I’m going to be completely honest to start this post, a day trip to Sevilla from Málaga is a bit ambitious. The drive is about 2.5 hours one way. I drove from a bit southwest of Málaga in Fuengirola, so it was closer to 3 hours for me. You can definitely get a train/bus from Málaga if you don’t have a car (about 2 hours). I parked my rental car in Sevilla and was able to walk everywhere else from there.
The thing is, I would have loved to stay in Sevilla for a night and spend 2 full days there, but my accommodation was paid for in Fuengirola, so I didn’t want to waste the money. The city is big enough to spend more than one day and not get bored. Since that’s not what I did though, I will share my experience in Sevilla in a day!
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Parking in Sevilla
Like I said, I drove my rental car up to Sevilla, so I immediately wanted to find a good spot to park where I wouldn’t have to worry about it for the entire day. There are plenty of parking garages on the main road next to the river when you first get to Sevilla, so that’s what I decided was best for me. It was €17 for the whole day. One thing I appreciated (especially after driving into Málaga the day before) was the garages having signs outside showing how many spaces were available.
Breakfast & A Walking Tour
I left my place quite early to make it to Sevilla for a quick breakfast before making it to a walking tour that started around 11 am. I stopped at a coffee and juice bar called Jester for an açai bowl. It looks like they have a few locations, and I’d definitely go back there!
The walking tour met near the city center, which took me like 10 minutes to walk to from my parking place. Our guide, Laura, was great. She is very knowledgeable about the city, even though she isn’t originally from Sevilla. The tour was about 2 hours, and we hit all the major sites! The architecture is so intriguing because it changed so much throughout the centuries. My favorite place was the last stop on the tour, Plaza España.
However, the Catedral de Sevilla is a close second. We didn’t explore inside (you can buy tickets online), but even just seeing it from the outside was impressive! One thing to keep an eye out for: there are women outside the Cathedral who will try to do a palm reading and maybe give you a lucky rosemary twig. It’s best to avoid unless you want to pay them. They might say it’s ok if you don’t have money but will expect it anyway when they are finished.
The concept of the Plaza is to show open arms to any and everyone coming to Sevilla to visit, live, etc. It was one of the prettiest places and has depictions of tons of Spanish cities. If you go nowhere else in Sevilla, let it be here! Did you know that Sevilla was the only way to go to America from Europe in 1492? There is a museum near the mosque in city center that has all the history from that time. I really wanted to explore it, but I didn’t have time.
Lunch
The other great thing about doing a walking tour is being able to easily ask someone who knows, for recommendations. The guide gave me a great spot to go for tapas after the tour. I spent another half hour wandering around the plaza and then slowly made my way back towards Bodeguita Casablanca.
The vibes here were really nice! I had a vino Tinto (when in España) and tried the pork loin croquettes, olives, and cod fillet with cilantro. All 3 were delicious and just the thing I needed after walking all over Sevilla in the heat. I did order a coffee after I was finished to give me a bit of pep for the rest of the day.
One thing I regret not doing is trying the vino de naranja. It is orange wine that originated in Sevilla. If you are in Sevilla at the right time, you’ll see all the orange trees full of fruit. Funnily (or not) enough, the pollution is bad enough in Sevilla that they don’t actually use those oranges for eating/drinking. However, the government has put them to good use as a renewable energy source! Anyways, you can find orange wine in Sevilla and the Andalusia region, but I never did try any.
Torre de Oro
This is a great thing to do if you want some higher up views of the city! It’s right on the water, and is also a naval museum inside. When I was there, they said I could pay whatever I felt like. However, on the link above it says it’s €3. Either way, well worth it! The top of the tower isn’t so high that I felt exhausted when I got up there, and the museum bits break up the climbing. Overall, would recommend.
Boat Tour
This was something I wasn’t planning to do, but when I got down by the water there were people standing near the Torre selling tickets. It was right around sunset, so it was really peaceful and pretty. Plus, there is commentary throughout to tell you what you are seeing along the river. It’s not necessary if you’ve already done the walking tour, but I enjoyed it, and it is a more accessible option if you can’t walk for 2 hours.
Since I bought my tickets at the dock, I am putting a link here to the same tour that I found on Get Your Guide. This cruise is an hour long, which I think is sufficient and is how long the one I took was. They have a snack and drink station on the boat, too if you need refreshments along the way.
Back to Málaga
After the boat tour, the sun was about down, and I wanted to get back to Fuengirola. Despite the 3 hour drive, I managed to get back before midnight. What do you think? Was I crazy to do this in one day? As I said when I started, I would highly recommend spending at least one night in Sevilla if you are visiting.
If you want more day trips from the Málaga area, you can check out my day trip to Gibraltar! Note – Gibraltar is a UK territory, so you do have to go through a customs check point to get in.
