How to Travel from Toledo to Seville by Train, Bus, Car, and Plane

Seville is located in the south of Spain in the region of Andalusia and is about 296 miles (476 kilometers) south of Toledo, a historic city close to the Spanish capital of Madrid. Although Toledo is south of Madrid and technically closer to Seville, it's not exactly on the way.

Toledo's position to the south of Madrid suggests it would make a perfect stop-off point on the way from Madrid to Seville, particularly as they are both served by the high-speed AVE train. Unless you are renting a car, you will need to backtrack north 50 miles (80 kilometers) through Madrid to arrive in Seville by train, bus, or plane.

Whichever way you go, it's not very expensive to travel between the two cities, so you might as well opt for the fastest route, which is by plane. The train is your second quickest option, but keep in mind you will have to return to Madrid to connect on a southbound train to Seville. The bus takes the longest and is usually not worth the pocket change you'll save. If time is not a concern, driving to Seville from Toledo is a great way to see other cities along the way like Trujillo and Córdoba.

How to Get from Toledo to Seville

• Train: 4 hours, 11 minutes, $43+
• Flight: 3 hours, 45 minutes, $37+ (from Madrid)
• Bus: 8 hours, 45 minutes, $19
• Car: 4 hours, 44 minutes, 296 miles (476 kilometers)

By Train

As frustrating as it may be to travel north before you can go south, the quickest and simplest way of traveling from Toledo to Seville is to go back to Madrid and take the high-speed AVE train. Thankfully, both journeys can be made from Madrid Atocha station, so it's an easy transfer and you won't need to go anywhere else in the city.

The journey will take at least 4 hours, depending on how long of a layover you have in Madrid. Make sure when you book your ticket that you are transferring to a train and not a bus. If you are already in Madrid, the train ride to Seville will take only 2 hours, 20 minutes.

By Plane

By far, flying is the quickest way to get to Seville from Toledo, even if you have to go all the way back to Madrid-Barajas International Airport. The flight itself only takes 1 hour, 10 minutes, so you just need to figure out how long it will take you to get to the airport to calculate your total travel time. The airport is 52 miles (84 kilometers) from Toledo, which takes about an hour to reach by car and an hour and half to reach by train.

Iberia and Iberia Express fly direct from Madrid to Seville. Other airlines in Europe do service Seville, but they are generally not worth it on this route because they are not direct and tend to be more expensive. It's a short flight, so fares can be found for as low as $37 each way. Seville's airport is only six miles (10 kilometers) from the city center.

By Bus

There are no direct bus routes from Toledo to Seville. If you're determined to take the bus to Seville, which is the longest way to get there and is about the same price as flying, you have limited options. The main bus operators that go to Seville from Madrid are Alsa and Socibus. Both will require transferring in another city, usually Merida or Ciudad Real.

It's an extremely long bus ride, over eight hours, and although you may save a few euros on your ticket cost, there's a reason not many bus operators run this route. It's much quicker and more sensible to take the train or fly.

By Car

The drive from Toledo to Seville is a long one, but if you make a road trip out of it, there's a lot you could see on the way. Having a car will give you the autonomy to pull over, take side-trips, and maybe spend a night or two along the way in another city. There are three routes you can take to reach Seville from Toledo, each of which takes about five hours, but passes through different cities:

• Take Highway A-5 east toward Andalusia and you will pass by the city of Trujillo and Merida. In Merida, continue onto A-66 and you will pass by Zafra and Monesterio.
• Take A-4 toward Puerto Lápice/Córdoba and you will pass by the cities of Linares and Cordóba.
• If you would like to visit Ciudad Real, you can first get on A-41, which will take you through Ciudad Real and Puertollano, and then merge onto A-4, where you will pass Córdoba.

Before driving in Spain, be sure to first familiarize yourself with the rules of the road.

What to See in Seville

Seville is a major city in Andalusia and is said by many to be one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. It's a much bigger city than Toledo, more than twice the size with a population of two million, and is most famous for its university, flamenco performances, and palatial and Moorish architecture.

Many of the landmarks in Seville were used to portray the fictional city of Dorne on HBO's Game of Thrones, but the must-dos are visiting the cathedral and climbing the Giralda Tower. If it's a flamenco show your heart is after, La Casa del Flamenco is one of the most popular venues in town. You could also pay a visit to the Real Maestranza, the oldest bullring in the world, or sit back and enjoy an afternoon people-watching in Plaza de España.