Huge Portugal/Spain Itinerary dilemma !

I am not a beach person, so it will surprise no one that I think 3 nights on the Algarve and 3 nights in Nerja is way too much time. I'd much prefer Porto (especially) and Coimbra, and 2 nights in Seville isn't enough time just for that city, much less the highly desirable day-trip to Cordoba.

You might consider visiting Sintra and Cascais from Lisbon to cut out one hotel change.

Are you planning to drive?

Wow, acraven, fast reply, thanks !
No, we are not driving. We are seniors and hubby doesn't feel comfortable driving so we will use trains and buses. We are not really beach people either, but Nerja seems like a lovely town and we love the ocean so thought we could relax for a couple of days, and as far as the Algarve, isn't there interesting scenery worthwhile seeing? If not, yes, we can skip it. We do love smaller towns..so thought skipping Porto after Lisbon would give us more time elsewhere. We really want to overnite in Sintra as opposed to doing a day trip.

My first reaction when reading this is where are Coimbra and Porto? They are much more important than Sintra, which can easily be done a day trip from Lisbon. CaisCais was just OK and I really like being on the ocean. Porto is not museum intensive. It is a walking about the city, sitting by the river kind of a place. We really liked Porto a lot more than we expected.
Our favorite section of Portugal was the Minho, above Porto, Guimares, Braga, Viana do Castelo.
In Spain, Sevilla should get the most time, certainly more than two nights. Two nights is fine for Granada.
Where is Cordoba? It’s so easy to visit by train from Sevilla. It is an amazing city filled with historical sites. I can’t comment on Nerja or the Algarve as I skipped them.

If you aren't driving how are getting between Spain and Portugal? As I understand its not the simplest of routes?

We have made significant changes to include Porto and Coimbra. 3 nites in Seville and 2 in Granada, Cordoba and Ronda 1 nite each. We plan to bus from Evora to Seville and fly to Lisbon from Malaga. I think next time we go to Europe (if there is a next time) we will do an organized tour !!

We went to Spain last year and you only need one full day in Seville so two nights. You do need a night in Córdoba as the Mezquita is worth it. Be careful they are working on the train lines between Seville and Granada and you have to take a bus part of the way.

You've got 23-24 days for 2 countries. i've done one country in that time period and stayed on the move.I suggest staying on the move. however, a lot depends on how you are traveling; car? bus/train?
i would forget 4 nights in lisbon, given that you're returning to fly outi agree about sintra for a day trip. dont go for 2 nights,
i also agree with those who advise not spending more than 1 night in nerja. ronda- if you get there early enough-can be done in a day and is well worth it.
that said, i think sevllia is well-worth 2-3 nights. granada for 2 nights is fine, but consider madrid-if yo're going to spain(more than porto or coimbra) i get that you dont do museums but...the first time i went to spain, i spent only one day/night in madrid and deeply regretted it. went back! day trip to Toledo as well.
also malaga and east of malaga is worth a nite.

you've still got 2months to finalize iteinerary. keep changing and enjoy

Don't give up on planning your own trips just because the Spanish/Portuguese border is a thorny one. Most other border crossings in Europe are more straightforward as far as ground transportation goes.

It appear that taking a bus from Evora to Seville means heading first east and then south, with a change in either Badajoz (which I have not visited) or Merida. Merida is not Spain's most attractive city, but it has a good archaeological museum and some Roman ruins. (Other places in the region of Extremadura that are more atmospheric are Caceres and Trujillo.) It appears that the bus trip will take about 5 hours, perhaps a bit more. Rome2Rio.com will help you figure out which companies will get you to Seville and most likely give you a link to their websites, where you can check on the schedule. Be sure to use the right date; day of week can matter.

Yes, don't give up on planning your own trips! You just happened to pick a difficult one when you wanted to combine Spain and Portugal in one trip. I know that in the US we think of them as practically one country, but they just don't combine well on a single trip. Many other country pairs are either easier (say, Germany and France), or they obviously require a flight, so no one thinks there is a quick and easy land route (say, Greece and France).

I do always look at logistics when planning trips, and check specifics before I get too attached to anything. I also look at specific days and try to head off problems. Sundays can be bad days to try to connect destinations, as there's often reduced or absent bus service. And Mondays can be bad days to be in smaller destinations, as many tourist attractions, particularly museums, can

All that said, one advantage of taking an organized tour is that someone else has done all the work! I do enjoy the planning, but I understand that some don't, and it sure is nice not to have to leave the details to someone else. Of course, you pay for this (I'm always amused when people say they can duplicate a tour on their own for less money, not realizing you're paying not just for the hotels and transit, but also the planning and guiding and prep work).

Thanks everyone. I usually love the planning, but we should have booked an extra week to get in the two countries, so trying to get every place in that we want to go is proving challenging.