Seville with Kids

Seville is one of the most beautiful cities in Spain, and perhaps all of Europe. With multiple UNESCO World Heritage sites to visit (like the Seville Cathedral and the Real Alcazar) and an abundance of fun things to do with kids in Seville, you have all the necessary ingredients for an excellent family vacation.

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14 Things to do in Seville with Kids

1. Setas de Sevilla (Metropol Parasols)

The incredible “Mushrooms of Seville” are a must-do attraction in Seville with kids. Spanning several city blocks, the beauty of this incredible wooden structure has to be seen to be believed.

When you first arrive, your kids will be really impressed for a few minutes… until they see the playground underneath the Setas de Sevilla. Let them go and have fun as you’ll want to spend some quality (kid-free) time wandering underneath the Mushrooms of Seville taking a seemingly endless string of photos.

Take your time wandering underneath the six-supports underneath the massive Mushrooms of Seville. Watch for flocks of playful swallows darting through the air as you explore. The views looking southwest towards the Iglesia de la Anunciación are especially nice.

As impressive as the Setas de Sevilla are from down below, we recommend you take the lift to the top to enjoy the amazing views of Seville and this iconic artwork from above. There is a special family rate which saves a typical family approximately 10 Euros.

The upper walkway through the Setas de Sevilla winds its way along the tops of the Seville Mushrooms. It’s a lot of fun to admire the artwork from above – it’s interesting to see the tops of the mushrooms up close! The city views of Seville are also stunning from atop the Setas de Sevilla. There are so many church towers, it’s hard to count!

2. Explore Old Town Seville

The winding, narrow streets of Old Town Seville are a joy to explore with kids. Not only are the streets of Old Town Seville filled with culture and charming buildings, but they are also full of fun shops and restaurants too. Kids will love looking at all the fun toys and souvenirs for sale in these local shops, while parents will enjoy the ambiance of these historical streets of Seville.

There are plenty of surprises to be found within the streets of Old Town Seville. Turn the corner and you might find a troupe of flamenco dancers or even some Roman columns!

Most of the streets in Old Town are pedestrian only, meaning no cars allowed. This is a huge bonus for parents visiting Seville with kids!

3. Parque de María Luisa

Another of the highlights of any visit the Seville with kids, the Parque de Maria Luisa is an incredibly beautiful city park. It reminded us a lot of the Villa Borghese Gardens from our visit to Rome with kids.

Parque de Maria Luisa is filled with massive ancient trees and an abundance of flowering bushes. The sound of laughter and bird song fill the air. With all the massive trees, the Parque de Maria Luisa is a great place to visit on a hot day in Seville with kids.

If your kids love birds (as ours do), there are an abundance at the Parque de Maria Luisa, including a few species of owls! The highlight of our visit to the park was spotting a few families of baby ducks (this was in April) and a few baby swans as well.

We visited Parque de Maria Luisa with our kids on a Sunday. We love visiting local parks in Europe on Sundays as it’s a day that many locals will visit with their families. Not only does it give our kids a chance to mingle with local kids, it just adds a wonderful element of happiness to the air in the park.

Our visit to Parque de Maria Luisa wasn’t on any old-Sunday, it was on Palm Sunday. There was a procession of nazarenos in hooded masks through the park that drew massive crowds. While it was very interesting to see, the procession blocked our way to get to the Plaza de Espana.

4. Sevilla Aquarium (Acuario de Sevilla)

Located along the river in the Parque de Maria Luisa, the Seville Aquarium is a really fun thing to do in Seville with kids. Spread over two floors, the Seville Aquarium is a modern facility with large, easy to enjoy fish tanks on display, including many which start at floor level allowing kids to see all the action at their level.

The Seville Aquarium takes visitors on an aquatic journey around the world, starting with the sea life of the Atlantic, followed by an area dedicated to fish of the jungle.  

Blessed with a ton of variety, the Seville Aquarium has all the crowd pleasers on display. Among some of the favorites we saw at the Seville Aquarium were eels, stingrays, clown fish (Little Nemo), starfish, seahorses, blue poison frogs, caiman, a huge sea turtle, many large sharks and a surprising amount of jellyfish displays (which we love!)

