We have a week in Europe after a Bike and Barge in the Netherlands and are planning to go to Spain OR Portugal, having never been to either country. Realizing that one week is never enough, how would you go about choosing which country? We love back door travel - like to visit cities for what they have to offer but prefer the towns for the connection. Any feedback is helpful!!
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
With just a week I would lean towards Portugal. KLM fly to Porto from Amsterdam.
- Fly Amsterdam to Porto (2N)
- Porto
- Train to Coimbra (1N)
- Train to Lisbon (4N)
- Lisbon
- Day to Sintra
- Day to Belem & Cascais
- Depart Lisbon
Posted by
Barcelona
64 posts
Both countries are beautiful. In Spain you have Barcelona, Madrid and lots of beatiful places to visit. In Portugal you have the main cities and then the Alentejo Region and Algarve, with its beautiful beaches.
Posted by
Washington DC
28102 posts
I'd definitely do Portugal unless you'd be satisfied with seeing just one fairly small area in Spain. You won't have time to cover all of Portugal, either, but you can get a more complete taste of it in a week.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
You won't know how you feel about each country until you go. Read as much about them as you can. Watch videos - Rick's are here: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show. Talk to friends who've been.
Look into flight connections back to your home city. And don't just look at flights from Madrid, Barcelona, or Lisbon. Portugal also has airports at Porto (north) and Faro (south); Spain has lots of airports. All else being equal, you want a place with decent connections to get you back home.
Then, if you're still not sure, flip a coin.
Portugal felt less visited than Spain - even Lisbon hardly felt "touristy," and there were certainly far fewer visible tourists in Lisbon than in Madrid or Barcelona. But there are plenty of back doors in all three cities, as well as other parts of the countries.
Posted by
72 posts
I would go to Portugal if you only have a week. I loved Portugal esp. Lisbon - they are in the process of building a large tour boat dock and I would go now before Lisbon gets even more crowded. Lisbon and Portugal is more laid back than Spain so if that appeals to you, Portugal. If you are not planning to go to the Iberian peninsula again - then perhaps Spain - Madrid, Sevilla, Barcelona are not to be missed. They are more touristy and crowded but there is a reason why, they are amazing cities with great history and architecture.