Where to stay in Seville? The Spanish historic town has many great neighborhoods to stay and is packed with the best hotels, coziest hostels and most beautiful luxury hotels. But it does take some time to go through that overwhelmingly large offer to find the perfect place to stay in Seville. With many hip or historic districts, the largest historic city center in Europe and even more hotels and hostels in Seville, there is a lot to choose from. This blog will help you make a choice. What are the best neighborhoods to stay in Seville? And which hotels are the best?
Did you know: Seville has its own international airport with direct flights for very competitive prices?
- Most famous hotel in Sevilla: Hotel Alfonso XIII
- Best luxury hotel in Sevilla: Magdalena Plaza Sevilla
- Best hostel in Sevilla: Black Swan Hostel
- Smallscale boutique hotel: Hotel Amadeus & La Musica
- Best place to stay for families in Sevilla: Hostal Sierpes
Why Seville is definitely worth a visit
Seville is one of the most popular places in Andalusia and it is also our personal favorite in the south of Spain. The stunning city in Andalusia combines a wonderful climate – with pleasant temperatures even in winter – with one of the largest historic cities centers in the world. Seville can keep you entertained for days with its charming alleys, city walls, flamenco theatres, arches, churches, squares, monuments, palaces and more churches.
Read more: 15 best things to do in Seville.
A city usually has its sight concentrated around a cathedral, central square or castle, but the splendor of Seville seems to never stop! The city has one of the largest historical centers in the world and there is so much to see and admire. From the Visigoths to the Romans to the Islamic Moors to the Christian monarchs, Seville’s long history is reflected in what you find here today. The Islamic Moors in particular have enriched Seville into the monumental city it still is today. The architecture of the Moors from North Africa was unprecedentedly refined, developed and large-scale.
One of the famous highlights of Seville is Real Alcazar de Seville, the royal palace with its lush gardens and beautiful Moorish architecture. Right next to it is the Catedral de Santa María de la Sede. It is one of the largest churches in the world – only St. Peter’s in Rome and St. Paul’s in London are larger. The cathedral was once built as a mosque and the famous Giralda Tower will probably remind you of an Islamic minaret. You can also climb this tower for the best view of the city.
Other things to see in Seville are the 160-meter-wide Plaza de España with its beautiful architecture and mosaics, the charming historic Jewish quarter and the modern architecture of the Metropol Parasol with beautiful views from the roof.
The best neighborhoods to stay in Seville
If you are looking for accommodation in Seville, it is good to first choose which neighborhood you’d like to stay. The old center of Seville is large and although all sights are within walking distance, the different neighborhoods offer a different atmospheric.
The best neighborhoods in Seville’s city center are:
- Centro with the iconic Metropol Parasol and the major shopping streets
- Barrio de Santa Cruz, also called the Jewish Quarter, with the Real Alcázar and the Cathedral
- Barrio del Arenal with the Hospital de Carridad and the Torre del Oro
- Barrio San Vicente with great restaurants and hip hotspots
- Maria Luisa Park with the famous Plaza de España
- Barrio de la Macarena packed with churches and also the Palacio de las Dueñas
- Barrio de la Triana, a working-class neighborhood on the other side of the river, where flamenco once originated
Choose Centro, Santa Cruz or Arenal
We recommend to stay in either Centro, Santa Cruz, Arenal or San Vicente. These districts are most centrally located between the sights, so you’ll get to stay right between the beautiful highlights of Seville.
Santa Cruz – or the Jewish Quarter – is often praised as the best neighborhood in Seville and we can agree to that. The narrow alleys, squares with orange trees and beautiful vistas make this the most charming part of the city. Yet the other neighborhoods we mentioned are so close to it and they also have a lot of that charming atmosphere that we would just as well choose Centro, Arenal or San Vicente. As Santa Cruz is very popular, most hotels are quite pricey and the other areas offer more affordable places to stay in Seville.
The best hotels in Seville
Seville’s most famous hotel
Would you like to stay in Seville’s most famous hotel? Then Hotel Alfonso XIII should be your first thoice. This special hotel is one of Seville’s highlights and is still functioning as a luxury hotel nowadays.
The hotel was built in 1929, when Seville welcomed the World’s Fair. The Plaza de España was also built on the occasion of this international spectacle. In order to accommodate all those visitors, a monumental hotel was also built: the Hotel Alfonso XIII. It was already one of the most luxurious hotels in the world when it was opened and it still is. The building was designed in Neo-Mudajar style, a modern version of the Moorish-Christian architecture from centuries before.