Among the fish displays is one very large tank, where several sharks and a large sea turtle live. As your tour continues through the Seville Aquarium, you’ll get to enjoy the residents of this tank from below as you walk through a glass tunnel. Kids always love aquarium tunnels!

5. Plaza de España

The Plaza de Espana is a must-see attraction when visiting Seville with kids. Built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition, the magnitude and beauty of this semi-elliptical square will be immediately noticeable by everyone, both young and old. 

Begin your visit by exploring the magnificent grounds of the Plaza de Espana. The lower level of the semi-circle building features a series of beautiful tile mosaics, each showcasing a different city in Spain. It’s fun for the kids to run from mosaic to mosaic to look at both the artistry and the accompanying map below.

It’s worth circling back on the upper level of the semi-circle building to get an elevated view of the Plaza de Espana. The tile work on the floor is perfect for a fun family game of balancing. Have everyone try to walk on the patterns on the tile. It takes balance and creativity and will be a lot of fun for the kids.

The fun for the kids doesn’t end there. Families can rent a rowboat for a fun tour around the D-shaped pool which runs around the perimeter of the Plaza de Espana.

Alternately, there are buskers set up near the fountain with buckets of soap and equipment for the kids to make giant bubbles. The guys will show your kids how to do it. Kids love making giant bubbles and chasing giant bubbles, so expect your kids to want to stay here for a while. Be sure to tip the guys a few Euros for their efforts.

6. Casa de la Ciencia (Seville Science Museum)

If you are looking for fun things to do in Seville with kids on a rainy day, the Science Museum is a great way to spend a few hours. A modestly sized museum, Casa de la Ciencia packs a lot of fun information for kids over three floors of exhibits.

The columned main room of the Seville Science Museum has a variety of whale models and skeletons hanging from the two-story high ceiling. Our kids loved the two interactive displays on the main floor – a virtual reality set-up where they could put on real VR glasses and get a real feel for the incredible experience of VR. The other interactive display was a fun little video game where they could explore the surface of Mars.

Rounding out the exhibits on the main floor were a display of the invertebrates of Andalusia. This was also a hit with the kids as they included enlarged sculptures of various gross bugs of the region – including every kids’ favorite, the dung beetle!

There were also exhibits on the slave trade and the first around-the-world boat voyage (which began and ended in Seville – who knew?!?). These were very informative displays, but the kids weren’t interested at all, although they enjoyed signing their names in the “crew members” book.

The upper floor of the Seville Science Museum has an informative exhibit on the abundant whale and dolphin species which frequent the waters of Spain. (It was cool as we got to see many of these whales and dolphins on our subsequent trip to Tenerife with kids).

There’s also a fun, interactive exhibit on famous people who have been poisoned over the years, a life-sized model of the Curiosity Mars explorer and a somewhat concerning display about all the bugs found in your home. There is also a good, albeit small, display of rocks, crystals and fossils in the lower level of the Seville Science Museum.

All told, the Seville Science Museum was an enjoyable thing to do with kids on a rainy day in Seville. The majority of the exhibits had signage in both English and Spanish, but some of the temporary exhibits were in Spanish only.           

7. Real Alcazar

The Royal Alcazar of Seville (the Real Alcazar) is an opulent Moorish royal palace which is still in use today. There is a nice variety of sights to see at the Real Alcazar, ranging from exploring the incredible palace rooms to strolling the beautiful sculpted gardens.

To be honest, our kids found the Real Alcazar palace structures to be kind of boring, but who can blame them? The Real Alcazar is a very impressive building and adults will appreciate the history and opulence of the place, but all kids will see are some empty rooms with some fancy architecture.

That said, the kids did really enjoy a walk through the Real Alcazar gardens. Not only were they Royal Alcazar gardens fun to explore, but there were bright green parakeets to find in the trees and male peacocks showcasing their colorful plumage to the lady peacocks.

