kawh

i agree, i agree. we also don't get up early and like to linger... i could easily spend a week in seville without breaking a travel-sweat! love that town!

aguamineral

Even in small towns in Spain there is a surprising amount of night life, with people outside until very late in the evening. It can be difficult to get out of the 9-5 mentality coming to Europe, but in its warmer countries, you can really end up missing a lot if you plan day trips with the idea that the "day" 9-5. Many things are just coming to life in Spain after 4pm. So keep that in mind.

go_laura

Hi again, it looks like the dates for our trip will have to overlap w the fair in April (I'd hoped they wouldn't), but we could avoid Seville for all but the Sat. before it starts. My q's are, will Seville be already getting so crazy crowded that we should try to figure out if we can even avoid that Sat. there? Also, does the rest of the region tend to be extra crowded that week because of vacationers who go to the festival for 2 or 3 days and the rest of the time elsewhere in region? I don't want to be paranoid but I dislike crowds enough to make choices to avoid them...I'm fine with normal type waits at sites w tourists, restaurants, etc. but if I knew it would be lots extra, i'd go elsewhere this time around.

go_laura

And btw, any more specific itinerary suggestions are welcome! Two days of our two weeks are travel days, so really looking for 12 day itinerary options. Nytraveler, I didn't follow how we could see all that you suggested, in just 12 days, without moving every night or two, would you be willing to elaborate?

Thanks again to all!

kimhe

The Feria de Abril in Sevilla is concentrated to the Remedios district across the city river Guadalquivir, south-east of the city center, the Cathedral etc. Buses from central Sevilla to the festival recinto all the time. You'll meet upon some fiesta dressed people and some horse and carriage caravans, but central Sevilla will not be over-crowded.

kimhe

... ooops, Los Remedios - where the Feria de Abril plays out - is south-west of the city center and across the river.

go_laura

Thanks, kimhe. Do you have any rec. for how far in advance we'd need to make a hotel reservation that would include that Sat. night before the festival?

Egbert

Seville is magical during the Feria. City itself won't be crazy but you will feel it. You will pay more for hotels though. Anytime you can go to a Spanish town during their big festival makes the trip more memorable and interesting.

CathyM

I agree with Egbert on both of his posts. If you're looking for base cities for your 12 days I could easily spend 1/2 the time in Sevilla and visit Cordoba,Carmona, Arcos, Cadiz, Jerez, Sanlucar as daytrips (not all but you could probably do 2-3). Sevilla is large but doesn't feel like a big city. If you want to move around a bit more you could visit Cordoba for 2 nights versus a daytrip - it all depends on your travel style. I'd definately spend at last 2 nights in Granada and more if you want to use as a base. Malaga would make a good base as you can visit several other places as daytrips - Nerja, Ronda, Antequera, etc.....The smaller villages can come alive at night - but be aware this is normally only during the weekend. You won't find much happening during the week (especially Sunday and Monday evenings) in many of the smaller villages. It all really depends on how much moving around you want to do versus using larger cities as bases.