Things to do in Carmona
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Carmona
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring is best, with green campina, rideable greenway days and the densest fiesta calendar, but higher prices.
Autumn is the connoisseur alternative, with harvest light, empty sights and temperatures made for ridge walks.
Winter is mild, quiet and cheap, with short days and some reduced sight hours.
Summer afternoons regularly pass 38 to 40C, sights shorten hours, and sightseeing becomes a dawn and evening activity.
September brings the patronal fiestas and romerias as the heat begins to break.
What's on
- Cabalgata de Reyes Magos 5 January
The Three Kings procession on the evening of 5 January.
- Carnaval de Carmona February to March
Carnival of declared tourist interest with a provincial contest of carnival groups.
- Semana Santa Holy Week, week before Easter
Solemn processions through the old town from its historic churches.
- Las Mayas 1 May
Children and flowers lead the May celebration, with decorated May Crosses through the month.
- Feria de Carmona Third week of May
The town fair dating to 1466, with casetas, horses and flamenco dress, and the one loud week of the year.
- Romeria de la Virgen de Gracia First Sunday of September
Pilgrimage to the hermitage of the Virgin of Grace opening the September fiestas.
- Fiestas Patronales de la Virgen de Gracia 8 to 16 September
The patronal fiestas in honour of the Virgin of Grace, the town in festival dress.
- Romeria de San Mateo 21 September
The St Matthew pilgrimage closing the September festival cycle.
Best things to do in Carmona
Alcazar de la Puerta de Sevilla
A fortress stacked on a Carthaginian and Roman gate, with terraces that give the defining view over Carmona.
Roman Necropolis of Carmona
One of the largest Roman cemeteries in Spain, with rock cut family tombs and the villa like Tumba de Servilia.
Iglesia de Santa Maria de la Asuncion
The town great church built over the great mosque, keeping its orange tree courtyard and a Visigothic calendar.
Convento de Santa Clara
A working Poor Clare convent with a quiet cloister and a hatch selling sweets the nuns bake on site.
Museo de la Ciudad de Carmona
Five thousand years of Carmona in one Renaissance palace, the context that makes every other sight make sense.
Puerta de Cordoba
The Roman gate at the east end of town framing the great view down over the Vega and Corbones valley.
Alcazar del Rey Don Pedro
The ruined royal fortress at the top of town, best used via the parador terrace and its vast valley view.
Plaza de San Fernando
The old Roman forum square where Carmona life happens, with the town hall Roman Medusa mosaic beside it.
Where to stay in Carmona
Old Town around Plaza de San Fernando and Santa Maria
first trip, all round base
Inside the walls and on foot to every sight, with the square terraces outside the door and fiesta noise in season.
Alcazar Hill and Parador end
splurge, celebration, pool and terrace trips
The highest and quietest end of town with the views, but a steep climb and a more isolated evening feel.
Puerta de Sevilla and lower approach
one night stops, bus travellers and drivers
Easiest arrival, parking and bus stop, with a ten minute walk up Calle Prim to the square for everything else.
Think twice about
- Modern outskirts and A-4 corridor
Cheaper and easier driving but car dependent and plain, with a long walk to every sight and none of the old town charm.
- Isolated rural fincas marketed as Carmona
Some are kilometres out on unlit roads. Lovely with a car and no evening plans, a trap if you expect to stroll to tapas.
- Seville as a Carmona base
You will see the necropolis at tour pace and miss the evening town, which is the best part of staying in Carmona.
Best restaurants in Carmona
La Yedra
Carmona gastronomic address, refined Andalusian cooking in a lush garden courtyard near the parador.
Restaurante Almazara de Carmona
Creative campina cooking in a renovated courtyard with a lemon tree, the modern mid range choice in town.
Abaceria Museo Restaurante
A rustic grocery tavern by the museum whose generous tapas reviewers call the best and cheapest meal of trips.
Molino de la Romera
Traditional cooking in a former mill, a Carmona family occasion place known for torrijas to finish.