Although the kids didn’t love the visit to Real Alcazar, it was still worth visiting. When visiting Europe with kids, it’s important to sneak some culture into your family itinerary. Even if they don’t appreciate it today, they will someday.

The Real Alcazar is one of Seville’s most popular attractions. Every time we passed the line for tickets was very long. Long lines with kids do not mix.

8. Seville Cathedral (Catedral de Sevilla)

The Seville Cathedral is another of the must-see attractions in Seville which, to be honest, will likely bore your children. Without question, the Seville Cathedral is jaw-dropping and even hard-to-please kids can’t help but be impressed with the size of the cathedral, the intricate architecture and priceless artwork on display.  

Chances are good that even though your kids will find the Seville Cathedral boring, there are some interesting things to do within. For instance, climbing to the top of the Giralda Tower is likely to be a big hit.

Visitors climb circular ramps instead of stairs, with a beautiful lookout at the top which provides some of the best aerial views of Seville to be found anywhere. If you can time it right, try to visit on the top of an hour when the giant bells will ring directly overhead!

The tomb of world-famous explorer Christopher Columbus is also located inside the Seville Cathedral. The sculptures of four people carrying his casket is one of the most impressive tombs we’ve seen anywhere in the world, and your kids will think it’s pretty cool too.

9. Torre del Oro (Tower of Gold)

Seville’s Tower of Gold recently celebrated its 800^th birthday! This striking 12-sided city defense tower is now home to the Spanish Naval Museum as well as an observation deck.

Your kids will love climbing the circular staircase from the ground floor all the way up to the observation deck atop the Torre del Oro.

From the observation deck you’ll enjoy wonderful views of the river and the backside of the Catedral de Sevilla.

It won’t take long to see the views from the Tower of Gold observation deck, so make your way to the second floor where the Naval Museum is found. This small museum is filled with scale models of old Spanish explorer and military vessels, which are always a big hit with kids. There’s also plenty of portraits of explorers and historic navigation maps on the walls, but most kids (and to be honest, adults) will find these pretty boring.

Seville’s Tower of Gold is not a very big attraction and probably will take your family 30 minutes or less. Thankfully, the Torre del Oro is one of the things to do in Seville for free (but you can make a donation if you’d like).

10. Jardins de Christina

Wedged in-between the Real Alcazar de Sevilla and the river is a small, but beautiful triangle shaped park called Jardins de Christina. This small, but charming Seville park is filled with massive old trees and beautiful flower bushes. It’s a good stop when visiting Seville with kids as there is a decent playground for them to play at.

12. River Walk

Seville has a delightful walk along the river. We explored a small stretch of it on our way from the Jardins de Christina to the Maria Luisa Park. The kids loved the giant tile map of Seville and well as watching people kayak and SUP on the river, while we enjoyed the nice water fountains and bougainvillea plants along the way. There’s a nice vine covered walkway for some shade, with some pretty blue flowers hanging down from the top.

13. Jardines de Murillo (Murillo Garden)

Not a typical top Seville attraction, you are mostly likely to walk through Murillo Garden if you are walking around the massive Real Alcazar property on your way to the Plaza de Espana. The reason you should visit Murillo Garden with your kids is the giant fig trees.

Even kids will notice the gargantuan proportions of the giant fig trees. It’s always a fun picture to get your kids to stand in front of a massive tree trunk with their arms stretched out. The giant fig tree trunks are especially interesting.

14. Jardines del Prado de San Sebastián

You will most likely find yourself in the Meadows of San Sebastian Park as you walk between Real Alcazar and the Plaza Espana. This isn’t the nicest park in Seville, but it has something for your kids. You will find not one, but two Seville playgrounds in the Jardins del Prado de San Sebastian.

When travelling with small kids, even a small investment of time at a local playground goes a long way towards better behaved kids. Travel disrupts normal life for kids and time at a playground gives them a sense of normalcy and allows them to blow off some steam. Time well spent!

4 Days in Seville with Kids

To help give you a feel for what you can do on your family trip to Seville, here is a summary of our 4-day Seville itinerary.

