Hi! We had booked a river cruise out of Porto over Christmas 2022 , but it was cancelled. We are keeping our flights in and out of Lisbon the 22nd Dec - 3rd January - and now have some time and places to see! Any recs for good itinerary (keeping in mind fly in and out of Lisbon). Would prefer train travel, but could rent a car if need be. Was thinking Lisbon/Seville/Granada...would love to see Porto, but, might be out of the way if staying south?
Posted by
Stuart, FL
1 posts
If feasible, try to spend a few hours in Sintra, Portugal. Must see: Pena Palace, a "magical place."
Posted by
OP
21 posts
Thanks, Gus! Yes, would like a day trip to Sintra for sure.
Posted by
5107 posts
First I guess you have to decide if it will be a mostly Spain trip or a mostly Portugal trip. Those three would fill your time nicely, with opportunity for stopovers. I would drive. One route takes you through Extremadura, where I spent some time in May and highly recommend! Merida is a cute little town with some exceptional Roman ruins smack dab in the center.
Posted by
OP
21 posts
Excellent information, Thank you. I was wondering if driving might be easier as it doesn't look like direct train (unless we did overnight Lisbon to Madrid). I should add that we are also traveling with my mother who is 77, so don't want to rush around too much. Likely 3-4 nights in each city I think is most feasible. Again, thanks for the recs and keep them coming.
Posted by
5107 posts
I'd work on carefully mapping out the drive and deciding if you will break it up and how. As I mentioned, there are some great places for brief or not so brief stops en route, so you may end up skipping Granada. You'll likely need to split your time in Lisbon--a day or so to shake off the jet lag before driving (even if you take public transport, you may not be ready to do it the day you arrive), then time when you get back before the flight home.
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
1715 posts
You can fly TAP Airlines from Lisbon to Seville and back to Lisbon. I think this would be easier than taking the train and/or bus.
I love Seville and Granada but another possibility would be to spend the whole time in Portugal, such as Lisbon, Sintra and Porto. Check to see what the weather will be like in Porto at that time of year.