Cerveceria San Fernando
The dependable square side tapas stop, chosen by travellers on first days and praised for tuna and gambas.
Bar Mingalario
An old bodega in the historic centre with a wide tapas list, the bar to build a Carmona evening around.
Bar Goya
A lifetime locals bar on Calle Prim with tapas that are not the typical ones, two minutes from the square.
Lolita Fusion
The fusion alternative in a traditional town, useful on night three for mixed groups and vegetarians.
Outdoor things to do in Carmona
Via Verde de los Alcores
A 25 km greenway on the old Bakers Train line along the Los Alcores ridge, best as a dawn out and back ride.
Carmona Bike Tours
The in town bike rental and guided ride operation that makes riding the Via Verde practical for visitors.
Club Hipico Carmona
A working Carmona riding school at Finca La Fortuna for lessons and countryside rides over the campina.
Real Club Sevilla Golf
The championship Olazabal course near Seville, the serious round for a Carmona stay since Carmona has none.
Seville
Reverse the usual day trip by busing from quiet Carmona into Seville for the cathedral and Alcazar, then back.
Cordoba
About an hour east by car or bus, the Mezquita makes a full and unhurried day trip from a Carmona bed.
Ecija
The city of Baroque towers 50 km east, the natural second day driving partner for a Carmona base.
Best hotels in Carmona
Parador de Carmona
A 14th century Moorish fortress hotel with a Mudejar courtyard, valley pool and the widest view in town.
Casa Palacio de Carmona
A 16th century palace hotel in the historic centre, intimate grandeur an easy walk from Santa Maria.
Hotel Alcazar de la Reina
The reliable full service mid range hotel with pool and parking, sensible for families and drivers.
El Rincon de las Descalzas
A small breakfast included old town property by the Descalzas convent, highly rated on a small review base.
Hostal Comercio
The central budget hostal with air conditioning and a bar, keeping cheap stays inside the town itself.
Hostel Cafe FRENTEABASTOS
A hostel style base by the market square with a seasonal pool and rooms from doubles to family lofts.
Is Carmona expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €55 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €115 a person |
| Splurge | €250 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Carmona Bike Tours: a few days ahead
- Club Hipico Carmona: a few days ahead
- Real Club Sevilla Golf: weeks ahead
- Seville: a few days ahead
- Cordoba: a few days ahead
- Parador de Carmona: weeks ahead
- Casa Palacio de Carmona: weeks ahead
- La Yedra: a few days ahead
- Book the Parador and Casa Palacio weeks ahead for spring, autumn, Semana Santa and the Feria.
- Book La Yedra days ahead, and Real Club Sevilla Golf tee times well ahead.
- Book Seville Alcazar and Cordoba Mezquita timed tickets ahead if you day trip.
- The amphitheatre guided visits are weekend mornings only, booked by phone, and not offered in high summer.
Is Carmona safe?
- Carry water on the necropolis and the Via Verde, where there is no reliable supply en route.
- Watch for steep cobbled streets and unlit rural roads if staying in a finca outside town.
- Use ordinary Spanish town precautions with bags on terraces during fiestas and cars in public car parks.
- Emergency number in Spain is 112.
Carmona travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- A midday day trip misses the evening paseo and the empty morning streets, the best hours in Carmona.
- August afternoons pass 38 to 40C and the necropolis has little shade and shorter hours, so sightsee early and late.
- Many sights close on Mondays, including the necropolis and Santa Maria, so plan Tuesday to Saturday for the full town.
- The parador pool is for residents only, even though non residents can use the terrace for drinks and lunch.
Getting around Carmona: public transport and more
- Walk the walled old town, and allow 10 to 15 minutes on foot from the Puerta de Sevilla to the necropolis.
- Take the Casal M-124 bus from Seville San Bernardo for about 3 EUR, and note the last bus back leaves Carmona around 21:00.
- Carmona has no railway station, so do not plan around a train.
- Park at Paseo del Estatuto or Puerta de Sevilla and walk in, rather than driving into the pedestrian old town.
Who Carmona suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Carmona your trip
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