Day Trips from Seville (2026)

The best day trips from Seville are Córdoba, under an hour by high-speed train, and Cádiz, about 1 hour 30 minutes away on the coast; Jerez, about an hour away, adds sherry bodegas on the same line. Ronda and the white towns need a car or a tour. In summer, leave early, because inland Andalusia is hottest in the afternoon, and plan to be back in Seville for a late dinner.

Seville day trips at a glance

Córdoba, Cádiz and Jerez run by train from Santa Justa; the rest need a bus, a car or a tour.

Book high-speed trains on Renfe a few days ahead, especially at weekends. Regional trains to Cádiz and Jerez rarely sell out, but times vary by service, so check the day before.

Córdoba: the day trip to do first

Under an hour by high-speed train, Córdoba is home to the Mezquita, the great mosque-cathedral at the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage site.

• The Mezquita, a forest of striped double arches with a cathedral built in the middle, is the reason to go; go at opening time.
• The Judería, the old Jewish quarter, is a maze of whitewashed lanes and flower-filled patios around the Mezquita.
• The Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos has terraced gardens with pools and orange trees.
• The Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir gives the classic view back to the city at sunset.

In May, Córdoba holds its Patios festival, when private courtyards full of flowers open to visitors, and the city is at its busiest. In July and August it is as hot as Seville, so plan the walking for the morning.

Cádiz and Jerez: the coast and the sherry

The two towns sit on the same railway line south of Seville and pair well over one or two days.

Cádiz

Cádiz is one of the oldest cities in western Europe, built on a narrow spit almost surrounded by the Atlantic. The golden-domed cathedral faces the sea wall, the old town is a grid of narrow streets with watchtowers on the roofs, and La Caleta beach sits between two castles at the edge of the centre.

Jerez de la Frontera

Jerez is the home of sherry, and its bodegas, the old cellars where the wine ages in oak barrels, run tours with tastings; book a slot ahead. The town is also known for its riding school, with shows of Andalusian horses on set days.

With one day, choose Cádiz for the sea and the old town, or Jerez for the sherry. With two, do both, or stay a night in Cádiz and stop in Jerez on the way back.

Ronda and the white towns

In the hills south-east of Seville, these are the trips that most need a car or a tour.

• Ronda is split by a deep gorge and crossed by the high stone Puente Nuevo; the old town and the bullring sit on either side.
• Setenil de las Bodegas has houses built under overhanging rock along its river gorge.
• Zahara de la Sierra and Grazalema are white villages above the hills of the Sierra de Grazalema natural park.
• Arcos de la Frontera, nearer Jerez, sits on a cliff above the Guadalete river.

By road, Ronda is about an hour and 45 minutes from Seville. Buses exist but are slow and infrequent, so a tour or a hire car fits more into the day. Ronda is also an easy trip from Málaga, and it suits a night there on a longer route.

Closer to Seville: Itálica and Carmona

Both are half-day trips into the Roman past of the region, close to the city.

• Itálica, at Santiponce just outside the city, was a Roman city and the birthplace of the emperors Trajan and Hadrian; its amphitheatre and mosaic floors are the highlights. The M-170 bus from Plaza de Armas takes about 30 minutes.
• Carmona is a hilltop town with Moorish gates, a parador in its castle and a Roman necropolis; buses take about 40 to 50 minutes.
• Both suit a morning, with the afternoon back in Seville for the heat.

Nature: Aracena and Doñana

The hills of Aracena lie to the north and the wetlands of Doñana to the south-west.

• Aracena, in the Sierra de Aracena, has the Gruta de las Maravillas, a show cave with underground lakes, and is the heart of the region’s cured ham country.
• Doñana is one of Europe’s most important wetlands, a national park best visited on a guided tour from El Rocío or the coast, especially for birdwatching in spring and autumn.
• Both need a car or a tour; buses are infrequent and slow.

Which day trips to skip, or do differently

The right skips depend on the season, but these plans rarely work:

• Granada as a day trip: it is a long way each way, and the Alhambra deserves a night there.
• Córdoba as a half day: the Mezquita and the Judería need most of a day.
• Inland trips on July and August afternoons: Córdoba, Ronda and the white towns are hottest after 2pm.
• A day trip on a two-day visit to Seville: the city needs its days first.

For the city days, see the how many days to spend in Seville guide, check where to stay in Seville near Santa Justa or Plaza de Armas, and read things to do in Seville for the city itself.

Common questions