The Alcázar. Entry is timed and sells out, so book online before you fly: €15.50, or €8 for over 65s and students under 31. The Cuarto Real Alto, the upper royal rooms, is a separate €5.50 timed ticket with far fewer places; book it first and fit the main slot around it. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. April to September, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. October to March. The last hour on Monday is free (from 6 p.m. in summer, 4 p.m. in winter) for a €1 booking fee, without the Cuarto Real Alto.
The Cathedral and the Giralda. One ticket since January 2026: €13 online or €14 at the desk, with the Giralda climb (ramps, not stairs) and the Church of El Salvador included. Monday to Saturday 10:45 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., last entry 6 p.m. Sundays except holidays have a free visit from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., reserved online, few places.
The heat. From mid-June to mid-September afternoons pass 104°F (40°C) and the city keeps the siesta: stores and many bars shut from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and nobody eats before 9 p.m. Walk between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., sleep after lunch, put the monuments at opening. Tap water is fine.
Semana Santa and Feria. Semana Santa 2027 is March 21 to 28; the Feria de Abril is April 13 to 18, 2027, lit at midnight on the 12th. Processions close the center through Holy Week and the Feria empties the city into the casetas across the river each evening; rooms double or triple and monuments shorten their hours.
Getting around. Everything is walkable. The one tram line (T1) runs from Plaza Nueva past the Cathedral to San Bernardo; TUSSAM buses cost around €1.40, cash or bank card on board. The EA airport bus takes about 35 minutes to Santa Justa, the Prado de San Sebastián and Plaza de Armas for €6, €8 round trip; a taxi is a fixed €25 to €30. No train or metro serves the airport.
Triana and flamenco. Cross the Isabel II bridge, which everyone calls the Triana bridge, in the last hour of light and come back along Calle Betis. A tablao such as Casa de la Memoria is a ticketed hour-long show for €18 to €25, nightly and bookable; a peña is a neighborhood club where members and guests perform on irregular nights for a few euros or free, rawer and later.
Tipping. Leave a euro or two in coins at the counter and round up a dinner bill; nobody tips a percentage.
At the gate. Keep the Alcázar and Cathedral QR codes in Waystop’s Documents. Be at the Puerta del León ten minutes before the slot, and carry water in summer; the courtyards have none.