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The popular southern Spanish city of Seville is a beautiful destination in its own right, with plenty of fascinating things to do and lots of historic sites to visit. When visiting Seville, a lot of people often forget or don't realize that there are some incredible day trips from Seville that they can go on, which are both inexpensive and within a reasonable driving distance. Even if you're looking to go on day trips from Seville without a car, many unique places in Andalusia are easily accessible using public transportation as well. I unfortunately only spent one day in Seville, but that meant that I had a lot of time to explore the surrounding area and discover some off the beaten path locations in Spain too!
Before booking your day trip from Seville to Córdoba, and definitely before you start researching how you can make the long trip to Granada and still have time to visit the Alhambra in a day, check out my alternative list of unique day trips from Seville first. I guarantee one of them will appeal to you (if not all of them)!
1. Itálica
If you're short on time or aren't able to travel far from Seville itself, Itálica is a fantastic archaeological site to visit even for half a day if you can't spare a full day. The site is located in the small town of Santiponce, and if you get there in the off season like we did you'll have no problem parking outside of the entrance. It's FREE to enter for EU citizens, and only €1.50 for people outside of the EU which is amazing if you're on a budget. Itálica was built in the 3rd century BC, and was the birthplace of a number of key historical Roman figures such as emperors Hadrian and Trajan. The site is fairly large to walk around, and has much more to offer than the famous Amphitheatre, which was a filming location in Game of Thrones. We took a few hours to walk around the remains of the Roman city, where there were a number of gorgeous tiled mosaics on display that archaeologists had recently pieced back together. There was also ongoing archaeological digs and restoration projects that we were able to watch which was very exciting for a history lover like me! You can take a guided tour of Itálica too, which is available for a small fee.
Distance from Seville: 9km or 18 minutes by car
Address: Av. Extremadura, 2, 41970 Santiponce, Sevilla
2. Castillo Almodóvar del Río
The great thing about planning a day trip from Seville is that the city is located between some really interesting sites, both inland and along the coast. One of my favourite castles in Andalusia is located in the small town of Almodóvar del Río, just 35 minutes outside of Cordoba if you're driving from the direction of Seville. Castillo Almodóvar del Río dates back to the 8th century, and was heavily restored to its medieval glory in the 20th century. Its position at the top of the hill overlooking the surrounding landscape made it an important strategic castle, and also meant that it was the ideal Game of Thrones filming location as well! You can go on a self-guided tour using the free downloadable audio guide, or join one of the guided tours led by an actor dressed in medieval clothing. The castle costs €9 to go in, and in my opinion is one of the more unique day trips from Seville you could go on.
Distance from Seville: 109km or 1hr 23 minutes
Address: Calle Castillo, 14720 Almodóvar del Río, Córdoba
3. Medina Azahara
While taking a trip to Castillo Almodóvar del Río, you can also check out an interesting archaeological site which is only a 22 minute drive from the castle, on the way into Córdoba. Medina Azahara was once a 10th century palace-city which took over 3 decades to complete. Although only a ruin now, as you walk around the complex you can see how wealthy this city once was and what kind of luxury its inhabitants lived in. I would highly recommend arriving a couple of hours before the site is due to close at the latest, or else you'll get a frosty reception from the staff. We visited Medina Azahara 45 minutes before it was due to close, and had a member of staff following us around the entire site making sure we felt uncomfortable and hurried up. Not the nicest experience ever, but the site is beautiful and well worth a stop if you're looking for unique day trips from Seville. The complex is FREE to enter, but you will need to pay €2.50 for the bus to get to the site itself, and check-in at the desk inside the main building first.
Distance from Seville: 146km or 1hr 38 minutes
Address: Ctra. Palma del Río, km 5.5, 14005 Córdoba
4. Olvera, Ronda, & Setenil de las Bodegas
When people come to southern Spain, they usually want to visit some of its famous pueblos blancos (white villages). If you want to get off the usual tourist trail, and go on a more unique day trip from Seville than everyone else, I would recommend visiting the charming small village of Olvera instead. There are only a few points of interest in this village, such as the castle perched on a steep hill and the beautiful church, but you can easily spend a couple of hours walking around its streets. And with that extra time you can take the short drive to a couple of other incredible locations in Andalusia like Ronda, which is only 45 minutes away, and from there to the very unique white village of Setenil de las Bodegas, a village built into the rocks (22 minutes from Ronda). That's a pretty nice way to pack in a few locations during a day trip from Seville if I do say so myself.
