Do your homework on Sevilla tours. Try a travel agency. It might be able to offer you discounts other websites cannot. A travel site such as City-discovery acts as a clearinghouse for local tours and contracts with local companies. Read the fine print. Many of these tours don't include such things as costs for optional activities and gratuities. Also pay attention to when the tours begin and end. Some run all day every day, while others only on specific days and times of the week or year.
There are plenty of historical sites in Sevilla, and tour companies offer everything from overview tours to specific site tours. If you're looking for an overview tour, try the three-hour history tour offered by some companies, including City-discovery. Its history tour starts at the Plaza de American, the gateway to the Mudejar Palace. Next, visitors will see the oldest Spanish king's residence in the country, Royal Alcazar, and its famous Arabic Gardens. Finally, the tour hits the Jewish District. This tour can run more than $60 per person, as of 2009.
Some companies offer tours that cater entirely to Sevilla's history in the arts. One such tour is a three-hour tour that includes a boat trip along the Guadalquivir River, which offers views of some of Sevilla's most famous pavilions and bridges. It also visits the Carthusian Monastery, where Christopher Columbus once lived, and the Macarena Basilica, which is a big part of Sevilla's Easter Week celebration. As of 2009, the tour can run close to $60 per person, but some tour companies offer a discount for children.
One popular way to see Sevilla is to take a tour in which you can hop on and off at your convenience. Several companies run such tours, and another attraction is the cost, which can be far less than other guided tours. Many companies that employ these tours use double-decker buses with an exposed roof on the second level. One tour, run by Viator, has four stops and lasts for 75 minutes. Buses leave each stop every 20 to 30 minutes, and tickets are good for 24 hours. Some tours include recorded commentary about the sights that the tours feature.
If you like a little VIP treatment, try a private tour. Some companies offer tours billed as "Be a Sevillian for a Day." One such tour, offered through City-discovery, is a four-hour walking tour that starts at the city's medieval wall and goes south to the city's main landmarks, including the Roman Hispalis, the Macarena Gate and Walls, San Luis Street, several Roman churches and the fine art museum. This private tour comes with a private photographer, entry fees and transportation, and can run close to $200, as of 2009.
