Written by Carmen Ramírez, manager and licensed tourist guide at Alcázar Seville Tour. Closures confirmed with the monuments; availability data from our own booking system. Verified on 11/10/2026.
Quick Answer
February is the last month of the year you can still improvise — with one weekend’s exception. It is low season at the Alcázar until the 28th, which means tickets are usually available one or two days ahead rather than weeks. On 1 March that becomes three to five days, and on 16 March two to three weeks — the same trip, planned the same way, becomes impossible to book six weeks later. The exception is the weekend of the Zurich Maratón de Sevilla, Sunday 21 February 2027, when around 17,000 runners and their families fill the city as if it were high season — that weekend books like April, so do not leave it to the last minute. February is also the month winter starts letting go: highs of around 18 °C, nights near 6 °C, and sunset past 18:50 by the end of the month, an hour and a half later than in December. There are no closures in February at all — the monuments keep their normal winter timetable from the 1st to the 28th, including Día de Andalucía on the 28th, which is a working Sunday here. The one thing to plan around is not a holiday but the day of the week: on any Sunday the Cathedral opens for cultural visits in the afternoon rather than the morning.
The real reason to come in February
It is not the weather, and it is not an event. It is that February is the last month in which Seville can be planned loosely.
Our own booking records, and the daily availability checks we run on the monuments, give a very clear shape to the year:
- Until 28 February — low season. Alcázar tickets normally remain available one to two days before the visit.
- 1 to 15 March — mid season. Three to five days ahead.
- From 16 March — high season. Two to three weeks ahead, and three to five weeks for the first entry slot.
That is a fifteenfold change in how far ahead you have to commit, and it happens inside six weeks.
It matters more than it sounds, because of how the monuments sell. Alcázar and Cathedral tickets are issued in each visitor’s name, and neither monument refunds, exchanges or modifies them. Book three weeks ahead in April and your money is tied to that exact date and time slot. In February you do not have to make that bet at all.
We have set out the full picture, booking lead times, month by month, including why the first time slot behaves differently from the rest of the day.
If your dates are flexible and you dislike committing early, February is the answer. If you are choosing between February and anything from mid-March onwards, this is the difference that should decide it.
With one exception, and it is a big one. The weekend of 19–22 February 2027 does not behave like the rest of the month, because of the marathon. Everything below about booking late applies to the other three weeks, not to that one.
The quirk of the 9:30 slot in winter
For most of the year our advice is the same: the first entry slot of the day goes first, so take it if you want it. In July the 9:30 slot is the single most competitive time of the summer, because everybody wants to see the palace and the gardens before the heat becomes punishing.
In February the pattern inverts.
Standing at the gate at 9:30 on a cold Seville morning is a much less appealing proposition, and it shows in the bookings: we routinely see 10:00 and 10:30 sell out before 9:30 does. It is the one stretch of the year when the earliest slot is the easiest to get rather than the hardest.
So if you want the Alcázar as close to empty as it ever gets, February at opening is the answer — and it is available. Wear a coat.
The month with no closures — and the day that still catches people out
February is the only month of the winter with nothing shut. December has Christmas Day, January has the 1st and the 6th, March can lose days to Holy Week. February loses none. The Alcázar and the Cathedral keep their normal winter timetable from the 1st to the 28th.
That includes 28 February, Día de Andalucía, the regional holiday, which falls on a Sunday in 2027. It is a real holiday with a local, family feel to it, but the monuments open and our tours run as on any other Sunday. If you saw it on a calendar and started rearranging your trip around it, you can stop.
What actually constrains a February trip is not a closure. It is the day of the week — and one weekend.
The weekend is the marathon, on Sunday 21 February, which has its own section below. The days of the week are these two:
- Sundays at the Cathedral. It is a working place of worship, and the morning belongs to services. Cultural visits normally start at 14:30, which shortens the window to roughly two hours, and on some Sundays there are no cultural visits at all. This is the single most common February planning mistake we see — people arrive on a Sunday morning expecting to go in. It is also why our Sunday tour departs at 13:30 rather than first thing: the route is built around the Cathedral’s afternoon opening. On the 28th this applies exactly as on any other Sunday.
- Mondays at the Alcázar. In winter the Alcázar opens 9:30 to 17:00, and on Mondays it reserves the final slots for free entry and closes earlier to paid visits. Fewer paid tickets are released, so a Monday sells out sooner than the days around it — with exactly the same level of demand.
The Cathedral publishes its hours close to the date and changes them with the liturgical calendar, so check before fixing an afternoon visit: we keep the Cathedral’s opening hours updated as they are confirmed.
The marathon weekend: the one weekend in February that sells out
The biggest event of the Seville year outside Holy Week and the Feria happens in February, and most guides to the month do not mention it at all.
