Seville around Easter and Day trips from Cordoba

Posted by jamielovestotravel (Edmonds, WA) on 07/03/24 05:44 PM

I'm planning for 2026, so I have time. I will be in Spain for a month from mid-March to mid-April. I want to spend time in Seville, but no matter how I work it, it puts me in Seville either during Holy Week or the week after Easter. I definitely don't want to go during Holy Week as I've heard Seville is mobbed and I don't observe Easter. Does anyone know how crowded Seville is the week after Easter?

I'm thinking instead of staying in Seville, maybe extend my time in either Cordoba or Malaga and just do a day trip to Seville instead? Would that be a better idea?

I also wanted to go to Cadiz and was planning that as a day trip from Seville. Is Cadiz a feasible day trip from Cordoba?

Thanks.

Posted by Dick

Olympia, WA, USA

07/03/24 06:34 PM

6713 posts

Based on what Nick tells us, it seems like the week after Easter would be a good choice. There's much more in Seville than you can see in a day trip from Cordoba, and Cadiz would also be an easier day trip from Seville. I think Cordoba deserves more than a day trip from Seville, but that would also be a possible choice -- or you could give Cordoba a night or two.

Posted by acraven

Washington DC

07/04/24 08:21 PM

28081 posts

I'd want at least 3 full days in Seville. Treating it as a day trip from Corcoba would be wildly frustrating to me.

Posted by Chani

Tel Aviv

07/05/24 05:52 AM

15784 posts

Yeah, Sevilla is a zoo during Semana Santa, but it is hardly the only Andalucian town with big crowds all week. I spent the first part of Semana Santa in Malaga, and though I'm neither religious or Christian, I found the processions to be very moving. I spent the latter part of the week in Sevilla, where I'd been before so I was able to enjoy it, but while the atmosphere in Malaga was reverent, in Sevilla it was boisterous. I left Sevilla for Cordoba on Saturday. Sunday in Cordoba was very quiet, a lot of sights were open. I had lots of time for sightseeing in Malaga as well as seeing the processions. It's a lovely town with several good small museums and Roman ruins.

If you want to avoid all the Semana Santa observances, Barcelona might be a good choice. I have heard that it's very secular.

Without knowing your full itinerary, it's hard to advise on how much time to spend anywhere.

Check the Renfe site for train schedules. Look at dates about 2-4 weeks ahead. Schedules don't change much, and trains are only shown when tickets go on sale. I believe it's at least 1-1/2 hours by train from Sevilla and 45 minutes from Cordoba to Sevilla. While it's an easy walk from the Cadiz station to the center - maybe 10 minutes, the stations in Cordoba and Sevilla are a distance from the historic centers.

Posted by Mardee

Duluth 🛶

07/05/24 02:22 PM

7993 posts

I loved seeing the Semana Santa processions, but I agree that Seville was extremely crowded. I preferred being in Cáceres, where we saw the opening processions of Holy Week. It was so beautiful and peaceful and blessedly free of crowds. Of course, that was in 2006, so I'm not sure what that area is like now.

I'm not religious, either, but for some reason, I am always gravitated to churches, mosques, cathedrals, and religious observances when I travel. Probably because there is so much history there.