S
ome places give you this special kind of feeling when you discover them. Seville is definitely one of them, giving you a mixture of Muslim and Spanish architecture. Stone arches and details seem molded and they radiate with the warmth of the sun. The squares are full of the sound of music or some distant echoes that make them otherworldly, especially in the dark hours of the night. Green squares are balanced by the ribbon of Guadalquivir flowing nearby.
It is a magnificent place to wander around, not too big, but enough to stretch your legs. The city is bike-friendly, flat and have their own SEVICI rides (the rent starts with a 7-day period, there is plenty of stations and a handy app to go with).
It won’t be a surprise for you then, that we recommend walking. But tired travellers will also find busses, trams and even a metro line.
Buses and trams
Both are operated by TUSSAM public transportation of Seville.
Red-yellow busses have an extensive network covering the whole city and are, by far, the most popular among the citizens. You can get all the tickets in kiosks, estancos (tabac), and Tussam offices. Buying a ticket with the driver will be slightly more expensive.
Although you may use all of them, C3, C4, and C5 will probably interest you the most. They follow the roads around and inside the old town. To see more lines, click here.
They run from about 6 AM to 11.30 PM. A common problem in Seville, because all the public transport stops at around 1 AM. You will fast notice that in Spain it is quite early!
All the night lines (A1-A8) leave from Prado de San Sebastian and they run roughly every 30 minutes to an hour, starting with midnight. You can see the timetable for the beginning of 2022 here.
The single ticket costs 1.40€ but there are other options covering both buses and trams.
Tarjeta Multiviaje is a multi-trip card that can be rechargeable. It will require a deposit of 1.50€ but it is refundable when you give back the card. You can recharge it starting with 7€, to the maximum of 50€. You can use it to travel to/from the airport.
It has two types – without transfer (Sin Transbordo), which allows you to travel only with one bus/tram, and with transfer (Con Transbordo) where you can use any other route within the next hour.
Tarjeta Turista is either a one-day ticket or a 3-day ticket that gives you unlimited travel. The airport transfer is not included. It also requires a deposit of 1.5€.
Prices
Single ticket – 1.4€
Tarjeta Multiviaje (sin) single ticket –0.69€
Tarjeta Multiviaje (con) single ticket – 0.76€
Tarjeta Turista 1 day – 5€
Tarjeta Turista 3 days – 10€
The few stops of the tram line may be useful for you, since the ticket for the tram is interchangeable with the bus service. To make things confusing the line is called Metro-Centro, although there is nothing in common with the subway there.
Since there are only 5 stops, we can as well list them – Plaza Nueva, Archivo de Indias, San Fernando, Prado de San Sebastian and San Bernardo. Three last ones have connection to the metro stations.
The total distance is 1.4 kilometres… Trams run between 6:30 AM and 1:30 AM.
Price
Single ticket – 1.2€
Lastly, a small tip. There is a handy app offering maps and tickets on your phone. You can check it out here. (for IOS)
Metro
Metro still needs some polishing… There is only one line (more planned), which is more suited for inhabitants than tourists. However, if you live a bit further away… or it is Semana Santa or another busy period that makes the street stop with traffic…
There are three zones that make the prices of the ticket differ. Fortunately, all the major attractions are in zone 1 (map of the zones and stops here).
Prices
Single ticket (for 1 zone) – 1.30€
Single ticket (for 2 zones) –1.55€
Single ticket (for 3 zones)– 1.75€
*Tarjeta Multiviaje makes those prices cheaper
Metro runs from 6.30 AM (7.30 AM Saturdays and holidays) to 11 PM (2 AM on Friday and holidays). Semana Santa and other special days have different schedules.
We do not recommend buying a full day ticket for the metro (4,50€) – Seville is easy to walk about and there is no guarantee that you will travel with the metro so many times.