# Carmona

Roman gates, a necropolis of rock-cut tombs, the Alcázar's Golden Tower and the Parador above the plain, half an hour from Seville.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/carmona · Revisado: 2026-11-12

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.

## How do you get there from Seville, Córdoba or Huelva?

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.

## Where do you park?

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.

## What is there to see in a day?

A walk from west to east, from the Seville Gate to the Córdoba Gate:

Roman necropolis, first thing: free, with last entry an hour before closing.

Alcázar of the Seville Gate and its Golden Tower, with the tourist office inside.

Priory Church of Santa María and the City Museum, a few steps from each other.

Lunch in the old town.

Convent of Santa Clara in the afternoon, to leave with sweets.

Córdoba Gate, by reservation, and the walk to the Parador to see the plain at sunset.

If you go on a Saturday, add the Puerto de Indias distillery, which does not open on Sundays.

## What is open in Carmona on a Sunday?

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.

## How much does it cost?

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.

## When should you go?

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.

## Where should you eat?

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.

## Dónde está
- Cerca: Setenil de las Bodegas (a 79.0 km), Sierra de Grazalema (a 82.8 km), Doñana and El Rocío (a 83.3 km), Ronda (a 91.4 km)

## Qué hacer
- **The Alcázar de la Puerta de Sevilla and Its Torre del Oro** (45 min · Everyone · €2 · €1 children, students and pensioners · free on Mondays): The Alcázar de la Puerta de Sevilla is the western entrance to Carmona and the monument that best sums up the city: a fortress built on a tower from the 8th century BC, turned into a bastion by the Carthaginians, a monumental gate by the Romans and an alcázar by the Muslims and by Pedro I. Inside is the Municipal Tourist Reception Centre, so this is where you buy your ticket, pick up a map and begin your visit to Carmona.
Three thousand years in the stonework
Turismo de Carmona places the origin of the site in the 9th century BC, with even older remains. On the original tower, the Carthaginians built a square, solid bastion to resist Rome. In the time of Augustus the Romans reinforced it with the gate system still visible today: two facing gates with semicircular arches and barrel vaults, separated by a courtyard enclosed by walls, the intervallum, where anyone who broke through the first gate was trapped. A temple was built on top, part of whose podium remains. Caesar even called Carmona the strongest city in the Baetica.
In the Islamic period a Caliphate horseshoe arch, from the 10th century, and a pointed Almohad one, from the 12th, were added, and in the 14th century Pedro I remodelled the interior. In the 1960s the houses that had been attached to it were demolished, and in 1973 the rooms you walk through today were restored. The monument was declared a historic-artistic site before the Giralda of Seville.
Prisoners, cisterns and the Torre del Oro
The visit passes through the Lower Prisoners' Hall and the Upper Prisoners' Hall, with an exhibition on the monument, through the Cisterns' courtyard and goes up the Torre del Oro. From the top you can see all of Carmona's white houses, the towers of its churches and, on the other side, the Corbones plain. Allow about 45 minutes without rushing.
Opening hours and admission
On the autumn timetable it is open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00 and Sunday from 10:00 to 15:00, with last entry half an hour before closing. Admission costs €2; €1 for children, students, pensioners and groups of more than 25 people, and on Mondays it is free. Telephone: 954 19 09 55.
The office also organises a guided tour of the old town that takes in the Alcázar, the City Museum and a church, with admission to each paid separately; there are no tours in July and August.
Where to go next
From the Puerta de Sevilla the street climbs to the centre: the Priory Church of Santa María and the City Museum are a few minutes away, and the Roman Necropolis lies below, on the outskirts, on the road out towards Seville. This site's Sunday in Carmona plan brings together the necropolis, the Torre del Oro and lunch at the Molino de la Romera; if it is a Sunday, remember that the Alcázar closes at 15:00.
