Spain during Holy Week- a good or bad idea
Jul 16th, 2009, 06:35 PM
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Spain during Holy Week- a good or bad idea
We are in the beginning planning stage for a 2 week trip to Spain.
Is Holy week a good time to go, I noted that there are many festivals etc, then, but my concerns would then be is it more crowded at this time, and would museums, and other attractions be possibly closed??
Also Holy week is at the end of March this year. Is the end of April a better time weather wise, or is there no difference.
We are just beginning to develop an itinerary- looking at flying into Barcelona then either flying or driving to Granada, then definitely driving from Granada to Seville then ending in Madrid.
Any thoughts on this itinerary.
amy
Is Holy week a good time to go, I noted that there are many festivals etc, then, but my concerns would then be is it more crowded at this time, and would museums, and other attractions be possibly closed??
Also Holy week is at the end of March this year. Is the end of April a better time weather wise, or is there no difference.
We are just beginning to develop an itinerary- looking at flying into Barcelona then either flying or driving to Granada, then definitely driving from Granada to Seville then ending in Madrid.
Any thoughts on this itinerary.
amy
Jul 16th, 2009, 07:25 PM
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Amycyma,
About ten years ago I took a tour of Spain during Holy Week. I chose that week because it was school vacation (I was working then). I figured that the Easter season would add color, but I had no idea how impressive “Semana Santa” is in Spain. It appeared that the country shut down to commemorate the Passion during this week. Families gather to watch the processions through the streets of every community. Their celebrations are both joyful and solemn. We were lucky enough to be in Seville on Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Check out Semana Santa on the web. That trip was truly one of the most memorable that I have ever taken. Since our arrangements were made in advance by the tour company, I am not aware of what businesses and attractions might be closed at this time. Be assured, the bars and restaurants were hopping!
I presume that you will be traveling independently so it behooves you to make hotel arrangements in advance. Be assured that if you can visit Spain at this special time, it might be an experience of a lifetime.
About ten years ago I took a tour of Spain during Holy Week. I chose that week because it was school vacation (I was working then). I figured that the Easter season would add color, but I had no idea how impressive “Semana Santa” is in Spain. It appeared that the country shut down to commemorate the Passion during this week. Families gather to watch the processions through the streets of every community. Their celebrations are both joyful and solemn. We were lucky enough to be in Seville on Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Check out Semana Santa on the web. That trip was truly one of the most memorable that I have ever taken. Since our arrangements were made in advance by the tour company, I am not aware of what businesses and attractions might be closed at this time. Be assured, the bars and restaurants were hopping!
I presume that you will be traveling independently so it behooves you to make hotel arrangements in advance. Be assured that if you can visit Spain at this special time, it might be an experience of a lifetime.
Jul 16th, 2009, 08:01 PM
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I agree 100% about this being an experience of a lifetime.
Yes, there are crowds, particularly in Sevilla on Holy Thursday. Also, hours will be limited for some attractions and some stores will be closed. But the tourist info offices generally have a good listing of hours and you can work around the schedules. Holy Thursday and Friday is when the hours for sites will be most limited. The other negative is the hotel rates will be at a premium and you need to reserve months in advance. Even with the crowds, limited hours, and prices at a premium it is just something fabulous to experience. Sevilla will be probably the most crowded. I always try to split my Semana Santa week between 2 places - Sevilla and a smaller city where it's not so crowded and hotel prices are less expensive. In the smaller cities it's easier to get closer to the processionals. I've never visited Granada during Semana Santa but I have heard the processionals there are of significance - when I was there in May they were petitioning to gain a higher level of official importance. If you're in the area on Easter Sunday Arcos de la Frontera has an encierro (bull run). It's not typical in the style of the bull runs in the Basque country but a fun and interesting way to spend Easter Sunday!
Yes, there are crowds, particularly in Sevilla on Holy Thursday. Also, hours will be limited for some attractions and some stores will be closed. But the tourist info offices generally have a good listing of hours and you can work around the schedules. Holy Thursday and Friday is when the hours for sites will be most limited. The other negative is the hotel rates will be at a premium and you need to reserve months in advance. Even with the crowds, limited hours, and prices at a premium it is just something fabulous to experience. Sevilla will be probably the most crowded. I always try to split my Semana Santa week between 2 places - Sevilla and a smaller city where it's not so crowded and hotel prices are less expensive. In the smaller cities it's easier to get closer to the processionals. I've never visited Granada during Semana Santa but I have heard the processionals there are of significance - when I was there in May they were petitioning to gain a higher level of official importance. If you're in the area on Easter Sunday Arcos de la Frontera has an encierro (bull run). It's not typical in the style of the bull runs in the Basque country but a fun and interesting way to spend Easter Sunday!
Jul 17th, 2009, 04:48 AM
#4
I was in Granada and Cordoba during Holy Week this year and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The Semana Santa processions were fascinating and although there were crowds sometimes, we weren't prevented from going where we wished. The atmosphere was wonderful. There were a couple of days when traffic was re-routed around Granada to avoid the processions.