The Zurich Maratón de Sevilla is run on Sunday 21 February 2027, starting at 8:30. It carries World Athletics’ Elite Label, the course is one of the flattest in Europe — which is why runners come from all over the world to set personal bests on it — and the field is in the region of 17,000. Add the people who come with them and the city takes on a high-season crowd for three days, in the middle of its quietest season.
What that means in practice:
- Accommodation books out months ahead for that weekend, at prices that have nothing to do with the rest of February.
- The monument advice in this article does not apply. If your dates include 19–22 February, book as you would for April, not as you would for February.
- Sunday the 21st is an afternoon, not a morning. The race starts at 8:30 and the centre is closed to traffic while it runs. That is not a problem for a guided visit, because Sundays are afternoons here anyway: the Cathedral only opens to cultural visits at 14:30. Our Sunday departure leaves at 13:30, by which time the race is finishing — so marathon Sunday runs like any other Sunday for us.
- Bib collection is at FIBES on Friday the 19th and Saturday the 20th, away from the historic centre. Runners are generally free in the afternoons of both days.
If you are travelling with a runner, you have three good options and no bad ones. Saturday afternoon works well — the legs stay fresh if the pace is unhurried. Sunday afternoon works too, once the finish line clears. And Monday the 22nd is the single best day of the month: the race is done, the city starts emptying, and the monuments are quiet again. A slow guided walk through the Alcázar is close to ideal recovery.
What you should not do is leave the booking to the week before. If those are your dates, check availability early — it is the one time in February we would tell you that.
Carnival is in February — but not here
Andalusia’s great February event is the Carnaval de Cádiz, and the most useful thing we can tell you about it is what the locals do: a lot of sevillanos get on a train and go.
Seville’s own carnival is small and neighbourhood-scale. It will not change your trip, and it changes nothing at the monuments — normal hours, normal availability, all month.
Cádiz is the opposite. It is the birthplace of carnival in Andalusia and the real thing: street choirs, satirical song groups and whole streets in costume, unlike anything else in Spain. And it is about an hour away by train or car, which makes it one of the easiest day trips of the year from Seville — go in the morning, come back late.
If your dates fall in carnival week, the sensible plan is not to look for it in Seville. It is to keep Seville for the monuments and give Cádiz a day.
Carnival dates are set by Cádiz city council and confirmed close to the date — the period generally falls in the first half of February. Check the council’s calendar before booking around it rather than relying on any guide, ours included.
The weather, honestly
February is milder than January but it is still winter. Expect daytime highs of around 18 °C and nights near 6 °C, with the second half of the month noticeably better than the first.
Three things the temperature does not tell you:
- The light comes back before the warmth does. By the end of February sunset is past 18:50 — roughly an hour and a half later than in late December. You get a usable late afternoon back, which January does not have.
- Seville is built for heat, not cold. Interiors are often colder than the street, and the Cathedral is genuinely cold. A coat you can keep on indoors is more useful than a thick jumper.
- The sun does most of the work. On a clear February afternoon a sheltered terrace in the sun is comfortable. The shade is the problem, not the air.
February is also one of the drier winter months, though rain is perfectly possible. Pack for both.
One thing February is not
It is not orange blossom season, and this trips up a lot of visitors.
Seville’s bitter orange trees flower in late March and April — the azahar the city is famous for, and the smell everyone describes. In February the trees are carrying ripe fruit, not blossom, and the harvest runs through the winter.
If the scent of orange blossom is the reason you are coming, you want March in Seville at the earliest — and you should know that the second half of March is also when the monuments start selling out weeks ahead. The two things arrive together, which is not a coincidence.
What February gives you that the months either side do not
- Against January: two or three degrees more, and an hour more usable daylight. The same empty monuments, with a late afternoon you can do something with.
- Against March: availability. In February you book a day or two ahead; from 16 March you book three weeks ahead, with non-refundable nominative tickets.
- Against April: the price of everything, and the absence of a queue. April is the best month to look at Seville and the worst month to book it late.
- The gardens in winter light. The low sun through the gardens of the Alcázar in February is the best light of the year there, and you will have them to yourself.
If you would rather have it arranged — official tickets for all three monuments, a confirmed entry time and an official local guide in one booking — see our available dates. Free cancellation up to 7 days before.
A two-day plan for February
Day 1 · The three monuments
Start at the Alcázar at opening. In February this is as close as the monument comes to private, and unlike in summer the first slot is the easy one to book. Take the gardens late morning once the sun is properly up, then the Cathedral and the Giralda in the early afternoon.
The Giralda’s ramps are a pleasure in February and an ordeal in July. If your monument day falls on a Sunday, start after lunch instead: the Cathedral’s cultural opening is squeezed into the afternoon, which is why our own Sunday departure is at 13:30.