Day 1 in Seville with Kids

Jump right in and start with exploring Old Town Seville. Have the kids start scoping out their souvenirs for their trip, while parents should make mental notes of the restaurants they want to eat at during their family trip to Seville.

Take the kids to see one of the most unique pieces of art they’ll ever see in their lives. Admire the Setas de Sevilla (The Mushrooms of Seville) from below before paying to go to the walkway atop this iconic piece of Seville art.

Let the kids play at the playground in Jardins de Christina, before walking along the river to the incredible Maria Luisa Park.

Admire huge sharks and sea turtles as you walk through a glass tunnel at the Seville Aquarium.

Day 2 of our Family Trip to Seville

For us, our second day in Seville was more of a half-day. Due to some very late and very noisy Palm Sunday revelry in our neighborhood, we didn’t sleep very well and therefore had a late start to our day.

Begin your second day in Seville with kids with some fun pictures of the kids in front of the giant fig trees in Murillo Garden. Then cross the street to the Meadows of San Sebastian Park to let the kids play in one of its fun playgrounds.

Admire the beauty and magnitude of the iconic Plaza de Espana, before having some family fun. Rent a rowboat or let the kids learn how to make giant bubbles in the square.

Day 3 with Kids in Seville

The third day of our Seville family vacation was a rainy day. Here’s how we spent our time entertaining our kids indoors:

Enjoy a walk through Old Town Seville on your way to the Science Museum. Spend a few hours enjoying the many interactive exhibits about local wildlife and more.

A rainy day in Seville is a good day to dedicate to eating like a local. Spanish people often treat lunch as their main meal of the day, ordering a full meal which can often take an hour or two. ARocKeria is a good Spanish restaurant within easy walking distance of the Seville Science Museum.

Head down to the riverfront to enjoy some nice city views from the Tower of Gold (Torre del Oro). After soaking in the city and river views, take a walk through the onsite Naval Museum.

Day 4 of our Seville Family Holiday

Begin your day of iconic Seville culture at the Real Alcazar. Download your free audio guide using the QR code at the entrance and freely explore the opulent royal palace.

You’ll do a lot of walking at the Real Alcazar, so take a nice break for some delicious sandwiches at the nearby café called Itimad. If it’s a hot day, treat yourself to a gelato.

Then make your way over to the Seville Cathedral to complete your day of must-see Seville attractions. Don’t miss climbing the Giralda Tower to enjoy sweeping views of Old Town Seville.

After a full day of Seville sightseeing, treat yourself to a pan of squid ink paella at Casa Toni – located halfway between the Seville Cathedral and the Metropol Parasols.

6 Kid-Friendly Restaurants in Seville

Without question, many of us visit Spain in large part because of the excellent food. But, just because we love Iberian ham and paella, doesn’t mean that kids will automatically take to it as well. Even if you have a picky-eater, don’t worry as you’ll be able to find lots of food options at these kid-friendly Seville restaurants.

1. Empanadas Malvón

When we visited Colombia with kids, we ate a lot of empanadas. So, early into our visit to Seville with kids, we re-introduced them to this old favorite to them in hopes it will help them get excited about trying more Spanish food.

We were so lucky that Empanadas Malvon was only a few minutes away from our Old Town Seville Airbnb as the empanadas were so delicious! We started the kids out easy with some ham and cheese, and quatro queso (4 cheese) empanadas. For us, we went a bit more upscale with some Thai chicken empanadas, BBQ ribs empanadas, Iberian ham empanadas and even a mushroom truffle one.

Due to a child with sniffles, we ended up eating at Empanadas Malvon a second time – this time was take-out empanadas for dinner in our Airbnb. They were every bit as good as the first time, plus we got to try a bunch of new varieties of empanadas!

2. Pizzeria Napoletana NapOlé

When we travel with our kids to places with strange and exotic food, we try to get them to enjoy as many new foods as we can. But sometimes you need an easy, filling meal and for our family, that is almost always a pizza feast.

For our first night in Seville with kids, it just happened to be Palm Sunday and the streets of Old Town were incredibly crowded with locals dressed in their fine Sunday clothes. Unfortunately this meant that every table at every restaurant was full.

