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More to see and do in Lisbon or Seville??

Posted by on

Hi - We are flying into Lisbon early on December 26 and had originally planned on 4 nights there. On our last day in Lisbon, we will pick up a car and drive to Seville - seeing the Algarve region along the way and any other place of interest. A fun road trip day.

After some reading, we are re-thinking that 4th night in Lisbon and wondering if it would be better used in Seville? It seems like 3 full days in Lisbon is enough to get a good feel for the city, even with spending one of those days in Sintra. Seville, on the other hand, has several destinations nearby which may require the extra day. We will have a car in Seville, so a day trip to Gibraltar, Ronda, etc. would be an option.

Any thoughts? We are committed to the 3 night/4 night itinerary - just can't decide how to best split the nights!

Posted by
4535 posts

There is no right or wrong answer. I personally would opt for Sevilla. Lisbon is a nice city but you are right, you can get the overall feel for it with a couple of days and a third day at Sintra. The weather there in December may not be the best either. It might be drier in Sevilla.

I assume you know that dropping a car off in another country means a hefty drop-off fee?

Posted by
4 posts

Thank you for the response. Yes, we know about drop off fees. The drive is only 4 hours back to Lisbon so we are actually going back there our last day and staying at a hotel near the airport for our flight out the next morning. Easy enough to do!

Another question - is there a town in the Andalucia area that is worth an overnight stay on our way to Seville? Or is it easier to just use Seville as a base camp and take day trips - which we don't mind doing.

Thanks

Posted by
2078 posts

If you fly into Lisbon I would stay the first two days (Sintra included) there and plan a possible third day at the end of the itinerary during the stay in Sevilla. This kind of things is to my opinion best to decide on the spot, so book the hotel in Sevilla with the possibility of dropping a night there. Flexible booking is not directly a problem that time of the year I guess.
I have worked a few months in the region of Lisbon and a single daytrip for me was enough to get the feeling. To my personal experience/opinion Sevilla and surroundings has more to offer. But read and search enough before leaving for not overlooking places and to get the best out of it.

Posted by
7897 posts

On your way from or back to Lisbon, consider Evora. We stayed overnight on our drive from Portugal to Spain several years ago and enjoyed the square in the old town, the ancient Roman temple, the nearby megalithic dolmen, and the acres or cork and olive trees. A fancy dinner at the Pousada was nice for our last night in Portugal.

As in other places in Europe with narrow streets and tight parking spots, a smaller rental vehicle works better than a larger vehicle - just so there's room for all of you and your luggage!

Posted by
2078 posts

Cyn I agree, Pousadas certainly worth to consider, are luxury hotels/restaurants in historical distinctive buildings like castles and mansions spread all over Portugal. See: www.pousadas.pt

Posted by
348 posts

The white hill towns are not far from Seville. My favorite was Granzalema. On the coast we enjoyed Almunicar and Nerja.

Posted by
2779 posts

This is a tough one, not an easy call. Seville as a city is nice, but the real sights are in the area around it. My personal must-see is Cadiz, especially with the medieval tower and its "camera obscura". Also Jerez, about an hour's drive from Seville, is magnificent. It doesn't get any more oriental in Europe than there.

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