The Big Sights
Each city has a monument that alone justifies the trip. Granada's Alhambra is one of the great sights of Europe. The Nasrid Palaces were the last royal residence of Muslim Spain, finished before the Catholic Monarchs took the city in 1492. The Court of the Lions and the Hall of the Abencerrajes, with its star-shaped honeycomb ceiling, are as delicate as anything in Islamic architecture. The Generalife gardens add rose walks and long water channels.
Seville's Real Alcázar is a working royal palace with rooms of carved plaster and glazed tile and gardens of fountains and palms that feel miles from the street. Next door, the cathedral holds Columbus's tomb. The Giralda bell tower climbs by 35 ramps wide enough for a horse. The Plaza de España, with its tiled alcoves and canal, is another highlight.
The Alhambra is the more extraordinary single site. Seville offers more major sights in a compact, flat center.
Evenings and Atmosphere
Seville's evenings are elegant and social. Couples stroll the Plaza de España at dusk, walk the river to the Torre del Oro or cross to Triana for dinner on Calle Betis. Flamenco happens in intimate venues seating a few dozen people, where you feel the footwork through the floor. The rooftop walkways of the Metropol Parasol are a fine sunset stop. Late at night the old town hums, with families out in the squares after midnight.
Granada's evenings are more bohemian. Walk up to the Mirador de San Nicolás as the Alhambra glows red against the mountains, or find a quieter terrace at San Miguel Bajo or San Cristóbal. Stroll the Carrera del Darro beneath the Alhambra to the Paseo de los Tristes. Take a taxi up to the Sacromonte for flamenco in a cave, a few feet from the dancers. Tea houses on Calle Calderería pour mint tea into small glasses.
Both cities have Arab-style bathhouses for a candlelit soak, a lovely way to start an evening.
Where You Will Stay
Seville has the stronger hotel scene. Hotel Alfonso XIII, a neo-Mudéjar palace built for the 1929 exposition beside the Alcázar gardens, is the grand splurge from roughly $650 a night. Corral del Rey, with just 17 rooms in a 17th-century casa palacio and Mercer Sevilla, in a restored 19th-century mansion in El Arenal, are intimate alternatives from roughly $400 to $450. Santa Cruz and El Arenal are the best areas for walking home after dinner.
Granada is better value. Hotel Alhambra Palace, a Moorish-revival landmark that has welcomed guests since 1910, sits on the Alhambra hill with a terrace looking over town, from roughly $230. The Parador de Granada, in a former convent inside the Alhambra grounds, is the most coveted stay and books far ahead. In the Albaicín, small hotels in old carmens have terraces facing the Alhambra, though lanes are steep and car access limited. The flat center around Plaza Nueva is easiest for restaurants.
All rates are approximate and rise sharply around Holy Week.
Tapas and Tables
Both are great eating cities, in different ways. Seville is a tapas city where you order one or two plates at a time and move on: espinacas con garbanzos, salmorejo, fried fish and slow-cooked pork cheeks. Chilled fino or manzanilla from the sherry towns nearby is the right partner for anything salty or fried. The Triana market by the river is a good morning stop.
Granada keeps the old custom of a free tapa with every drink. The plate often grows with each round. It might be a small stew, fried eggplant with cane honey or a slice of tortilla, so three rounds can make dinner. The Moorish past shows up in cumin, almonds and dates. Habas con jamón and plato alpujarreño, with potatoes, sausage and fried egg, are local staples. For a special meal, book a carmen restaurant in the Albaicín with a garden table facing the Alhambra and order wine from the Granada highlands.
Granada wins on value. Seville wins on variety and sherry.
Climate Through the Year
Both shine from March to May and from late September into November. Seville's spring brings orange blossom and days in the 70s, while Holy Week and the April Fair add spectacle but can triple hotel rates. Granada's gardens bloom in spring, with days in the 60s and 70s. Autumn brings warm afternoons and cool terrace evenings.
Summer is where they diverge. Seville's July and August afternoons commonly pass 100°F and sometimes 110°F, so locals stay indoors from about 2 to 7 p.m. Granada is hot too, often in the mid-90s, but its altitude brings cooler nights. Visit the Alhambra early or late.
Winter also differs. Seville is mild and often sunny around 60°F at midday. Granada can be cold, with nights near freezing, but days are bright and the snowy Sierra Nevada makes a romantic backdrop. Ski runs are under an hour away and Alhambra crowds thin. Pack a warm layer for Granada's viewpoints even in spring.
Getting There and Getting Around
Neither has US nonstops. For Seville, fly into Madrid and take the high-speed train to Santa Justa in about two and a half hours, or connect to Seville Airport (SVQ). Granada is about three and a half hours from Madrid by high-speed train. Its small airport (GRX) has domestic flights from Madrid and Barcelona. Málaga Airport (AGP), about 90 minutes away, has far more choice.
Seville is flat and easy on foot, though taxis cannot reach many hotel doors in Santa Cruz. Fast trains reach Córdoba in about 45 minutes and Jerez in about an hour, so you need no car. Granada is hilly. The small C-series minibuses climb into the Albaicín, the Sacromonte and up to the Alhambra. Do not drive into the Albaicín, which is restricted. Rent a car only for day trips to the Alpujarras villages or the Costa Tropical beaches.
Wear shoes with grip in Granada, where cobbles are steep and polished.
Planning Both on One Trip
Since trains link them in about two and a half to three hours, Seville and Granada make an easy pair. A week might be three or four nights in Seville and three in Granada, with a day trip to Córdoba from Seville. Fly into Madrid, take the train south to Seville, continue to Granada and then fly home via Madrid or from Málaga.
The one thing you cannot improvise is the Alhambra. Book Nasrid Palaces tickets on the official site as soon as your dates are firm, since they sell out weeks ahead in spring and fall and come with a strict 30-minute entry window. Book a night visit too if your dates allow. In Seville, buy Alcázar and cathedral tickets a week or more ahead in spring.
On safety, both cities are comfortable. Keep phones out of sight at San Nicolás, where pickpockets work the sunset crowd and a taxi or minibus back up to the quiet upper Albaicín after dinner. Cover shoulders and knees for churches in both.