Day 2 · The city
Santa Cruz in the morning, Plaza de España at midday for the low sun on the tiles, Triana in the afternoon. February evenings are still cool and you will want dinner indoors, but by the end of the month there is enough light after 18:00 for a proper walk along the river first — which is the thing January cannot offer.
So is February a good time to visit Seville?
If your dates are flexible, you dislike committing to non-refundable tickets weeks ahead, and you would rather have empty rooms than warm evenings: yes. It is the best value month of the year, and the last one where a day or two of notice is enough.
If you want to sit outside after dark, or you are coming for the orange blossom: no — you want March or April, and you should plan to book several weeks ahead.
And if your dates are anywhere near the end of March, check Semana Santa before anything else. In 2027 Holy Week falls on 21–28 March, the monuments close on different days that week, and it is the hardest week of the year to plan. February is the opposite of that in every respect.
Planning a different month? December · Christmas · January · March · April
Frequently asked questions
Is the Alcázar open in February?
Yes, every day of the month, on its normal winter timetable of 9:30 to 17:00. February has no closures at all, including 28 February. On Mondays the final slots are reserved for free entry, so fewer paid tickets are released and Mondays sell out sooner than the days around them.
Is the Cathedral open in February?
Yes, but check the day of the week. On Sundays the Cathedral normally opens for cultural visits at 14:30 rather than in the morning, because the morning is given over to services, and on some Sundays there are no cultural visits at all. Hours are published close to the date and follow the liturgical calendar.
Do I need to book the Alcázar in advance in February?
Much less than at any other time of year, except for one weekend. February is low season and tickets normally remain available one to two days ahead. From 1 March that becomes three to five days, and from 16 March two to three weeks. The exception is the marathon weekend, 19–22 February 2027, when the city fills as if it were high season and you should book weeks ahead.
When is the Seville Marathon in 2027?
Sunday 21 February 2027, starting at 8:30. Bib collection is at FIBES on Friday the 19th and Saturday the 20th. It is a World Athletics Elite Label race with a field of around 17,000, and one of the flattest marathon courses in Europe.
Can I visit the monuments on marathon day?
Yes, in the afternoon, and our tours run normally. The race starts at 8:30 and the centre is closed to traffic while it runs, but our Sunday departure is at 13:30 — by then the race is finishing, and the Cathedral opens to cultural visits at 14:30 on Sundays in any case. Monday the 22nd is quieter still, if your dates allow it.
What is the weather like in Seville in February?
Highs of around 18 °C and nights near 6 °C, with the second half of the month milder than the first. It is one of the drier winter months, but rain is possible. Interiors are often colder than the street, so bring a coat you can keep on indoors.
Is Seville crowded in February?
No. February is low season from start to finish, and on weekdays the monuments are close to empty. It is the last full month of the year that behaves this way.
Do the monuments close on Día de Andalucía, 28 February?
No. The Alcázar and the Cathedral open as normal and our tours run as on any other day. In 2027 the 28th falls on a Sunday, so the only thing that applies is the usual Sunday pattern at the Cathedral, where cultural visits start in the afternoon. It is a real regional holiday with a local, family feel, but it is not a day to plan around.
Is the Carnaval de Cádiz worth a day trip from Seville?
Yes, and it is what many sevillanos do themselves. Cádiz is the birthplace of carnival in Andalusia and about an hour away by train or car, so it works comfortably as a day trip. Seville’s own carnival is small by comparison. Nothing about it affects opening hours or ticket availability at the monuments. Dates are set by Cádiz city council and confirmed close to the date.
Is February orange blossom season in Seville?
No. The bitter orange trees flower in late March and April. In February they are carrying ripe fruit and the harvest is under way. If the azahar is your reason for coming, you want late March at the earliest.
Which entry slot should I book at the Alcázar in February?
The first one, if you want the palace at its emptiest — and in winter it is also the easiest to get. The pattern inverts in cold weather: we routinely see the 10:00 and 10:30 slots sell out before 9:30 does, the opposite of what happens in summer.
Is February a good time to visit Seville?
For value, availability and empty monuments it is the best month of the year after January, and it has milder days and longer afternoons than January does. The costs are that it is still winter and the evenings are cool. If you want warmth or orange blossom, wait for spring and plan to book weeks ahead.
Carmen Ramírez · manager
Carmen Ramírez is the manager of Alcázar Seville Tour and a licensed tourist guide in Seville, holding an Advanced Technical Diploma in Tourist Guidance, Information and Assistance. Since 2022 she has run the day-to-day booking operation for the Royal Alcázar, Seville Cathedral and the Giralda, which means she sees first-hand how far ahead each date sells out, which time slots close first, and what actually goes wrong when travellers book. She guides in english and spanish. Official Andalusian tourist guide licence no. 2931. Carmen writes the articles on availability, ticket rules and what to book in advance — the questions where the official monument websites stop short.
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