BEST Time to Visit Seville, Spain

There is no doubt about it that Sevilla is one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. Along with unlimited sunshine, Rioja, delicious tapas, and many things to do one can only imagine living there. But, only living there until the end of June. This is exactly the time of year that I will be leaving this beautiful city. Don’t get me wrong, I could stay here forever if it wasn’t for one thing. THE HEAT. July and August are unbearable months in Sevilla, with temperatures averaging up to 50C (125F) daily not even the locals want to be here. Beach day anyone? So if July and August aren’t the time to visit this beautiful city, what is the best time to visit Seville?

The perfect months to visit Sevilla are between March and June. Not only is the weather absolutely perfect, there are so many activities going on in Sevilla that will blow your mind away. Along with the typical “touristy things to do” some of the more elaborate celebrations/festivities, that can’t be seen everywhere are Semana Santa (Holy Week) and Feria de Abril. These two festivities are some of Sevilla's biggest attraction, and you won’t be disappointed if you go.

Semana Santa (Holy Week)

Depending on where you are in the world will depend on how you celebrate Holy Week/Easter and the different traditions it brings. For instance, in the Polish traditions, we start our holy week with Palm Sunday, bless our eggs on the following Saturday, Easter Sunday, and Wet Monday. As an American, there’s an Easter Egg hunt (which for the record I never did as a child, thanks, mom!). But in the Spanish culture, they don’t do any of that.

Semana Santa commemorates the Passion of the Christ in the Catholic tradition. Every day of the week they have processions where they sing and pray walking across the city (essentially a huge parade). But this isn’t like any parade I’ve ever seen before. Everyone is dressed up in religious costumes with floats that are extremely detailed and beautiful (each can weigh up to 1000kilo and is carried by 30 people). The costumes they are dressed in are called Cofradias, they represent the sins of the people carrying the cross since they are sinners they cover their faces not to be recognized by the public. Each day there can be up to 10 different colors of Cofradias seen around the city. These processions last for 7 full days from 13h all the way till 4 IN THE MORNING, and Thursday being the most important night. Quite honestly I am not a religious person, but this was definitely an interesting sight to see, one that I would recommend (for at least a day).

Feria de Abril

Shortly following Semana Santa, Feria de Abril starts. Usually taking place the last week of April, the fair started in 1847 as a cattle trading fair. Over the years Sevilla’s April Fair has become an internationally known celebration of Flamenco, Sevillana, rebujito, bullfighting, and fun. It is without a doubt one of the highlights of the cultural agendas, not only of the city but the entire country.

But what exactly is Feria de Abril? I would describe it as a Spanish Octoberfest. There is absolutely nothing that is done in Spain without vino or Cerveza, and Feria is no exception. It is essentially an entire week of partying and drinking. Men dress up in blue suits (a super sharp spin on the typical black suit I am used to), women dress up in fancy trajes (each more beautiful than the next), and even the horses are dressed up. Tons of music, beautiful people, carriage rides, tapas, and fun. But don’t think you can escape going to Feria without learning (at least trying) Sevillana. Sevillana is the official dance of Sevilla accompanied by its own music, slightly different than Flamenco, it is definitely a dance worth putting on your bucket list to learn. And don’t forget about the rebujito. A dry white wine with sprite, yep…. As gross as it sounds, it tasted the same way.

Other must do things in Sevilla

Aside from these two very different but totally worth seeing festivals, Sevilla is the home of beauty in general. Between the months of March and June, you can catch a flamenco show on the streets in perfect weather, eat tapas, visit the Royal Alcazar Palace, and more. Read my post about the top 8 things to do in Sevilla and top 5 tapas restaurants in Sevilla.

Xoxo Ania Travels 💜