10 Things to Do in Seville in Spring

While there are always plenty of things to see and do in Seville, the city is at its best during springtime. March, April and May are the three months of high season in Seville and, despite that, this is the best time to visit the Andalusian capital, before the scorching summer sun arrives.

At this time, Seville experiences the two most important festivals of the year: Easter and the April Fair, a great popular festival that begins exactly two weeks after the celebration of Easter. The key words are: eat, dance and have fun!

Holy Week in Se ville is lived in an especially intense way. If you visit the city during these dates, be sure that you will not forget the experience of seeing thousands of people watching each procession, the constant smell of incense, the continuous symphony of bands accompanying the religious images and, above all, the Nazarenes.

Throughout the week processions take place in all areas of the city, although it is in the historic center where you can see them best, as long as you are able to move through the crowds of people that fill the narrow streets.

Perhaps the best time to see the pasos is at dawn. On the night between Maundy Thursday and Friday, the whole city takes to the streets to contemplate the different religious images that procession until well into the day.

Practical information

• Where: anywhere in the city, although the best place is downtown. Forget public transport (impossible to use at this time of the year) and try to walk to the Cuesta del Rosario, the Postigo, the Triana bridge or Fería street.
• When: there is no fixed date for Easter.
• Price: free, with the exception of those who hire chairs on the official route, who must pay between 70 and 700 €. Since these chairs are practically passed from parents to children, visitors will not have the possibility to reserve any.

If there is a good time to spend a few hours touring all the attractions of the Triana neighborhood, that is spring. At that time, Betis Street, which faces the Guadalquivir River, begins to recover the atmosphere that had diminished during the winter and the same happens with the small squares located further inland in the area.

In the past, this was a neighborhood where many sailors, singers and flamenco dancers lived, so it was very lively.

My recommendation is to start your visit to Triana by visiting the covered market, which is located at the end of the bridge. It is a great opportunity to taste or buy some Spanish cheeses and sausages.

Whether on your own or with a guided tour, you should not miss a visit to a pottery workshop, the typical art of the area.

If you are still in the area at sunset, there is no better place than Betis street for a romantic stroll and a drink overlooking the Torre del Oro. If you wish, it is also a perfect place to attend a flamenco show in Seville.

The April Fair, the most colorful celebration in Spain, combines tradition and, above all, folklore. This festival, which was born as a cattle fair, has become the most famous in the whole country.

For 8 days, the only concern of the attendees is to have a good time, a concept that consists of staying in the enclosure until the body endures dancing sevillanas with a large amount of rebujito(manzanilla wine mixed with a lemon-lime soda and lots of ice) in the body.

An artificial city is set up in a secluded corner of the city and, for a week, hundreds of thousands of people gather to dance sevillanas. Here you will find horse-drawn carriages in the afternoon that bring the attendees dressed in traditional costumes and at night thousands and thousands of colored light bulbs lit up well into the night.

The fair is made up of more than 1,000 booths of different sizes where people dance, eat and drink. One of the big problems for visitors is that most of them are private and, in theory, only members can enter.

However, on days with lower attendance (especially on weekdays) it is possible that the doormen are more flexible. Otherwise, at the fair you will also find several public booths, such as those of political parties, unions, districts and some others.

If you have gone to Seville with children (or even if you have not taken them) you can not miss a walk through the so-called Calle del Infierno, a huge area where attractions of all kinds are installed, from Ferris wheels to houses of terror.

Practical information

• Where: the fairgrounds are located in the neighborhood of Los Remedios, next to Triana. To get there, it is best to walk, but you also have a special bus service or the option of using a cab. In the latter two cases, be prepared to wait many minutes to find a free one.
• When: two weeks after Easter. Tradition indicates that at least one day should fall in April, but in some cases (few) it should have started at the beginning of May.
• Price: entering the fair costs nothing, but be prepared for prices inside to be higher than in the rest of the city.

As it happens all over the world, Seville has its typical dishes. In some cases, these are recipes that may seem strange to visitors from some countries. In particular, in spring there is almost no bar that does not offer snails and there are even real (friendly) arguments to decide who prepares them better.

The spring rains bring with them the snail season in Seville. Lovers of this exquisite ingredient flock to bars and restaurants to taste this dish full of tradition and with that typical Sevillian seasoning.

Although many are not used to it, my recommendation is, at least, to try them. Of course, accompanied with a cold beer.

Practical information

• Where: Every neighborhood in Seville has a bar with a reputation for serving the best snails in town. If you want to play it safe, try the ones at Bodega la Mina, on Cuesta del Rosario.
• When: The snail season runs from May to June, although it can vary depending on heat and rainfall.
• Price: Prices range from 2.50 euros for tapas, 5 euros for a plate and small bowl and 8 euros for a large bowl or portion. They can also be ordered to take away.

