Overview tour before heading off on our own - spain portugal morocco

1. If you visit Morocco, don't waste your time going to Tangiers. Go to Fes or Marrakesh.
2. For scenic visit, the Douro River Valley is worth a visit. Take a cruise or the train from Porto to Regua or Pinhao.

Group tours are nice, we love Gate 1 Travel for great tours with low prices.

I don't know that you'll have much luck finding a tour that covers Morocco in combination with part of the Iberian Peninsula. Perhaps someone else will have a suggestion.

I would tend not to take a tour of the highlights of Spain (which likely would be scattered all over the country, from Barcelona to Seville and Granada) if I wanted to see more of the country on my own. That could mean traversing much of the same geography twice. Portugal's a lot smaller, so that technique might work better there.

As you dig more into sightseeing opportunities in all three countries, I think you're going to find a month isn't as long as you think it is. Spain and Morocco are large, and Morocco in particular doesn't have a lot of fast trains. An additional problem arises when combining Spain and Portugal on the same trip: Ground-transportation options are very limited. Unless you want to rent a car (in which case you'll need to return the car in the same country where you picked it up to avoid a very high international drop charge), you won't be just popping back and forth across the border at will.

Good advice, thank you. Might be that Morocco is too much for this trip. I think we can do Spain on our own, focusing on the Andalucia region. But I would like to see some of the highlights of Barcelona while we're there. Is it easy enough to get from Andalucia to Barcelona, or vice versa, if we want to fly in our out of there? I'll look at tours for the Douro River. A river cruise would be fun if not too expensive.

I am not 100% sure what you are asking. Some people try to shoehorn a trip to Morocco in a brief trip to Spain, which is rarely a good idea, but you have a month, so it is all about priorities. Make a list of what you most want to see, then refine it.
It would be easier certainly to concentrate on one country, but it really depends on the details.
This might be of interest: https://paradores.es/en/blog/guests-55-and-over-enjoy-fabulous-discounts-paradores-hotels
To me, Spain in a month would mean book-ending a trip to the main cities with a loop in a rental car.

The north has some stunning scenery and hiking, and you could drive over to the Porto region and return to Spain to avoid the drop off fee.

Ideally we would fly to Portugal, probably Lisbon, spend some time there possibly on a tour, and then fly to Spain probably Madrid. From there we'd go to the Andalucia region which I've heard is a good area to visit in Feb or March. I've also heard touring Andalucia is possible by train so we wouldn't need a rental car. If we can get to Barcelona from Andalucia we'd like to spend some time there before we fly home. Most of our trips in the US and Canada are low-key camping and hiking, so this trip is a big deal for us.
We want to spend as much time as we reasonably need, and see as much as we can while we are there. My clarified question is - Is this workable? We have time to figure out details, but I need a reasonably achievable starting plan. Thank you.

Ideally we would fly to Portugal, probably Lisbon, spend some time
there possibly on a tour, and then fly to Spain probably Madrid. From
there we'd go to the Andalucia region which I've heard is a good area
to visit in Feb or March. I've also heard touring Andalucia is
possible by train so we wouldn't need a rental car. If we can get to
Barcelona from Andalucia we'd like to spend some time there before we
fly home.

Funny, that's not what I imagined from your original post at all, but totally doable!
Tours can be a budget buster, and may even not be necessary.
Lisbon - about a week
Madrid - a few days
Andalucia - up to two weeks for a really good circuit (maybe add in some small town/rural time outside the main cities)
Barcelona - a few days

Check BCN to various points in Andalucia on the Renfe website to compare train vs flying.
Note buses will supplement train in Andalucia.
I like the Rough Guide to Spain.

Barcelona and Andalucia are far apart. It's not hard to get between them by train, but some people opt to fly. It's a matter of personal preference--the irritation of dealing with airports (and the time required to get to and from them) vs. the extra time required to take a train.

What I wouldn't do is fly into Madrid unless I had to because of airfares or schedules. Madrid is right on the express train line between Barcelona and Andalucia. If you want to see Madrid, you can stop there for several days along the way and avoid the long train ride (or the the flight alternative) from Barcelona to Granada or Seville.

Granada doesn't have very many trains in and out (compared to Cordoba and Seville), so if it turns out you need to fly into or out of Andalucia from Portugal or Barcelona, try to use Granada as your gateway rather than Seville. You'll have a lot more train options between Seville and Cordoba/Madrid.

I have a clarification question regarding this from Acraven - "Granada doesn't have very many trains in and out (compared to Cordoba and Seville), so if it turns out you need to fly into or out of Andalucia from Portugal or Barcelona, try to use Granada as your gateway rather than Seville. You'll have a lot more train options between Seville and Cordoba/Madrid."

I guess i'd think I'd want to fly from portugal into a locale that has good train connectivity. So I'm confused why we wouldn't fly into Cordoba or Seville if they have better train options for getting other places in Andalucia?

Other than that, you've all helped us immensely to hone in on a trip that is doable. I'll be back with more questions once I do more research on a more detailed itinerary. Thank you all!

Cordoba has no airport--at least not that I've ever heard of, so flying into or out of Cordoba is not an option.

This is my logic in flying into Granada if possible: I'm assuming you do want to go to Granada. If you don't fly into Granada, you'll have to travel to the city by ground, then you'll later have to travel away from the city by ground. That's two times you'll be looking at a train schedule that just doesn't have many fast trains on it. (There is also bus service to Granada, and the perfectly fine buses offer additional possibilities for departure times. However, trains are a bit more comfortable since they allow you to stand up and move around more.) Assuming you need to fly into one of the Andalucia cities because of the distance from Barcelona/Portugal, why not fly into the one with slightly more problematic train service?

Andalucia is the warmest, driest part of Europe, so Feb/Mar is a great time to visit. Weather is mild, fewer tourists and low season prices. Barcelona also has mild winters. Since Portugal is on the Atlantic it may be colder. Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona are all major int'l airports, so depending on where you live, you may be able to fly non-stop, using 2 of those 3. Ideally you'd fly into one country and out of the other, since the only "good" way to go from one to the other is to fly. The suggestion to fly to Granada is for convenience. The Alhambra is the #1 sight in Iberia, for good reason. Since train/bus service isn't as good, flying means you only have to travel overland once, instead of twice and if you go to both countries, you will need one short "internal" flight.

If you want landscapes and scenery, you will need a car. I found driving outside the cities in Spain to be pretty easy. There's not much in the way of coastal scenery in Spain but there's a lot of scenic driving and hiking in Andalucia.

As for "big" cities, Porto, Sevilla, Cordoba etc don't have a big-city feel. You can wander for hours in the old historic centers which are very picturesque.

@valadelphia - Paradors has done away with the over 55 program.

Got it. Thanks so much.

Our recent journey through Spain and Morocco was truly unforgettable. Without a doubt, we highly recommend exploring Granada and Seville in Spain, as the southern region captivated us with its charm and beauty.

For Morocco, we had a great 10-day adventure guided by Mohamed through Touareg Trails (https://touaregtrails.com/10-days-morocco-tour-from-casablanca/). His expertise and passion for the country enhanced our experience tenfold.

If you consider a self-driving trip in Morocco, rest assured it is both safe and straightforward. The roads are well-maintained, and navigating the diverse landscapes is a delight in itself.

Juan