Hello,
We are thinking of taking a trip, duration 3 weeks in June : begin flying into Lisbon Portugal from the US, staying in Lisbon 3 days, then visiting Salema/Lagos 2 days, then Lagos to Sevilla Spain, 2 nights Sevilla, 1 night Nerja, 2 nights Granada, travel to Madrid/3 nights in Madrid, fly to Barcelona/3 nights, then bus to San Sebastian/Bilbao for 3 nights. Do you think 3 nights in Paris would be too much? We are trying to decide if we should add a few days and try to see Paris or if we should fly home to the US from Bilbao. Thank you for any suggestions to this proposed itinerary.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
367 posts
Very rushed. I would drop Nerja & add a night to Seville. Two full days too short for Paris, save it for another trip. The AVE train from Madrid to Barc is only 2 1/2 hrs, not worth flying.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thank you so much for your input. I will definitely check out the train from Madrid to Barcelona-- prefer trains. I keep trying to fit in Paris, maybe I will add another 5 days to our trip or visit Paris another time. Thank you again!
Posted by
Portland
3642 posts
Getting from Portugal to Seville is not as easy as it appears. You can’t do it by train, and cars incur a huge fee if dropped in a different country from the pick-up. I think you can do it by bus, but it’s a 5 or 6 hour ride. Also, 2 nights gives you really just 1 whole day. I suggest you take at least 1 of the days you’re considering for Paris and add it to Seville. If you add a couple, you could do a day trip to Córdoba.
You might want to check on train vs plane for the Madrid/Barcelona segment. When you consider the time to get to and from airports and the time for security, a high speed train journey may not take longer than a flight. Then it comes down to cost. Either option may offer surprising bargains. You should particularly research whether the Spanish train system offers the super-discounted advance purchase tickets available in France and some other countries.
Posted by
Germany
1117 posts
We are trying to decide if we should add a few days and try to see
Paris or if we should fly home to the US from Bilbao.
With that schedule, the choice seems pretty clear to me. Much as Paris is worth a visit, I'd leave that for a later trip and spend your time on those locations you'd otherwise only be rushing through.
And it might be advisable to rewrite your itinerary counting the nights only. Like is that really 3 days in Lisbon (= 4 nights)? And do you really want to spend only one full day each in Sevilla and Granada, and only two full days each in Madrid, Barcelona and San Sebastian?
To me, it seems like traveling time and vacationing/ sightseeing time are not in good proportion. Keep in mind that every transfer to a new place will cost you half a day at least, possibly more.
Posted by
8180 posts
If you like historical or cultural sights, I recommend more nights in Seville, skip Lagos. You skipped Northern Portugal and Porto and the Douro Valley is special, but you can do that on another trip.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
A bit of streamlining will add to your enjoyment, as well as reducing the stress of moving about so much.
- fly into Lisbon (4 nights)
- fly via Madrid to Granada (2 nights)
- train to Sevilla (3 nights)
- train via Cordoba to Madrid (4 nights)
- train to Barcelona (4 nights)
- fly/train to Paris (5 nights)
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thank you to all that responded! So much to think about, and I believe all of the responses made me reflect on what it is we want to take away from this trip, our 2nd trip to Europe. I am inclined to change up the itinerary after reading all of the responses and I am inclined to follow the streamlined itineray as suggested by djp-syd. I sincerely appreciate the feedback from all and thank you!