My husband, 24 yr old daughter, and I will be flying into Barcelona on July 1 and flying back out of Lisbon on July 16th. Besides Barcelona, our must sees are Granada, Sevilla, and Lisbon. What other places can you suggest we see with day trips, etc.? Possibilities are Cordoba, Ronda, and maybe a beach are in Costa Del Sol or the Algarve? I would also love suggestions on best way to travel between these locations, hotels, airbnb's, and restaurants! We would like to see as much as we can, but don't want to be rushed and overwhelmed. Our airline tickets have already been purchased, so I can't change Barcelona or Lisbon!
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
"don't want to be rushed and overwhelmed"
Then you already have enough destinations.
Barcelona to Granada is probably easiest by plane (at least until the AVE route is completed); Granada to Seville is by train or bus (about 3 hours); Seville to Lisbon is by plane or long day of buses. All of these transfers will take much of a day door-to-door, when you factor in packing, getting to the airport or station, getting from the airport/station to the new hotel, etc. And while Granada can be squeezed into two nights, the others need at least 3 nights (remember, 2 nights is only one full day, and 3 nights is only 2 full days).
Since Barcelona is both your arrival city and the place with the most to see, I'd do 4 nights there, to allow a day for getting over jet lag. If you want beach time, you can do this from either Barcelona or Lisbon without going to another destination like the Costa del Sol or Algarve. Just add another night or two for beach time - much more relaxing than adding a whole new place.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7388 posts
In addition to Ronda in southern Spain, we really enjoyed Grazalema and Arcos de la Frontera.
In Portugal, don't miss Evora, in cork tree country. Outside Lisbon is Sintra, and up the coast to the north is Obidos, both very worthwhile.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15593 posts
Harold's given you great advice. You have 14-15 nights (do you land in Barcelona on the 1st or 2nd?). Count nights:
4 in Barcelona = 3 days
3 in Granada = 2 days
4 in Seville = 3 days
3 in Lisbon = 2 days
Total 14 nights. Adjust for what you plan to do.
Barcelona There are excellent day trips: Roman Tarragona, medieval Girona, Dali in Figueres; and plenty of sights to fill a week in the city itself.
Granada As Harold said, you can see the Alhambra and a bit more with 2 nights.
Seville use one day to see Cordoba
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you so much for the great advice! Any recommendations for hotels, airbnb's, and restaurants? Also deciding whether to rent a car in Granada and Sevilla!
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7388 posts
If in Evora, dine well at the Pousada - or at any other Pousada in Portugal. Pousadas are the Portusuese equivalent of Spanish Paradors.
We stayed in hotels (many of them recommended by Rick Steves).
In Sevilla, we stayed in the old town, where streets are extremely narrow and car access is severely restricted. We had to park in a (very expensive) parking garage some distance from our hotel. If you're taking trips to places outside of Sevilla you might want a car, but in town, unless your lodging offers convenient parking, a car would be a liability. The old town is very walkable, and taxis are also available to get you around the city.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15593 posts
I can't think why you would want or need a car in any of those cities.