What to see in Seville by day of the week: what is open, what is free and when to go
The cathedral does not open the same way on a Monday as on a Sunday, the Alcázar has its free slot and the Plaza de España charges nothing. This guide sorts Seville by day of the week and by hour, with the opening times published for 2026.
If you decide on the morning what to see in Seville, you do not need another list of monuments: you need to know what opens that day, at what time and what has to be booked. The cathedral changes its hours on Sunday, the Alcázar has a disputed free slot and several places charge no entry at all.
This page sorts the city by day of the week, with the opening times published for 2026. It does not replace the official website on the day, which can change for a mass, an event or a one-off closure.
What opens on each day of the week?
The cathedral opens Monday to Saturday from 10:45 to 19:00, with ticket desks closing at 18:00. On Sunday it opens from 14:30 to 19:00, with ticket desks closing at 18:00, so a Sunday morning is no use for the cathedral.
The Torre del Oro opens from 9:30 to 17:00 from October to March, and from 9:30 to 19:00 from April to September, according to Seville City Council. For the Alcázar, the sources consulted do not publish the exact hours for each day of 2026: check its website before you set off.
| Day | What works | What lets you down |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Cathedral in the morning; the Alcázar free slot late in the day, according to the sources | Many museums and monuments in the province are closed |
| Tuesday to Saturday | Everything opens with full hours | More tour groups between 11:00 and 14:00 |
| Sunday | Cathedral in the afternoon, with the free visit if booked | The cathedral does not open in the morning |
What can you see for free, and on which day?
The best documented free entry is the cathedral's: on Sunday from 16:30 to 18:00, with advance online booking, except on special days. It is weekly, not a first Sunday of the month, and without a booking you do not get in.
The Alcázar has a free slot on Mondays late in the afternoon, often from 18:00 to 19:30, but the sources disagree on whether it applies every Monday or only the first. No official source consulted confirms a free first Sunday for either the Alcázar or the cathedral.
The Plaza de España, María Luisa Park and the Santa Cruz quarter are free on any day and at any hour. For photos without tour groups, go before 10:00 or after 18:00: that is practical advice, not an official timetable.
If the free slot does not fit your day, a timed ticket is what saves you the Alcázar queue. Check the price of the entry ticket alone on the official website first: a guided tour costs more because it includes a guide, not because the ticket goes up.
See tickets and tours in Seville →Affiliate link: booking through it helps keep this guide going, and costs you nothing extra.What can you decide on the spot, and what needs booking?
| Site | Booking | Usual notice | High season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Alcázar | Time slot advised | 2 to 7 days | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Cathedral and Giralda | Advised | 1 to 3 days | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Free Sunday visit | Compulsory | As soon as places are released | As soon as places are released |
| Plaza de España and Santa Cruz | No | None | None |
| Brotherhood churches | No, but hours are unreliable | Check on the day | Check on the day |
The cathedral costs €13 online and €14 at the ticket desk, and the reduced ticket €7 online and €8 at the ticket desk. The one euro difference rewards buying from its official online ticket office, linked from catedraldesevilla.es.
The Alcázar costs between €14.50 and €15.50 according to the 2026 guides, with a reduced ticket at €8 whose exact conditions are poorly documented. If a slot is still free on the official website on the day, that is the best buy you can make.
In what order, if you decide in the morning?
With a full day, the order that holds up best is the Alcázar first thing, for 2 h 30 to 3 h 30, and the cathedral with the Giralda in mid-afternoon, for 1 h 30 to 2 h. Between the two, allow 45 to 75 minutes for a break and the walk.
Leave the late afternoon for Santa Cruz and, if the heat allows, the Plaza de España and María Luisa Park. With half a day, pick the Alcázar or the cathedral, not both: doing them in under 4 hours means a shallow visit and a lot of queuing. The one-day Seville itinerary sets out each stretch.
In real heat, the Museo de Bellas Artes is the obvious midday refuge: Murillo, Zurbarán and Valdés Leal in 1 h 30 to 2 h, under a roof. The sources consulted do not give its 2026 opening hours.
Photo: José Luis Filpo Cabana, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What costs more than it seems?
The entry price does not cover everything. The Cuarto Real Alto in the Alcázar adds €5.50, and the cathedral audio guide costs €5 for the device and €4 on the app, with no published list of languages by time slot.
The flamenco shows sold next to the cathedral, bundled with dinner or transport, mostly pay the middleman. Horse carriages and rooftop bars are no substitute for a visit either: the view from a terrace does not have the sweep of the Giralda.
Near the cathedral, some women hand out sprigs of rosemary as a gift and then ask for money, according to 2026 travel guides. A clear no is enough.
What if your trip falls in Holy Week?
Then this table no longer applies: streets in the centre close as the brotherhoods pass and monuments restrict their hours. The next Holy Week (Semana Santa) is expected from 21 to 28 March 2027, and the guide to Holy Week in Seville explains how the day changes.
Outside those dates, Holy Week can be seen in the brotherhood churches, which keep their images all year round. There is no central calendar of opening times: a mass, a wedding or a funeral closes the visit without notice.
Sleeping a few minutes from the Alcázar and the cathedral is what lets you walk into the first slot of the day. It is the hour before the tour groups arrive, and the one that decides whether the day goes well.
See places to stay in central Seville →Affiliate link: booking through it helps keep this guide going, and costs you nothing extra.Still unpublished
- The exact Alcázar opening hours for each day of 2026, which the sources consulted do not include.
- Whether the Alcázar free slot runs every Monday or only the first: the sources contradict each other.
- An official pass combining the Alcázar, the cathedral and museums: none exists in the sources consulted.
- Daily opening of the brotherhood churches: there is no central calendar.
For the big picture, the guide to what to see in Seville explains what makes the trip worthwhile, and the one on things to see in Seville puts real prices and times in a single table.
Sources
- Seville Cathedral: opening hours and prices for the 2026 cultural visit, free Sunday visit, audio guide; official ticket office on servitickets.es.
- Seville City Council: municipal heritage, Torre del Oro opening hours, 2026.
- Spain Travel Vibe: Cuarto Real Alto and Alcázar reduced ticket, 2026.
- Seville-trip: practical tips and rosemary sellers, 2026.
- Travel guides gathered in this site's guide to what to see in Seville: Alcázar price and Monday free slot, 2025 and 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What time does Seville Cathedral open on Sunday?
Which day is Seville Cathedral free?
What can you see in Seville without booking?
Is the Alcázar of Seville free on Mondays?
Marta Bermúdez
Marta spent five years on the front desk of a hotel in the centre, answering the same questions about parking and the metro every day. She writes the pages she would have liked to hand to her guests. She checks every fare on the operator's website, never in a guidebook.
