Seville plans to start charging entrance fee to city's iconic Plaza de España tourist hotspot

Seville city council plans to close free access for tourists to the city's iconic Plaza de España and will start charging an entrance fee. Admission will remain free, however, for local residents registered in Seville and those born in the city.

Meanwhile, proceeds from the admission fee will go towards improving the conservation and security of the area and allow the creation of a ceramics workshop school to help maintain the popular monument, which was built for the Ibero-American exhibition of 1929 by Aníbal González. It is the second most visited monument in Seville after the city's cathedral and ahead of the Alcázar.

Currently, the central building of the square is occupied by a large number of institutions, ranging from the government delegation to the free trade zone, as well as the state roads department and the general secretariat of penitentiary institutions. Meanwhile, the city hall has ownership of the square's open space, from the ceramic benches representing the provinces to the front balustrade, including the estuary and the avenue of Isabel La Católica.

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The second most visited monument

The draft agreement, seen by the city's ABC newspaper, pointed out that in recent decades Patrimonio del Estado and the city council have both restored the site at a cost of more than ten million euros. The latest move aims to establish a management of the tourist hotspot, guaranteeing its conservation and maintenance for the future.

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Of the 3.8 million tourists who visit the Andalusian city every year, between 95% and 97%, according to the Seville Tourism Observatory, visit the iconic square.

Horse-drawn carriages

According to the draft agreement, seen by SUR's sister newspaper, horse-drawn tourist carriages will continue have free access to the square, as well as staff working in the premises and people visiting the area for administrative purposes.