The Hispalense has been charging five euros since February 2025 for guided tours of the roofs of the church of the Anunciation, a trial of its new income generation policy.
The University of Seville (US) has been charging five euros for guided tours of the roofs of the church of the Anunciation, located on Laraña Street, since February 3, 2025. What is now presented as a novelty — charging for access to its iconic buildings — is actually a practice that has been in place for a year and a half.
The US government team has presented to the Governing Council the lines of work of the Office for Strategic and Institutional Fundraising (OCFEI). The objective is clear: by 2031, 35% of the university's funds must come from resources raised by the institution itself.
Among the planned actions to obtain its own resources, the office includes the "optimization of the exploitation" of infrastructures, such as the old Tobacco Factory, the installation of renewable energies, the promotion of the university shop, and charging for tickets for guided tours of iconic buildings.
The church of the Anunciation has been the testing ground for this policy. Since the end of January 2025, the US announced that starting from February 3, a programme of visits to its roofs would be launched. Groups of up to ten people can go up to admire the urban silhouette of Seville and enjoy panoramic views that, according to the university, are hardly visible from other points in the city.
The tour, which can be booked through the Entradium platform for five euros, takes place on Mondays at 10:30 and 12:30 and on Thursdays at 16:00, lasting approximately one hour. The visit delves into the history of the US — with over 500 years of history — its heritage, the historical and geographical context of the city, the history of the church, and the renovations it has undergone.
In the future, when the phase 2 restoration works are completed, access to the bell tower of the church, designed by Hernán Ruiz II, will also be possible. The tower is shaping up to be a direct competitor to the Metropol Parasol for attracting tourism in the area.
The OCFEI will maintain ongoing coordination with the different university services to leverage capacities, correct duplications, and generate new collaboration opportunities. Its four lines of work are: fundraising from national and international sources, designing a strategic grant plan, promoting patronage, and developing actions to increase its own resources.
For now, the US is taking advantage of the summer to advance the works at the old Tobacco Factory, where a large crane has been installed. The expansion of charging for visits to other iconic buildings, such as the Tobacco Factory itself or the future university museum, is on the table.
For the Sevillian reader, this measure represents a change in access to university heritage. Until now, guided tours of these spaces were free. Those wishing to see the roofs of the Anunciation will need to pay five euros and book in advance. The university is thus seeking to diversify its funding sources ahead of 2031.
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