Extra 2 Days in Spain or Portugal - Where to spend it?

Danielle - which city are you flying out from to go home as you near the end of your trip? Perhaps you can spend those extra 2 days in nearby towns near the departure city so you won't be too tired traveling.

Seville is too far and deserves longer than the time you have. I would recommend a side trip to Evora from Lisbon, which would offer you architecture, good food and plenty of history. Visit the bone chapel and the megaliths or a spot of wine tasting.

Travelling overnight for me means a sleepless night and grumpiness the following day, so hopefully you sleep better.

I will be flying into Barcelona and out of Madrid.

Our plan is:

Barcelona 4 days (fly to Lisbon)

Lisbon 4 days (overnight bus to Seville)
- Day trip to Sintra

Seville 2 days (train to Madrid)

Madrid 3 days (fly home)
- Day trip to Segovia

Architecture, authentic food, narrow streets, history - Segovia and Toledo will both reward you with a lot of all of that. Be prepared for some hilly terrain in each town, but they will each enhance your trip!

Don't forget to add Toledo to the itinerary on the day you visit Salamanca. Toledo is a must see town.

While in Barcelona for 4 days, don't forget to do a day trip to Montserrat or the town of Girona. Also explore the Gràcia neighborhood in Barcelona.

https://www.neverendingvoyage.com/gracia-barcelona-guide/

Aren't you doing any touring in Madrid? Stick to the three cities.

With only 4 days in Barcelona, I personally don't think you have enough time for a day trip. Barcelona is a large city with many interesting and amazing sights. And many of them require purchasing tickets in advance, which means you have to plan around the availability of tickets.

And yes, Sevilla will be very very hot in August. I think Sevilla deserves at least 3 full days with all of its interesting and historical sights.

You won't have 3 full days in Madrid if you do 2 day trips (Toledo and Segovia). I would choose Toledo.

I most likely will never go back to Spain and definitely not Portugal. There is too much to see in the world!

I probably should have said I’m looking to see as much as possible in a short amount of time. I’ve done tours in Europe before, usually only getting 1-2 days in large cities. For me 2 days was plenty to get a glimpse.

I would add a day in Barcelona (jetlag recovery time, possibly a daytrip if so inclined), and an overnight in Toledo if you don't mind overnights, or a day in Madrid to leave room for a Toledo daytrip. Indeed, Seville in August is punishingly hot, especially if you are accustomed to a cooler climate with widely available A/C.

I did not catch this, myself; but one of the responders said your trip is in August. I wouldn’t dream of visiting Seville in the summer. When I was there once, in June, the temps reached over 100F every day, 107 one of the days. The concierge at our hotel laughingly told us that locals call summer the inferno.
If you persist with your itinerary, are you sure there is an overnight bus between Lisbon and Seville? I shudder at the thought. I would be a wreck the next day.
I would add one of the extra days to Barcelona, devoting one to a day trip to Girona. It’s a town that ticks all your boxes.
Add the other day to Madrid. It deserves more time than you have allotted for it (not clear if it’s 2 days or 3). Or, add to Barcelona and visit some of the Costa Brava towns which will also tick your boxes.

I would be going to Seville the last week of August.

Not that Segovia and/or Toledo might not be hot in August, but in past trips to Spain, we either stick to the a southern part (Andalusia/Granada/flight to Lisbon/back to Seville/fly out of Malaga), or the more northern part (Madrid/Toledo/Segovia/Bilbao/San Sebastian/Girona/fly out of Barcelona. You mentioned a night bus to Seville. If you skip Seville because of heat, available time, or other factors), have you looked at transportation options for going from Lisbon to Madrid instead? And see Madrid (art museums, Retiro park, royal palace, plus Segovia and/or Toledo as your trip nears its end?

Hi! I am a Portuguese that has lived 10 years in Barcelona. As everyone has already mentioned, Seville is nice but too hot in the summer. They do have a lot of streets constantly throwing water in the air to cool it a bit down..but no need to endure that. Stick to the 3 cities you have now. Toledo is a perfect getaway from Madrid, not too far and beautiful. As is Sintra (my house in Portugal is between Lisbon and Sintra) and the best way to enjoy it is to go to Sintra and then come back to Lisbon through Guincho beach and Cascais. From Sintra, you can also reach in 20 mins Ericeira a nice fishing town with the best cupcakes ever in the main square.
Barcelona to Madri by car 6 hours, Madrid to Lisbon another 6 hours. I usually slept in budget Ibis when I was traveling between Barcelona and Lisbon. Also in Barcelona my escape day trip to cool down a bit would be Montserrat , 30/40 minutes from Barcelona (easy to get by train). Upthere is always 5 degrees cooler, you will want that ! Also the place is amazing!