Beginning Itinerary for Spain and Portugal trip

Karen, like you we're in our late 60s and 70s. We're planning a similar visit in October. Your itinerary sounds great, but, If my math is correct, you'll be partially unpacking and partially re-packing your luggage 16 times in 22-24 days. Our itineraries are similar but ours is a bit less ambitious than yours. We'll only be in Spain for 8 days and night and Lisbon 2 days and nights and part of a 3rd day (before boarding a trip for a trans-Atlantic voyage home.

We've been to Barcelona twice before for multiple night visits and 2 previous one-day visits to Lisbon (on a cruise stop). Do you arrive at Barcelona and will you be flying overnight from the US? Also, how are you traveling to the other cities from Barcelona, I'm assuming by train? If so, it appears, in very simplified terms, you'll be traveling about 2 hours or so on the train each time you change locations. Unless you've been to Barcelona before, a 4th day and night would be well worth it. I'd think you could see quite a bit of Lisbon with 4 days and nights, perhaps traveling on the 5th day to your next location,

Since we've not been to Granada, Tarifa/Tangier, I may be making a preposterous suggestion, but have you considered staying in Malaga and doing day trips to Granada and Tarifa (maybe not Tangier)? It appears there are trains between the cities. If you would get an early start on your day trips, you could visit a full day and early evening in each location and not have to check in a hotel but once and only deal with luggage at the one hotel.

Just out of curiosity how are to getting from Seville to Algarve? In our earlier planning we were planning to travel from Seville to Lisbon on the train, but the logistics got a bit complex with no train connection at the border of Spain and Portugal and it would have been a long, long train trip. We subsequently decided to fly from Seville to Lisbon.

Happy travels.

I wouldn't want to day-trip from Malaga to Granada, especially by public transportation. You'd have to get the 7:30 AM train to be in Granada by 10. Assuming you don't want to return to Malaga at 11:25 PM, you'd need to leave Granada on the 5:32 PM train, which seems like a pretty rushed visit that wouldn't allow time to see much more than the Alhambra.

I'd skip both Tangier and the Algarve. For me there are a lot more interesting places to be seen in Portugal and southern Spain. Tangier inmparticular requires a lot of travel time if you don't have a car to get you to and from the Spanish ferry port, and in the end you get to...Tangier.

a) I would try to fit four nights in Barcelona as a minimum. There is a lot to see and, notably, quite a variety of sights from ancient to modern. So "breadth and depth" - more so than perhaps any other city in Spain (just don't remind them they are Spain, it annoys some of them!). There are some easy day-trip options if you did run out of interests in the city.

b) I have never been to Morocco so can't comment on if it is worth it, but given your already busy plans it does take you out of the way, with quite a bit of travelling for a short stop. I will say if not crossing to Tangier, I wouldn't bother with Tarifa at all. Better, in my view, to add the time to Granada and Seville and take a coastal day-trip from the latter to Cadiz. Or spend a night in Cordoba?

c) What is the plan for Algarve? If it is the beaches then there may well be more convenient options in Spain or nearer Lisbon.

d) It is feasible to day-trip Malaga/Granada, but use the "Alsa" coach (bus) service, not by rail. However I don't think it fits your general plan anyway. I think you can fly from Barcelona to Granada. Then, if you dropped Tarifa/Tangiers you can go by rail (or replacement bus service) to Seville. There are coach services from Seville to the Algarve (Lagos/Faro?).

Thank you for your responses. You have giving me suggestions to investigate. The reason I was including the Algarve was due to Rick Steves June newsletter. To answer questions from Jon....I'm still not sure if we will begin in Porto or Barcelona, There are September festivals in Barcelona and Seville and not sure if we want to join in the fun or avoid the crowds. As far as traveling from place to place, we are discovering that it is not as simple as our previous European trips. I must study the situation more before selecting transportation.

I’m with those who are negative about traveling to Tangier and to the Algarve. I haven’t to the former, but have been to the latter. I didn’t find it particularly attractive or interesting. The pertinent question would be, “as compared to what?” My answer is that a number of places have been mentioned that far exceed the Algarve in beauty and interest; e.g., the Costa Brava, Girona, Córdoba, and Coimbra.

As for RS recommending the Algarve, I find that from time to time he will become very enthusiastic about places that are not so great.

Hello All. I've just begun following this thread since I am planning a visit to Portugal and Spain in October or early November. I have considered traveling, via train, from Barcelona to Southern/Central France (Perhaps Provence, Nice, Bordeaux). Has anyone on this thread made the trip from Barcelona to France? If so, where did you go and how did you get there? I've driven in France before (Beaune and other parts of Burgundy) but prefer to try and travel via train. Thanks.