We had a beautiful rooftop terrace at our Seville Airbnb, so to make sure we had something to eat, we just grabbed two takeout pizzas from Pizzeria Napoletana NapOle. The pizza was very good and fresh with a nicely chewy crust. The kids ate their fill, which served the purpose. We’ll try to get them out for a Spanish meal the next night!

3. 100 Montaditos

We stopped at 100 Montaditos on our way to the Plaza de Espana. We did not know this, but a ‘Montadito’ is a tapa version of a sandwich – in other words, small sandwiches on tiny little rolls – how fun!!

As the name suggests, there was an abundance of choices on the menu for the tapa sandwiches. We tried many kinds, but the kids favorite was pulled pork. The bread is even still warm when served, making it extra enjoyable.

We supplemented our montaditos with side orders of French fries and nachos. The kids loved their lunch at 100 Montaditos, and the parents did too. It was fun way to experience kid-friendly Spanish food, it was delicious and very affordable too!

4. ARocKeria

If you are interested in trying a real Spanish restaurant, why not try ARocKeria? Conveniently located within easy walking distance of Real Alcazar, Plaza Espana and the Seville Science Museum, ARocKeria is an easy place to step into a full Spanish meal with your kids.

The specialty of ARockeria is rice dishes in a pan, but we opted to order a series of tapas and Para Compartir (larger tapas for sharing). The kids ate a ton of food at this Spanish restaurant including lots of table bread, Iberian ham slices and cheese with preserves.

Our daughter devoured half an order of calamari (which her little brother tried but didn’t like). Dishes which we ordered but the kids didn’t like were the black rice with shrimp (delicious!!) and the Patatas Bravas (potatoes in tomato sauce).

The menu at ARockeria is in Spanish only, so it will help if you have Spanish downloaded on your Google Translate app.

5. Itimad

If you are looking for a light lunch after visiting the Seville Cathedral or the Real Alcazar, swing by the nearby Itimad restaurant. This quaint little café serves a variety of small sandwiches on warm bread. The sandwiches we enjoyed best were the chorizo and the Iberian ham, tomato and olive oil.

If you are looking for a sweet treat, Itimad also offers a very tempting selection of gelatos and/or churros and chocolate.

6. Casa Toni

We first tried Squid Ink Paella in Barcelona 8 years ago, and we’ve talked about it ever since. For our final night in Seville with kids, we wanted to find an authentic Spanish restaurant with good paella. Luckily, we found Casa Toni after our intended path was blocked by yet another Holy Week procession. The squid ink paella was excellent and the kids enjoyed their calamari, Iberian ham and lots of table bread.

Sweet Treats for Kids in Seville

When you travel with kids, you sometimes need to bribe them to behave during a not so exciting outing. Thankfully, there are no shortages of sweet treats in Seville to reward your kids for good behavior. A few of the treats we enjoyed in Seville are:

After a long day of sightseeing in Seville with the kids we stopped at Confitería La Campana for some amazing meringue desserts. The kids each ordered a strawberry meringue and we got almond. Unlike the meringues we ordered in Paris (which were hard all the way through), these meringue desserts were just hard on the outside and very gooey in the middle. A very sweet and rich treat for kids in Seville!

Churros and chocolate are a match made in heaven and they are available all over Seville. After taking the kids to the Real Alcazar and the Seville Cathedral back-to-back, we decided the kids had earned a reward. We stopped for churros and chocolate at a restaurant in the Barrio Santa Cruz, just a few minutes east of Real Alcazar. The kids loved them!

Where to Stay in Seville with Kids

One of the best things about taking a family trip to Seville is how compact the historic Old Town is. With kid-friendly pedestrian-only streets allowing you to easily get around, you should base your stay in the historic Seville Old Town. We’d recommend finding a place somewhere in-between the Seville Cathedral and the Metropol Parasols. This will ensure you are central to most of the things to do in Seville with kids.