- **Roman Necropolis of Carmona** (1 h 30 · Everyone; earth paths · Free): On the edge of the old town, on Avenida Jorge Bonsor, lies the city of the dead of Roman Carmo: hundreds of family tombs cut into the rock, with niches for urns, and some large mausoleums such as the Tomb of Servilia and the Tomb of the Elephant, named for the sculpture of an elephant found inside. Opposite is the Roman amphitheatre. It is one of the most important sites on the Peninsula for how well it is preserved.
What you will see
It was discovered in the late 19th century by Juan Fernández López and the English archaeologist Jorge Bonsor, and dates from around the 1st century. The most common rite was cremation: bodies were burned on pyres cut into the rock, which sometimes also served as a tomb. The most usual burial is the family mausoleum, an underground chamber reached by a shaft with steps, with a bench running round for offerings and niches opened in the walls. In some you can still see the marks of the doors.
The Tomb of the Elephant was in fact a sanctuary dedicated to Cybele and Attis, the god who died and was resurrected every year and who was deeply rooted in Carmona; the elephant came to be its great symbol of eternity. The Tomb of Servilia, from the time of Augustus, is the most monumental: it imitates a luxurious Hellenistic mansion, with an arcaded courtyard, a covered gallery and a funerary chamber with a pointed vault, and must have belonged to a family of powerful Roman officials.
Opposite, the amphitheatre had a good part of its seating cut into the escarpment, below street level; only the upper part was built.
Admission and opening hours
Free. In autumn it is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 to 18:00 and Sunday from 9:00 to 15:00; last entry is one hour before closing. Closed on Mondays; on public holidays, ask on 600 14 36 32. Allow an hour and a half. The paths are earth and there are steps down to the tombs: it is not comfortable with a pushchair.
Getting there and what to combine it with
It is at 9 Avenida Jorge Bonsor, outside the old town. Afterwards, go up to the City Museum, which explains Roman Carmo with models and mosaics, or to the Puerta de Córdoba, the Roman gate at the other end of the old town.
- **Priory Church of Santa María, the Church on the Mosque** (45 min · Everyone · €3 · €1.80 pensioners and groups): Carmona's main church, Gothic, built on the former congregational mosque. You enter through the old mosque courtyard, the ablutions court, now the Patio de los Naranjos, and the church is the great landmark of Christian Carmona, on the Plaza del Marqués de las Torres, a few steps from the City Museum.
What you will see
The building follows the Gothic models of Seville cathedral: a hall plan with three aisles and chapels between the buttresses. It was built in two phases, in the 15th and 16th centuries. The first, from the west end to the choir, is fully Gothic; in the second Diego de Riaño was involved, who gave a Renaissance air to the bays of the east end. From the Baroque period remain the Puerta del Sol and the Sacramental chapel, and the late 19th-century refurbishments gave it its present appearance. The tower was begun in the 16th century and finished in the 19th.
Look in the courtyard for the Visigothic liturgical calendar engraved on the shaft of one of the columns. Inside, the high altarpiece by Juan Bautista Vázquez, from 1563, alternates scenes from the life of Jesus with Marian scenes. The star vault of the crossing, in the fourth bay of the central nave, the Flemish-style chapel of the Cristo de los Martirios and the Gothic carving of the Virgen de Gracia, the city's patron, are worth a stop. In the ante-sacristy there is an Immaculate Conception by Pedro Duque Cornejo, from 1724.
The main sacristy holds the treasury, with the processional monstrance made by Francisco Alfaro between 1579 and 1584. Since 1997 there has been a permanent exhibition room with silverwork, vestments and paintings by Zurbarán and Bocanegra.
Opening hours and admission
It costs €3, and €1.80 for pensioners and groups. In autumn it is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 13:30 and from 17:00 to 19:00; on Sunday, from 10:00 to 12:00 and from 18:00 to 19:30, because of Masses. Closed on Mondays. Allow about 45 minutes.
What to combine it with
It is in the heart of the upper old town: head out to the Santa Clara convent and its sweets, or go down towards the Puerta de Córdoba. To eat without leaving the old town, El Tabanco is a short stroll away.
