Itinerary advice Portugal and Spain this fall

A shame you will just barely miss out on our grand city wide festival we have in Barcelona called La Mercè, from 21-25 of September. La Mercè consists of 100s of cultural events, music, parades, fireworks etc, spread throughout Barcelona's squares, streets, museums, and parks. This is something that we put on for ourselves, not just for tourists so it's great opportunity to experience our Catalan culture like a local, at least for a few days. The best part it's free! That would be my top priority in your planning :)

I'd also hesitate to combine Spain and Portugal in a single short trip. Both countries, with their rich histories, unique traditions, and distinctive regional cultures, deserve more time than a quick hop from city to city. It might be tempting to see as much as possible, but trying to cover too much ground in a short period of time can often leave one feeling rushed and unsatisfied, Spain is a deceptively big country, almost twice as big as Italy.

Combining the two countries, due to their perceived closeness, seems like a no-brainer but actually it's a lot more difficult than it appears. For historical reasons there have been very limited land border crossings between Spain and Portugal. Renting a car in one country and dropping off in another will incur a hefty fee in the hundreds of euros. Best to save Portugal for another trip, when you can give it the time and attention it so richly deserves.

Look into the rental car fees associated with picking up and dropping off in a different country. I've heard it's very expensive.

In my opinion, this is a lot of ground to cover and may be a bit overly ambitious. A few things to consider...1) Have you already booked your flight? If not, I would consider flying "open jaw"; arrive in one city and depart from another. Immediately taking a flight from Barcelona to Lisbon will leave you exhausted. 2) Typically when you rent a car in one country and drop it off in another the drop off fee is huge. I would definitely check on the cost of that. 3) Portugal has so much to offer, that IMO you are short changing it by just staying a few day is Lisbon, one of which may have you suffering from jet lag. I would suggest you focus this trip solely on Spain (perhaps add Granada and the Alhambra) and save Portugal for another trip.

You're trying to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. Just a couple of questions for you to think about. If you're coming from the US, I think your flight would probably land in Barcelona in early morning. Have you looked at airline schedules to see what kind of layover you would have in Barcelona in order to board a flight to Lisbon? You could well use up most of the 26th in transit. Two days is barely enough to dip your toes into Lisbon, but people do visit in a day, so I guess you could. Seems like a lot of trouble for such a short visit. With a car, what route are you planning from Lisbon to Ronda? How long does it take? Would you spend a chunk of each day just driving from one spot to another? Maybe you'd be better off staying in Lisbon for a few extra days and give yourself some time see more than a thing or two, to go to Belem and perhaps Sintra, not renting a car, and flying direct from Lisbon To Ronda / Malaga. If you absolutely need a car in Spain, you could pick it up there and avoid the much-complained-about one-way drop off charges. Driving the Spain part of your itinerary would be ok I guess, but how much time would it take out of an already short visit? I haven't travelled much in Spain so I'm not sure, but perhaps the train would be better. What would you do with the car in Seville, Toledo, Madrid? Private cars in big cities are a real pain. I'd guess you'll just park it. So you'd be paying to rent it and park it and not use it.

Hi Gene,
Not to pile on but......put me in the Ø Portugal camp, for all the reasons listed. Flying in and out of Barcelona and throwing in Lisbon with just 17 nites would be too hectic. There is so much to see/do in Spain(or Portugal) you will have just scratched the surface. Good advice about car drop off and open jaw flights if you aren't locked in with flights.
Of course if Portugal is necessary to preserve domestic tranquility then enjoy Lisbon.
Brad

I have spent 28 days in Portugal.
I have spent 29 days in España.
Pick one.
Slow travel is the best.
Minimize transit times.

I'm not sure where you are flying from, but TAP Air Portugal does have a stop over program. I took advantage of it when going to Italy, spending 3 nights in Lisbon. Loved it and returned to Portugal 2X since. This might be one way to add in Lisbon for a couple of nights, without all the other issues of renting a car etc.

Thanks so much for all the feedback. We will definitely check into all the things mentioned. I really appreciate your time and thoughtful replies.

Carlos - we will be in Barcelona during the festival. Is there a site you recommend to find program dates F times. I haven’t been able to find dates & times for the activities other than “not yet confirmed”. Thank you. Kay