Things to Do in Seville With Kids: What Our Toddler Loved

There are so many things to do in Seville with kids that we had no trouble filling an entire week with our 22-month-old daughter.

Before we went, I wasn’t completely sure how much there would be for a toddler beyond simply coming along while we explored the city. As it turned out, Seville worked brilliantly for her.

We found playgrounds tucked into squares, rode an open-top sightseeing bus, visited the aquarium, took a boat along the Guadalquivir and spent an afternoon at one of the most unexpectedly toddler-friendly attractions of the trip — the Pabellón de la Navegación.

Of course, she also came with us to the places we wanted to see, including Plaza de España, the Real Alcázar, Seville Cathedral and the Setas. That’s one of the things I loved about Seville: we didn’t have to choose between a city break for us and a holiday for our daughter.

These are the things to do in Seville with kids that we actually tried during our seven-night stay, what our toddler enjoyed most, and the practical things I’d want to know before doing them with young children.

And if food is as important to your city breaks as it is to ours, these are our favourite places to eat in Seville with kids

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Plaza de España and Parque de María Luisa

Plaza de España was one of the places I was most excited to see in Seville, and thankfully it was also really easy to visit with our toddler.

We went in the morning before the heat really built up. Our daughter could get out of the pushchair and wander around while we explored, and there was plenty for her to look at — from the huge fountain in the middle of the square to the little bridges crossing the canal.

Right next door is Parque de María Luisa, which made this a particularly good combination with a young child. After sightseeing around the plaza, we could slow things down and wander through the park rather than dragging her from one attraction to another.

That’s something we found worked really well throughout our week in Seville: mixing the sights we wanted to see with somewhere our daughter could simply get out of the pushchair and explore.

Both areas were straightforward with our Silver Cross Clic pushchair, and we didn’t need to plan a complicated toddler-specific activity around them.

Would I recommend it with a toddler?

Definitely. Plaza de España is one of Seville’s major sights, but it didn’t feel like somewhere we had to endure with a toddler in tow. Pairing it with Parque de María Luisa made it an easy morning for all three of us.

Our toddler verdict: plenty of space to wander around and a much better option than expecting a small child to spend an entire morning strapped into a pushchair.

Visiting the Real Alcázar with a toddler

The Real Alcázar of Seville was another place we didn’t want to miss just because we were travelling with a toddler.

We visited in the afternoon after lunch at El Librero, and our daughter came around with us in the pushchair. There was plenty for us to see, but the gardens were particularly useful with a 22-month-old because she wasn’t confined to sightseeing indoors the entire time.

This is one of those attractions where I’d allow plenty of time rather than trying to race through everything. With a toddler, being able to alternate between looking around and letting her have a little freedom made the visit much more enjoyable.

If you’re taking a pushchair, I’d also expect there to be parts of a historic building like this where access isn’t quite as straightforward as simply walking around the city. We managed with our lightweight Silver Cross Clic, but I wouldn’t take a large, heavy pushchair if you can avoid it.

Would I recommend the Real Alcázar with a toddler?

Yes. I wouldn’t skip it simply because you’re visiting Seville with young children. Our daughter might not have appreciated the history or architecture, but we did — and family travel doesn’t have to mean only visiting attractions designed for children.

Our toddler verdict: the gardens were much more interesting than the architecture!

Check tickets and tours for the Real Alcázar

Pabellón de la Navegación – an unexpected hit with our toddler

The Pabellón de la Navegación wasn’t somewhere I’d necessarily have put at the top of our Seville list before the trip, but it ended up being a surprisingly good attraction with our daughter.

Entry was included with the sightseeing bus ticket we’d bought at the time, so we decided to have a look while we were exploring that side of the river.

Inside, there were interactive exhibits based around Seville’s maritime history and exploration. Our daughter was only 22 months old, so she obviously wasn’t there for the history lesson, but there was plenty she could get involved with — including taking hold of a huge ship’s wheel, which she loved.

One of the highlights for us was going up the Torre Mirador. We took the lift to the top and had brilliant views across Seville and the Guadalquivir.

It was also air-conditioned, which deserves a special mention after walking around Seville in temperatures approaching 38°C!

Would I recommend it with a toddler?

Yes — particularly if you’re visiting during hot weather. It gave our daughter something more interactive to do, gave us something interesting to see, and provided a very welcome break from the heat.

Our toddler verdict: much more entertaining than another historic building.

Seville Aquarium – a good break from the heat

Seville Aquarium was one of the attractions we deliberately included for our daughter.

We visited after lunch at Pan y Circo, and it worked really well as an afternoon activity. After several days of plazas, historic buildings and sightseeing, this was somewhere that was much more obviously interesting to a 22-month-old.

She could watch the fish and other sea life as we moved around, and because everything was indoors it also gave us a welcome escape from the September heat.

That became quite important during our week. We didn’t stop sightseeing because it was hot, but we did try to mix outdoor attractions with places where we could cool down for a while. The aquarium fitted into that perfectly.

