Seville to charge tourists to visit neo-Moorish square to limit numbers

Southern city acts to protect ornate Plaza de España, used as a location for Star Wars’ Phantom Menace film

Tourists visiting the southern Spanish city of Seville may soon have to pay a fee to explore the wide, ornate Plaza de España, the city hall said, as part of plans to control tourist overload in a public open space.

“We are planning to close the Plaza de España and charge tourists to finance its conservation and ensure its safety,” the city’s mayor, José Luis Sanz, wrote on X, accompanied by a video showing missing tiles, damaged facades and street vendors occupying alcoves and stairs.