Seville is always a great choice for a getaway. However, there are few better times to experience the city from a different perspective than when your trip coincides with its Feria de Abril. Throughout the festivities, the entire city lives and breathes the Fair.

Forget about Plaza de España, La Giralda and even the Royal Alcázar. Well, not entirely, but bear in mind that during the Fair, you will spend most of your time at the fairground. This is where you will find the area known as the Real de la Feria, home to more than a thousand casetas welcoming locals and visitors alike.  

It all begins with the official opening: the traditional Alumbrao, when the Fair’s spectacular entrance gateway and the hundreds of thousands of lights decorating the grounds are switched on. It takes place at midnight, marking the start of the Fair, with pescaíto frito—traditional Andalusian fried fish—already being served in the casetas. To find out the exact date for each year’s festivities, check the official programme for the Seville Fair.  

After that, all that remains is to get dressed for the occasion: women in flamenco dresses and men in traditional country attire, ready to make the fairground your second home in Seville—your first, of course, being one of our hotels in the city. Paper lanterns, shawls, hats, ornamental combs, horse-drawn carriages, horses, riders and music fill the fairground until well into the early hours, all accompanied by an elegance and flair that few other places can rival.  

These will be days of raising a glass of rebujito or manzanilla and refuelling with cured meats, the aforementioned pescaíto frito and other Andalusian culinary delights. You will need the energy after dancing sevillanas—or at least attempting to—in the casetas. Bear in mind that most of them are private, so you will only be able to enter if invited by one of their members. But there is no need to worry, as the Feria de Abril also has public casetas. Ask where to find them when you arrive at the fairground.  

If you are a thrill-seeker, be sure to ask about the Calle del Infierno, popularly known as ‘los cacharritos’. This area becomes a huge funfair, with numerous attractions for children and adults alike, as well as plenty of stalls selling sweets and treats.  

And yes, it may all seem a little overwhelming and almost impossible to take in at times. But before you know it, the final night will have arrived, and you will be watching in amazement—and with a touch of sadness—the firework display that traditionally brings the Feria de Abril to a close until the following year.  

With such an ambitious itinerary, getting enough rest is non-negotiable during your stay in Seville. It never is for us, but we know that during the Feria de Abril, comfort and tranquillity in your accommodation become even more important. There is no need to worry: at Sercotel Las Casas de los Mercaderes, Sercotel Sevilla Guadalquivir Suites, Sercotel Doña Carmela and Sercotel Sevilla Don Luciano, you will find everything you need to relax and make the most of your visit.