We are committed to two wonderful weeks in Spain in October, beginning in Barcelona then on to Madrid on October 8. Unbeknown to us when we planned our trip, Spain Day falls on Friday October 12. Are we facing enormous crowds everywhere, including restaurants and major sites for days prior to and after the actual holiday? Or just parades and such on the day itself? Does everything shut down on the 12th? Are we best to limit our days in Madrid to 3 and hightail it on to Sevilla where the craziness might be more manageable by comparison. As it is we were planning 4 nights in Madrid (Oct 8-11), speed-training to Sevilla on the actual Day itself (Friday, Oct 12). I imagine that the 12-14 may be the biggest "party time" since it is the weekend. Has anyone experienced this event? It's out first time to Madrid and down in Andalucia and we still have flexibility in how we dole out our days. Just thought that Madrid might be unpleasant, being the capitol and such a large city. Help, fellow travelers!
Posted by
California 🦋
5210 posts
Ronnie,
My mom and I were in Granada on October 12 (2015), but we missed the processions (parade) because it was the day we traveled to Sevilla. The hotel staff adviced us to leave the city prior to the start of the parade to avoid getting stuck in transit as many of the main streets would be closed to traffic.
When we arrived to Sevilla, we took a taxi to our hotel (from the bus station) and the driver explained that some of the streets were still closed to traffic, due to the parade, and he let us off as close to our hotel as possible (a couple of blocks away)
So... We missed the parade in both cities!
Restaurants and shops were open in Sevilla, and we got to visit the Alcázar for free!
BTW, we didn’t see “enormous crowds” in Sevilla.
Enjoy your time in beautiful Spain!
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
6532 posts
Festivals are the best times to go places. If you want to be “local” you can’t get much more local or see authentic wherever, than going to a festival. There will be crowds so watch your belongings, and restaurants may be crowded, but there will also be plenty of street vendors selling local, authentic, and regional foods to try, and things you wouldn’t normally experience. Go and have fun, experience those places, don’t just visit them.
Posted by
la rioja
531 posts
The place to find fiestas the 12th is in Zaragoza. While it might be the Dia de la Hispanidad in some places, in Zaragoza it is the Fiestas del Pilar. This year they will run from the 6th to the 14th.
Posted by
midwest
60 posts
We were in Madrid on October 12, 2016 and it was a wonderful experience! Parade and festivities were fun to partake, King and Queen were in attendance, which added to the excitement for us! A few small shops were closed that day, restaurants mostly open and the museums were open, and in fact I think a couple were free admittance that day too. Crowds were not bad, even on the day, and certainly not days before or after. We LOVE Madrid, and I always think it gets shortchanged by people who think everywhere else in Spain is better. I personally would spend as much time in Madrid as you can!