37.47° N · 5.64° W
Roman gates, a necropolis of rock-cut tombs, the Alcázar's Golden Tower and the Parador above the plain, half an hour from Seville.
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Visit · 45 min · €2 (€1 children and pensioners; free on Mondays) · The Roman and Andalusi gate through which you enter Carmona
Archaeological site · 1 h 30 · Free · Rock-cut tombs, such as those of Servilia and the Elephant · Closed Mondays
Visit · 45 min · €3 · Gothic church over the courtyard of the former mosque · Closed Mondays
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
October to May, with good temperatures for walking the old town. In July and August midday goes above 40 degrees and the monuments shorten their hours. In winter it is mild and quiet.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
Carmona is half an hour from Seville on the A-4 and an hour and a quarter from Córdoba. The old town has narrow, sloping streets: enter by the Puerta de Marchena or the Puerta de Córdoba, park at your hotel or outside the wall and do the rest on foot. You only need the car again for the distillery.
Carmona works well without a car: the Casal bus leaves from Seville's Prado de San Sebastián and the old town, the necropolis and the gates can all be seen on foot. What gets complicated is the distillery, in the countryside, and getting back late on a Sunday: check the timetables beforehand.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
Carmona is cheap and manageable with children: the Roman necropolis is free, the City Museum doesn't charge under-18s and at the Alcázar de la Puerta de Sevilla they pay €1. What they like most is going down into the tombs and climbing the Torre del Oro.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
© ParadoresHotelWhy we like it: Andalusi-style palace on the alcázar of King Peter, at the top of Carmona, with a seasonal pool and a terrace over the Corbones plain.
Why we like it: Superior four-star hotel in the old town, next to the Puerta de Córdoba, with a saltwater pool, Mudéjar courtyards, parking and pets welcome.
Why we like it: 17th-century house with 13 different rooms linked by courtyards, in the historic centre, with a roof terrace over the Priory Church. Doubles from €75 on offer.
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| Old town | Seville and Córdoba Gates, Priory Church, museum and convents | |
| The Necropolis | Roman tombs and amphitheatre, west of the old town | |
| The Alcázar | The Parador above the alcázar of King Peter, up on the hill |
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: roast beef croquettes, the toasted suckling pig or the lamb shoulder from the wood-fired oven, and borrachuelo for dessert
© ParadoresWhat to order: the Carmona spinach with chickpeas and the rosemary-confit cod, and torta inglesa for dessert
What to order: tapas in the tavern or the Carmona cooking menu in the restaurant.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
Tips
It is free and on Sundays it closes at 15:00.
From the top you see the whole town and the plain.
It can only be visited in timed slots by reservation.
Puerto de Indias is closed on Sundays and Mondays.
End the day on the Parador terrace: the Corbones plain at sunset is the image of Carmona.
Carmona looks out from the top of the Alcores over the Corbones plain, a flat expanse of fields that stretches to the horizon. It was a Turdetani, Roman (Carmo), Andalusi and Castilian city, and you can tell at every gate in the wall. For someone from Seville it is a half-hour excursion; for visitors from Córdoba, Huelva or Cádiz, it is a full-day stop with good meals and almost everything free or for two or three euros.
From Seville, about 30 km and half an hour along the A-4 towards Córdoba; take the Carmona exit. By bus, Autocares Casal runs a regular service from the Prado de San Sebastián; check the Sunday timetable before you go. From Córdoba it is an hour and a quarter along the A-4. From Huelva, an hour and a half along the A-49, skirting Seville on the SE-30. From Cádiz, a little over an hour and a half along the AP-4 and the A-4. From Málaga it is more than two hours.
Outside the old town or at your hotel. The streets inside are narrow, steep and have restricted-access zones. The easiest entrances are the Marchena Gate, the one the Parador recommends, and the Córdoba Gate, the route the Hotel Alcázar de la Reina points out. If you are coming for the day, park near the Seville Gate, to the west: the tourist office is next to it and the necropolis is a quarter of an hour on foot.
A walk from west to east, from the Seville Gate to the Córdoba Gate:
If you go on a Saturday, add the Puerto de Indias distillery, which does not open on Sundays.
Almost everything, but in the morning. The Alcázar of the Seville Gate is open from 10:00 to 15:00; the necropolis, from 9:00 to 15:00; the City Museum, from 11:00 to 19:00; the Priory Church, from 10:00 to 12:00 and from 18:00 to 19:30, because of Mass. The Córdoba Gate has a 12:00 slot by reservation. The distillery and the church of El Salvador are closed. On Mondays the necropolis and the Priory Church are closed, although the Alcázar is free that day.
Very little. The necropolis is free, the Alcázar costs €2, the City Museum €2.50 (free for under-18s and on Tuesdays), the Priory Church €3 and the Convent of Santa Clara €3. With €15 per person you get into almost everything.
From October to May. In spring the Alcores are green and in October the Roman October (Octubre Romano) is held, the heritage month, with activities at the monuments. In July and August the heat is fierce at midday, opening hours are shortened and the municipal guided tour does not run. In winter Carmona is mild and quiet.
For a Sunday, the Molino de la Romera, next to the Marchena Gate, is open at lunchtime from Tuesday to Sunday. The Parador Restaurant is the special meal, with views over the plain from the former refectory of the alcázar. At El Tabanco, part of the Hotel Alcázar de la Reina, there is a restaurant and a tapas bar.
Questions
Half an hour by car along the A-4, about 30 km. There is also a Casal bus from the Prado de San Sebastián.
The Roman necropolis, the Alcázar of the Seville Gate, the Priory Church of Santa María, the City Museum, the Convent of Santa Clara and the Córdoba Gate.
Yes. It is open Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Mondays.
Outside the old town or at your hotel. The easiest entrances are the Marchena Gate and the Córdoba Gate.
In the morning, almost everything: the Alcázar, the necropolis, the museum and the Priory Church. In the afternoon, the museum and the Priory Church late on.
Yes. The necropolis is free, the museum does not charge under-18s and the Alcázar costs €1 for children.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/carmona