- **City Museum, in the Marqués de las Torres Palace** (1 h · Everyone · €2.50 · €1.20 students · free for under-18s, pensioners and on Tuesdays): The municipal museum occupies the palace of the Marqués de las Torres, next to the Plaza de Arriba. It tells the story of Carmona from prehistory, with rooms devoted to the Tartessians, the Roman city and the medieval one. It is the best way to understand what you will see at the necropolis and at the gates of the city wall.
The palace
The house is a 16th-century palace, an example of Carmona's stately architecture, with plasterwork in the Mudéjar tradition on the balcony mouldings. The rooms are arranged over two floors around a square courtyard. On the staircase hangs a canvas of the Virgen de Gracia, and upstairs is the chimney room, the former formal dining room, the result of the 18th-century refurbishment that moved the house from Mudéjar taste to Baroque.
What you will see
The ground floor takes you through prehistory, from the first stone tools to the settlements of the Copper and Bronze Ages. It follows the arrival of Phoenician traders in the 8th century BC and Tartessian culture, with the Saltillo Collection, found in the house of the marquis of that name, the potter's wheel and the reconstruction of a Turdetan house. One room deals with Carthaginian Carmona, from 237 BC, with sling bullets and spearheads, and the moat of the Alcázar de la Puerta de Sevilla.
The Roman rooms are the most striking: paving slabs from the streets and column bases from the forum, a model of the domus, the statue of Nereus that decorated a fountain, the summer mosaic and a geometric one that even preserves the lead pipe the water flowed out of, as well as models of Roman Carmo and videos of the Puerta de Córdoba. Upstairs, medieval Carmona, with a complete Almoravid kitchen set and the 1303 seal of the Concejo, and the 19th- and 20th-century rooms, with two devoted to the Carmona painters José Arpa and Carmen Vega.
Admission and opening hours
It costs €2.50; €1.20 for students and groups; free for under-18s, pensioners and for everyone every Tuesday. It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 19:00 and Monday from 11:00 to 14:00, with last entry half an hour before closing. Allow an hour.
What to combine it with
The Priory Church of Santa María is a few steps away, and the Santa Clara convent a few minutes' walk.
- **Puerta de Córdoba and the Sunflower Interpretation Centre** (45 min · Everyone · €2 · €1 children, students and pensioners): The eastern gate of the city wall, of Roman origin, through which the Via Augusta left for Córdoba. It looks out over the Corbones plain, the sea of sunflower fields that surrounds Carmona, and inside it has an interpretation centre devoted to the sunflower. It is on Calle Dolores Quintanilla, at the end of the old town.
Its history
It was built in the time of Augustus, in the 1st century, when Carmona was living through a period of peace and prosperity that filled the city with large public buildings. It was not just a defensive gate: with its three openings it also had a propaganda role. The two small gates, on either side of the main one, were walled up in the 2nd century because of political instability and ended up hidden inside the neighbouring houses.
Under the Catholic Monarchs it lost its military function and became a kind of customs post for goods coming in from outside the wall. In the 16th century it received Renaissance alterations, in the early 17th century marble coats of arms and statues now lost, in 1688, under Charles II, its Baroque look, and at the end of the 18th century the last major work, by the Neoclassical architect from Carmona José Echamorro. On the intrados of the main arch is preserved an 18th-century canvas of the Virgen de Gracia, the patron saint.
The restoration of 2000 uncovered one of the pedestrian arches, and the town council bought land to give access to the upper part. In 2005 it opened as a visitor centre, which can only be entered by reservation.
How to visit
Only by prior reservation, by writing to turismo@carmona.org or through the tourism website: in autumn, Fridays at 17:00 and Saturdays and Sundays at 12:00. It costs €2, €1 for children, students and pensioners. Allow about 45 minutes. It works well with children: going up to the top of the gate and seeing the plain from above keeps them entertained.
If you can't make the slot, the view of the gate from outside and the walk along the path down to the plain are also worthwhile.
What to combine it with
Right next door is the Hotel Alcázar de la Reina, with its tavern El Tabanco. From the gate, head up through the old town to the Priory Church of Santa María and the City Museum, which has a video with the reconstruction of the Roman gate.