Would I recommend Seville Aquarium with a toddler?

Yes. If you’re spending several days in Seville with young children, I’d definitely consider having at least one attraction that’s primarily for them.

For us, the aquarium provided a nice change of pace — and it was somewhere our daughter could enjoy without us having to entertain her while we looked around.

Our toddler verdict: fish beat architecture. 😄

Check for tickets and tours for Seville Aquarium

Setas de Sevilla – views for us and a playground for our toddler

The Setas de Sevilla became one of those places we seemed to keep coming back to during our week in the city.

We went up to the top around sunset, which gave us fantastic views across Seville as the light changed. Even if you’re visiting with a toddler, I wouldn’t automatically leave experiences like this off your itinerary — our daughter simply came along with us.

But the real toddler bonus was down at ground level.

There was a playground underneath the Setas, which we returned to during the trip. It gave our daughter somewhere to run around and play while we took a break from sightseeing, and on our final day we stopped there again before collecting our bags and heading to the airport.

Would I recommend the Setas with a toddler?

Absolutely. The viewpoint was something we wanted to experience, while the playground gave our daughter something that was completely for her.

Our toddler verdict: considerably more interested in what was underneath the Setas than the view from the top.

Checkout tickets and tours for Setas de Sevilla

Hop-on hop-off bus – an easy way to see more of Seville

We bought a two-day hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus ticket, and it turned out to be really useful with a toddler.

Seville is very walkable and we did most of our exploring on foot, but after several days of walking in the heat, it was nice to be able to sit down and see parts of the city we might not otherwise have reached.

Our daughter was perfectly happy coming along for the ride, and it also gave all of us a bit of downtime between stops without having to head back to the apartment.

At the time we visited, our ticket included some additional attractions and activities, including entry to the Pabellón de la Navegación. What’s included can change, so I’d check the current ticket options rather than assuming you’ll get exactly the same things we did.

Would I recommend the sightseeing bus with a toddler?

Yes, particularly if you’re staying for several days. I wouldn’t use it instead of walking around Seville — wandering through the streets was one of our favourite parts of the trip — but it worked really well alongside it.

It was also an easy activity when we wanted to keep exploring without asking our 22-month-old to spend yet another afternoon being pushed around the city.

Our toddler verdict: sitting on a bus and watching Seville go past required very little persuasion.

Checkout tickets and tours for Seville bus tours

Take a boat trip along the Guadalquivir

On our final day, we took a boat trip along the Guadalquivir, which was a lovely way to see Seville from a completely different perspective.

By this point we’d spent a week walking around the city, so being able to sit down and watch it from the river made for a much slower-paced activity before we headed home.

Our daughter came aboard with us and was quite happy looking around and watching everything go past. We also got one of my favourite photographs from the trip — her standing inside one of the big orange lifebuoys on the boat.

From the water we could see some of the landmarks we’d been walking past all week, and it was a nice way to bring the trip together on our final day.

Would I recommend a Seville boat trip with a toddler?

Yes. It’s not an activity specifically designed for toddlers, but that’s partly why I liked it. We got to enjoy seeing Seville from the river while our daughter simply enjoyed being on a boat.

It was also a welcome chance to sit down after a week of exploring on foot.

Our toddler verdict: being on the boat was considerably more exciting than admiring the view.

Checkout tickets and tours for Guadalquivir River cruise

Seville Cathedral with a toddler

We also visited Seville Cathedral, another of the city’s major sights that we didn’t want to miss simply because we had a toddler with us.

Our daughter came around the main part of the Cathedral with us in her pushchair, and we took our time rather than trying to rush through everything.

Pushchairs aren’t currently permitted up the Giralda, so my husband went up while I stayed downstairs with our daughter.

It was a good example of how we approached sightseeing throughout the trip. Having a toddler sometimes meant adapting how we visited somewhere, but it rarely meant we had to miss it completely.

Would I recommend Seville Cathedral with a toddler?

Yes, if it’s somewhere you want to see. I wouldn’t expect it to be a highlight for a 22-month-old, but we were glad we’d visited.

If you’re travelling with a pushchair, I’d check the current accessibility arrangements before you go, as these can change.

Our toddler verdict: probably one for Mum and Dad.

Checkout tickets and tours for Seville Cathedral

Make time for Seville’s playgrounds

One of the nicest surprises about visiting Seville with a toddler was how often we seemed to stumble across a playground at exactly the right moment.

We hadn’t researched playgrounds before the trip or built them into our itinerary. We’d simply be walking around the city, spot one and let our daughter have some time out of the pushchair.

It became a really easy way of balancing the holiday. We could spend the morning sightseeing, then stop somewhere she could climb, run around and play before carrying on.

One of our first discoveries was a playground at Plaza de la Alfalfa, where we could sit nearby with a drink while she played. We also found the playground beneath the Setas, which we liked enough to return to later in the week.

We visited Parque Pakote too, but some of the most useful playground stops were simply the ones we hadn’t planned at all.

