Semana Santa (Holy Week)

Not so much a carnival, but spectacular displays nonetheless taking place between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday each year

Image by JAIME PF from Pixabay

With traditions which can be traced back to the fourteenth century, Seville is proud to stage its annual Holy Week rites. These involve several spectacular processions over the eight days between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday with intricately decorated floats made up of depictions and scenes from the Easter story passing through Seville's streets en route to the city's cathedral.

Huge crowds gather to watch the hooded members of many religious brotherhoods carrying the floats along the route. The processions culminate in the midnight display which hails the beginning of Good Friday. For this event crowds of over 1 million can gather to watch the slow and emotional procession as it passes through the streets through until dawn.

Getting to Semana Santa (Holy Week) by train

Being a major city, the public transport system in Seville is very comprehensive, and certainly around the centre and the area of the Semana Santa processions. There are good connections from all major stations, with Sevilla Santa Justa Station being the nearest one just under 2km away.