Seville Vacation Rentals

When traveling with kids, we typically try to stay at a vacation rental, such as an Airbnb or VRBO. It’s just easier to travel with kids when you have seperate bedrooms, a full kitchen and even laundry facilities. We stayed at a vacation rental just minutes south of the Metropol Parasols. We loved the location and were able to walk to the kid-friendly Seville attractions on each day of our family vacation.

Browse Old Town Seville vacation rentals near the Cathedral

Kid-Friendly Seville Hotels

If you prefer hotels, we recommend you use Booking.com to find a family-friendly Seville hotel. We use Booking extensively for our own family travels as they have an excellent “Top Picks for Families” search filter.

One thing to be aware of when staying in the Old Town Seville is the noise. Because many of the streets are pedestrian only, there can be a lot of noise from partiers until the early hours of morning. The narrow alleyways act like sound tunnels which amplify the noise. We recommend you look for a quiet side street if possible or a sound-proofed hotel room.

Tips for Visiting Seville with Kids

Many of the streets in Old Town Seville are pedestrian-only, which is a wonderful experience with kids. On the pedestrian only streets, you won’t have to worry about your kids running in front of a car. Due to the crowds, you’ll still need to keep a close eye on them though. Plus, there are occasional vehicular streets running through Old Town.

Our Airbnb host warned us to be careful with our wallets as pickpocketing can be a problem in Seville.

There are abundant potable water fountains spread across Old Town Seville. We loved this as we normally keep our kids hydrated by carrying around multiple water bottles. Having potable water fountains enabled us to pack less water bottles in our day bag as we’d just refill throughout the day.

It seemed like virtually every outdoor hand railing in Seville was covered in bird poop. If your kids like to touch everything (like ours), bring along a healthy amount of antibacterial hand wipes to clean them up every time they touch something they shouldn’t.

Visiting Seville During Holy Week with Kids

We are normally very diligent trip planners, but a series of unusual events led us to plan our family trip to Seville roughly 36 hours prior to departure. Without having any idea, we booked a trip to Seville during Holy Week from Palm Sunday to Maundy Thursday (leaving Seville just before Good Friday).

We were equally unaware of how crazy the world has gone over spending Holy Week in Seville! In many discovering what a big deal Holy Week in Seville was a pleasant surprise, but there were a few downsides as well.

Benefits of Spending Holy Week in Seville

The upside to spending Holy Week in Seville is that you are exposed to a beautiful and important cultural event, with the many processions of pasos (wooden floats featuring religious imagery) through the town to the Cathedral. In addition to the pesos, the processions are notable for the people marching in a pointed hood (sadly similar in appearance to a certain notorious hate group, but thankfully no connection whatsoever!).

Kids will be interested in the interesting sounds and visuals of the processions, but chances are they will be too short to see much of it behind the hordes of people lining the parade route. If they can get close enough to the procession, your kids will also love the fact that many of the hooded people hand out candy to kids lining the streets.

Things You Should Know About Holy Week in Sevile

There are a few downsides of visiting Seville during Holy Week with kids. The first is the noise. The processions work their way through Old Town Seville (where your accommodations are likely to be). These processions can go deep into the night and are very, very loud with drums and horns blaring throughout. If your hotel or Airbnb is close to the procession route, good luck getting your kids to sleep.

The second downside is the crowds, which were especially bad on Palm Sunday. We couldn’t find a seat in a sit-down restaurant anywhere and had to settle for take-out pizza on our terrace. The lineups for the top things to do in Seville (such as the Cathedral and the Real Alcazar) were horrendously long, and advance ticket sales online were also in short supply.

If you are visiting Seville with kids during Holy Week, we advise you buy your Seville Cathedral tickets and Real Alcazar tickets as early as possible.

The third downside is also related to the crowds. We were interested in the processions, but not so interested that we wanted to stay and watch them for hours on end. We were happy to watch for 5 minutes and get on our way. But on two occasions, the procession parade blocked the path to where we wanted to go, forcing a reroute through Seville’s hard-to-navigate Old Town streets.

That’s it! We hope you’ve found some inspiration for your family trip to Seville with kids!