Plaza de España de Sevilla: it is free to enter, and this is what provides a guided tour

Do we have to pay tickets?

No. Access to the Plaza de España de Sevilla is free and free. It is an open public space, not a monument with a locker like the Alcázar or the Cathedral.

It should be clarified because there is much confusion: in February 2024 the mayor of Seville proposed close the premises and charge between three and four euros non-resident visitors, to finance surveillance and conservation. The proposal generated controversy, the central government was against it and, by involving State Heritage, it would require an agreement that has not been closed.

To date the measure is not implemented. If you read this after a while, it's worth checking, but in the meantime you get in without paying anything.

Hours

The gates open to the 8: 00.. It is an outdoor space within the Park of Maria Luisa and does not work with passes or slots.

The two best moments to go are first thing in the morning, just open, and at sunset. At noon the bulk of the tourist groups is gathered and, in addition, the sun is full.

What it does cost money: the boats

Around the whole square runs a channel of 515 meters which can be carried on Row boat. The rent round the 6 EUR.

It is the only part of the visit that is paid, and it makes sense for a specific reason: from the water you see the facade with the bridges in the foreground, a perspective that is not achieved from any other point. If you're gonna take a single photo of Seville, that's it.

What exactly looks like

The square occupies 50,000 square metresof which 19,000 are built and 31,000 are open space. It is the largest square in Spain, and that scale explains why it takes longer than expected to travel.

• The 48 banks in the provinces. Along the semicircular façade there is a hornaine for each Spanish province, with a panel of tiles representing a historical episode and a map. They're alphabetically ordered. All the ceramic was made in Triana, the ceramic district of Seville

• The four bridges that cross the channel, which represent the ancient kingdoms of Spain: Castile, León, Aragon and Navarra

• The two towers of the extremes, north and south

• The central source and the whole place-palace

Looking for your province bank is the plan that everyone makes, and it's better than it sounds.

A little context: why there is this here

The square was projected by the Sevillian architect Aníbal González and it was built between 1914 and 1929 as the emblematic space of the Ibero-American Exhibition 1929. The opening ceremony of the exhibition was held here, with Alfonso XIII present.

The style blends the neomudéjar, the neoplasteresque and the neogotic, the regionalist combination that González became its signature.

And yes, it's the place you've seen in the movies: here were scenes of Lawrence of Arabia and Star Wars.

So, is it worth a guided tour?

It depends on what you're going to, and this is what almost no one will tell you because he lives selling you the visit.

You don't need it if What you want is to see the square, walk and take pictures. You go in for free, you turn around, you get your province and you go. A long hour.

Yes provides yes you are interested in understanding what you are looking at: what each tile panel represents, why an Ibero-American Exhibition was built in 1929, what happened to the pavilions later and how the square fits into the history of the city. Without that, it's a nice decoration you're leaving without understanding.

The other practical reason: most guided tours combine the square with the Park of Maria Luisa, which are 34 hectares of contiguous gardens where it is easy to pass through the good corners if you go for free.

The Park of Maria Luisa

The square is attached to the flank of the park, so the natural visit includes both. The park has roundabout, ponds, pavilions of the exhibition of the 29 reconverted and a lot of shade, which in Seville is not a minor detail.

It is also the best way to get there: it is accessed on foot from the historic center, entering the park.

Practical advice

• Little shadow. The hornaces are covered, but the central explanade is exposed. May to September

• Comfortable footwear. The square is huge and the floor is irregular in many sections

• Accessible. The tour is simple and practical with wheelchair and baby cart, as well as much of the park

• Watch out for the street sale And who he's offering to take a picture of you or put a rosemary bouquet in his hand.

Where is he?

In the avenue of Isabel la Católicain the north-east flank of the Park of Maria Luisa, a walk from the historic center. As you enter the park, you have to pull to the left.