Castles · Tour
Alcázar of Seville an Hour Before It Opens, Empty Palace
The Royal Alcázar is the most visited thing in Seville, and the line outside it regularly runs for hours. This tour goes in an hour before the doors open to the public. That single hour changes the building. The Alcázar was designed around sightlines, reflections and sound: pools that double the arcades, courtyards that carry a voice from one end to the other, rooms lit through screens. All of it works when you are the only people in there and none of it works at midday with four hundred visitors filling the same space. Photographs of these rooms without a stranger in them are only possible before opening. The guide takes the group through the empty palace with the history attached to it: Ferdinand and Isabella, Columbus, and the Christian kings who commissioned Islamic architecture from Muslim craftsmen and then moved in. Afterwards the gardens, and they are large. Every monarch who used the Alcázar added to them, and they now run to seven hectares of trees, flowerbeds and paths, with peacocks that have long since stopped avoiding people. The group forms in Plaza del Triunfo while the city is still waking up.
What's included
- Alcazar Gardens
- Local English-speaking guide
- Royal Alcazar (inside)
- VIP early access to the Alcazar with pre-reserved tickets
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- Headsets
- Expertly guided walking tour
Itinerary
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C. Joaquín Romero Murube, Sevilla
Arrive 15 minutes before the start. The guide holds a green Walks sign. The meeting point is Plaza del Triunfo, 41004 Seville, by the large statue of the Immaculate Virgin in the middle of the square.
Plaza del Triunfo
Meet the guide and the rest of the group in Plaza del Triunfo as the city wakes. The queue outside the Alcázar is already forming and none of it applies to you: the group goes past it and in through doors opened early.
Meet your guide and small group in Plaza del Triunfo
The group forms in Plaza del Triunfo, with the line outside the Alcázar already building. Early access takes the group straight past it and through doors opened for them alone. Inside, the guide leads through an empty palace and works through its history, its architecture, and the people attached to it: King Ferdinand, Queen Isabella and Christopher Columbus.
Jardines de los Reales Alcazares
After the palace, out into the gardens. Every monarch who used the Alcázar enlarged them, and they now cover seven hectares (17 acres). They hold exotic trees, flowers and planting, along with peacocks that are entirely unbothered by visitors.
Juderia, 2, Sevilla
Not included
- Hotel Pick-up/Drop-off
- Gratuities
Good to know
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
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- This tour is in English.
- For guest with mobility impairments, the Alcazar has many tiny steps that make the monument hard to navigate in a wheelchair, but it can be done. Please contact our Guest Experience team after booking the tour so we can arrange your visit.
- This is a walking tour. Guests should be able to walk at a moderate pace without difficulty.
- Although the gardens are not the main highlight of the Alcazar, they are often closed due to weather conditions (rain or wind), maintenance, or restoration work. In such cases, the tour is never shortened; instead, the visit inside the palaces is extended.
- Walks and Devour comply with all local government regulations. Please refer to local government guidelines for the most up to date information.
- Up to 15 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: en.
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