Hi All,
Planning a first trip to Spain. Our parameters are as follows: 4/8 we would leave Minneapolis MN and arrive in Malaga 4/9. We would fly out of Malaga on 4/18 to home. This is Holy Week in 2022. We would like to see Cordoba, Granada and possibly Ronda. We would travel by train or bus. How would you experienced travelers manage this itinerary? Would we have to worry about certain sights, venues being closed over Holy Week? Thanks for your input.
Jamie
The top site considered by most in Andalusia is Seville yet you don’t include it. Is there a reason you omitted it?
Hi Jamie! It is still not clear how Semana Santa (Holy Week) will be conducted in 2022, it was practically canceled for the last two years. Typically prices skyrocket in this time and it becomes quite difficult to find hotels. Especially in Andalucía, the main cities are packed with local tourists, and the festivities run late into the night. April 18th (Easter Monday) is a national holiday in Spain so the majority of shops and restaurants will be closed on that day across the country.
Acraven, a very helpful forum contributor, will hopefully chime in too, as she has recent experience with navigating Semana Santa in Andalucía.
Thanks for your replies! Carlos, our 14 and 16 year olds have 3 days off from school over that span of time, so it made sense for us to travel then. I'm sure it'll be more expensive and busy, but that's the hand we are dealt.
As far as not going to Sevilla, we omitted it due to time constraints. Cordoba and Granada are priorities for us.
Hi Jamie, I'm sure you will all have a great time if the Semana Santa festivities go on or not, April is such a great time of year to visit Andalucía.
I was in Andalucia for Holy Week 2019. I'm a slow traveler, so the only cities I hit during Holy Week were Cordoba, Cadiz and Seville. I visited other cities before and afterward; I had about a month in total. My lodging rates were elevated in Cadiz and Seville but didn't seem abnormal in Cordoba. Much of my Seville time was after Easter, yet my hotel rate remained high and the city was really busy. Prior to that visit it had been decades since I had been in southern Spain, so I am in no position to say how much busier the area was due to Holy Week/spring break. I think the lodging rates (roughly double the usual, I would guess) in Cadiz and Seville are a clue.
I like to warn other Holy Week travelers that their sightseeing will not be as efficient as usual in cities with a lot of activities because:
You are flying in and out of Malaga, so at the very least you have to spend one night there (your last night). Malaga is a nice city, though it would be a rare person who rates it with Seville, Granada and Cordoba. If you limit your time in Malaga to one night, you have eight more nights to distribute among other stops. Although I like Ronda, I definitely wouldn't include it here; there just isn't time.
Seville is the largest of the Big 3, and unless there is something very unusual about your situation, it needs more time than Granada and Cordoba. Since I'm not a speedy traveler, I'm not the best at suggesting how to divide eight nights here. Maybe:
Seville: 4 nights
Cordoba: 2 nights (some folks day-trip to Cordoba from Seville)
Granada: 2 nights
Malaga: 1 night
Malaga to Seville is about 2 hours by express train. Trains aren't terribly frequent. Some of them go through Cordoba, so you could start your trip in Cordoba (about an hour from Malaga) if you prefer. You could also start the trip in Granada (under 2 hours from Malaga); this quasi-loop works in either direction. Really, you could put the destinations in any order that's advantageous from the standpoint of hotel rates, ticket availability for the Alhambra, local activities of interest, etc.
Unlike the Malaga-Cordoba-Seville route, buses are about as fast as trains between Malaga and Granada. Since trains aren't frequent, the bus option might turn out to be useful to you. However, buses are more likely to be delayed than trains.
The local tourist offices put together special sightseeing information just for Holy Week once they have solid information about adjustments to operating hours. Those sightseeing lists were available on paper in 2019 and I hope they'll be printing them next year as well. It's a very good idea to swing by the tourist office as soon as you can in each city so you can adjust your sightseeing plan, based on the latest information. I'd expect full-day closures to be reflected on sights' websites before you depart for Spain.
Don't know how it will work logistically for you but we really enjoyed our 3-night stay in beautiful little Ronda about 10 years ago. We arrived by train from Algeciras and departed to Madrid.
You must not go to Andalusia and miss Seville, it is amazing. Granada is great for the Alhambra, but you can do the city in a day or two. Seville is my pick over Cordoba. Malaga did not impress me that much, so don' spend much time there.
I also spent April 2019 in Spain for Holy Week, hugh bucket for me and a highlight of my life. I was in Seville until Friday then moved to Arcos de la Fontera for the next 4 nights. I highly recommend doing the same. They run bulls on Sat. and Sun. Very intersting to be a part of, locals on roof tops singing with their neighbors, BBQ and just general fun. The Airbnb was only $48 dollars a night, 3 beds to 2 baths. However Seville prices were very high due to Holy Week, but worth every cent! Enjoy your trip
I don't think Arcos de la Frontera is a suitable multi-night base for folks traveling by bus and train. Side-trips would take far too long. And Jamie has only nine nights to work with; I'd recommend spending them in more accessible, high-impact places. I did enjoy a day-trip to Arcos, but it involved a lot of transportation time in comparison to walking-around time.
