If you have taken a day trip from Madrid to Seville, please weigh in. Yes, I know it's a long way, yes, I know we need several days there to do it justice, but we have one day. And I'd really love to go! If you've done the trip, please let me know your thoughts. We have already done other day trips from Madrid, so although I appreciate the temptation to suggest other places, I am truly interested only in those of you who have done Seville in one day.
Thanks so much!
I have done the trek from Madrid to Seville years ago but It was a daunting journey in such a short time span. This is something I would only do once. I usually like to spend a few days in a city to unwind. I had to catch the first early morning train from Atocha at 7:00am to Seville and catch the return train from Seville's Santa Justa station to Madrid at 8:00pm.. Although it was a tiring day trip, I enjoyed exploring the major sights in Seville and immerse myself in Andalusian culture. Andalusia happens to be my favorite region in Spain to explore. I feel like a kid in an ice cream parlor during summer season whenever I visit that part of Spain. My friend I suggest follow your heart's desire and go. That one day experience can very well be the highlight of your Spain trip. Make sure leave extra early and catch the first train in the morning so you can spend a full day in Seville.
Sounds like not such a good idea.
By asking only for people who have done it, you're biasing your feedback in favor of people who have done it versus people who thought about it and said "uh uh". I'm in the 2nd category.
First, let's wait and see what more people who have done this actually think, people who are actually reflecting on what someone else (you) should do instead of just trying to self-justify what they might have done.
My wild guess is that most will say it's just too much for a day trip and there are better uses of your precious time and energy.
Only the existence of the high speed train makes it even a possibility that is barely feasible.
Rick actually discusses your idea in his Spain 2019 guidebook.
I've not done it, but I'm going to weigh in anyway. For the reasons you've identified it's less than ideal. But it is practical and since you're very keen, I'd go for it.
When planning, don't forget you need to get to/from your Madrid hotel to the Atocha railway station. Similarly, Sevilla's main station where you arrive is some distance from the main sights - so I'd suggest a taxi.
But (in a very non-specific sense), if you left your hotel at around 0630 then you should be in the centre of Sevilla by about 1000. Then if you left central Sevilla at about 2100, then you'd be back in your hotel around 0030 the next morning. That assumes you use the first and last AVE (fast) train services of the day.
So that gives you time to visit the Alcazar (definitely pre-book), walk around Santa Cruz and have lunch, visit the Cathedral and walk near the Plaza Nueva area and have tapas before heading home. Even though there is much else to see, I wouldn't stray much further than these suggestions in the time you have available.
Sevilla is Spain's best city - and the 3rd best in Europe - so I suspect the main outcome from your day-trip will be a longing to return. What you plan wouldn't be my choice, but if you want to do it then definitely it is practical.
In the end, it comes down to whether that long day is worth it for you, not whether it was worth it for others. For us, we generally won't do day trips that are more than an hour or so away on a train, as we just know that it's too much us and usually not worthwhile. The other hard part is not knowing whether you'll like Seville to know whether it will be "worth" it, so you just have to take the chance based on what you read. We were there last month, and for us, Seville was our least favorite city on our trip (though clearly other travelers love it), but I'm still glad we went. The Royal Alcazar is amazing to see (even more of a bonus if you're a Game of Thrones fan), but that was the primary thing that stood out for us vs. what we saw in other cities. I think the other thing to ask yourself is what are you NOT doing, if you do a day trip to Seville and weigh what interests you more.
I’m in the same boat as you. Going to Madrid in July but would love to see other places as well via train. One place we would like to visit is Seville. Hoping you get good advice. I know we will end up going bc I don’t want to miss out.
Would you consider Córdoba as a substitute? It is more manageable in a day thanks to shorter travel time and fewer sights, but still provides a great sample of Andalucía culture and history. I would go to Córdoba in a day from Madrid without qualms, but Sevilla sounds daunting.
Thanks for responses so far...hoping to actually hear from some others who have made the trip!
