nikidi

We will have 8+ days for Barcelona and Seville. Arriving in Barcelona late afternoon on the 13th April and hope to get to Seville on the 17th April, Thursday for Semana Santa.

My question is whether we should take the 9am (arr 11.30am) or the 6pm (arr 7.30pm) flight to Seville.

If we take the evening flight , giving more time to Barcelona, would we still be able to experience the Semana Santa processions in Seville? Also, would we have enough time to explore Seville and do a day trip to Cordoba. It gives us 4 full days in Seville including the day for Cordoba.

nikidi

anyone??!

spanishsarah47

I suggest the earlier trip to Seville simply because it will give you more time to see the processions. The festivities will be at their peak Thursday through Saturday so you won't miss the entire event, PLUS adding the day in Cordoba is a GREAT idea!

danon

Seville is crazy crowded during la SS....the locals are off work , many streets are closed
various times of the day etc..There are numerous procession day and night.
To have have a good view, one probably has to line up
hours in advance or purchase a seat in the stands.
We were in Seville during la SS for five nights...it was an experience, but I liked the city more
at other times.

I suggest you study the schedule for the processions ahead of time. be prepared.

Robert2533

Barcelona isn't big on Semana Santa, but Sevilla can overcome you. We found that places like Ubeda, Jerez, Ronda Málaga, Zamora or even Burgos, are a much better for Holy Week and far cheaper than saying in Sevilla.

bobthenavigator

I would spend the entire time in Andalusia and forget Barcelona. But, you will need to read about schedules in some of the smaller towns.

Robert2533

I would start the week in Malaga, where they are more passionate about Semana Santa, then head up to Jerez after a couple of days, ending the week in Sevilla.

Antonio Banderas should be in Malaga on Holy Monday.

CathyM

I agree about spending the entire time in Andalucia and split between Sevilla and smaller cities. However, if the airfare is already purchased and you have to visit Barcelona & Sevilla then I would take the earliest flight into Sevilla during any day of Semana Santa. Once the processions start in the mid afternoon if your hotel is anywhere in the center of the city you could have a very hard time reaching it as the roads could be closed or overtaken by people and processions. Belive me - I learned the hard way

kimhe

Agree that Málaga is a great idea for Semana Santa. And speaking of Antonio Banderas, he held a nearly two hours fantastic opening speech of Semana Santa in Teatro Cervantes in his native Málaga a couple of years ago. Dead serious and devotion and fiesta hand in hand. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpjeDKTnKQQ

Christina

I split my time between Seville and Madrid one year for that week. Madrid is more reasonable for Holy Week, and the hotel rates weren't noticeably changed because it isn't a draw for that. I left Seville on maybe Holy Thursday, don't recall, as I really am not that interested in religious processions and a little of that goes a very long way with me. That isn't the reason I wanted to see Seville, and it really was a nuisance due to crowds and street closures, and the hotel rates maybe doubled.

kimhe

Semana Santa is in general ten times more interesting in Andalucía than anywhere else in Spain. Very Catholic for sure, but also an almost pagan celebration of first and foremost Virgin Mary/the Madonna that evokes images of traditional Goddess festivities in the ancient Mediterranean culture.
http://www.everyculture.com/Europe/A...e-Culture.html
http://sevillanlife.com/tag/holy-week/