Seville in 3 days - what do you recommend?

Hello, not sure about your interests, but I'm a huge Roman history buff, so I would probably day trip to Italica, it consists of the ruins of a major Roman city, both Roman Emperors Trajan and Hadrian were born there, and more recently Game of Thrones filmed extensively there in the amphitheater.

Complement a visit to Italica with the Archeological Museum of Sevilla, where many of the treasures of antiquity are displayed.

Also if you are not already spending some time in Cordoba that would be my highest priority in terms of day/side trip.

Here is what we did with 3 days in Seville:
--walked to Plaza de Espana and recreated a scene from a Star Wars movie
--walked back from the Plaza to our apartment (near the Cathedral) to enjoy the city
--attended a flamenco show at Casa de Memoria
--went to the Cathedral
--went to the Alcazar
-- took a bus to the Macarena church and discovered it was closed. Took the bus back to the Triana area and walked around.
-- Walked from Triana area back to our hotel
--Ate some awesome food in Seville (La Azotea, Torres y Garcia)
--walked around the city a lot!

I felt we barely had enough time to really enjoy the city. It's a great place!

Certainly see the big-hitters of the Alcazar, catedral & tower and walks around the Santa Cruz and La Macarena neighbourhoods. Assuming you visit some of the sights in those districts, that could easily fill two days at least. Don't forget to stop for lunch. Sevilla is my favourite Spanish city and part of what makes it so is the many atmospheric streets and plazas to stop for eating, drinking or just people-watching.

I advise you to buy tickets for the Alcazar in advance since the queues can be horrendous.

I'd also recommend visiting at least one of Casa de Pilatos or Casa de las Duenas. Both are brilliant. If you're walking to either from the historic centre it's worth stopping to look at the Metropol Parasol (aka the mushrooms because that's what it looks like). You can go up and walk around the roof for a great 360° view across Sevilla. Particularly good at Sunset.

Triana is worth visiting if only for a few hours. It has a few churches you might want to go inside but otherwise no major sights so it would be a good option for an evening visit/tapas crawl along the river and nearby streets.

Are you interested in art? I'm not and galleries bore me after 30 minutes, but if you have an interest then the Museo De Bellas Artes has a high reputation. Some, apparently, put it second only to the Prado. I suspect that's an exaggeration, but I thought the building was worth seeing anyway.

We've been to Sevilla several times (I have to go there occasionally for work), so done a few things that I wouldn't recommend for a first, 3 day visit. One is a boat tour along the river - it's relaxing and a chance to rest your feet, but Seville's skyline as seen from the river isn't very interesting. If wanting a rest, perhaps better (and cheaper), to find a shady square or park to sit in. Also, I was disappointed by Italica. The amphitheatre is okay and there are some mosaics in the ruins. But overall it was pretty low key and I don't think worth it if you only have 3 days. Probably, my expectations were too high - it's certainly not comparable to Pompeii or El Jem or Hadrian's Wall for example. On the other hand Carlos clearly enjoyed it - so as always, it's just a matter of taste. I'd also skip the Los Remedios neighbourhood (unless you're there during Spring Fair). We got lost and wandered into the area by mistake and there's nothing to see, just blocks of flats and boring shops.

Enjoy your holiday.

Wow Nick that was really helpful. I am buying my ticket to Sevilla's alcazar today, and planning my days out in better order thanks to you!

To me, the big three are the Alcazar, Plaza de Espana, and the cathedral & Giralda tower. Maria Luisa Park is nice for a stroll, and a walk along the river, walking by the Torre de Oro, is nice. Then there are the other places Nick mentioned. It’s been decades since I visited Italica, but thoroughly enjoyed it. If it’s your first time in Sevilla, you’ll have no trouble filling 3 days.

This is what we did in 3.5 days:

Day 1 (arrival day): Walked through Jardines de Murillo and slowly made our way to Plaza de Espana (absolutely beautiful!)
Had gin tonics to cool off at Maria Luisa Park.
Dinner at La Azotea in Barrio Santa Cruz. One of our favorite restaurants.

Day 2: Visited the Real Alcazar. One of the highlights of Seville. Just as stunning as Alhambra, IMO. Spent about 3 hours here.
Visited Triana neighborhood (very interesting area).
Dinner at Mercado Barranca.

Day 3: Decided to visit Triana again, and walked there, so got to see some other neighborhoods along the way. Lunch at the Mercado de Triana.
Visited Casa de Pilatos. It's a hidden gem! Very beautiful and not crowded at all.
Horse and carriage ride to Plaza de Espana.
Dinner at La Azotea again.
Saw flamenco show at La Casa del Flamenco.

Day 4 (our last day): Visited Seville Cathedral and the Giralda.
A lazy afternoon: lunch at Mercado Barranca again! Got drinks at nearby bar by the river, and stayed there for 3 hours! This was the end of a month long trip, so we needed to relax! But there are certainly more sights we could have seen in Seville.
Dinner at Bar la Catedral.

Seville is a gorgeous city architecturally with lots of fountains, plazas, parks, etc. We stayed in Barrio Santa Cruz and loved wandering around there.