
What to see at the Royal Alcázar of Seville
The Royal Alcázar of Seville isn't explored as a single building, but as a walled complex where each area corresponds to a different period and function. Access is through the Puerta del León, and from the Patio de la Montería the way opens into the palace area.
The Mudéjar Palace is the palatial heart of the complex. Around it stand the Gothic Palace, the Casa de la Contratación and the Cuarto Real Alto, which occupies the upper floor and requires its own ticket. The historic gardens close the route and take up much of the visitable area.
Tours with an official guide
01Area 01
Puerta del León and Patio de la Montería
This is the main entrance to the walled complex and the point where every visit to the Royal Alcázar begins. Beyond the Puerta del León come the Patio del León, the Sala de la Justicia and the Patio del Yeso, forming the first sequence of spaces in the complex.
The route through this area leads to the Patio de la Montería, where the façade of the Palace of King Don Pedro stands. It's the point that organizes the way into the palatial core.
02Area 02
Mudéjar Palace
This is the palatial heart of the Royal Alcázar, dating from the 14th century. Inside, visitors explore the Patio de las Doncellas, the Hall of Ambassadors, the Patio de las Muñecas and the Cuarto del Príncipe.
This is the part of the complex where the palatial spaces are concentrated, and the one that shapes the rest of the visit.
Patio de las Doncellas
The central axis of the Mudéjar Palace: a rectangular space with arcades, plasterwork and a pool reflecting the surrounding architecture.
03Area 03
Cuarto Real Alto
It occupies the upper floor of the Palace of King Don Pedro and is visited with a specific ticket, separate from the general admission ticket.
This floor houses the Bedroom of Isabella the Catholic and the Chapel of Isabella the Catholic.
04Area 04
Casa de la Contratación
Within the Alcázar grounds stands the Casa de la Contratación, which served as the headquarters for trade with the Indies during the 16th and 17th centuries.
This is the area that reveals the Alcázar's role beyond its palatial use, without leaving the complex.
05Area 05
Gothic Palace
This corresponds to the works commissioned by Alfonso X in the 13th century and brings together the Gothic Hall and the Patio del Crucero.
The Patio del Crucero was originally an Almohad garden later transformed during the Christian period, so both eras can be read within the same space.
Beneath the Gothic Palace are the Baths of Doña María de Padilla, an underground vaulted space of Almohad origin that was later reused as a cistern.
06Area 06
Historic gardens
The gardens take up much of the visitable area and bring together several distinct spaces: the Mercury Pond, the Jardín de la Danza, the Jardín de Troya, the Jardín de las Flores, the Jardín de la Galera, the Jardín del Príncipe and the Gardens of Charles V.
Within this same area are two features that aren't gardens as such but are part of the landscaped route.
Baños de María de Padilla
An underground vaulted space beneath the Gothic Palace. It is of Almohad origin and was later reused as a cistern.
Galería de Grutesco
A Mannerist structure from the 16th century, next to the Mercury Pond. It functions as an elevated viewpoint over the gardens.
Patio de Banderas, Charles V Pavilion and the Labyrinth
The Patio de Banderas is the square next to the Royal Alcázar ticket office, with on-site sales from 09:00 and card payment only.
Inside the gardens are the Charles V Pavilion, a 16th-century building, and the Labyrinth, a hedge maze that is part of the garden route.
The Royal Alcázar in Game of Thrones
The gardens of the Royal Alcázar were the Water Gardens of Dorne in the series Game of Thrones.
The guided tour ends in the Alcázar Gardens, so it is a good way to see them with an official guide explaining them.
How long it takes to see the Alcázar
The guided tour of the Royal Alcázar lasts 1 hour and 45 minutes and the complete tour with the Cathedral lasts 3 hours and 30 minutes.
If you enter on your own, you set the pace. The Cuarto Real Alto needs its own ticket and is visited separately.
Free visit on Mondays
Visiting the Royal Alcázar is free on Mondays with a ticket booked on the monument's official website.
If you prefer an official guide and the entrance ticket included, you can book the guided tour.
Explore these areas with an official guide
If you'd like to explore the Royal Alcázar with an organized tour and the ticket included, these are the available options.

Royal Alcazar of Seville
Welcome to the Real Alcázar of Seville! The guide will be waiting for you at the Plaza del Triunfo Tourist Office, next to the Alcázar Walls with an orange umbrella. Once there, don't be surprised by the long line at…

Complete tour of Seville: Real Alcázar, Cathedral and Giralda
Discover the three essential monuments of Seville in a single guided tour. Accompanied by an official guide, you will tour the impressive Real Alcázar, the majestic Cathedral of Seville and ascend the emblematic Giralda…
