Please sign in to post.

Has anyone used TAP and the free stopover?

Posted by (US) on

In 2020 COVID shut down our Spain/Portugal trip, so I'm starting over. Trip length - up to 20 days in Mid March or mid April. Interested in decorative architecture, scenic beauty, and a little bit of museum hopping. We loved Seville and Barcelona because there was so much to see and do OUTSIDE the museums.

  1. I've heard that TAP is impossible to get any customer service, but the free stopover is enticing. Has anyone flown on TAP and was your experience a good one?
  2. Fly into Bilbao, and spend 4-6 nights in the region along with San Sebastian.
  3. Is Pamplona worth a day trip from Bilbao/San Sebastian? or is there another town nearby that is worth seeing?
  4. Has anyone walked a little of the Camino del Norte from Sebastian? We're (old!) only able to do a one-hour hike
  5. We will fly into Porto, stay for three plus days
  6. Head to Lisbon, visit Sintra, Coimbra, stay for 4-5 days
  7. Has anyone stayed in a really nice, well maintained parador? I read that some were a bit ragged
  8. Is there anything else that is a must see - Obidos, Evora?

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Posted by
7657 posts

Hi,

  1. I used the TAP stopover program last year to get from Paris to the Azores, spending a night in Porto along the way. "Free stopover" is a bit of a misnomer, as you still have to pay for a hotel, unlike in the programs of some middle-eastern airlines, but it does allow you to book a ticket with a multiple-day stopover at a comparable price vs. the shortest logical flight. My various experiences with TAP (mainly between France and Portugal and to Brazil) have always been good, so I do not have experience with their CS.

  2. I am not so keen on Pamplona when there is so much to see along or near the coast between Bilbao and Donostia/S Sebastián (Gernika, Getaria, various other coastal towns...)

  3. It's hilly in those parts, beware!

  4. No need for "three plus" days in Porto, IMO. 3 days full stop is enough.

  5. Coimbra is best visited as a stopover between Porto and Lisbon, if interested. A bit far for a day trip otherwise

  6. I am not a fan of the Parador options in/ around Bilbao and San Sebastian. The one in Hondarribia is beautiful, but very expensive - not the best value. The other options (Argomaniz near Vitoria and Limpias west of Bilbao) are very rural, in areas that don't seem suited to your needs.

Posted by
34 posts

Thanks for the tips. I would be catching TAP from San Francisco and hope the Economy with Xtra leg room will be good enough for the 11 hr flight.

Add Reply

Please do not reply to violations of our Community Guidelines.