The Alcázar of Seville is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe, with the Spanish royal family maintaining upper-floor apartments here to this day. Built largely under Christian rule after the Reconquista but constructed almost entirely by Mudéjar craftsmen working in Islamic architectural styles, the palace blends traditions in a way that makes it distinct even from the Alhambra, its more famous cousin in Granada. Its gardens, added to and reshaped across centuries, are just as much a draw as the palace rooms themselves.

Best Things to Do

Tour the Mudéjar Palace

Built for King Pedro I in the 14th century by craftsmen using techniques and motifs from Islamic Spain, this section of the palace features carved stucco, horseshoe arches and tile work rivaling anything in Granada, despite having been commissioned by a Christian king.

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Walk through the palace gardens

Layered across centuries of renovation, the gardens combine formal geometric layouts with fountains, pavilions and shaded walkways, offering a cooler retreat from Seville’s intense summer heat and one of the most pleasant garden strolls in southern Spain.

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See the Patio de las Doncellas

This sunken courtyard, ringed by carved arches and a long reflecting pool, is one of the most photographed spaces in the palace and shows off the Mudéjar decorative style at its most refined.

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Spot the Game of Thrones filming locations

Parts of the palace and gardens served as the Water Gardens of Dorne in the television series, and fans of the show can pick out specific courtyards and pavilions used for filming, adding a bit of pop-culture context to the historic setting.

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Best Time to Visit

Morning offers the coolest temperatures for walking the gardens, particularly important given how hot Seville gets in summer. Spring is especially popular, when the gardens are in full bloom and temperatures are still manageable.

How to Get There

The Alcázar sits in central Seville, directly beside the cathedral, within easy walking distance of most of the city’s old town hotels and sights. No public transit is needed to reach it from the historic center.

Good to Know

Advance, timed-entry tickets are strongly recommended, particularly in peak season, since the palace limits the number of visitors inside at once. A full visit including the gardens takes at least two hours, and the site offers little shade outside the garden areas, so plan accordingly in summer heat.

Pairing Christian patronage with Islamic craftsmanship in a way found almost nowhere else, the Alcázar tells a more layered story about Spanish history than its beautiful surfaces first suggest.