Distance from Seville: 101km or 1hr 22 minutes (Olvera)
Address: Plaza la Iglesia, s/n, 11690 Olvera, Cádiz
5. Arcos de la Frontera
Speaking of pueblos blancos, one of my favourite white villages in Andalusia makes for a really easy day trip from Seville. Arcos de la Frontera is a gorgeous white village to walk around, and is made up of very narrow streets that lead you to interesting historic sites and quaint little cafes and restaurants. It's located at the top of a hill, so you get some pretty incredible views of the surrounding area from the various viewing platforms. The main attractions such as Basilica de Santa María de la Asunción and Castillo Ducal are all within walking distance of one another too, making it a very easy village to navigate. My biggest recommendation for visiting Arcos de la Frontera is to wear comfortable shoes - or else you'll definitely twist your ankle walking down the hill back to your car!
Distance from Seville: 87km or 1hr 11 minutes
Address: Plaza del Cabildo, 11630 Arcos de la Frontera, Cádiz
6. Bonanza Salt Flats
There are a lot of really interesting locations to visit south of Seville, in the Province of Cádiz, that you may not have heard about before. On our day trip to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, we came across (of all things) a bird watching blog which brought the Bonanza Salt Flats to our attention as it was just outside of Sanlúcar's city centre. The salt flats are located inside the very popular Doñana Natural Park, and can easily be accessed by car along a gravel road. We spent a couple of hours here, walking along the various paths and taking a look at the rare bird species that were flying around. If you have time, I'd recommend staying until sunset to see some really beautiful colours dance across the salt flats.
Distance from Seville: 108km or 1hr 21 minutes
Address: 11549 Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Cádiz
7. Jerez de la Frontera
If you're looking to visit a larger city as part of a day trip from Seville, I would put Jerez de la Frontera at the top of your list. There are plenty of beautiful sites to see within the old town, and if you're a fan of sherry or wine in general, Jerez is one of the 3 corners that make up the famous Sherry Triangle, and has an abundance of wineries to visit. After a busy day of exploring the many historical sites in Jerez de la Frontera, you take a relaxing dip in the Arab baths before hitting up some of the regions most popular restaurants for some tapas, and of course a little bit more sherry. This is one of the best day trips from Seville you can go on if you want somewhere that's relatively close but packs a lot of things to do in it as well.
Distance from Seville: 94km or 1hr 4 minutes
Address: Plaza Encarnación, s/n, 11403 Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz
8. El Puerto de Santa María
The coastline along the Province of Cádiz has some truly beautiful towns to visit, many of which have a rich history and played an important role during the age of exploration. El Puerto de Santa María is one of these towns, and once hosted Christopher Columbus as well as the cartographer who drew the first world map that included the New World. It's also home to a very impressive 13th century castle which has its own winery attached to it, as well as numerous beaches which are very popular during the summer months. So if you happen to be in the area during the peak season, and want to head to the beach, make sure you get there nice and early!
Distance from Seville: 108km or 1hr 13 minutes
Address: Plaza Alfonso X el Sabio, 3, 11500 El Puerto de Sta María, Cádiz
9. Beaches in Cádiz
You didn't think I wasn't going to include beaches in a post about Spain did you? If you're visiting Seville, you're going to be very disappointed to learn that it doesn't have a beach of its own. Luckily, there are a lot of beaches in the Province of Cádiz to choose from, but you're going to have to do a bit of driving to get to the best ones. If you can only choose one beach to visit during your trip to Seville, I would recommend heading to the southern tip of the province and visiting Playa de los Alemanes. This white sandy beach with crystal clear water is the perfect little oasis for escaping the heat of Seville for a day, and is an ideal beach to do some snorkelling at as well. Parking is extremely difficult here, so arrive as early as you can to avoid a very tiring trek back up the hill with all of your beach gear.
Distance from Seville: 193km or 2hr 17 minutes
Address: Urb. Atlanterra F, 65B, 11391 Tarifa, Cádiz
There are so many places near Seville to explore, and my list only touches the tip of the possible road trips in southern Spain you could take. But hopefully these locations give you a bit of inspiration if you're planning on taking some day trips from Seville in the near future. From UNESCO World Heritage sites, to hilltop white villages, you really can't go wrong when choosing where to plan your trip, so take some time and research the more off the beaten path locations in southern Spain before diving head first into some of the more touristy locations - it'll be the best decision you make on your trip to Andalusia!
Drop me a comment below and let me know what you think about these ideas on where to go on a day trip from Seville. If you have any questions about these locations or the area around Seville in general, please get in touch! And remember to follow my travels on Instagram as well for more unique travel destinations!
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