Renting a car to drive from Madrid to Lisbon

I will be following this because I'll be interested in responses. We rented a car in Spain for a few days and it was wonderful for driving around the countryside (Pueblos blancos). One thing I'll offer and I'm sure you've thought of it or perhaps done it in the past, I like to take a train from the large city to a smaller city, that is still big enough to have car rental. I've not traveled enough around Madrid to offer a suggestion. I have been to both Toledo and Segovia which are wonderful cities, but I'm not sure how many car rental locations they'd have. This train/car combo has also helped us since we travel from the midwest and tend to be tired and a bit jetlagged upon arrival. Can't wait to hear the suggestions and about your experience!

You will encounter a very large international drop fee. Hundreds of euros. Check that out to be sure you're OK with the price before giving the idea more consideration.

Why not fly?

Distances are great across Spain. It's 387 miles from Lisbon to Madrid. It'd be easier to just fly on Vueling Airlines cheap.

Acraven is spot on. If you call AutoEurope they can quote you the drop off fee. Then you can weight it versus the cost of flying. If it’s not too bad a hit, I’d do the drive. You’ll go through some nice small towns and wine country.

As acraven mentioned, there are expensive fees for renting in one country and dropping in another. But they vary and, depending of why you want to rent a car, it might be worth it. A few years back I rented a car as I as leaving Madrid and returned it In Lisbon 2 1/2 weeks later. I was able to visit numerous towns and see sights in both countries that I would have not enjoyed without paying the $400+ drop fee. It was worth every cent!

When I originally went on line using AutoEurope for my rental, the drop fees were all more than $600. I called their toll free line and one of their well trained staff, found the lower fee and a lower rental rate as well. If you rent far in advance, check back with them as your travel date nears. Rates often go down and they always honor the lower rate.

I had an idea of how to potentially circumnavigate the extra charge of dropping off a car in Portugal. I was thinking you could rent a car in Madrid, do a mini-road-trip through the Extremadura region, ending in Badajoz (on the Portuguese border), drop off the car there and take the ALSA bus to Lisboa (2:30 hr).

The Extremadura region of western Spain is often overlooked and really underappreciated. In my opinion, it's one of Spain’s most fascinating regions. It's full of time-warped old towns, castles, monasteries, and beautiful countryside. It is the region bordering Portugal to the west and was the homeland of many Conquistadors.

Here would be my suggested itinerary:

Rent car in Madrid and drive down to-
-Day 1: Cáceres: The old town of Cáceres is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has a mix of Roman, Islamic, Gothic, and Renaissance styles.

-Day 2: Parque Nacional de Monfragüe: Day trip from Cáceres to this biosphere reserve, includes stunning cliffs & rock formation, plus many kinds of wildlife (especially noted for its Griffon vultures). Has some really great hiking trials.

-Day 3: Trujillo: This town is where some of Spain’s most famous(infamous) conquistadors came from. The town has a few baroque and Renaissance palaces and an interesting Museum of Francisco Pizarro, who led the expedition that conquered the Inca Empire.

-Day 4: Guadalupe: Has the beautiful Real Monasterio de Guadalupe. You can tour this monastery and its collection of art, jewels, illuminated manuscripts. You can also see two cloisters, one late-14th-century Mudéjar, the other Gothic.

-Day 5: Mérida: Has the best Roman ruins in Spain, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the ruins are found dotted throughout the modern city of Mérida.

-Day 6: Badajoz: Capital of the Moorish kingdom, the Taifa of Badajoz. It has a nice Moorish historic quarter. The town is dominated by the Alcazaba, a 9th century fortified Moorish citadel.
Drop off car and take the ALSA bus to Lisboa

You could call Autoeurop for their thoughts and ideas. I have found them very helpful via phone (they are U.S. based) I think the drive to at least to the border sounds lovely. Just the countryside around Segovia was pretty. There is a short bit on a RS episode with him driving I believe from Toledo via Segovia and Avilla to Salmanca that you may want to check out.

If literally all you want is fast transportation from point A (Madrid) to point B (Lisbon) then fly! Much cheaper than renting a car for this specific trip because of international drop fees. Also probably faster due to time spent getting and returning the car, navigating, etc.

If you want to make a road trip of it, see smaller towns and explore then look into the cost. If you can afford it, it could be a fun trip.

Thank you all for the suggestions and advice. We have decided to fly from Madrid to Lisbon instead. It's cheaper and much quicker than driving. We'll be able to enjoy more time in both places this way. Everyone on here is a wealth of advice. Thank you again!