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Alternative Itineraries/ To Dip Into Spain or Not?

Posted by (Oregon) on

We have tickets for May, so the dates are set, but we haven't decided how to use them yet. This is what's set in stone

4 nights New York
1 night flight to Lisbon
18 nights to be decided
Flight home from Porto

We have two competing plans. One stays in Portugal and generally follows Rick Steves' suggestion for a two week trip by car. The second scraps the southern coast and northern wine country in favor of Meredes, Caceres, and Salamanca in Spain

Option 1 All Portugal:

Lisbon 4 nights
Rent car and drive to a southern beach town (Salema?) 3 nights
Mertola 2 nights
Evora 2 nights
Batalha or Nazare 3 nights
Visit Coimbra on way to town on Doura River 2 nights
Drop off car in Porto 2 nights
Fly home

Option 2 Spanish Detour:

Lisbon 4 nights
Train to Evora 3 nights rent car on second day to explore area
Visit Merides on drive to Caceres 3 nights Caceres (visit Trujillo and/or Gattallope)
Salamanca 2 nights
Guarda or other hill town 1 night
Combria 3 nights (use driving day from Guarda and one other day to visit Nazare area)
Train to Porto 2 nights
Fly home

In favor of option one, I have been to Caceres and Salamanca, I like wine tasting, and a beach break after Lisbon and NY might be nice. In favor of Option two, we live near the Pacific coast, husband is not a wine lover, and I'd like to show my husband Meredes, Caceres, and Salamanca.

Any thoughts about which is better? Any warnings or suggestions about either option?

I have looked into crossing the boarder with the rental car, and it appears affordable.

Posted by
8002 posts

Add Spain. We did things backwards from you, with a Spain vacation where we dipped into Portugal, and it sounds like you’ll both get a lot out of a two-country trip. One of the most appealing aspects of your second option is you have 3 nights in Evora, not just 2. It’s a very special area.

We rented from Hertz, and picked up the car in Portugal and returned it in Spain, with a hefty charge for the convenience, but no problem crossing the border. With you both renting and returning in Portugal, that’ll be easy. Maybe they’ll charge you for returning to a different city than where you picked up the car (hopefully not), but it’ll be far less, if any, than we were charged for returning in a different country.

Posted by
6113 posts

There is more than enough to keep you occupied in Portugal, but I wouldn’t strictly follow the RS guide. There are many reasons I love Portugal, but meal time hours are much better for me than the Spanish hours. I don’t want to eat lunch at 3pm and dinner at 10pm.

Add at least two nights to Lisbon so that you can see Sintra and Cascais or stay in Cascais for two nights. Drop Salema (see other posts on Salema) and Mertola - it’s pleasant enough but a bit out of the way. Add a night to the charming Evora.

Stay in Batalha not the over-touristy Nazare for four nights minimum. Stay in Coimbra for 2 nights then the Douro and Porto.

Your Spanish option involves too much driving versus time spent seeing places.

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