- **Santa Clara Convent and Its Sweets** (45 min · Everyone · €3 · €2 children, students and pensioners): An enclosed convent of Poor Clare nuns in the centre of Carmona, where the nuns still make sweets in their workshop. You visit the church and part of the convent, and on the way out you take away a box of sweets. It is the oldest convent in the city: its foundation was authorised by a bull of Pope Pius II in 1460.
What you will see
It was built between the late 15th and early 16th centuries, in the years when Carmona, conquered by Ferdinand III in 1247, was filling up with parishes and convents. The church has a single rectangular nave with a timber roof, following the Seville model of the Mudéjar convent, and a chancel covered with a Gothic rib vault. In the 17th century the chancel was decorated with gilded paintings in Baroque forms, and the high altarpiece dates from that period, designed and carved by Felipe Ribas in 1645.
Below, the nave has a 16th-century tile dado made using techniques from the Muslim tradition; above hang canvases from the mid-17th century, probably from a local workshop following Zurbarán. At the foot is the choir, on two levels and divided by a lattice screen, and from it you pass into the cloister, a square two-storey space. The lookout tower, from the 18th century and late Baroque, stands out from the complex even above the church tower. Today you enter through a double doorway in the north wall that gives onto the compás.
The sweets
The Poor Clares make sweets of Arab tradition, sponge, meringue and candied-citron cakes and the traditional torta inglesa. They used to be sold only through the revolving hatch; since the convent opened to tourism they can be bought directly at reception. Every 6 December the cloister hosts an exhibition and sale of sweets in aid of the community.
Opening hours and admission
It costs €3, and €2 for children, students and pensioners. It is open from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 18:00; closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Sundays the tourist office organises an experience visit to the convent: ask when you book at the tourist office. Allow about 45 minutes.
Getting there
It is on Calle Santa María de Gracia, in the upper part of the old town, a few minutes' walk from the Priory Church of Santa María and the City Museum. The old town is explored on foot: leave your car outside the wall.
- **Puerto de Indias Distillery Visit and Tasting** (1 h 30 · Adults · Basic tour €15 · Premium €25): Puerto de Indias is the Carmona distillery known for its strawberry gin. Its visitor centre, in the countryside next to Carmona, shows you the process, the stills, the cellar, a water mine and the gardens, and ends with a tasting. It is an adults' activity that works well to round off a day of monuments with something different.
What the visit includes
The experience for individuals takes in the distillery and the estate and tells the story of the brand, from its origins in Carmona to today. It ends with a tasting of the house spirits; on the premium tour the tasting includes the different Puerto de Indias varieties and a gin and tonic of your choice. Allow an hour and a half.
Visits can also be given as gifts: you buy them on the website, in the individual bookings section, choosing the gift option, and they are valid for one year from purchase. You must be of legal age for the tasting.
Price, opening hours and booking
The municipal leaflet gives €15 for the basic tour and €25 for the premium, with discounts for pensioners and children. By reservation only, on its website or on 954 191 366. It is open Tuesday to Saturday: from 1 October to 30 December, from 10:00 to 14:30 and from 16:00 to 18:30; in July and August, from 9:30 to 14:30. It closes on Sundays, Mondays and public holidays, so it is a Saturday plan if you are here for the weekend.
Getting there
The distillery is on the outskirts of Carmona, in the countryside. From Seville, take exit 511 of the motorway towards Carmona; at the first roundabout, take the first exit on the right, and keep straight on to the horses roundabout, near the Lidl supermarket. There, take the fourth exit, the only one going downhill: it looks like the wrong direction, but you soon see the distillery.
Without a car, the Casal bus from Seville leaves from the Prado de San Sebastián station; Casal's phone number is 954 999 290. A taxi from Seville takes about half an hour and the distillery itself estimates it at between €48 and €58.
What to combine it with
Do the visit in the morning and then go up to the old town: the Roman necropolis is open until 18:00 Tuesday to Saturday, and for lunch there is the Molino de la Romera, next to the Puerta de Marchena.

