Seville has a subtropical Mediterranean climate, which is characterised by dry, hot summers and mild, wet winters. The city experiences temperatures of around 21 degrees Celsius or warmer for more than half the year. July and August are the hottest months, with an average high temperature of 36 degrees. If you would rather explore the city without the searing heat, spring can be a good time to visit, as it is slightly cooler but still moderate and warm. As the weather is lovely throughout the majority of the year most tourists visit from April all the way till November.
Getting around Seville
Set out to explore the city on foot. Seville is a walkable city, but it also has a very dependable network of buses and trains. The metro system started running in 2007. If you’re going to use the bus and metro often, buy a bonobús pass, available at newsstands and tobacco shops, to save money.
Getting from the Airport to the City
San Pablo Airport (SVQ) is 6 miles (10km) from the city centre. There is a regular local bus taking visitors from the airport to the city. The journey takes around 30 minutes. Taxis and car rental are also available.
What is good to know if travelling to Seville?- In the 14th century, Alfonso X and Pedro I, the Christian kings, employed Moorish craftsmen to build the Alcazar palace. Highlights are the Puerta del Leon, Patio de las Doncellas, Hall of Kings and the gardens. Just outside the walled defences is the Torre de Oro, a 13th-century tower, which houses the maritime museum.
- The Museo de Bellas Artes is housed in a former mercy convent and boasts a great collection of Sevillian art from the Gothic period to the 20th century from artists such as El Greco, Pacheco, Velázquez and Alonso Cano.
- Plaza de España was built for the 1929 Ibero-Americano World’s Fair. Architecturally, it draws from the Renaissance as well as from the city of Seville (exposed brick, wrought iron and ceramics). Film trivia: it was used for one of the scenes in Episode II of George Lucas’s Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.
- La Real Maestranza, the bullring, dates from the 1760s. There is a museum under the bullring.
- The Queens Sewing Room looks as though it should be in a fairytale. The pink and yellow striped hexagonal building has small corner towers. This is where María de las Mercedes came to cure her ill health and spend time sewing with her ladies-in-waiting.
Seville airport overview
Rebuilt for the 1992 Universal Exposition, Seville’s San Pablo Airport is a no-nonsense, highly functional airport, providing travellers with easy access to the beautiful capital city of Andalusia, as well as the famed beaches of the Costa del Sol.
Flights to San Pablo Airport are provided by a number of airlines, including several low-cost carriers such as Ryanair, Vueling and easyJet – offering short, inexpensive connections to leading European and North African destinations.
Seeing more than 4.5 million sun-seekers each year, San Pablo is a busy hub that has earned a reputation for being a much more pleasant, relaxing transit-point than other Spanish airports.
Cheap flights to Seville are hardest to find between May and August so book your flights early to secure the lowest fares.