the Alcazar of Seville in advance?

Small point of attention on the choice of the visit of the Alcazar and especially on the choice of the method for the purchase of the entry ticket. As said above, you have the choice of going, without reservation or prior purchase, to the entrance of the Alcazar and buying an entrance ticket there. Why is this something I advise against? Having regularly passed in front of the palace and after discussing it with the guide, I can confirm that the Alcazar is a "victim" of its own success. A new “ticket office” would be under study, similar to that practiced in the garden of the Alhambra in Granada.
Without a reservation, it's a safe bet that you will have to wait several hours outside in front of the Alcazar in order to enter. The number of people inside the palaces being limited, the queue can last up to 2 hours depending on the time of year. By taking a quick look at the temperatures in Seville between April and October (most of the time, above 30 degrees, see 40° in summer), I advise against this method.
Don't waste precious time in Seville waiting in a queue.
The photo below will illustrate my point a little more. Opt for a guided tour (admittedly a little more expensive) but which will save you time and provide you with a lot of interesting information during the visit. After the guided tour, which generally lasts 1h to 1h30, you will be able to stay in the palace as long as you wish.
Otherwise, you can also plan to visit this place with a skip-the-line ticket that allows you to freely visit the Alcazar and its gardens.

Opt for a guided tour in French

Now let's move on to the different ways to book your visit to the Alcazar of Seville. I'm going to start by presenting this option, which for me is the most interesting: a guided tour in French of the Alcazar including a skip-the-line ticket.
This guided tour is offered by the French platform Welink.com which certifies each of its French-speaking guides.

Most of the guided tour of the Alcazar takes place in the various palaces open to the public. You will learn more about the history of the different palaces, each built in a different style and at a different time.

The guided tour does not go through the gardens but these are freely accessible after the visit. Indeed, the guided tour lasts about 1h20. Once it is over, you can stay as long as you want to return to certain palaces, take photos and also visit the huge gardens that make up the Alcazar of Seville.

Choose a skip-the-line ticket to the Alcazar of Seville

The second option is to get a skip-the-line ticket to access the Alcazar of Seville. This ticket represents the advantage of avoiding having to take the queue to access this popular place. As mentioned above, the queue can be very long in high season.

When making your reservation, you will need to select a visit time. This will have to be respected because the number of visitors is limited, so it would be a shame for you not to be able to access the Alcazar when you already had your tickets.
Once inside, you can get an audio guide, available in French. Then, you are free to visit this magnificent royal palace and its gardens at your own pace.

Buy your skip-the-line ticket to visit the Alcazar of Seville

Combined tickets and group visits possible

Let's continue with this new option which is to combine your visit to the Alcazar with other sites to visit in Seville. Indeed, this is an increasingly common practice, valid both with skip-the-line tickets and guided tours.
You can, for example, opt for a guided tour including the Alcazar, the cathedral and the Giralda; or a ticket allowing you to access the Alcazar but also the aquarium of Seville. There are many possibilities, here is a summary table:

However, be careful with this option: if you start your guided tour at the Alcazar, the disadvantage is that you will continue with the other visits without having been able to enjoy free time in the gardens of the Alcazar. That aside, these options are all great. The choice will be made according to what you prefer to do as a visit(s) and the time you have available.

Presentation of the city-passes including the Alcazar of Seville

The last possibility that I would like to offer you here is a city pass. The city of Seville has several. The principle of a city pass is quite simple: you buy a pass and you can visit the places included and take advantage of attractive discounts. Moreover, if this subject interests you, we have written a complete article on the different city passes of Seville: City pass Seville: Prices, reviews and alternatives

Among the different options, here are the ones that will be the most interesting:

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  Mosque-Cathedral, Cordoba

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  Alhambra, Granada

Practical information for visiting the Alcazar of Seville

Now that you know how to book your visit to the Alcazar of Seville, I suggest you make a practical point by answering a few questions. If you can't find the answer to your question, don't hesitate to leave us a comment, so we can update this article!

Prepare your visit to the Alcazar: 

• What are the opening hours of the Alcazar?
• How much does entry to the Alcazar cost?
• Is it possible to take a guided tour of the Alcazar?
• How long should I plan to visit the Alcazar of Seville?
• What is the best season to visit the Alcazar?
• Should I book in advance?
• How to visit the Alcazar?
• Where is the Alcazar in Seville located?
• What to see during a visit to the Alcazar?

What are the opening hours of the Alcazar?

The Alcazar of Seville is open all year round. Here are the timetables according to the periods:

• from October to March:
  Monday to Sunday: 9:30 a.m. – 17 p.m.
• From April to September:
  Monday to Thursday: 9:30 a.m. – 19 p.m.
• The Alcazar of Seville is closed on January 1 and 6, Good Friday and December 25.

How much does entry to the Alcazar cost?

The price of entry will depend on the tour option you choose.
For example, if you opt for a guided tour in a group, it will take 35 € per person ; a private tour will be from 79 € per person. If you prefer to buy a skip-the-line ticket, then it will be at 14 € per person.
To find out more, you can find the details of tickets and visits in the dedicated section. Learn more.

Is it possible to take a guided tour of the Alcazar?

Yes, you can opt for a guided tour in French, in a group or privately. Find all the guided tours to do in Seville right here: Welink.com
Welink.com is an entirely French platform which carefully selects its French-speaking guides abroad in order to offer optimum service to its customers.

How long should I plan to visit the Alcazar of Seville?

