Hi from Rick: It’s Spring in Spain — Olé!
If Spain had a national season, I think it would be spring. And if spring had a birthplace, it would be Sevilla. Every year, just after its elaborate Holy Week celebrations, this town of gazpacho, flamenco, and fragrant orange trees dolls up its fairgrounds with over a thousand pinstriped party tents — called casetas — for a week of round-the-clock revelry: the Feria de Abril (April Fair).
Strolling through this secular festival feels like crashing a thousand wedding receptions all at once. Inside each caseta, families, clubs, and associations host private parties. Sherry spritzes flow freely as revelers spill out onto the fairgrounds, where a springtime flirtatiousness fills the air. Women twirl in polka-dot flamenco dresses, their fans all aflutter, as men in tight spangled jackets tip their wide-brimmed hats. Even the horses prance.
I love attending the April Fair, where you don't need an invitation to join the fun. Colorful parades and lively music flood the fairgrounds into the wee hours — and even though the casetas are technically private, they make a habit of pulling in strangers. Every time I'm in town for the April Fair, I find myself swept into a caseta, handed a sherry spritz…and next thing I know, I'm on the dance floor, twining with a stranger while picking up a few basic flamenco steps. Olé!
That's just one corner of Spain. Wherever you go, you'll find opportunities to be part of the fun: sardana circle dances in Barcelona (post-Mass Sunday celebrations of Catalan culture); evening paseos through the bustling streets of Madrid; and everywhere, lively taberna debates over which tapas you should try, which fútbol team you should support, and which town you should visit next. Women flaunt their fans, fluent in that language of love. Short men respond with raspy tobacco voices, swinging big bellies — which they call curvas de la felicidad (curves of happiness) — as if evangelical about the beauty of the good times they've enjoyed with abandon.
If this much Spanish fun sounds like a challenge you'd like to tackle, we'd love to take you there on any of our five Spain itineraries. Best of Andalucía in 10 Days, Basque Country of Spain & France in 9 Days, and Best of Barcelona & Madrid in 8 Days dive deep into Spain's vibrant cities and culture-packed regions. Want it all? Consider our Best of Spain in 14 Days or its unguided sibling, My Way® Spain in 11 Days. They both cover the best of Spain from lively Barcelona to soulful Sevilla.
In this month's Tour News, we're celebrating the joys of traveling in Spain with slideshows covering a trio of our culture-packed Spain itineraries, a few raves from recent Spain tour members, an interview with longtime Spain guide Augustín Ciriza, and a swirling tour through April Fair in Sevilla.
And speaking of festivals, we're getting ready to host our own: the Rick Steves' Europe Festival of Tours. As we prepare to open our 2026 tours, this two-week virtual celebration (April 21–May 2) will feature nine evening Zoom sessions, co-hosted by our great European guides. Each is designed to help you pick and choose among your many tour options, while getting to know the places and people that make our tours so special. As always, all festival sessions are free to attend — you just need to register.
Imagine a Spanish adventure filled with flamenco, flowing with sherry, and rollicking with curves of happiness. Then, consider making it happen!
Happy travels!
Rick