When is the best time to visit Seville?

Essentials

“When is the best time to visit Seville?” is the first question you should ask yourself when planning your trip. Like every other popular city in Spain, when you choose to visit Seville can make or break your trip based on crowd levels alone.

It’s important to take weather, events, holidays, and peak tourist season into consideration before booking your airline tickets.

Fortunately, Seville has a climate and a location that allows you to explore it almost all year round.

That being said, Seville has 3 very different periods in which your experience can vary. These periods are determined by both the weather and some specific events that attract thousands of visitors:

High season: from March to June, September and October.
Shoulder season: February and November.
Off-season: July, August, December and January.

You have all the details of each period below. But first things first.

When is the best time to visit Seville?

OK, let’s get to the point.

In just a few words…

Short answer: early spring and late fall are the best time to visit Seville.

Best overall time to visit: February
Most popular month: April
Best weather: May, October
Best month to avoid crowds: January

My personal advice on the best time to visit Seville

The best time to come to Seville depends a lot on what you’re looking for, and every season has its pros and cons.

If you have the flexibility to decide, go in either November or February. It’s also the best time for saving money on your Seville visit. Temperatures in Seville winters are milder than elsewhere in Europe. The afternoons are warm, though the nights get chilly.
Alternatively, I also recommend you to consider visiting Seville in December or January. But refrain from doing so during Christmas time and New Year’s.
If you’re not ready to share the streets with huge crowds, avoid certain holidays and peak high season. During peak season Seville receives hordes of visitors (literally!) and lodging prices are considerably higher (sometimes double or triple the regular tariffs). Everything will be extremely crowded and the experience can be far from ideal.
If budget is an important issue for you, take into account that during off-season airfares and hotel rates are considerably lower.
If you can’t bear the heat, have a look at the weather because Seville summers are very hot and dry.

High season (March-June, September-October)

The high season can be divided into two periods:

The peak of the high season that goes from March to April.
The rest of the high season that includes May, June, September and October.

Peak high season (March-April)

The high season in Seville is clearly marked by two very important and extremely popular events: the Semana Santa and the Feria de Abril.

However, Semana Santa (Easter) dates vary from year to year. As a matter of fact Holy Week is a moveable feast that goes from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, and it usually takes place at the end of March or during April.

So if you plan on travelling to Seville to experience this unique event, have a look at the dates of the next Semana Santa.

Exactly two weeks after Semana Santa, the Feria de Abril is in full swing. During six days and seven nights Sevillanos spend most of their time socializing while eating, drinking and dancing. It’s amazing and its, by far, the busiest week of the year.

So during this period expect plane tickets, train fares and accommodation to skyrocket.

Rest of the high season (May-June, September-October)

From late March to late October, Spain benefits from daylight saving time so days are extremely long allowing you plenty of time to visit the city.

All in all, May, June September and October are great months to travel to Seville because of the nice weather, the incredibly long days and, most of all, the local festivals.

However, we’re still talking about high season here, so the usual downsizes apply: high prices everywhere and a very crowded city whatsoever…

Shoulder season (February, November)

Without a doubt, the best time to visit Seville is either February or November.

Both months are great if you want to avoid crowds. February is the best winter month to visit since it is a little warmer and has less rain.

The shoulder season is a very attractive time to visit. The number of tourists is significantly lower, the lodging offer is large, and the airfares are more attractive. You can visit most of the places at a relaxing pace and room prices are at its bottom.

Probably the only disadvantage to coming in the shoulder season is that the end of the fall and winters here are relatively humid and it can rain quite a bit (or even a lot, sometimes!). This doesn’t mean you won’t be outside exploring the city during most of the day because the temperatures are generally mild.

Off-season (July-August, December-January)

Let’s see these 2 periods in detail.

July-August

In terms of weather, this is not the best time for visiting Seville. Summers in Seville are some of the warmest in all of Europe, with temperatures often exceeding 35ºC (95ºF). Actually, it’s advisable to avoid being outside at midday and early afternoon.

However, if you feel brave enough to bear the high temperatures summertime is considered low season here. In other words, there won’t be a lot of tourists wandering around. So may have the main monuments for your own.

Additionally, this period corresponds to school and work holidays. Therefore, most Sevillanos will be out of the city trying to escape the heat in the coast of Cádiz or Huelva.

In these months the streets tend to be empty during the day with people leaving their houses in the early morning and then not leaving them again until late in the evening. This makes for quite a nocturnal life during this time!

December-January

December and January are cool months and Seville becomes very pretty and atmospheric in winter.

This is definitely the most affordable season, with very attractive low rates.

Nevertheless, the end of December brings festive lights and seasonal markets. Christmas markets and a number of festive events means that you’ll have to pay high-season prices.

Best time to visit Seville: monthly breakdown

January: Despite being the coldest month of the year (high temperature around 16ºC or 61ºF), it’s the least visited month of the year.
February: It’s just slightly more busy than January, but it’s definitely the best winter month to visit.
March: Tourists number start to raise, especially if Holy Week is going on at the end of the month.
April: Holy Week’s Easter celebrations are usually underway. Avoid those dates if you aren’t interested in seeing the processions. Also, Seville’s largest festival, the Feria de Abril, begins. It’s a whole week festival of partying, dancing and celebrating local culture.
May: It’s one of the busiest months to visit, but there is a reason for it – the weather is as perfect as it gets.
June: Less crowded than April and May.
July: It’s the driest month of the year. This is the summer low-season. Unless you like it real hot, avoid this month.
August: Tourist numbers pick up slightly from July because of August summer holidays. For that reason, July would be better than August.
September: It’s one of the busiest months of the year.
October: Fewer events are happening in the city at this time of year, so it’s easier to wander around and take in all of its sights.
November: It’s slightly wetter than October and there is considerably less tourists as well.
December: It’s the wettest month of the year. The number of tourists is down significantly since October.

If you’re still unsure about your trip dates and want to know when is the best time to visit Seville, have a look at the month-by-month events calendar. It details annual special events, holidays and insider top picks – those you won’t find on regular tourist guides or at your hotel’s lobby.