Seville · Spain
Casa de Pilatos
A practical guide to Casa de Pilatos in Seville: which ticket to buy, what time to go, what to see in the courtyard, the staircase and the gardens, and why it's better to visit it before the Alcázar.
Yes, it's worth it, with the ground-floor ticket and in the morning. Compared with the Alcázar it comes out behind; seen as a noble house that's still lived in, it's one of the best things in Seville.
Casa de Pilatos is a 16th-century palace in the center of Seville that mixes three styles in a single courtyard: Mudéjar in the tiles and wooden ceilings, Gothic in some details and Italian Renaissance in the arches, statues and gardens. It’s still a residence of the Medinaceli family, and you can tell it’s a home and not a museum.
Our visit
We went on Monday, May 18, at 10:46, coming straight from the Santa Cruz route and past the Roman columns on Calle Mármoles. We bought the ground-floor ticket (€12) at the ticket office and gave it an hour, with the included audio guide.
We put it at that time for two reasons. In the morning there are hardly any visitors, unlike Monday afternoon, when there’s free entry for EU citizens and a line forms. And we had the Royal Alcázar at 13:00: in reviews, people who visit it after the Alcázar tend to say “there’s no comparison.” In the reverse order, small first and monumental second, you appreciate each palace for what it is. We skipped the upper floor because it can only be visited with a guide at fixed times and the rest of our morning was already accounted for.
A little history
Work began in 1483, under Pedro Enríquez and Catalina de Ribera. Their son Fadrique Enríquez de Ribera, the first Marquis of Tarifa, made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem between 1518 and 1520 and came back through Italy full of Renaissance ideas. He worked out that the distance from his house to the Cruz del Campo was the same as from Pilate’s praetorium to Calvary, and during Lent of 1521 he inaugurated a Way of the Cross that started here. Hence the name.
In the 1530s, the Pulido brothers, master tile makers from Seville, covered the walls with about 150 different designs. Between 1558 and 1571, Per Afán de Ribera, Viceroy of Naples, brought over the collection of classical sculpture. The house later passed to the Dukes of Medinaceli, and in 1931 it was declared a National Monument. Scenes from Lawrence of Arabia and Kingdom of Heaven were filmed here.
How it fits into your day
It sits between Santa Cruz and the center, so it fits after the route through the squares and before the Cathedral and the Alcázar. That’s how we did it on our second day in Seville.
What to see, in order
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The Renaissance portal
The white marble doorway from 1529, the work of a Genoese sculptor. It's the entrance to the courtyard.
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The main courtyard
Two tiers of arches, a Genoese marble fountain in the center and busts of Roman emperors and historical figures. Walk slowly along the lower gallery and compare the tiles in each corner.
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The two Pallas Athenas
Two Roman statues in the corners of the courtyard, brought from Naples in the 16th century. One of them keeps its original head, something very rare in copies of that kind.
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The Chapel of the Flagellation
This is where the Way of the Cross began, the one the founder inaugurated in 1521 and that gave the house its name.
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The Mudéjar staircase
Walls covered in tiles and a gilded wooden dome shaped like a honeycomb. Look at it from below.
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The Jardín Grande
Orange trees, an Italian-style gallery and, on the west side, the grotto with a sleeping marble Venus from the 16th century.
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The Jardín Chico
The private corner the marquis made for himself in 1539, smaller and quieter, with citrus trees and Roman sculptures.
Tips we wish we’d known
Tips
- Try this in the lower gallery: look at three stretches of wall in a row and you'll see the tile patterns don't repeat.
- Photos without flash are allowed, but no tripods. They also don't let you in dressed for a photo shoot, like in a wedding dress or flamenco dress.
- If you're interested in the upper floor, ask at the ticket office when the next visit in your language leaves before you pay the supplement.
- It's several degrees cooler inside than on the street: thick walls, shaded courtyards and fountains.
Do
- Buy the ground-floor ticket at the ticket office. It's the most important part of the house.
- Use the included audio guide: it has enough detail that you don't need a guide.
- Visit it before the Alcázar, not after.
Don’t
- Don't count on free Mondays if you're not an EU citizen: according to our research, they ask for ID and there's an hourly quota.
- Don't buy "skip-the-line tickets" from sellers in the square. There's no line to skip here.
- Don't eat at the cafés facing the entrance: two or three blocks farther in, tapas cost half as much.
- Don't buy a "full" ticket online without knowing the upper-floor visit times: you could end up waiting an hour.
Frequently asked questions
How much time do you need to see Casa de Pilatos?
An hour for the ground floor and the gardens. With the guided visit to the upper floor, between an hour and a half and two hours.
Is the upper floor worth it?
It adds paintings, painted ceilings and the room where Lawrence of Arabia was filmed, for about €6 more. It isn't essential; if you're short on time, the ground floor is the main thing.
Is it ever free?
On Monday afternoons there's free entry for EU citizens with ID and an hourly quota. Our sources didn't agree on when that window closes, so confirm it beforehand.
Do you need to book?
Not for the ground floor. You buy at the ticket office when you arrive.