5 weeks travelling Spain, Portugal & Morocco

What time of year do you plan to make the trip?

I'd start by figuring what I wanted to see in Morocco and checking transportation links. You may find you need more than 7 days there (I would), which would mean cutting some of your Spain/Portugal destinations since you're probably more likely to return to Spain or Portugal than to Morocco, right? Among the cities in Morocco you could check out are Fes, Marrakech, Rabat and Meknes--and you haven't gotten into the desert yet. You may need to fly into as well as out of Casablanca, which would not otherwise be a place I'd go, so there's some time being wasted there.

Another concern is getting from Portugal to Spain, or vice versa. It's not as easy as one would expect. This is likely to cost you substantial time unless the night train between Madrid and Lisbon works for you (and that might be a semi-sleepless night). You may need to alter the order in which you visit the cities because of transportation limitations between the two countries.

I haven't been to Valencia, but all your other proposed destinations are good ones. However, even if you keep Morocco at just 7 days, I believe you'd do better to cut a stop or two to allow more time in a few places. Barcelona for 3 nights at the beginning of your trip is seriously inadequate; won't you be dead on your feet as you get off the plane?

Madrid for 3 nights might be OK if you're not interested in any of the Big 3 art museums, but some extra time would allow for a day-trip or two. Madrid has three fabulous day trips: Toledo, Segovia and Cuenca (the latter works only by AVE train, which would need to be ticketed way in advance to be affordable).

Truthfully, I'd drop Portugal from this trip and expand the time in Morocco and Spain. There's more to Portugal than Lisbon and Porto, but you don't have time for anything else this time around.

If you must keep Portugal, you might consider trimming Valencia (unless you're all gung-ho about the museums there) and Salamanca, which I think don't need as much time as the other cities. I hate for you to be so close and miss Cordoba. Some folks see it on a day-trip from Seville or an on-the-way-to-Seville long stop, but I believe in that case you'd want 4 nights in Seville rather than 3.

Thanks for that I am travelling in early September for the 5 weeks. I don't mind dropping Valencia And Salamanca as I would love to go to Portugal but will have to rethink as Morocco has so much as well. How many days would you think Marocco requires?

It depends on what cities you want to see, the transportation time between them, and how quickly you're prepared to change hotels. I hate packing up and relocating, so I try to find enough to do in each city to justify staying at least 3 nights. That gives me a bit more than 2 full days in each place. Some folks are OK staying just two nights in a lot of places.

My trip to Morocco was a long time ago, and conditions may have changed; we sometimes took communal taxis from town to town, and I believe there are more buses now. I don't mean to lead you astray. But it is a really fascinating country, and I'd hate for you to power through it without really having the time to see it.

You can Google for tours to Morocco and take a look at where they go, and for how long. Remember, though, that an independent traveler does not move as fast as a guided tour that has its own dedicated bus!

Another issue is that it may still be quite hot in Morocco in September--the sort of heat that can really slow you down. The record high temperatures for the four cities I mentioned in my original post (not including Casablanca) are all 41C or higher, and the charts indicate that the data is from the period prior to 1991. I bet it has been hotter since then. Perhaps you're from the hot part of Australia and are familiar with that sort of heat. I had never experienced 44C until I went to Marrakech.

Take into account that you use about 1/2 day each time you move. It's not just a 2-3 hour train ride or flight. You need to pack, check out, and get through a traffic-laden city to the train station or airport. At the train station you need to allow a few minutes to find your train and often go through security. At the airport, you may need to check bag, then all the airport procedures, then wait for your luggage on arrival. Then you have to get from the train/airport through the city to your hotel to drop your stuff before you can begin your sightseeing. 3 nights in a place means 2 days for sightseeing. That's not a lot. You need to have an idea of what you want to see in each place so you can determine how much time you need there. No one can tell you what should be taken our or put in because we don't have a clue what you want to see and do.

You are probably going to be zonked (lack of sleep, jetlag) when you land on Day 1. Even after a night on the ground you may be zonked on Day 2, and not up to full speed until Day 3 or even Day 4.

Looking at your preliminary plan, it's pretty plain that you haven't looked at details of how to get from place to place. Use a site like rome2rio.com to get an idea of what your options are. Then check details. Flights may be at awkward times, some aren't daily. You can get train schedules at bahn.com for all of Europe.

Thanks I don't mind the heat and where I live it is around 30 most days in summer although 40 could do me in. You have given me lots to consider.

I think 10 nights is a good amount of time for both Morroco and Portugal. To include both would really eat into your time for Spain. September is still quite warm in Morocco, where I'd prefer to travel in Oct/Nov.

I look at building a trip to Spain in terms of 5 night blocks.
1) Barcelona
2) Madrid (incl Toledo & Segovia)
3) Seville & Córdoba
4) Granada & white hill towns
5) San Sebastián & Bilbao
6) Salamanca & Santiago de Compostela
7) Valencia & Cuenca

Ok thanks obviously something has to go I either drop Portugal or limit Spain to Madrid and Barcelona, just wanted to experienceI it all but I was being unrealistic. I love history, culture and architecture. Have checked the sites recommended above it is very helpful. Thanks

Alas, we all have that problem. I spent 89 days in Spain last year and didn't get to Valencia or Andalucía. Make every day as great as it can be and don't think about what you didn't have time to see.

You could definitely make it work if you were only looking at hitting the major cities ...
Arrive Lisbon - 4 nights
Train to Coimbra - 1 night
Train to Porto - 3 nights
Fly (via Madrid) to Granada - 3 nights
Train to Ronda - 1 night
Train to Sevilla - 4 nights
Train to Madrid - 5 nights
Fly to Fes - 3 nights
Train to Rabat - 2 nights
Train to Marrakech - 4 nights
Fly to Barcelona - 5 nights

Thanks that gives me an idea of what places to see, will check it out.