Do you need to plan playgrounds in advance?

We didn’t. Unless there’s a particular one you want to visit, I’d be tempted to do what we did and simply work them into your day when you come across them.

For a 22-month-old, half an hour in a playground could be every bit as important as the next attraction on our itinerary.

Our toddler verdict: finally, something on this holiday designed specifically for me.

Walk along the Guadalquivir and see the Torre del Oro

Some of our favourite time in Seville wasn’t spent inside an attraction at all.

We regularly walked alongside the Guadalquivir, particularly as we were staying across the river in Triana. It was an easy walk with the pushchair and gave our daughter a chance to get out and wander when she wanted to.

The Torre del Oro became another familiar landmark during the week. We saw it while exploring the riverfront and again from the water when we took our boat trip.

I wouldn’t necessarily plan this as a separate “activity” with a toddler. Instead, I’d leave some space in your itinerary simply to walk along the river without needing to be anywhere.

After several days of tickets, attractions and sightseeing, those slower parts of the holiday were some of the nicest.

Our toddler verdict: freedom to walk rather than sit in the pushchair was always a winner.

Plaza de Toros – exploring Seville’s historic bullring

We also visited the Plaza de Toros, Seville’s historic bullring.

Bullfighting isn’t something we’d choose to watch, but we were interested in seeing the building and learning more about its history and significance to the city.

Our daughter came around with us and, despite being only 22 months old, she didn’t mind it at all. She was quite happy exploring with us while we looked around.

It was another example of something we found throughout our week in Seville: we didn’t necessarily need to choose attractions specifically aimed at toddlers. She was often perfectly content coming along while we visited the places we wanted to see too.

Would I visit with a toddler?

Yes. If you’re interested in seeing the bullring and learning about its history, I wouldn’t avoid it simply because you’re travelling with a young child. It worked perfectly well for us.

Our toddler verdict: quite happy to come along and explore with us.

Checkout tickets and tours for Plaza de Toros

What did our toddler enjoy most in Seville?

At 22 months old, our daughter obviously wasn’t going to come home talking about the architecture of the Real Alcázar or the history of Seville Cathedral.

But she genuinely seemed to enjoy being in the city.

The playgrounds were always a hit, particularly when she’d spent time in the pushchair. She enjoyed the Aquarium, was happy exploring the Pabellón de la Navegación, and coming aboard for our boat trip along the Guadalquivir gave her something completely different to do.

She also didn’t need every activity to be designed for her. She came around the Real Alcázar, Cathedral and Plaza de Toros with us, wandered around Plaza de España and generally just became part of whatever we were doing.

And, of course, there was plenty of ice cream along the way.

I think that’s one of the reasons Seville worked so well for us as a family. We weren’t trying to create a toddler itinerary. We were having a city break together, with enough playgrounds, child-friendly stops and slower moments mixed in to keep everyone happy.

Our tips for sightseeing in Seville with a toddler

After spending a week exploring Seville with our 22-month-old, there are a few things that made sightseeing much easier for us.

• Take a lightweight pushchair. Our Silver Cross Clic was invaluable. Our daughter could walk when she wanted to, then get back in when she was tired or needed a nap.
• Don’t fill every hour with attractions. Some of our nicest parts of the trip were simply wandering around, stopping for food or letting our daughter play.
• Use playgrounds when you find them. We hadn’t mapped them out beforehand. If we spotted one while exploring, we’d stop and give her some time to run around.
• Mix indoor and outdoor activities in hot weather. With temperatures reaching around 38°C during our September trip, places such as the Aquarium and Pabellón de la Navegación gave us a welcome break from the heat.
• Don’t assume you have to skip the major sights. We still visited the Real Alcázar, Cathedral, Plaza de España, Setas and Plaza de Toros. Sometimes we adapted how we visited, but having a toddler didn’t stop us seeing the places we’d come to Seville for.
• Let naps work around your day where possible. Having a pushchair that reclined meant our daughter could sleep while we continued exploring rather than returning to the apartment every afternoon.

Most importantly, don’t feel as though every activity has to be specifically for children. For us, the best balance was doing the things we wanted to do while making sure our daughter had plenty of opportunities to play, explore and just be a toddler.

Would we recommend Seville with young children?

Absolutely.

We spent seven nights in Seville and never struggled to find things to do with our daughter. In fact, having a full week meant we didn’t have to race between attractions and could explore at a pace that worked for all three of us.

What surprised me most was how little we had to change the sort of city break we would normally take. We still visited the major sights, ate our way around the city and spent evenings out together. We just added playgrounds, an aquarium, a sightseeing bus, a boat trip and plenty of stops for ice cream along the way.

For us, Seville wasn’t simply a city we managed to visit with a toddler. It was a city we genuinely enjoyed visiting with one.

If you’re planning your own family trip, you can read our complete Seville with a toddler guide for where we stayed, what we ate and everything we learned during our seven-night stay.