Itinerary Suggestions- Driving Portugal and Spain

Have you priced the rental car? I've found it cost prohibitive to pick up a car in one country and return in another. Also, I'm not sure a car is helpful in Lisbon and Porto and likely a hindrance.

Our friends were going to drive the car back to Madrid as they are leaving from Madrid.

Replace Nazare( touristy beach resort town) with historic Coimbra.
When is this trip? I would skip Tangier. Another time visit Morocco to actually see the country.
I also would skip Algarve and use the time to visit Evora and Guimares instead.

What are you doing with the car while in Tangier?
Other than the Algarve, I see nowhere a car would be of any use. I love driving to small villages, but driving in and out of cities with fantastic train systems seems a waste.

We are thinking of maybe now taking the fast train from Madrid to Sevilla. Then we rent a car after our jaunt to Tangier. We would rent the car in maybe Algecirus port and then continue on to Portugal and return the car in Madrid.

Good call! I think that will make better use of time and money, and without worrying about a parked rental.
Of course, I’d nix the Tangier trip and make use of the car, but. I do realize we all have to pick our own must-sees!

Agree with the other suggestion to skip Tangier but it depends on when you are going. We were in Morocco at the end of May and it was 90-106 the entire trip. If it's the summer, it's going to be hot. It's worth a day but I'm not sure I would travel from Spain for a couple of nights. It's an old city but other parts of Morocco were more interesting. Consider going to Granada if you haven't been. There are inexpensive flights from Madrid. We picked up a car there and then drove to Sevilla with an overnight stop in Ronda.

Also, your itinerary is a lot of moving around. Lisbon is worth more than 3 nights and Madrid is worth more than 2 nights. There is so much to see in surrounding areas as well. Driving on your own takes much more time than expected. There is road work, traffic, getting into towns and parking logistics. It takes much more time than just the travel time. Moving around so much will require a lot of time in the car.

Hopefully you do well in real heat. Late June into July in Southern Spain (and Morocco...), you will probably get a bit of that.

Have you worked out the logistics of getting to/from Tangier without a car? And the price of a rental car in a relatively remote location? Do you have any specific requirements for the car? Note that luggage capacity is pretty limited in most cars and you don't want to leave any items visible in the car when you park. Also, automatic transmissions are not that available (yes, even if reserved in advance) and the larger the car, the harder it will be to find parking. One more thing to consider is that it's very desirable to have a car with a toll reader in Portugal (only available when you rent in Portugal).

I also would encourage you to drop Morocco. Several years ago, I took a 2-week tour there. I looked at lots of other tour companies beforehand. None of them included Tangier in their itinerary. There is so much to see and do in Spain and Portugal, not to mention the best of 2 days used up just getting to Tangier and back to Europe. Save Morocco for a future trip.

I also agree that most of your trip doesn't need - or justify - a car. My recommendations are:
Skip Tangier, but spend 2-3N in Cordoba between Madrid and Sevilla.
Take the bus from Sevilla to the Algarve and rent a car there. Drop the car in Lisbon and take the train to Porto.

Driving in Lisbon and Porto is a miserable experience and parking is scarce and/or expensive.

Hi, sounds like a great trip but as others have suggested, I would skip Tangier and certainly not stay overnight. There are plenty of areas of S. Spain with Moorish influence. Don’t go to Morocco just to check a box. It is a beautiful country that deserves its own dedicated vacation.

Side note - if you’re looking for an awesome and one of a kind side trip I would suggest a weekend in the Azores. It’s the “Hawaii of Europe.” I’ve been to two of the more rustic islands, Flores and Corvo. You can expect a truly authentic but unique Portuguese experience there. Flights aren’t too pricey either. I’d suggest SATA airlines. Happy travels!

We decided to take out Tangier and add two nights in Granada. Thanks for the recommendations.

I’m considering a similar itinerary in southern Spain & Portugal, maybe skipping Madrid and flying in/out of Malaga in early June. I would love just a taste of Morocco. Any feedback on taking a 2-day tour like this from Tangier?

https://www.getyourguide.com/chefchaouen-l104265/from-tangiera-taste-of-the-north-chaouen-assilah-tetouan-t439424/

Thanks!

I would fly to Fes or Marrakech rather than spending a lot of time traveling to a Spanish port you'd otherwise not want to visit, then taking a ferry to Tangier, which is not one of Morocco's best destinations, and then traveling away from Tangier. Just fly to a place you want to see.

That tour in Morocco is a lot of driving for a one night trip... In order to get a real taste of Morocco, you really need more time. Agree with other suggestion of flying into another city but you would need more than one night. Or, spend more time in Spanish towns with Moorish influences such as Granada. Sevilla was also amazing. Personally, I enjoyed Madrid more than Malaga. Morocco is most likely going to be very hot during the summer.

Skip Tangier, Morocco is great to visit, if you go to Fes, Marrakesh, Rabat or Agidar, but not Tangier.

Also, I love Portugal, especially Porto and the amazing Douro Valley. I suggest taking from the Algarve (are you going there for the beach?) and spend a couple of days in the valley at Regua or Pinhao. Take the train from Porto, which runs on the north side of the river valley.

Also, you didn't mention visiting Toledo and Segovia that are near Madrid.