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Itinerary Question

Hello. My husband and I are planning a trip to Portugal and Spain from the middle of April to the beginning of May. Does the following sound feasible:
Depart US for Lisbon; arrive Lisbon and take the train to Porto.
Spend four nights in Porto.
Fly from Porto to Seville, Spain
Spend four nights in Seville
Train from Seville to Madrid
Spend four nights in Madrid
Fly/train from Madrid to Lisbon
Spend four nights in Lisbon
Return to US
Does this sound like too much to undertake in terms of distance? Would we have enough time in each location to enjoy the area?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Posted by
922 posts

If you haven't purchased your flights to/from Europe, consider flying into Lisbon and out of Madrid. This will avoid backtracking to Lisbon (time and expense). If you already have flights into/out of Lisbon, I think your itinerary looks fine. I think you have enough time in each location to at least hit the his points. i would consider a day trip to Cordoba during your stay in Seville and a day trip to Toledo during your stay in Madrid.

Posted by
513 posts

If you have not yet purchased your transatlantic air ticket, I recommend flying "open jaws", into one city and home from another - either into Madrid and home from Lisbon or vice versa. You could then rearrange your other touring to fit this.

Posted by
4 posts

Thank you Stephen and Jack - your suggestion on the flights makes a lot of sense.

Posted by
4 posts

We took your advice and are now flying into Lisbon and out of Madrid. Would you recommend five nights in Lisbon and three in Porto - or four nights in each spot?

Posted by
7595 posts

Regarding your Portugal travel, I would recommend that you spend 3-4 nights in Porto and Lisbon, but plan on visiting places between the cities. Sintra, Obidos, Cascais, Batila Cathedral and more are worth seeing.

Also, for Madrid, plan on visiting Toledo and Segovia a short train ride from Madrid.
Otherwise a great plan.

Posted by
4 posts

Thanks very much "geovagriffith." Appreciate the reassurance and will incorporate your suggestions into our travel plan.

Posted by
1878 posts

I would stay three nights in Porto even though it's your first stop, and five nights in Lisbon. That's what my wife and I did on our 2008 trip, although we flew into Porto rather than Lisbon. There is way more to do in Lisbon, plus good day (and Sintra is even better if you can stay a couple of nights).