## Dónde comer
- **Molino de la Romera** (Restaurant, Carmona, €€). Qué pedir: roast beef croquettes, the toasted suckling pig or the lamb shoulder from the wood-fired oven, and borrachuelo for dessert
- **Parador de Carmona Restaurant** (Restaurant, Carmona, €€€). Qué pedir: the Carmona spinach with chickpeas and the rosemary-confit cod, and torta inglesa for dessert
- **El Tabanco (Hotel Alcázar de la Reina)** (Restaurant, Carmona, €€). Qué pedir: tapas in the tavern or the Carmona cooking menu in the restaurant.

## By car: By Car on the A-4, and on Foot in the Old Town
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.
Presupuesto orientativo: 60–130 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Parador de Carmona** (Hotel): The Parador de Carmona is the alcázar of King Peter turned into a hotel: an Andalusi-style palace at the highest point of the city, about 30 km from Seville, with an open view over the Corbones plain from almost all its rooms, and above all from the pool and terrace. It has four stars and is one of those Paradores chosen for the building.
Peter I's favourite residence
The site was first a Turdetan and Punic acropolis, then a Muslim citadel and the residence of the taifa king of Carmona. Peter I of Castile rebuilt it as a Mudéjar palace and made it one of his preferred residences. In the 19th century, earthquakes and plunder left it in ruins, and in 1976 it was rebuilt as a Parador. Today the former parade ground is the car park, the Casa Real holds the lounges and rooms, and the old refectory is the restaurant. Inside, the decoration follows Mudéjar motifs, with an inner courtyard and the Salón Bermejo, with tapestries and antiques.
Single, double or superior
There are single rooms, standard doubles and superior doubles, with air conditioning, minibar, laptop safe, flat-screen TV with Chromecast and free wifi; there is a lift and room service. The price depends on the date and is checked on the Paradores calendar, with room-only, bed-and-breakfast or half-board rates. If you want to wake up looking at the plain, ask for it expressly when you book.
Pool over the plain
The outdoor pool is seasonal and shares with the terrace the panorama of the plain; the garden surrounds the building. The Parador has an electric-car charging point and is set up for cycle tourists, with somewhere to store your bike. The exact dates of the pool are not on the listing: ask if you are travelling in spring or autumn.
Arriving by car and getting around on foot
The main access is via the Andalucía motorway, which links Seville and Córdoba, and Paradores recommends entering the old town by the Puerta de Marchena, the nearest one; that way you avoid crossing the centre along narrow streets. Once parked, everything is done on foot: the Priory Church of Santa María is a few minutes away, and the Alcázar de la Puerta de Sevilla, with the tourist office, at the other end of the old town. The Roman Necropolis, on the outskirts, is best reached by car. For an informal lunch, the Molino de la Romera is next to the Puerta de Marchena.
For travelling with a dog, Paradores refers you to the conditions in its frequently asked questions: confirm before booking. Reception can be reached on 954 141 010 and at recepcion.carmona@parador.es.
- **Hotel Alcázar de la Reina** (Hotel): The Alcázar de la Reina is a superior four-star hotel in the old town of Carmona, at 2 Calle Hermana Concepción Orellana, a few steps from the Puerta de Córdoba. It takes its name from the neighbouring fortress: when John II of Castile went off to fight the sultan of Granada, he left his wife in the alcázar of the Puerta de Córdoba, which from then on was called the Queen's Alcázar. The building is modern, in traditional style, with Mudéjar courtyards, works of art scattered through the common areas and a viewpoint over the plain.
Rooms facing the plain or the courtyards
Most rooms look out over the Carmona plain and the Cueva de la Batida, a set of medieval ruins; others face the Mudéjar courtyards. There are doubles, superiors, deluxe, junior suites, a room called El Mirador and two suites with their own decoration and a pillow menu. There are rooms adapted for reduced mobility. All have air conditioning and heating and satellite TV. Prices can be checked in its booking search and on the offers page.
Saltwater pool and El Tabanco
The outdoor pool is saltwater, with a sun terrace and free towels. The wellness centre offers sauna, massages and treatments. Breakfast is a buffet, and the hotel has a tapas bar, a terrace with a cocktail bar and its own restaurant, El Tabanco, with more than 25 years of Carmona cooking. The hotel's function rooms host celebrations, so some weekends there will be a wedding.
The car park is private, something uncommon inside the old town, and the staff speak several languages. The hotel advertises itself as pet friendly: ask about the conditions before arriving with your dog.
Getting there from the motorway
Carmona is about 23 km from Seville along the motorway towards Córdoba and Madrid. The hotel says to take the Carmona-Marchena exit, the last one if you come from Seville and the first if you come from Córdoba, follow its signs and go through the Puerta de Córdoba, a Roman gate from the 1st century BC; the hotel is just after. That way you enter the old town without crossing all of it.
On foot around Carmona
The Puerta de Córdoba, with its sunflower interpretation centre, is next door. Heading down through the old town you reach the Santa Clara Convent, the Priory Church of Santa María and, at the end, the Alcázar de la Puerta de Sevilla. The Parador, up on the hill, is a few minutes away.
- **Hotel El Rincón de las Descalzas** (Small hotel, desde 75 € / night): El Rincón de las Descalzas is a small hotel in a 17th-century house at 1 Calle Descalzas, right in Carmona's historic centre, next to the convent that gives it its name. It has thirteen rooms, all different, arranged around courtyards, and keeps balconies, shutters and coffered ceilings from the original house. It is a quiet place to sleep inside the old town and get around on foot.
Thirteen rooms, four prices
The rooms fall into four types. The budget interior doubles are 14 to 18 m², with the house's period decoration, and are the option for those travelling alone or as a couple on a tight budget. The standard doubles, 20 to 25 m², are all different; some take an extra bed. The deluxe rooms, 27 to 35 m², are the largest and brightest, furnished in Castilian, Moorish or Andalusian style, and some have a fireplace facing the bed. The suite has a jacuzzi. All have air conditioning and heating, free wifi and the option of breakfast in the room.
On the offers page, in November 2026, rooms appear from €75 for the budget interior, €90 for the standard, €110 for the deluxe and €155 for the suite, including VAT. Continental breakfast costs €7 per person and is served from 8:30 to 11:00. Offers can only be booked by phone, on 954 191 172 or 636 029 267, or by email; from 27 December to 1 January, subject to availability and with advance booking. Check-in is at 14:00 and check-out at 12:00.
The roof terrace facing the Priory Church
The roof terrace is what most sets the house apart: from above you can see the Priory Church of Santa María, the Descalzas convent and the church of El Salvador, a step away.
On foot round the old town
From here everything is close on foot: the Priory Church, next door; the City Museum, in the Marqués de las Torres palace, a few minutes away; the Alcázar de la Puerta de Sevilla, downhill, and the Parador, uphill towards the Puerta de Marchena. For dinner, the hotel recommends the La Yedra restaurant, very close, and the Molino de la Romera is next to the Puerta de Marchena.
Getting there and parking
Carmona is about 25 km from Seville airport along the Andalucía motorway. The hotel doesn't advertise its own parking, and the streets of the old town are narrow: ask when you book where to leave the car. The website doesn't say whether pets are allowed.

