Departing Phx AZ for Spain on 10/17, returning via Lisbon on 10/31. Tickets not yet booked. Spouse's first trip to Spain, my 2nd. He would like to visit Madrid as our daughter once lived there. I would like to visit Granada. We will need to be in Lisbon for business, and fun, by 10/27. Neither one of us has visited Portugal. Is 14 days enough for all 3 cities and two different countries? In Madrid we'd do Rick Steve's guided walk through the city, perhaps a museum, and/or Retiro park and food. In Granada, definitely the Alhambra. I'm not yet sure about Lisbon - starting research now! We're both in our early 60s, active and healthy, enjoy comfort but don't need glitz or glamor. Business trip in Lisbon will include an excursion and dining at a top spot for dinner each of 3 nights. Any tips, on flights, lodging, food, tours, you name it, will be appreciated. Truly amazed at the insight and incredible experiences shared on the Forum. Looking forward to hearing what you all have to say! Thanks
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8141 posts
We visited Madrid and Granada before flying over to Barcelona on Vueling. We took a 260 mile bus ride between Madrid and Granada, but I think the train goes between the cities now.
The problem is that there is no flight from Granada to Lisbon. You would have to take the train back up to Madrid and then fly EasyJet or Ryanair over to Lisbon from there.
Madrid is a great large city, and Granada is also well worth visiting. We stayed in an apartment at the foot of the hill going up to Alhambra. Both are very reasonably priced places.
Posted by
Australia
863 posts
You would have to take the train back up to Madrid and then fly EasyJet or Ryanair over to Lisbon from there.
Iberia, TAP and Air Europa also fly non stop Madrid to Lisbon. Or you can fly from Malaga or Seville to Lisbon with TAP or Ryanair
Posted by
Hudson Valley
2267 posts
It's unclear how much time for tourism you'd have in Lisbon from the 27th, so hard to advise time allocation. If you're mostly focused on work from then you'd really just have 10 days free, and I'd say that's certainly not enough time to visit three cities. My first thought would be to give all that time to Portugal. If you're really set on Spain, I'd look at maybe 6 days in Madrid with a day trip or two, then head to Lisbon. Granada is wonderful, but getting there from Arizona for something like a 4-day visit to then move on to Lisbon is quite out of the way.
Posted by
Brooklyn, NY
3839 posts
I agree with Scudder above. We were in Spain this past October for 24 days. We didn’t even attempt to get to Portugal. If you still want to get to Spain, then - We spent 6 nights in Madrid and didn’t see everything we wanted, and 3 nights in Granada. The cathedrals, mezquita, and Alcazar in every Spanish city we visited were just as impressive as the Alhambra, in my opinion - Cordoba, Toledo, Seville. Pick a city from which you can easily fly to Lisbon. You will not be disappointed.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
6534 posts
My perspective is skewed because I’ve been to both Madrid and Granada multiple times, but I’d spend all my time in Portugal. At most I’d take scudder’s recommendation of Madrid and Lisbon as you’re going to lose the better part of one of your vacation days getting from Madrid to Lisbon.
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
1603 posts
Will you have time for sightseeing in Lisbon when you are there for your business trip?
So, it looks like you have 9 nights on the ground BEFORE you fly to Lisbon, right? Because you would lose a day by having to return to Madrid to fly to Lisbon, this itinerary could be a possibility. But it depends on how active you are and how much you like to move around while traveling. Possible itinerary:
Madrid - 3 or 4 nights
Granada - 2 nights
Seville - 3 or 4 nights
By making Seville your last stop, you can then fly from Seville to Lisbon on TAP Portugal Airlines. To me, having to return to Madrid from Granada to fly to Lisbon seems like a waste of time.
Posted by
Virginia
597 posts
I think you can do all 3 cities easily in nights.
We did 2 nights in Madrid (cause we had been there before and train schedules for Granada were better the next day),
train to Granada for 3 nights (paid a guide for the Alhambra),
train to Sevilla for 3 nights and
flew from Sevilla to Lisbon.
We did a day trip to Cordoba to see the mesquita while staying in Sevila.
You can do 3 nights in Madrid and only 2 in Sevilla just so you can fly from there to Lisbon.
Have fun.
Posted by
Seattle area
39 posts
All those places are great choices, but I want to put in my plug for Lisbon. It's a fascinating city with so much to offer for all kinds of different interests. Extending your stay beyond the business part of the trip could be great fun. Sounds like you'll eat well, but a Culinary Backstreets tour, preferably early on, can add to your understanding of Portuguese food and culture and give you some ideas about where to eat when you have free time. Lisbon is a great city for just walking around, as long as you're okay with hills and uneven walking surfaces.