Semana Santa Procession in Seville
Semana Santa is one of the best times of year to visit Seville. With parades and processions filling the streets from Palm Sunday through Good Friday, the city comes alive during festival.
Semana Santa runs from the Sunday before Easter through the Friday before Easter each year. During Semana Santa, or Holy Week, brotherhoods from around Seville parade through the streets in long robes carrying elaborate floats with the Virgin Mary on top.
People from all over Andalusia come to the city during Semana Santa to watch or participate in the parades, and visitors from all over the world visit Seville during Semana Santa to witness the events.
Because the festival is such a popular time to visit Spain, the city gets crowded during the week. This is especially true on the Thursday and Friday. As such, if you are planning on visiting Seville for Semana Santa, make sure to book your hotel accommodation and flights or trains well in advance.
Also note that during Semana Santa not everything will be open. Many stores, museums, and churches have shorter opening hours than usual, so try to plan ahead to make sure that you can visit the places you want to see while you are there.
This includes the Cathedral in Seville, which is closed on Sunday and Tuesday of Semana Santa and has reduced opening hours during the rest of Holy Week (opening at 11:00 and closing at 13:30 or 16:00).
Some shops and restaurants also close for Semana Santa in Seville, but many remain open late into the night to take advantage of the increased population in the city during the week.
You can call or ask your hotel concierge if you have questions about the shortened opening hours of specific restaurants and shops in the city during Semana Santa.