## Car-free: Car-Free, by Bus from Seville
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.
Presupuesto orientativo: 50–110 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Hotel Alcázar de la Reina** (Hotel): The Alcázar de la Reina is a superior four-star hotel in the old town of Carmona, at 2 Calle Hermana Concepción Orellana, a few steps from the Puerta de Córdoba. It takes its name from the neighbouring fortress: when John II of Castile went off to fight the sultan of Granada, he left his wife in the alcázar of the Puerta de Córdoba, which from then on was called the Queen's Alcázar. The building is modern, in traditional style, with Mudéjar courtyards, works of art scattered through the common areas and a viewpoint over the plain.
Rooms facing the plain or the courtyards
Most rooms look out over the Carmona plain and the Cueva de la Batida, a set of medieval ruins; others face the Mudéjar courtyards. There are doubles, superiors, deluxe, junior suites, a room called El Mirador and two suites with their own decoration and a pillow menu. There are rooms adapted for reduced mobility. All have air conditioning and heating and satellite TV. Prices can be checked in its booking search and on the offers page.
Saltwater pool and El Tabanco
The outdoor pool is saltwater, with a sun terrace and free towels. The wellness centre offers sauna, massages and treatments. Breakfast is a buffet, and the hotel has a tapas bar, a terrace with a cocktail bar and its own restaurant, El Tabanco, with more than 25 years of Carmona cooking. The hotel's function rooms host celebrations, so some weekends there will be a wedding.
The car park is private, something uncommon inside the old town, and the staff speak several languages. The hotel advertises itself as pet friendly: ask about the conditions before arriving with your dog.
Getting there from the motorway
Carmona is about 23 km from Seville along the motorway towards Córdoba and Madrid. The hotel says to take the Carmona-Marchena exit, the last one if you come from Seville and the first if you come from Córdoba, follow its signs and go through the Puerta de Córdoba, a Roman gate from the 1st century BC; the hotel is just after. That way you enter the old town without crossing all of it.
On foot around Carmona
The Puerta de Córdoba, with its sunflower interpretation centre, is next door. Heading down through the old town you reach the Santa Clara Convent, the Priory Church of Santa María and, at the end, the Alcázar de la Puerta de Sevilla. The Parador, up on the hill, is a few minutes away.
- **Hotel El Rincón de las Descalzas** (Small hotel, desde 75 € / night): El Rincón de las Descalzas is a small hotel in a 17th-century house at 1 Calle Descalzas, right in Carmona's historic centre, next to the convent that gives it its name. It has thirteen rooms, all different, arranged around courtyards, and keeps balconies, shutters and coffered ceilings from the original house. It is a quiet place to sleep inside the old town and get around on foot.
Thirteen rooms, four prices
The rooms fall into four types. The budget interior doubles are 14 to 18 m², with the house's period decoration, and are the option for those travelling alone or as a couple on a tight budget. The standard doubles, 20 to 25 m², are all different; some take an extra bed. The deluxe rooms, 27 to 35 m², are the largest and brightest, furnished in Castilian, Moorish or Andalusian style, and some have a fireplace facing the bed. The suite has a jacuzzi. All have air conditioning and heating, free wifi and the option of breakfast in the room.
On the offers page, in November 2026, rooms appear from €75 for the budget interior, €90 for the standard, €110 for the deluxe and €155 for the suite, including VAT. Continental breakfast costs €7 per person and is served from 8:30 to 11:00. Offers can only be booked by phone, on 954 191 172 or 636 029 267, or by email; from 27 December to 1 January, subject to availability and with advance booking. Check-in is at 14:00 and check-out at 12:00.
The roof terrace facing the Priory Church
The roof terrace is what most sets the house apart: from above you can see the Priory Church of Santa María, the Descalzas convent and the church of El Salvador, a step away.
On foot round the old town
From here everything is close on foot: the Priory Church, next door; the City Museum, in the Marqués de las Torres palace, a few minutes away; the Alcázar de la Puerta de Sevilla, downhill, and the Parador, uphill towards the Puerta de Marchena. For dinner, the hotel recommends the La Yedra restaurant, very close, and the Molino de la Romera is next to the Puerta de Marchena.
Getting there and parking
Carmona is about 25 km from Seville airport along the Andalucía motorway. The hotel doesn't advertise its own parking, and the streets of the old town are narrow: ask when you book where to leave the car. The website doesn't say whether pets are allowed.