Inside the hotel has kept the glory of past times. The marble floors and huge banquet halls with chandeliers still exude wealth and luxury. Named after the king who then ruled Spain, it is still a place of royal allure today. Although the royal family of Spain can use their own royal palace in Seville, they usually prefer Hotel Alfonso XIII. Other famous guests include Prince Charles and his then wife Diana, as well as stars such as Angelina Jolie and Madonna.
The best hotels in Centro
The name of the Centro district already makes clear that this is the heart of Seville. El Centro is home to the larger shopping streets, but has fewer historic sights than other districts. The big highlight of El Centro is the iconic Metropol Parasol on the north side of the district. It is the largest wooden structure in the world with dimensions spanning the entire square. You can walk on the elevated square, under the umbrellas and view the beautiful building from below. But if you want to see more of the Metropol Parasol, you can also climb it for spectacular views of the city.
The best hotels in Centro:
- Hostal Sierpes for a budget-friendly family hotel in a seventeenth-century monument surrounding a patio.
- Magdalena Plaza Seville for a luxury hotel with a beautiful modern design, a swimming pool and an extremely high rating on Booking.
- Casa del Rey Sabio in a beautiful historic building around a patio and with studios including a kitchenette and sitting area in each room.
- Room007 Salvador Hostel with a beautiful roof terrace and spacious and bright dormitories, as well as private and family rooms.
The best hotels in Santa Cruz
The most popular area of the historic center is Barrio de Santa Cruz, the historic Jewish quarter. It has two of Seville’s biggest tourist attractions, the Real Alcázar and the Cathedral, surrounded by a maze of charming streets and alleys. Wandering through this neighborhood is one of the best things to do in Seville. It has many narrow alleys, cobbled streets and small squares with orange trees or historic churches with colorful facades. Marvel at the picturesque vistas and beautiful buildings and just get lost. Barrio de Santa Cruz has many restaurants with sunny terraces, so this is also the perfect place for an authentic lunch while watching the people strolling past the terraces.
The best hotels in Santa Cruz:
- Adriano Boutique Hotel with classic boutique rooms in the heart of Santa Cruz.
- EME Catedral Hotel for a spectacular rooftop pool with a view of the cathedral.
- Hotel Murillo in an authentic, historic building with attractive rooms, monumental wooden ceilings and antique furniture for the real historic Santa Cruz feeling.
- Hotel Amadeus & La Musica for a small-scale hotel in a picturesque alley with attractive design rooms.
The best hotels in Arenal
Barrio del Arenal is sandwiched between El Centro and the river. This district is more quiet than the other areas packed with tourist attractions, though it is just around the corner of all the famous sights of Seville. A lovely thing to do is walking along the river, especially in the evening. You should definitely cross the river to also explore the working-class district of Triana. Highlights in Arenal include the riverside promenade with the historic Torre del Oro and the beautiful baroque church of the Hospital de la Caridad.
The best hotels in Arenal:
- Black Swan Hostel with a roof terrace, attractive communal rooms for working or relaxing, and both dormitories and private rooms.
- Petit Palace Puerta de Triana for a beautifully and colorfully decorated and designed boutique hotel named after Triana, but centrally located in Arenal.
- Hotel Alabardero in a historic building of the nineteenth century with an authentic courtyard and a roof terrace with a view over Seville.
Where to stay in Seville with a camper
We made our Andalusian road trip with our camper van. It is usually difficult to stay in or nearby a big city with your motorhome or campervan, so we sometimes booked a centrally located hotel for one or two nights. But Seville turned out to be the perfect destination to visit with our van! You can simply park your van at a regular parking spot, as long as your van actually fits the spot. There is paid (and quite pricey) parking pretty much everywhere in the historic city, but we found free parking spaces right next to the Santa Justa train station and on a second visit right next to Plaza de España.
The camper place at the Santa Justa station is about a 20-minute walk to most sights. We stayed here for three nights and we felt very safe here. You can use the toilets in the train station. It can be very crowded in this small parking area, making it difficult to find a good spot. Because our camper van fits in any normal parking space, we could just park at the one parking spot that was available.
We used this parking space at Plaza de España only during the day. There is a local asking for money to guard your car or van, but he wasn’t there when we returned so we ended up paying nothing. We did not spend the night at this spot, as we have heard varying stories about safety.
Official and paid motorhome pitches in Seville are not far from the historic center: this camper spot (15 euros) and this camper spot (14 euros). They have little atmosphere, as they are nothing more than a bare parking lot. But it does give you the option of staying on an official motorhome parking and there is electricity and water available (for an extra fee).
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