I just booked tickets for my 14 year old son an I to Madrid on 3/21. We had intended to go to Seville and explore southern Spain but just realized Easter Week is a big deal here. Can anyone suggest a couple of alternative cities/towns (along with cheap/charming accomodations!)?
That's not 'Easter Week;'
Semana Santa is the week leading up to Easter. Religious Processions peak in Sevilla on Good Friday (3/25). We have actually daytripped Madrid-Sevilla, catching an early AVE that got us to Santa Justa at 10:00; returning from Sevilla at 20:00 (arr. Madrid Puerta de Atocha @ 22:30 - just in time for supper). AVE had a 25% discount on same day roundtrips then.
You could do the same from Cordoba or Jerez de la frontera or Huelva. The latter is a big PetroChemical Port, like the port of Houston.
Be advised: that week is 'High Season,' all over the south of Spain. You're not likely to find cheap/charming accomodations available anywhere during that week.
We hoped for better weather in the south which is why we picked it--willing to try something else if the weather is the same all over.
Normally, it is quite a bit warmer in the south. Spain has had a very cold Winter but that doesn't carry over (i.e., one can't predict a colder than usual Spring or Summer based on that: as a matter of fact, the amplitude of atmospheric long waves might suggest just the opposite).