## As a family: Roman Tombs, a Tower and Almost-Free Tickets

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.

### What works best
Roman necropolis, with rock-cut tombs and the Tomb of the Elephant

Alcázar de la Puerta de Sevilla and the view from its tower

City Museum, free for under-18s

Puerta de Córdoba and the sunflower centre, by reservation

### Where to sleep
Hotel Alcázar de la Reina, with a saltwater pool

Parador de Carmona, with a seasonal pool and garden

### Where to eat
Molino de la Romera, at midday Tuesday to Sunday

### Bear in mind
The necropolis is closed on Mondays and closes at 15:00 on Sundays

The necropolis has earth paths and stairs: better without a pushchair

In summer, leave the necropolis for first thing

### Qué hacer as a family
- The Alcázar de la Puerta de Sevilla and Its Torre del Oro
- Roman Necropolis of Carmona
- City Museum, in the Marqués de las Torres Palace
- Puerta de Córdoba and the Sunflower Interpretation Centre

## Consejos

### Start at the necropolis
It is free and on Sundays it closes at 15:00.

### Climb the Golden Tower
From the top you see the whole town and the plain.

### Book the Córdoba Gate
It can only be visited in timed slots by reservation.

### The distillery, on a Saturday
Puerto de Indias is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does it take from Seville to Carmona?
Half an hour by car along the A-4, about 30 km. There is also a Casal bus from the Prado de San Sebastián.

### What is there to see in Carmona in a day?
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.

### Is the Roman necropolis free?
Yes. It is open Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Mondays.

### Where do you park in Carmona?
Outside the old town or at your hotel. The easiest entrances are the Marchena Gate and the Córdoba Gate.

### What is open in Carmona on a Sunday?
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.

### Can you go with children?
Yes. The necropolis is free, the museum does not charge under-18s and the Alcázar costs €1 for children.