Hi
We are planning a trip to Spain with 4 of us including my 2 kids ages 11 and 13. Planning to arrive at Madrid on July 2
take AVE train to Seville on July 5
take the bus to Lisbon, Portugal on July 8 ( has to go to Lisbon for an international event)
Fly out of Portugal on July 12.
Please guide if this is enough time? What sights to see and which tickets to buy in advance.
thank you for your help
Unfortunately, ground transportation links between Spain and Portugal are limited and often inconvenient. Although there msy be possibilities I did not uncover, my quick check turned up just one bus on July 8. It departs at 11 or 11:30 PM (depending on which station you use) and arrives at 4:30 or 5:30 AM (again, depending on the station). The two countries are in different time zones; the actual travel time is 7 to 8-1/2 hours. Sounds miserable to me.
I'd go to Skyscanner.com and look for flights. If you can't find something workable, I suggest skipping Seville. There are some great side-trips to be made from Madrid (Toledo and Segovia are the two biggest), and you could spend the first part of your trip all at one hotel. I assume there will be more flights between Madrid and Lisbon, though I haven't checked. I think the only train is an overnighter.
It's going to be hot in Madrid and way beyond hot in Seville in July. Seville's average July high temperature is 38.5 C (101.3 F).
I agree with dropping Seville, based upon the amount of time you have and likely weather. Also avoiding that bus ride, I think you may be able catch a reasonable nonstop flight from Madrid to Lisbon.
Spain and Portugal are both terrific, although I do not myself consider a Madrid to be a real highlight, especially if you and your kids would not want to spend hours in Madrid’s 3 fine art museums. You haven’t indicated any special interests of your family, and it’s hard to tell what plans and commitments you have already made, aside from the international event in Lisbon. For just 10 nights in July, I would recommend you consider spending the whole time in Portugal.
There are three nonstop flights from Seville to Lisbon on July 8. I flew TAP (Portugal's national airline) last summer and had no problems. It would certainly be faster and easier than a bus.
thank you for the feed back. I need to reconsider. Also what is the best time to visit spain when it is not that hot.
