Seville Cathedral: Everything You Need to Know for Your Visit

Admission to the Cathedral: Options at a Glance

Before we walk you through everything there is to discover inside, here’s a quick overview of the different admission and ticket options for the Seville Cathedral. This should make planning your city trip to Seville a whole lot easier.

We’ll go into each option in more detail further down, but here’s a first overview.

Visiting the Cathedral of Seville

The Seville Cathedral is an absolute must for anyone exploring the highlights of Andalusia. It’s one of the largest churches in the world — depending on how you measure it, it’s the largest surviving Gothic cathedral on earth and, after St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and St. Paul’s in London, the third-largest house of worship overall.

That alone makes it something special — but it has quite a bit more to offer.

Where the cathedral stands today, there was once a mosque. Construction began on its remains in 1401 and took a full 118 years to complete.

Over the following 400 years, details were continually refined and decorated, resulting in an extraordinary architectural mix that you really have to see to believe.

The cathedral is truly enormous and already incredibly impressive from the outside. Inside, you’ll be completely speechless. Spanning 115 meters across five naves, Gothic meets Moorish elements and azulejos as you stroll between massive columns, abundant gold, and stunning stained glass windows.

Those colorful windows are best admired from the inside — they look especially beautiful in the afternoon when the sunlight shines through them.

La Giralda

The minaret of the former mosque was preserved and has served as the cathedral’s bell tower since the 15th century, known as the Giralda.

During construction, the Islamic bronze spheres at the top were replaced by a Christian cross. At the very top, a weather vane — the Giraldillo — rotates, and it’s this vane that gave the tower its name.

You can climb the 17 stories up to the top of the 104-meter tower via ramps. From up there, you’ll have a seriously wonderful panorama of the entire city.

Climbing the Giralda Tower

The ascent isn’t via stairs but via ramps — designed that way so riders could go up on horseback. Clever! Only at the very end do you need to climb about 20 steps to reach the observation platform.

We do have to be honest with you: the tower gets incredibly crowded. The passageway is just wide enough for two people to pass each other, and because so many visitors want to go up at once, there are unfortunately frequent bottlenecks.

If you’re not a fan of tight spaces or tend to feel claustrophobic, the climb might not be for you.

Even once you reach the top, the crowds don’t thin out — you’ll have to wait again before you can grab a spot with a view. We found it pretty stressful and couldn’t really enjoy the vista.

If people are already lining up at the base of the tower, the entire 17-floor climb will move at a snail’s pace.

Our tip: To truly enjoy the climb, head up the tower first thing in the morning when the cathedral opens. Go straight up and explore the rest of the church afterward — that way you get ahead of the crowds that build up throughout the day.

Tomb of Columbus

Just to the right of the cathedral’s entrance, you’ll find the tomb of Christopher Columbus.

That said, apparently only a portion of his remains are buried here — no one knows for certain. Researchers estimate that about 15 percent of Columbus lies in Seville. The rest are in his birthplace of Genoa and in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.

The tomb is absolutely worth seeing. The coffin is carried by four figures symbolizing the kingdoms of Navarre, Aragon, Castile, and León.

The Chapels

The cathedral has various chapels, each designed for very different purposes. Just wander into wherever you’re allowed — there’s something interesting around every corner.

The world’s largest altarpiece awaits you in the Capilla Mayor — a masterpiece of Gothic woodcarving. Across an area of 23×20 meters, you’ll find intricate carvings finished with gilding. Really impressive!

The Royal Chapel, the Capilla Real, is the resting place of Ferdinand III of Castile, his wife, and his sons. It was built into the cathedral in the mid-16th century in the Renaissance style.

In the Capilla de San Antonio, you’ll find the famous painting The Temptation of Saint Anthony by Murillo.

Orange Tree Courtyard

The Orange Tree Courtyard — the Patio de las Naranjas — dates back to the time of the Moors, when the mosque stood here. Around the orange trees you’ll find 19 horseshoe arches also preserved from that era. The crowds spread out a bit more here than inside the cathedral, which makes it a nice place to catch your breath.

Buying Tickets for the Seville Cathedral

There are several ticket options for visiting the cathedral. All tickets include entry to the cathedral and access to the Giralda tower.

The differences come down to wait times and, of course, price.

Here’s an overview of the available tickets and where to get them.

Buying Tickets On-Site

Buying a ticket directly at the cathedral costs 12 euros. If you’d also like an audio guide, that’s an additional 5 euros — so 17 euros total with the audio guide.

Because the cathedral is always incredibly busy, expect to wait several hours at the ticket office during peak season.

Honestly, we’d rather not recommend this option unless you’re visiting in the absolute off-season and arrive right when it opens. It’s much better to buy your ticket online before your trip to Andalusia.

Our tip: Your cathedral ticket is also valid for the Iglesia El Salvador. And here’s the best part: you can buy this combo ticket at El Salvador church too. It’s usually far less busy there, and with this ticket you can then walk straight into the cathedral without waiting in line.

The Iglesia El Salvador is at Plaza del Salvador, just a few minutes’ walk from the cathedral.

