TdR Hotel Toruño del Rocío
Why we like it: Thirty marsh-style rooms on the Plaza del Acebuchal, next to the hermitage, many with views of the marsh; restaurant and breakfast with local produce.
From €63
View details
Duration1 night
From Seville55 min by car
Budget€120–200 pp
Best timeOctober – April
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed for arriving early on Saturday and returning on Sunday after lunch. Before you leave, book the 8:30 Saturday 4x4 at donanavisitas.es and check it doesn't coincide with the pilgrimage or a procession.
Saturday
- 18:304x4 through the National Park
From El Acebuche, about four hours along the beach, the dunes, the scrub and the marsh with the Cooperativa Marismas del Rocío. €35, €20 for ages 4 to 8.
- 213:30Lunch in El Rocío
At Toruño, with a big window onto the marsh, or at Aires de Doñana, with free-range beef.
- 316:30The village and the hermitage
The sand streets, the brotherhoods' porches and the white hermitage.
- 418:00The marsh at dusk
The walk facing the hermitage with binoculars: flamingos, ducks and marsh horses.
- 521:00Dinner facing the lit-up hermitage
On the terraces of LaBoca, La Malvasía's restaurant; its website doesn't publish the opening hours, so confirm when you book.
Sunday
- 19:30Charco de la Boca
From the La Rocina centre, 3.8 flat kilometres beside the stream, with observation hides.
- 212:00Palacio del Acebrón
7 km further along the H-9023: the small palace in the forest and the walk around its lagoon.
- 314:00Lunch and the drive back
Aires de Doñana is open on Sunday from 13:30 to 16:00. Then, an hour to Seville or Huelva.
Doñana can be seen in a day from Seville, but you miss the best of it: sunset over the marsh and the first hour, when the birds are closest and the heat doesn't bear down. With a night in El Rocío you get both. On Saturday you enter the national park in the official concessionaire's 4x4; on Sunday you walk the free trails of the surrounding area.
Where to sleep?
| Accommodation | For whom | What it has |
|---|---|---|
| TdR Hotel Toruño del Rocío | Those who want the marsh at the window | 30 rooms on Plaza del Acebuchal, restaurant every day |
| Hotel La Malvasía | Couples, a special night | Rocío-style houses facing the marsh, LaBoca restaurant |
| Camping La Aldea | Families, motorhomes, with a horse | Bungalows, marsh huts, pool and inn |
If you go with children or a dog
With children, Camping La Aldea has a pool and bungalows, and the marsh with horses and flamingos hooks them at any age. The 4x4 is four hours without child seats: with little ones, do it only if they can cope. With a dog, Doñana doesn't work: no domestic animals enter the national park, in the 4x4 or the boat.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Doñana and El Rocío, step by step
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
When to go to Doñana and El Rocío
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
By Car, and the Park with the Licensed Operator
You get to El Rocío by car from Seville or Huelva in under an hour, and you need the car to move between the village, La Rocina, El Acebrón and El Acebuche, which are on the same road but several kilometres apart. You can't enter the national park in your own car: you park at El Acebuche and continue in the operator's 4x4.
70–140 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepToruño del Rocío, on the…
- Getting aroundLa Rocina, 2 km; El…
- Where to eatAires de Doñana, Sunday at…
- ServicesEl Acebuche and La Rocina…
Where to sleep
- Toruño del Rocío, on the Plaza del Acebuchal, facing the marsh
- Hotel La Malvasía, on Calle Sanlúcar, with its own restaurant
- La Aldea Campsite, at the entrance to the village, with bungalows and huts
Getting around
- La Rocina, 2 km; El Acebrón, 7 km further along the H-9023
- El Acebuche, about 15 km along the A-483 towards Matalascañas
- In the village, sand streets: park and walk
Where to eat
- Aires de Doñana, Sunday at midday
- Toruño, every day
Services
- El Acebuche and La Rocina Visitor Centres
- Turismo de Almonte
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights1
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're driving
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Hotel La Malvasía
Why we like it: Two rocío houses turned into a hotel on Calle Sanlúcar, facing the marsh and near the hermitage, with carefully designed rooms and the LaBoca restaurant.
La Aldea Campsite
Why we like it: Campsite in El Rocío, at the entrance to the village, with pitches, bungalows, marsh huts, a pool, a mesón restaurant and horse stables.
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| El Rocío | The hermitage, the sandy streets and the marsh promenade | |
| La Rocina and El Acebrón | Free trails along the stream and through the woods, 2 and 9 km away | |
| El Acebuche | Departure point of the 4x4s into the national park, about 15 km away |
Where to eat
Where to eat in Doñana and El Rocío
Aires de Doñana
What to order: ortiguillas from La Rocina to start, the ragout or the rangers'-house-style mostrenca, and the Doñana dessert
Toruño del Rocío Restaurant
What to order: the creamy mostrenca rice, the mostrenca cannelloni or the Punta Umbría squid, and poleá with Doñana honey for dessert
LaBoca Restaurant (Hotel La Malvasía)
What to order: something seasonal from the traditional cooking menu and a Condado de Huelva wine.
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
Choose the room with a view of the marsh: dawn from the window is half the trip.
We'd skip it
The dates of the pilgrimage, at Pentecost, and the big processions: the village fills up, prices rise and there are no park visits.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Seville to El Rocío?
A little under an hour, about 65 km via the A-49 and the A-483.
Can I enter Doñana independently?
In the national park, no: only with the concessionaires. The La Rocina and El Acebrón trails and the El Rocío marsh, yes.
Where to sleep in El Rocío?
At Toruño del Rocío or La Malvasía, facing the marsh, or at Camping La Aldea.
When is it best to go?
From October to April, when the marsh has water and winter birds.