Our group of eight will spend three weeks in Southern Spain and Portugal this summer, late June to mid July. We'll have rental cars. We plan to drive from Seville to Lisbon via the Algarve and the Atlantic Coast. We would like to stop for a day (or more) somewhere in-between the two cities. Would love to hear about your favorite places to stay along that route!
Posted by
OP
Shoreline, Washington, USA
76 posts
Just bumping this up for another try!
Not sure about Salema after reading some reviews here on the Forum...
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7208 posts
There aren’t many large towns between Sevilla and the Algarve. I’ll suggest Huelva since it is fairly decent sized. From it, or on the way to it, you could stop by at the Doñana National Park and the western looking town of El Rocio. While I haven’t stayed at it, there is the Parador de Mazagón within walking distance to the beach. We’ve always had nice visits when staying at Paradors.
I can’t speak to towns in Portugal since I haven’t been to the Algarve area in decades.
Posted by
Paris
7312 posts
Tavira, in Portugal close to the border, would be more charming than Huelva, in my opinion. It is a cute town and the barrier islands (accessed by boat) have very good undeveloped beaches. Whereas Huelva has a bit too many chemical factories in the vicinity (although fewer than in past decades).
Posted by
OP
Shoreline, Washington, USA
76 posts
Thanks, all. I just started looking at the Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano area. Gorgeous!
Posted by
1 posts
Hello. I am planning a similar trip and have found that the rental car drop charge is nearly $1000 for this one way rental. Is this your experience? What rental car company are you using? Thank you.
Posted by
OP
Shoreline, Washington, USA
76 posts
We usually rent from Sixt. We'll pick up our cars in Granada, Spain. To avoid the exorbitant "drop off in another country" fee, we will drive to Vigo, Spain from Porto, Portugal and drop the cars at the airport there.
We found our one-night rest stop between Seville and Lisbon! We'll be staying in Brejao, a small town near the Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano. Beautiful beaches and maybe some birding. The vacation home of Amalia Rodrigues, Portugal's most famous Fado singer, which we're hoping to visit, is nearby, too.
Posted by
340 posts
Great question for us, too... Except we'll be driving from Lisbon to Sevilla. This is part of a May/June trip that is pretty well planned out -- except for the Lisbon to Sevilla portion (intentionally so far) -- for my wife and I.
We walk some of the Camino de Santiago, and get a car in Santiago. We drive through Porto and Lisbon -- and have plans for stays in both cities... Then we have six full days -- May 31 to June 6 -- before we turn the car in in Sevilla. I thought we'd spend a couple of days in the Algarve, but the reviews on this forum are very cool about the area. And I anticipated spending three or four days driving between Arcos and Ronda in southern Spain...
We have no accommodations booked for anywhere during that portion of the trip, expecting to wing it as we go... Last year we drove through Scotland for four weeks, and we were strongly cautioned to book accommodations well ahead of time, which we did and which we were glad about once we got there.
This two-month trip is highly scheduled, too -- except our time in southern Portugal and Spain. Should I book now? Or can I wing it. (We're not too concerned about budget, realizing we may have to spend to get a place to sleep sometimes...)
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7208 posts
Originally we had planned on renting a car in Lisbon (return to the same location) for a September trip but found rental car prices significantly higher in Portugal. We changed our itinerary to rent and return it in Spain. For a 21 days trip the rental price was $900 less. If renting in Portugal, ensure you ask how you pay tolls with the rental car. Most of Portugal’s main roads are electronic toll only. If you rent in Spain check out the portugaltolls website. It provides everything you need to know for paying tolls with a foreign registered vehicle. We’ve already booked hotels for the entire trip.
Posted by
OP
Shoreline, Washington, USA
76 posts
We're a group of eight so we've already booked all of our accommodations for this trip, mostly holiday rentals and B&Bs. We decided against the Algarve after reading Rick's latest book and reviews here on the forum. (We'll drive through and maybe visit Salema on our way north.) The Portuguese Atlantic Coast has fabulous views, beaches, small villages and will be a nice half-way point to stop on our way to Lisbon. We've booked one night in Brejao in/near the Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano. If you're a Fado fan, the vacation home of Amalia Rodrigues, Portugal's most famous singer, is in Brejao and is a B&B. I wish I could figure out how to contact them because I'd love to stay there!