Online Tickets with Priority Entrance

Because the cathedral is always extremely busy, we really recommend buying your ticket online in advance. That way you’re on the safe side and don’t have to worry about the line at the entrance.

With an online ticket, you’ll select a time slot when purchasing — that’s when you want to visit.

Option 1: Buy Tickets Directly on the Cathedral’s Website

The cheapest option is to buy tickets directly on the cathedral’s website. You’ll pay 11 euros for the ticket plus a 1-euro processing fee — 12 euros total.

The website is only available in Spanish and English, and payment is only possible by credit card. The site can be a little confusing to navigate.

The website states that you must print out your ticket. In practice, though, showing it on your smartphone works without any issues.

Visit the Cathedral’s Website
Option 2: Buy a Skip-the-Line Ticket at GetYourGuide

Alternatively, seville cathedral tickets are available through GetYourGuide. There, the ticket costs 16 euros and lets you skip the line entirely.

Buy Ticket at GetYourGuide

Option 3: Tickets with a Guided Tour of the Cathedral

You can also visit the cathedral on a guided tour. This lets you bypass the ticket line and pick up some genuinely interesting information along the way.

A recommended tour is available for just 28 euros including the ticket and lasts 90 minutes. The guides always make an effort to use clear, simple English since they often have guests with varying levels of English.

Book a Guided Tour of the Cathedral
Our tip: You can often book this tour for the same day. If you’re standing in front of the cathedral in the morning without a ticket and the line is already miles long, check whether there are still spots available on a midday tour.

Then just grab a coffee, or take a detour to the Archivo General de Indias right next door, until the tour begins.

Some guided tours also include the Royal Palace Real Alcázar — a great option if you want to cover both highlights in one go.

Option 4: Combo Tour of the Cathedral and Real Alcázar

The Real Alcázar is the second major highlight of Seville after the cathedral, and one that almost everyone wants to visit.

If you’re planning to see both anyway, a combo tour is totally worth considering. It can save you a few euros and — more importantly — a lot of waiting time, because the lines at the Real Alcázar are at least as long as those at the cathedral.

There are a large number of these combo tours available. Here’s a recommended option:

Guided Tour of the Cathedral and Real Alcázar

General Information for Your Visit to the Seville Cathedral

Opening Hours of the Cathedral of Seville

Monday through Saturday: 11 AM to 6 PM (free admission on Mondays from 4:30 PM, though it’s extremely crowded then)
Sundays: 2:30 PM to 7 PM

In July and August, the cathedral opens one hour earlier.

Opening hours can change, so it’s worth checking the cathedral’s website before your visit.

How much time should you plan for the cathedral?

There’s a lot to see in this enormous cathedral, so give yourself plenty of time. Plan on at least two hours. That way you can explore all the rooms and the Orange Tree Courtyard at a leisurely pace and still climb the Giralda.

When should you visit the cathedral?

If you have the choice, a weekday is better. On weekends, there are also many locals visiting, and Sunday opening hours are reduced due to church services.

We also recommend going in the morning when the cathedral opens. The later in the day it gets, the more packed it becomes.

On Mondays, admission is free from 4:30 PM — but be warned: you really need to be crowd-resistant. It gets unbelievably busy.

Interestingly, because so many visitors hold out for the free Monday slot, Monday midday is comparatively quiet. That makes it a surprisingly good time to visit. Just don’t expect to have the Giralda to yourself — that’s never going to happen.

Dress Code and Rules for Visiting the Cathedral

The cathedral has a few rules you need to follow during your visit.

Open shoes like flip-flops or sandals are not allowed. Flats and sneakers are fine. Your shoulders must also be covered.

Loud talking or shouting is prohibited, so try to keep your voice down.

Photography is fine, but tripods are not allowed.

Things you may not bring into the cathedral:

• Weapons of any kind
• Sharp objects, such as knives or scissors
• Signs, flags, or banners of any kind
• Chemical products
• Hairspray or deodorant spray
• Animals (service animals excepted)
• Food or drinks (water is fine in summer)

How do you get to the cathedral?

The cathedral is located in Seville’s historic center at the Plaza del Triunfo, right next to the Real Alcázar.

Bus C5 stops almost at the cathedral — the stop is called García de Vinuesa. The stops Plaza de la Contratación and Santander are also just a few steps away.

Hop-on hop-off buses don’t stop directly at the cathedral. The nearest stop is at the Torre del Oro.

If you want to buy your tickets at the Iglesia El Salvador: Bus C5 stops right in front of the church at the Villegas stop.

Around the Cathedral

The cathedral’s most famous neighbor is certainly the Real Alcázar. Since a visit to the Royal Palace should absolutely be on your Seville itinerary, we’ve written a dedicated article about it:

Real Alcázar: All the Information You Need for Your Visit

Right next door you’ll also find the Archivo General de Indias, which is well worth a look — and admission is even free. You can find more details in our guide to the top things to see in Seville.

Also worth a detour is the Plaza de Cabildo, a charming little square tucked away in a courtyard very close to the cathedral. You can reach it through a small passageway on Av. de la Constitución or via Calle Almirantazgo, to the left of Café Postigo 10.