With temperatures soaring, a tour guide based in the city has told Brits to stay away.
Stunning architecture, rich history, incredible cuisine and fantastic weather all place Europe’s hottest city on the travel bucket list for many Brits.
But it’s the weather during summer that British tourists should keep in mind.
With rising temperatures, Seville in Spain may not be the best holiday hotspot – and that’s the view of a tour guide who ditched London for beautiful southern Spain more than two decades ago.
Fiona Watson, who moved to Seville in 2003, is a journalist and travel writer who currently guides holidaymakers around the city’s tapas establishments. When asked about her recommendations for visitors spending an afternoon in Seville, she had clear advice.
She told the Mirror: “Right now in the afternoons they need to be in an air-conditioned room. I wouldn’t recommend going out at all at the moment.
“I flew back from a trip to England 10 days ago and noticed there were no Spanish people on the plane. I thought ‘have you any idea what you’re letting yourself in for?’
“We (locals) do ask ‘why do they come and go to the beach?’ It is not a place to come in the summer.”
Fiona added: “It is great that we have tourists, but it is not a nice place for them to be in the summer. Hopefully they have a siesta in the afternoon.”
Fiona branded summer in the city as “inconvenient” and “like being in an oven”, with most residents opting to stay indoors from around 1pm before venturing out only after the sun sets in the evening.
This is because the city endures blistering heatwaves that can soar to an astonishing 45C.
Yet despite Seville becoming increasingly sweltering, visitor numbers continue to surge. In 2023, 12.2million international arrivals were welcomed to Andalucia – the region where Seville is located – smashing records and surpassing the 12.02million who visited in 2019.
Fiona encouraged visitors to travel between March and May or after the summer months have ended. “October is lovely,” she added.
As for the city itself, Fiona said: “It is a very multicultural city. The Royal Alcazar is a must.
“It is absolutely beautiful, it is a mix of Moorish architecture and Mudejar. Part of Game of Thrones was filmed there. It was one of the palaces in Dorne.”