Spain for the Easter holiday

See Rick's recent Easter TV show, along with the script and related articles. It features the famous, popular Holy Week in Sevilla, which also has been discussed some in this forum (use the Search feature above). Do you have hotels booked?

I was in Andalucia last year for Semana Santa. Wonderful experience. It all depends on where you'll be. If only Barcelona, and Madrid, probably nothing out of the ordinary, except that there will be more tourists because a lot of people are on vacation that week, maybe a procession in Madrid.

We will fly in and out of Madrid. Here's what we are thinking. This is flexible as I haven't booked anything yet. Hoping to do that in the next day or two. I know things are booking up fast.
April
14 fly to Madrid- arrive in the am (we are flying from Germany); train to Seville
15 Seville
16 train to Cordoba (This is Easter Sunday, not sure how much will be open)
17 Cordoba
18 train to Granada
19 Granada
20 train to Madrid
21-23 Madrid including day trips to Toledo and Segovia; fly out late on 23rd (to Germany)

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Sorry, I should have mentioned that after reading many of the posts about Spain, we decided to fly in and out of Madrid and do Barcelona next time. (Thanks everyone for all of the invaluable information.)

An option that would let u include Ronda

14 fly to Madrid. train to Seville (3N)
15 day trip to Cordoba
16 (Easter Sunday) Seville
17 train to Ronda (1N)
18 train to Granada (2N)
19 Granada
20 train to Madrid (3N)
21-23 Madrid (including day trips to Toledo and Segovia)
23 fly out late to Germany

Cayce,

14 fly to Madrid- arrive in the am (we are flying from Germany); train to Seville
15 Seville
16 train to Cordoba (This is Easter Sunday, not sure how much will be open)
17 Cordoba
18 train to Granada
19 Granada
20 train to Madrid
21-23 Madrid including day trips to Toledo and Segovia; fly out late on 23rd (to Germany)

I think you're trying to cover too many cities on your short visit.
I count 9 nights, which give you 8 full days, but you are only allocating 1.5 days to Sevilla, 1.5 days to Córdoba, 1.5 days to Granada, a few hours to Madrid, Toledo and Segovia.
Keep in mind that each time you relocate, you lose much time in transit, checking in/ out of hotel, waiting for train, getting to your hotel, packing/ unpacking, getting oriented to new city, etc, etc...

I'd suggest changing your route, choosing 2-3 cities, and limiting your day trips.

As much as I enjoyed visiting Granada, this is the one city that is the outlier in your itinerary.

If you must keep all the cities on your list, I'd suggest something like this:

• Fly to Madrid then AVE train to Sevilla 3N = 2 full days in Seville

• train or bus to Granada 2N = 1.5 days in Granada

• bus or train to Córdoba 1N = less than one day in Córdoba

• Madrid 3N ( with possible day trip to Toledo or Segovia) = 1.5 days in Madrid, and less than a day in city chosen for day trip.

• Fly home from Madrid.

Enjoy your trip!

P.S. Make sure you book your tickets to the Alhambra as soon as you finalize your itinerary.

After reading many posts about Semana Santa and how much time to spend in different locations, we are looking at this:
April 14 Fly to Madrid; train/bus to Granada
April 15-16 Granada
April 16-19 Seville with day trip to Cordoba
19-23 Madrid with day trips to Toledo and Segovia

I changed the order of our trip so we wouldn't be in Seville over Easter weekend. We have two kids (ages 7 and 9) with us, so we would like to avoid some of the crowds associated with Semana Santa. (Plus many hotels are already booked at this point.)

My questions are:
1. Will Granada be as crowded as Seville over Easter weekend?
2. Should we change our schedule further and visit Madrid first and then travel to Granada and Seville?
3. Other suggestions?
Thanks so much.

Easter Sunday is a very big day in Granada because there is a very special procession there. When I found that out, I tried to book a hotel for Sat-Sun nights and all that was left was too expensive for my budget (after splurging in Sevilla).

The biggest procession in Sevilla is Thursday night (La Madruga). It starts around 2-3 am so it's in fact Friday morning, lasts until around 6-7 am.

I was in Sevilla through the Saturday of Semana Santa, then took a late afternoon train to Cordoba. I did encounter a couple of day-time processions on Friday and Saturday in Sevilla, but smaller, shorter and fewer people than earlier in the week. The city didn't feel crowded. Easter Sunday in Cordoba, some sights were open. I missed the morning procession (not sure why I forgot about it). I took a very good evening walking tour on Sunday, booked through the TI, and there were only 3 participants. Cordoba wasn't crowded, all the restaurants and cafes were open and the tourist shops. The Mezquita was either closed or had very limited hours, so I visited on Monday instead.

Make sure you lock in Alhambra tickets for April 15 ASAP.
http://apc.ticketmaster.es/nav/landings/en/mucho_mas/entradas_alhambra/

If your flight out is late on 23rd then you could perhaps spend your last night in Toledo ...

April 14 Arrive Madrid (with day trip Segovia)
April 17 To Granada
April 19 To Seville (with day trip to Cordoba)
April 22 (early) To Toledo
April 23 (late) Depart Madrid

Before you commit to an itinerary, you need to see if you can even get a hotel rooms in Sevilla or Granada between the 14th and the 17th.

Granada is so tricky, I wouldn't even try it. You have to be sure about transportation and room availability before you buy Alhambra tickets, but you don't want to commit to a non-refundable train or hotel room until you're sure you can get (or better, until you have) Alhambra tickets.

Semana Santa is one of the top Spanish experiences you shouldn't miss. If you can get to Granada on April 7th for Palm Sunday weekend go for it, then head to Granada for Easter weekend, maybe Rhonda and Cordova in between. Both towns will be crazy with parades, and people everywhere, the whole town turns out. Check both of the cities web sites for details. Fabulous experience, I think Granada and Seville are your best bets. if you haven't booked, hotels could be an issue. We booked an airbnb in both towns in November.

Good luck, see you there.

I got dirty looks from old ladies in Seville for my kiki shorts and polo shirt on my last visit, most of the locals will be in church cloths, guys in shirts and ties and ladies in dresses. maybe I will ware my Cali tee shirt this time.

OMG!!! Semana Santa in Spain!!! Yikes. I have accidentally been Spain twice during Semana Santa. You had better have reservations, and I mean NOW!!! I am currently in Nerja and most places are already booked for it.

Seville - It is HUGE!!! TWO MILLION people come to Seville for this. I would avoid this place again at all costs during Fri-Sun. Cordoba was really nice a few days prior. I didn't realize it was Semana Santa when I got there. I think I was there for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. That was o.k. I saw many processions without it being too crazy. Nerja doesn't have as large a population, but it is a big deal. It isn't as big a deal in some cities as others. Madrid, not so much.

Yes, it will be crowded, watch your purses and wallets, yes, some places close for the week or the Thursday-Sunday because of the crowds. Plan your trip carefully and make sure you have hotel reservations NOW!!!