Southern Spain and Portugal Itinerary

This being a Spain forum, and with 9 nights scheduled in Portugal and only 7 in Spain, I would suggest evening things up. Just kidding, however, a third night in Granada to start with may be wise after your long journey from WA via CDG. Spend a single night in Ronda then move on to Arcos de la Frontera for another night.
All up, sounds wonderful.

What I see as difficulties in Spain:

• July will be blisteringly hot in Andalusia. It's not unusual to have 100 degree-plus days in Seville, for instance. No beaches. Plenty of tourists everywhere, though many may not be American, even though it's "low season" because of the heat.
• Self connect - does that mean you are flying on separate tickets? What do you do if your US-CDG flight is delayed or if your luggage doesn't arrive with you?
• You have 1 day in Granada right after a long-haul flight. Chances are good that at least some of you will be suffering from lack of sleep and jetlag. That is your one day in Granada, who's going to enjoy it?
• 1- and 2-night stays means lots of packing and unpacking. You will only move as fast as the slowest person in your family.

Car issues:

• Renting a car in Spain and returning it in Portugal will incur big drop-off charges (maybe hundreds of euros)
• You will need a car large enough for 2 of you to sit comfortably in the back seat on those long drives. You will need a car large enough to hold all your luggage. You should not leave any items visible in a parked car.
• The bigger the car, the harder it will be to drive in narrow, steep streets with blind corners (hill towns) and to park anywhere.

If Granada is a priority, spend more time there and skip the hill towns. Go to Seville from there by bus or train.

Look at alternative ways to go from Spain to Portugal. There are a few trains (no high-speed) and buses.

Thanks for the responses! I will change to two nights in Granada - that's a good idea. Because we've been in Seville before, maybe we should actually spend less time there - I'd hate to skip the hill towns altogether.

Unfortunately, I have no choice about time of year - I'm a teacher, and our district doesn't get out until late June and teachers can't take days off during the school year. We are going as early as we can.
The self connect through CDG might be tricky, but when I've done this in the past, I usually leave myself a good bit of cushion time, and we don't check any luggage.
I will check on the rental car. It's sometimes possible to do country to country rental if you pick up at one airport and drop off at another. We did that last year renting in Barcelona and dropping off in Paris without tremendous fees. I was thinking I might relinquish the first rental car in Seville because we definitely won't want to drive there, but we also need to look at fees for one-way rental - it may be more economical not to incur those twice than it would be to change cars. If not, I like the idea of taking a train from Spain into Portugal and then renting there.
I've definitely experienced the difficulty of renting a larger car. We had 3 adults and 2 kids in Crete a few years ago, and it was difficult to find a vehicle big enough for all of us. We had to rent very boxy, almost 4 wheel drive looking vehicle. We had some adventures on those teeny streets, and when the back doors almost came open on the highway!

The issue of taking a train from Spain to Portugal has come up many times. It's trickier than it looks. Basically, I think you have to go up to Madrid and then back to Portugal. We did a bus from Lisbon to Seville, so I assume you can go in the other direction.

I would suggest transport wise ...
Rental Car - Granada to Seville
Bus - Seville to Faro (crossing the border)
Rental Car - Faro to Lisbon

Are you choosing Andalusia because of its proximity to Portugal or are Seville/Cordoba a high priority? I ask because there are other parts of Spain that have better weather in July. Even the heights, like hill towns and Granada, are likely to be less hot. Barcelona and surroundings . . .

I will look at the bus from Seville to Faro & then rental there.

I have been dreaming of seeing the Alhambra and the other Moorish architecture in Southern Spain. We were in Barcelona last year (loved it!), and I've been to Madrid/Toledo before and I knew that if we wanted to include Portugal, we would have to create an itinerary that could work.

One thing we loved about Toledo was the interesting history and architecture related to the coexistence of Muslims, Jews and Christians in the same city (prior to the horrible expulsion). Cities with similar history would be of definite interest. I was also looking at cities like Aracena, which are at higher elevations and might be cooler.

Thanks everyone - I always check the Rick Steves forums before I travel - great advice!

Damas is your bus line http://www.damas-sa.es/
SEVILLA FARO DURATION
7:30:00 10:20:00 230 min
9:30:00 13:10:00 280 min
14:00:00 16:50:00 230 min
16:15:00 18:55:00 220 min

I have been dreaming of seeing the Alhambra and the other Moorish architecture in Southern Spain. Then I recommend seeing the Nasrid Palaces on your first evening, then going back the next day. It looks completely different. To maximize your time at the Alhambra, get a morning ticket with an 11.30 or later Nasrid entrance. You'll be able to visit the other ticketed areas any time before and also after (the 2.00 limit won't apply).

One thing we loved about Toledo was the interesting history and architecture related to the coexistence of Muslims, Jews and Christians in the same city Cordoba definitely fits the bill. Much of the Jewish presence remains in the old city including a small synagogue and Casa Sefarad and of course the Muslim Mezquita. It has a lot more atmosphere in the evenings than Seville and has some other interesting sights too (skip the Alcazar there). I thought Cordoba had a small-town vibe (much like Toledo) while Seville feels like a bustling city. Depending on the day of the week, you might be able to see a show at the Royal Horse Stables. Consider spending 1 or even 2 nights. Seville has virtually no visible remains of the Jewish life that flourished there; the Alcazar is a gem.

Thanks, Chani - that's great advice!