Spain and Portugal Oct. 2025

Recommend, in Seville, H10 Casa de la Plata…and the near by Bar el Comercio for churros with chocolate. Enjoy!

There are plenty of hotel options in Madrid. On our recent trips we’ve stayed at Hotel Europa at the Puerta del Sol.

Assuming you’re returning the rental car to Spain, yes you can drive it into Portugal. Some rental car companies will charge you a fee for doing so. Let the agent at the desk know you’ll be driving it in Portugal when you pick the rental up. If you drive a Spain registered car on a toll road in Portugal, register the rental with the Portugal Tolls. If you don’t register it, you’ll get notified by the rental company in a few months and you can pay the tolls (and associated late fees) online. The tolls are calculated per day, not each individual time you went through a toll both or under a transponder.

If you’re not returning the rental car to Spain, the one way drop fee will be pretty steep. You can make a dummy booking with a couple different companies to find out what that fee could be. I suspect it would be €500 or more.

Use Google Flights to research your flight options
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Fly multi-city or “open jaw” if that works with your itinerary
Book with the actual airline

When is this trip?

Sevilla needs more than 2 nights
2 nights is really only 1 full day

thanks for the Hotel advice in Madrid and I agree we should make Sevilla a 3 night stay

Train from Madrid to Malaga is easy. There are no trains to Marbella. You could get a bus from Malaga. Or your sister could pick you up - it's only a 30 min drive.

Berta102,

We have decided that adding Portugal to this trip would be to much as we only have 14 days.

I think you’ve made a wise decision to skip Portugal on this trip as this would give you a more relaxed trip in Spain.
If skipping Portugal, you may consider adding Granada, and Córdoba, on your way to Sevilla. I’d also allocate at least 4 nights (3 days) to Sevilla.

Enjoy your trip!

thank you for the tips on where to stay in Seville and Madrid. Has anyone gone to the Roman Baths in Seville?

Just wanted to add my recommendation for Hotel Amadeus in Seville. We stayed there last Dec. It's beautifully decorated with tiled walls and musical instruments (plus classical music is played). Great atmosphere. There are several reception rooms on the first floor. We had 2 very different rooms. Both very comfortable, beautifully decorated, and good-sized bedroom and bath. Staff were very friendly and extremely helpful with our questions. Location is a few blocks from the cathedral and palace. Really can't say enough nice things about this charming hotel!

14 days is definitely smart - I've done similar routes and trying to pack in too much just leaves you exhausted.

For Madrid, the "Golden Triangle" of museums (Prado, Reina Sofia, Thyssen) is incredible if you're into art. The Retiro Park is perfect for a morning stroll, and definitely spend an evening in the Malasaña or Chueca neighborhoods for tapas. For hotels, anything near Gran Via or Sol puts you walking distance to most attractions.

You'll go through some beautiful Andalusian countryside. Just a heads up though, driving in Spain can be quite different from the US, especially in cities like Sevilla where the streets are narrow and parking is... challenging. The roundabouts and road signage took me a while to get used to when I first drove there.

In Sevilla, definitely book the Alcázar in advance (it sells out) and try to catch a flamenco show in the Triana district. Hotel-wise, staying in the Santa Cruz quarter puts you right in the heart of things but can be pricey.

Since you mentioned renting a car, you might want to familiarize yourself with Spanish driving before you go - we used Tripiamo driving guides in advance since international driving can be pretty stressful without proper prep. The last thing you want is to spend your vacation stressed about navigation!