What's a good 3-day itinerary for Seville?

Day 1 belongs to Santa Cruz and the cathedral quarter. Book your Reales Alcázares timed entry for 8:30am, the first slot. You'll have the Patio de las Doncellas nearly to yourself for 20 minutes before the tour groups arrive. The Alcázar's tilework catches low morning light in a way that photographs don't quite capture. Warm terra-cotta underfoot in the Patio del Yeso, jasmine thick in every courtyard, and you can hear the fountains from three rooms away. Spend 90 minutes, then cross Calle Mateos Gago to the Cathedral, the largest Gothic cathedral in the world (construction began in 1402 on the footprint of the old Almohad mosque). The Giralda's 35 ramps take about 15 minutes to climb, not a single staircase among them. They date to the 12th century, wide enough for a horse and rider. At the top, the breeze off the Guadalquivir is the first cool air you'll feel all day. Lunch at Bodega Santa Cruz on Calle Rodrigo Caro around 1pm. Order the espinacas con garbanzos, Seville's signature tapa of spinach and chickpeas, for about €3.50 and a cold caña for €1.80.

Return to your hotel by 2pm. In June, afternoon temperatures reach 36°C and the streets empty until 5pm. Walk to the Guadalquivir by 6pm, when the shadow of Torre del Oro (built 1221 as a military watchtower) falls long across the riverbank path. Dinner at El Rinconcillo on Calle Gerona at 9pm. The bar has been open since 1670, and the bartenders still chalk your tab on the wooden counter. Order the pringa montadito, slow-cooked pork pressed into bread, for about €3, with a cold glass of fino sherry. Day 2 shifts to Plaza de España and Triana. Arrive at the plaza by 9am. The 1928 semicircular building has 48 tiled alcoves, one for each Spanish province, each with a hand-painted historical scene. Walk south through Parque de María Luisa for 30 minutes under the shade of orange trees, then cross Puente de Isabel II into Triana by noon. Mercado de Triana sits on the ruins of the Castillo de San Jorge, the old Inquisition headquarters. There's a free exhibit in the basement. Gambas al ajillo at the upstairs counter bars runs about €8.

Triana's Calle Betis runs along the river with a direct sunset view back toward the Cathedral and Torre del Oro. Claim a table at La Primera del Puente by 8:30pm, before the terraces fill at 9. Day 3 covers the Macarena and Alameda neighborhoods. Start at Metropol Parasol at 9am. Locals call it Las Setas (the mushrooms), and the €5 rooftop walkway gives you the best elevated view in the city. Walk north along Calle Feria to the Basílica de la Macarena, about a 15-minute walk to the old city wall. The basilica holds the Virgen de la Esperanza Macarena, the most venerated image in Semana Santa, and entry is free. By early afternoon, head to the Museo de Bellas Artes on Plaza del Museo. The collection holds more than a dozen Murillos and several Zurbaráns inside a converted 17th-century convent. Admission is free for EU residents, €1.50 for others. Mind you, the museum closes on Mondays, so if your Day 3 lands on a Monday, swap it with Day 2.

For Day 3's evening, the Alameda de Hércules draws a younger local crowd. Bar Eslava near the south end does a slow-cooked egg on mushroom base that has won Seville's annual tapas prize, about €4. For your last dinner, try Enrique Becerra on Calle Gamazo. The rabo de toro (oxtail braised for 6 hours) costs about €18. That said, one thing that catches first-timers off guard is Seville's dinner hour. Restaurants rarely open before 8:30pm, and 10pm is a normal arrival time. If you show up at 6pm, you'll find closed kitchens. Total walking across the three days comes to about 22 kilometres, but June heat compresses your usable hours into two windows, roughly 8am to 1pm and 6pm to 10pm. Flat shoes matter on Santa Cruz's polished cobblestones, and the Giralda's ramps get slippery from foot traffic. Carry at least a litre of water, and refill at the public fountains near Plaza del Salvador and throughout the centro.