Beyond Easter and the fair, if there is something that characterizes Seville when spring arrives is the smell of orange blossoms in its streets.

My recommendation is that you simply stroll through the streets. It is a good idea, for example, to walk through the Santa Cruz neighborhood or hire a night tour.

Other areas where this smell is persistent are the Plaza de San Lorenzo, the Alameda de Hércules, the Patio de Banderas, and of course, the de los Naranjos.

As soon as spring appears, the scent of orange blossoms and bitter fruit is intense in Seville. This hypnotic aroma is accompanied by a dreamlike landscape, a city of historic architecture painted in green, orange and white.

Orange trees were once believed to be a talisman for happiness. Hence, in the streets of Seville you can enjoy more than 40,000 specimens distributed throughout the city.

Another thing to enjoy in springtime in the Andalusian capital is the Guadalquivir River. Besides being able to sail from north to south along the waterway on one of the many cruises through Seville, it's a great idea to rent a kayak or, almost better, ride along its banks on a bicycle.

Seville has a good infrastructure of bike lanes that will allow you to make the journey easily and safely. If you prefer, you can hire one of the bike tours around the city, but you also have at your disposal the possibility of renting one from a private company or from the public service offered by the city council.

While it is true that this is a ride that can be done at any time of the year, nothing compares to the spring landscape that decorates the banks of the Guadalquivir in spring.

For many, these "coasts" replace the beaches and take advantage of the good weather to stroll along the shore or to sit and relax. Enjoy a picnic or sport in the open air, surrounded by this vibrant nature.

One of the natural spaces that is always available and that you simply can not miss in spring is the Maria Luisa Park. With an almost impossible greenery, dotted with a variety of flowers and sculptures that fill with life this magical landscape full of history.

When you approach the part, which is next to another must-see, the Plaza de España, you will find many Sevillians sitting on the grass resting or having a little picnic. That alone will give you an idea of how popular the park is in springtime.

If you prefer a larger green space further away from the center, you can always head to the Alamillo park. One of the advantages of this place is that they usually organize recreational activities on many spring weekends.

Lent is just beginning to appear and we can already find these delicious sweets in all the confectioneries of Seville, being part of the abundant gastronomy that we find in this town.

Among the specialties typical of these dates in Seville are the torrijas text, a slice of bread soaked in milk, dipped in egg and fried. In addition to the simplest and most traditional, more and more variants are prepared, with ingredients such as chocolate, white wine or cream.

It is normal to eat them accompanied with coffee and dedicate ourselves to taste the different versions that we discover throughout the city.

Practical information

• Where: In any confectionery in Seville, but if you want some luxury torrijas, visit Los Angelitos in Asunción, 24; 41011.
• When: Traditionally, we find these sweets as part of the typical gastronomy of Lent.
• Price: The price of torrijas can range from 1 to 3 euros, depending on the place, the size and the recipe...

Although it is always a good time to go on a tapas tour in Seville, it cannot be denied that the heat of summer and the cold of winter make it less appetizing. However, in spring it is usually perfect weather to go from bar to bar tasting the countless specialties that can be found in the city.

My advice, in any case, is to do it at night and accompanied by an expert, either the guide of a tour or simply a friend you have in the city. This way you will be able to get to know places that are not the typical ones for tourists and, I assure you, you will notice the difference.

Among the many religious festivals of the city of Seville, there is one that can compete in public attendance with Easter: the feast of Corpus Christi. This is celebrated sixty days after Easter Sunday and always on a Thursday.

If you are in the city, you will see that the night before, a special atmosphere begins to be experienced throughout the city. As many Sevillians do, you can take a tour to contemplate the ephemeral altars that are placed along the route of the procession the next morning, among which stands out the one in the Plaza de San Francisco.

Store windows are also decorated on the occasion of this festival, as are many balconies in the historic center.

Concerts are usually held in the Plaza de San Francisco and all the bars and restaurants in the area are filled well into the night.

In the morning, very early in the morning, a mass takes place. Even if you are not religious, it is worth seeing the dance of the Seises, a group of 10 children who make up a group whose origin dates back to the sixteenth century.

Finally, around 8:30 in the morning, the procession takes place around the cathedral of Seville. Of course, it is not easy to find a place in the streets.

Beyond the weather averages, it is not easy to make a forecast of the weather in Seville in spring. This is because, for example, the month of April is usually very unpredictable and you can expect heavy rains or heat above 25º.

On the other hand, the weather changes a lot as the season progresses. Already in May and, above all, in the first half of June, it is not uncommon to experience temperatures exceeding 30º.

April averages range from a minimum of 11º to a maximum of 22º, while May averages 26º and 13º, respectively. Finally, June already has an average maximum of 31º, while the minimum is 17º.

In view of this, my recommendation is that you should check the weather forecast shortly before traveling.