A guided tour lasts approximately 1h20. But it is also necessary to plan a little time afterwards to enjoy the gardens of the Alcazar. I therefore recommend that you plan at least 2 hours to visit all the places. Knowing that once you're inside, you can stay there as long as you want.

What is the best season to visit the Alcazar?

Seville is a city in the south of Spain and inland, in summer it is therefore very hot. Temperatures easily reach 40° or more in July and August. I therefore advise against this period to visit the Alcazar (unless you have no other choice, in which case the visits are in the morning or at the end of the afternoon).
On the other hand, March to June and September to November, will be the most pleasant: temperatures between 20° and 30° and a very low risk of rain. The rest of the year, it will be between 16° and 20°, which is still quite acceptable for a winter!

Should I book in advance?

Yes, yes and yes ! Depending on the period of your visit, the queue at the entrance may be very long (several hours). It is therefore strongly recommended to book in advance, whether it is a guided tour or a skip-the-line ticket.
In low season, you will have less pressure, even if it remains interesting to book on the internet in advance to be quiet once there.

How to visit the Alcazar?

You have several options for visiting the Alcazar of Seville:

• Take a guided tour in French, in groups or privatized
• Take a free visit with a skip-the-line ticket. You will have the option to borrow an audio guide once inside

Entrance is through the Porta del Leon. It is easily recognizable: it is here that you will find the most people and it is bright red in color.

Where is the Alcazar in Seville located?

The Alcazar of Seville is located in the heart of the city, on the Triumph Square. You will be able to spot it easily since it almost faces the Cathedral of Seville.

What to see during a visit to the Alcazar?

The Royal Alcazar Palace has different parts to visit. In total, these are 7 different parts to visit, including 3 palaces and gardens. We detail this immediately in the rest of this article. Looking for a Seville travel guide?

Like many, I often travel with a travel guide. If you are looking for a guide for your visit to Seville, let me recommend the "Cartoville" guide from Gallimard. These guides are perfect for directing you during a city trip.
Organized in neighborhoods with numerous maps, the “Cartoville” guides really stand out from their competitors by their practical and intuitive aspect. You will discover the essentials of each district, the places to eat, where to go out, etc. Buy this guide to Seville

What to see during a visit to the Alcazar of Seville?

Now that you know more about the Alcazar of Seville, I suggest you quickly introduce you to the interior of the place and its history.

History of the Alcazar of Seville

The first traces of construction on the site date back to the Roman Empire. Visigoth constructions were also discovered there. The construction of this palace began in the XNUMXth century by the Umayyads (Arab people who came to Spain).
From that moment on, the Alcazar continued to be modified and enlarged by the many Caliphs and kings who succeeded one another there.
The first major modification took place under the Almohad reign during the Muslim period. Style which still predominates in certain places of the palace. New buildings in the Gothic style followed, this time undertaken by Alphonse X, then by Peter I or even Charles V.
Over the centuries, the palace ceased to be enlarged with, each time, the appearance of a new style. You will find, throughout the visit of the palace, the following styles:

• Almohade
• Mudejar
• Renaissance
• Gothic
• Baroque

Parts of the Palace

If you have ever visited the Alhambra in Granada, you will probably see a certain resemblance there. Indeed, during the construction of one of the palaces, the architect who worked in Granada on the gardens of the Alhambra, was called upon for the construction of the palace in Seville.

This change in style can be seen throughout the palace and the rooms passed through. The Alcazar is divided into 7 parts, including 3 palaces:

• Plaster Palace
• Hiring House
• Wizard's House
• Palace of King Don Pedro
• High Royal Room
• gothic palace
• Gardens

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The gardens are among the wonders of the palace. Huge, more than 7 hectares, and sumptuous, these gardens are worth the detour. Fountains, ponds, patios and even a labyrinth are on the program. The gardens have a cafeteria where you can rest for a few moments and refresh yourself.
One of the parts of the alcazar is, even today, closed because it was used as the apartment of the King of Spain when he came to Seville.
The Alcazar of Seville is the oldest palace still in use in Europe. It has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.

Did you know?
Did you know that we find the Alcazar of Seville in the setting of many films such as Kingdom of Heaven (2005), The Lion and the Wind (1975), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Donde vas, Alfonso XII ? (1958) or the appearance of the Princes of Dorne from the Games of Thrones series who also evolve in the Alcazar of Seville?

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My opinion on the visit to the Alcazar of Seville

After having visited the Alcazar of Seville during my two visits to the city (the first time, alone and the second time, accompanied by a guide), I can only advise you to visit the Alcazar of Seville in the latter way. Certainly the price of the visit will be higher but the advantages of opting for a guided tour of the Alcazar are many. The number 1 advantage is that you won't have to wait outside the Alcazar for long hours. Having passed in front of the Alcazar on many occasions during this last stay, the line is omnipresent from the time of the opening until the closing of the palace. The heat in Seville is sometimes unpleasant and in full sun, it makes the wait all the more unpleasant. It's a safe bet that you'll only be staying 1, 2 or 3 days in Seville, so don't waste precious time waiting in line.

The second undeniable advantage will be the guide's commentary. Visiting the Alcazar without a guide has, for me, very little interest. Certainly you will be able to admire the beauty of the place but you will not have any anecdotes and stories relating to its construction or the life of the place. You will learn more about the city of Seville as well as its incredible history by opting for a guided tour.

Finally, this palace is truly sumptuous, as are its gardens. I really appreciated being able to take my time to enjoy it at the end of the visit. The Alcazar of Seville is therefore a visit that I recommend without hesitation. It is also, for me, a must to do in the city.