If you plan to visit Seville, Spain, it depends on where you’re from. Most member countries of the European Union do not require a visa (you will just need a passport). You don’t need a visa for travel from the U.S. or Canada as well. You can stay up to 90 days during any 6-month period in Spain. Click here for more info about how to obtain a visa and the specific conditions depending on the country you are coming from.

Travelers do not need to present a negative COVID-19 test to travel to Spain. All travel restrictions were eliminated on October 21, 2022.

Source: spainvisa.eu

Seville Airport is the sixth busiest inland airport in Spain. From the Seville airport, you can connect to flights that span over 42 destinations. There are buses always going to and from the airport (the two bus stations are San Sebastian and Plaza de Armas). Taxis to and from the airport are at a fixed price for about 20 euros.

The Seville Metro is an 11 mile system serving this metropolitan area. The system is independent of any other rail or street traffic. Currently, it is the fifth largest Metro company in Spain, carrying 16 million passengers in 2017.

At automated ticket machines in stations, you can reuse or refill your ticket. Single way trips range from 1.35 euros to two zone boundaries around 2.8 euros. The metro runs from 6:30 am to 11:00 pm.

Click here to find departure and arrival stations, as well as different ticket types and prices. Click here for a detailed map of the stops.

Seville is generally quite a safe city, but make sure to stay alert. Violent crime barely exists, and most areas of the city are perfectly safe during day hours. The thing to worry the most about is pickpocketing, which is very common in large cities or in touristy places.

The emergency number in Spain is 112. This works from any phone.

Safety tips:

• Never leave valuables in your back pockets.
• Don’t carry large amounts of cash.
• Use ATM machines in banks, not outside in urban areas.
• Avoid women offering a flower/rosemary; these women are gypsies and will want you to pay money if you accept the flower.
• Don’t keep valuables in sight inside your car.
• Consider keeping important documents inside a wallet. Oftentimes thieves will use scissors and cut off shoulder bags to steal valuables.

Safety Tips for the Night-Owls:

• Don’t walk alone on the streets at night.
• Steer clear of clingy or see-through clothing when you go out, or you could make a target of yourself.
• Buy all of your own drinks; never take drinks from strangers.

Overall, Seville is quite safe for female tourists. Be safe and enjoy yourself!

The best time to travel to Seville is either during spring or fall when the days are longer and weather is cooler (summer is very hot). From March to May, tourist traffic hasn’t quite hit yet and hotels offer lower rates.

Spring: 58-80 degrees F

Fall: 58-78 degrees F

Winter: 50-60 degrees F

Summer: 95+ degrees F (Great for beach days though!)

Spanish is the most common language spoken in Seville, but Italian and English are spoken often as well in this region. Here in Seville you will encounter a Spanish accent you may not have heard before, a specific way of speaking Spanish called el andaluz. “S” is often left off at the end of words and skipping the “d” in between vowels.

Here are some common phrases to get you started:

¡Buenos días, Estela! – Good morning, Estela!

Buenos días, Esteban. ¿Cómo estás? – Good morning, Esteban. How are you?

Bien, ¿y tú? – Well, how about you?

Como siempre – As always

Buenos días – good morning

Buenas tardes – good afternoon

Buenas noches – good evening

Hola – hello

In Seville, modesty is valued over assertiveness. Personal image, appearance, and relationships are important as well.

Social settings: 

• Shake hands with everyone present at a business/social meeting (age doesn’t matter).
• People usually greet each other with a kiss on the cheek.
• Spaniards stand very close when talking, but never touch someone you don’t know.
• Spaniards talk a lot with their hands, but you should never mimic them.

Wine and Dine:

• For restaurant dining, it is acceptable to be 30 minutes late.
• It is custom to say ‘Hola, buenos días’ or ‘Hola, buenas tardes’ (in the afternoon or evening) when meeting someone or when entering a shop or bar, and ‘Hasta luego’ when leaving.
• Don’t leave food on your plate. It’s better to say no to food than have extra food still sitting on the table.

Other things to avoid:

• Avoid flashy/bright colors. Shoes are considered important to any outfit and can ruin one or elevate one.
• Local culture deems it disrespectful to visit churches for the purposes of tourism, especially during worship services.
• Men should avoid wearing just a nice shirt for business. Ties and jackets are expected, even when it’s extremely hot outside.
• Don’t get flustered if you’re interrupted when speaking; this is common.

Seville uses the Euro just like the rest of Spain, which converts to 1.10 of the United States’ dollar. It’s quite easy to convert some of your money before you leave, and make sure to tell your credit card company you’ll be traveling before you go.

Tipping! A cover charge is included into the price of your meal/drink, similar to Italy. Tipping is more common for smaller things like getting drinks at the bar, for hotel service, and taxis (usually 5-10%).

In Spain the standard voltage is 230 V and the frequency is 50 Hz. If you’re visiting from the UK, Europe, Australia, and most of Asia and Africa, your plugs should work just fine (you can use your electric appliances in Spain if the standard voltage in your country is in between 220 – 240 V). If not, you should think about buying a converter/adapter before you leave. Your adaptor should look like this:

Seville is known to have the best tap water in all of Spain! 99.5% of all tap water in Spain is safe to drink, according to international water quality standards. Any issues have to do with taste, chlorine by-products, microplastics, and local pipe contaminants. Overall, Spain today has some of the most advanced public water filtration systems in the world.

On the main side of the river in Seville, many cafés and restaurants have free wifi. Oftentimes you’ll need to purchase something in order to be given the wifi password (which will be on your receipt). So, if you need to check something quick on the internet, chances are it will take longer than expected.

Here is a list of updated wifi hotspots in Seville!

Prepaid SIM cards are common for travelers visiting Seville and easy to get in phone shops in the city center. Seville airports have been known as difficult places to find a new SIM card to purchase. Data roaming is probably the worst for travelers, economically speaking. Most recommend choosing a SIM card that is budget-friendly in order to avoid roaming fees while you’re there.

Seville offers many ecotourism day trips from farm tours, national park tours, bike tours, kayak tours, and scooter tours. There are even eco-friendly tapas and wine tours! Seville is aiming to keep getting greener, where electric trams are at the heart of the city. Here you’ll find the first commercial solar power plant in Europe, and there is even a community bike-sharing program. Renting a bike and exploring the city is one of the most common ways of getting around.

Other ways to support eco-travel:

~Shop locally at local produce markets (huge variety of fresh fruits and vegetables at affordable prices)

~Stay at a “green hotel” ~ support sustainable businesses!

~Reduce, reuse, recycle. Enough said.

~Sierra Nevada hiking is a must.

Click here for some specific eco-tours!