If you're reading this article, it's because you're planning to visit Seville. This article is the first step of my guide to prepare a trip to Seville. I offer you a maximum of information to help you choose the best date for your stay.
To begin with, it is important to point out that Seville has a Mediterranean climate and that the city can be visited all year round since the conditions are excellent at least 9 months out of 12. Even in winter, the temperatures are quite mild. It all depends on what you want to do there and whether you prefer cooler or hotter weather.
Regarding accommodation prices, there is no real low season, although prices generally drop a little in winter and summer. If the price of the accommodation is decisive for the choice of the date of your stay, I recommend you to look directly for the best offers on booking.
I will describe each season in detail, but if you don't have time to waste, here is a summary table month by month that will help you make your choice.
mm of | Nº days of | Hours of | Events | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
January | 6º / 16º | 66 | 6 | 183 | Three Kings Parade / Sale |
February | 7º / 18º | 50 | 6 | 189 | Sale |
March | 9º / 22º | 36 | 4 | 220 | |
April | 11º / 23º | 54 | 6 | 238 | April Fair (Feria de Abril) |
May | 14º / 27º | 30 | 4 | 293 | |
June | 18º / 32º | 10 | 1 | 317 | |
July | 20º / 36º | 2 | 0 | 354 | Sale |
August | 20º / 36º | 5 | 1 | 328 | Sale |
September | 18º / 32º | 27 | 2 | 244 | |
October | 14º / 26º | 68 | 6 | 216 | |
November | 10º / 20º | 91 | 6 | 181 | |
December | 7º / 17º | 99 | 8 | 154 | Christmas |
Data from the Aemet (National Meteorological Agency)
If you have found the season that best suits your needs, you can move on to the next step in my 7-step guide to organize your trip.
If you haven't decided yet, I've prepared a short description of each season.
Visit Seville in winter
Winter in Seville is mild, with an average temperature of 10ºC, which only occasionally drops to 0ºC at night. In the more than 10 years I have lived in Seville, I have only seen snow fall once and it did not stay on the ground. It rains on average between 6 and 9 days a month, and of course you are not exempt from a period of bad weather. On the other hand, when the weather is nice, the sun quickly does its job and it's nice to sit at lunchtime on the terrace with a T-shirt (with long sleeves... or not!).
Terrasse sur la place San Francisco début janvier
So, if you don't mind the cooler weather, winter can be a nice time to visit Seville. You'll just have to take warmer clothes and choose the middle of the day to walk around.
And everything is relative: if winter is the coldest season of the year in Seville, the weather can still be better than in spring in many cities further north. It can be a good time to escape the rain and cold and eat on a terrace.
On the other hand, the climate is not everything! In winter, you will have the privilege of enjoying the Christmas celebrations and the Three Kings, which make the whole city vibrate: nativity scene exhibitions in all the churches and in many commercial centers, sound and light show in the Plaza Nueva, the Three Kings' parade...
Finally, for those who plan to go shopping, January and February are the months of winter sales.
In short, it starts well, but what follows is even more interesting...
Visit Seville in spring
Spring is probably the best time to visit Seville, although prices can be higher during Holy Week and the April fair.
The beginning of spring can be a bit unstable, with a few days of rain from late March to early April, but temperatures rise quickly until they reach 30ºC in late May. In general, it is not yet too hot during the day and the evenings are rather cool.
Spring means flowering, and in the case of Seville, this is an important factor to take into account. Between the end of March and the beginning of April, the flowers of the 40,000 orange trees in the center of Seville open and impregnate the city with a magnificent fragrance that will accompany it for over a month. For Sevillians, this is a real olfactory transition between winter and spring. It is also the ideal time to visit the Alcázar gardens or the María Luisa Park with all its flowering plants.
And spring is of course the Semana Santa (Holy Week), which comes before Easter and the Feria de Abril (April Fair), which is held in April or early May. And yes, sometimes the April Fair is celebrated in May!
Visit Seville in summer
Summer in Seville is very hot and dry, with at most 1 or 2 rainy days in 3 months. The maximum temperatures are around 35ºC, but in July and August it is not uncommon to experience a few weeks of heat waves with temperatures over 40ºC. Even the first two weeks of September are very hot, with temperatures of over 30ºC.
Over 40ºC?!!! Don't panic, the big advantage of Seville is that the city is used to living in hot weather, and you will find air conditioning in almost all establishments, and even in transportation. In addition, in the center, the traditional architecture and the narrow streets keep things cool.
There are a number of advantages to visiting Seville in the summer if you can stand the heat:
- It's sunny every day so there's no need to watch the weather to plan your tours and excursions!
- Many of the hotels have a swimming pool so you can refresh yourself between visits.
- The nearest beaches are 70 km away and you can easily combine a few days in Seville with a refreshing excursion to the sea.
- The city is deserted by its inhabitants, who mainly go to the sea, and the tourist crowds decrease, which allows you to visit the city away from the crowds. I particularly like the month of August to go and eat in restaurants that are usually crowded. However, I recommend calling ahead because some establishments close in August.
- Hotels have more availability and prices are lower than in the spring.
- If you plan to go shopping, July and August are the months of the summer sales: you can spend long hours in the air-conditioned stores!
Bolonia Beach in Cadiz
Summer can therefore be a good time to visit Seville, unless of course you are traveling with fragile people and/or are afraid of the heat. If you choose this season, I suggest you visit early in the morning and wait until early evening to go out again, after a good nap. This is what Sevillians do.
Visit Seville in autumn
Autumn is also a very good time to visit Seville, mainly in September and early October when temperatures can still reach 30ºC with relatively little rain. After that, there may be more rain but the temperatures are still very pleasant.
And if you decide to go for a walk in the villages of the Sierras close to Seville, you will enjoy a very beautiful show, because the vegetation takes on beautiful colors. If you go for example to the Sierra de Aracena, you will be able to take beautiful pictures and collect chestnuts and mushrooms.
If you have found the season that best suits your needs, you can move on to the next step in my 7-step guide to organize your trip.
