Have 10 days to see what we can in Spain and Portugal. Thinking of flying into Barcelona and spending two days and then going to Valencia for a day. From there going down to Malaga area 2 days. Heading from there to Faro area and then Lisbon and fly home. Any suggestions or ideas? Looking for city and some beach time, good food and feel for culture.
Posted by
Denver, CO USA
470 posts
Slow down.
Pick one country.
Both will still be there for your next trip.
Don’t waste time traveling.
By the way. Both Málaga and Faro are tourist destinations for drunk Brits.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15771 posts
Traveling takes TIME. Figure out how long it will take you to get from point A to point B to point C, etc. Let's say Point A is your Barcelona hotel. To get to Valencia, you have to pack, check out, travel to train, travel on train, go to your hotel in Valencia, check in and unpack. How much time will you actually have to enjoy Valencia before you start repacking, etc to get to your Malaga hotel?
Posted by
8084 posts
You can't do either country in just 10 days.
For Spain don't miss Toledo and Seville.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7046 posts
Málaga is a tourist destination, but not necessarily for drunk Brits. Dave may have been thinking about Marbella that is further west on the Costa Del Sol.
I feel you’re trying to cover too much area with the limited time you have. There’s a lot of travel time between places in your itinerary. Take time to experience the places you visit.
Posted by
Cleveland
329 posts
Spain and Portugal are great places to visit! If you are happy with your sketched itinerary, go for it! I'm sure you'll have a grand time. If you are looking to change it, you should check out on this website Rick Steves recommended itineraries for Spain.
My wife and I spent a month in Malaga taking Spanish classes. Drunk brits were not in abundance. Nor were they as far as we could tell in Marbella. Actually didn't see drunks from anyplace but hey if you looking for it I'm sure there are good places for that.
If you've never been to Spain before, Barcelona, Madrid, Seville,Granada -- these are typically called out as the must sees. But tastes differ. And how fast you travel is also up to you. You should know many of the posters on this site are really experienced old hands who often recommend slowing down because they are into savoring things -- which is quite nice indeed. But folks who've been Europe a couple dozen times travel differently than other folks. Less napping!
You seem to be looking for sun and the beach and food and culture. You can find that all over Spain!
Lisbon is nice too.
Have a great trip.
Posted by
NC
352 posts
Well said @David!
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you! Appreciate the advice and I should mention that we have two teenagers and don’t have the luxury of time or maybe going back so trying to optimize the opportunity. Thanks again!
Posted by
Washington DC
27644 posts
Personally, I don't count multiple hours spent sitting on a bus (or a train) as sightseeing time unless I'm traveling through really dramatic scenery like the Swiss Alps. The train trip from Valencia to Malaga takes 5 to 7 hours, and the bus trip from Malaga to Faro takes about 7 hours. It looks to me as if your choice of scattered destinations is going to turn your 10-day trip into what is effectively a 7-day trip. The way to see as much as possible is to spend less of your time on trains and buses.
There are many wonderful places in Spain and Portugal. You do not need to travel all over the Iberian Peninsula to have a great trip.
Posted by
4811 posts
Ditto--you can see two places pretty well, or dash through several and get to know the train system. I know what I would do!