Spain/Portugal; March/April for a Months Stay

Fly in to Lisbon
1. Lisbon & surrounds - 4 nights
2. Algarve - 1 week
3. Sevilla & Córdoba - 4 nights
4. Spanish coast (Andalusia) - 1 week
5 Granada - 2 nights
6. Madrid & surrounds - 4 nights
Fly out of Madrid

Hi David, the only problem with your itinerary is that it would cost too much to drop off our rental car in another Country!

Semana Santa begins on April 9 and ends on Easter Sunday, April 16. That's a wonderful time to be in Andalucia. On my first visit, I spent 3 weeks there and felt I'd just scratched the surface.

It sounds like you are looking for beach time. That's too early in the year. The water will be too cold for swimming and it may even been chilly for sunbathing. The Algarve is pretty dead, I'm told, during the winter. Do check if it's worth spending time there. Have you considered Porto? Friends of mine were in Portugal last year in March, weren't terribly impress with Lisbon but raved about Porto.

Are you traveling solo or with others - how many? A car is expensive and you don't need it a lot in Spain. You could fly into Lisbon, rent a car for a few days to tootle around the north, then fly from Lisbon to Malaga. Spend a few days there, day trip or even better, spend a couple nights in Granada, then take a rental car for a few days through the pueblos blancos and drop the car in Jerez or Sevilla. Then stop in Cordoba and end in Madrid.

I'm definitely not looking for a beach vacation. It's more expensive to keep renting a car & flying around than to have one the whole time. Not sure at this time whether they'll be just the 2 of us or another couple!
Just wanting advice on going in March or April.

If you're not looking for beach time, I'm not sure you'll be happy spending the bulk of your time along the Spanish coast. Much of it is overbuilt and, frankly, ticky-tacky.

If you don't visit the Algarve, you will only need a car for 3-4 days in Portugal. Again, in Spain, 3-5 days for the pueblos blancos. For the rest, the trains are fast and cheap . . . unless of course, there are 4 of you. Then a one-month lease could save you money, but all that driving will still cost you time.

There's really not much to see or do from a base on the Med coast of Spain, except Malaga during Semana Santa.

My suggestions for locations and timings were meant as just a broad framework. No, if renting a car, I wouldn't recommend driving it across the border because of the excessive costs. Also, for me, "time along the coast" implies a beach holiday.

Thank you all for your suggestions; I guess driving in October is out so rethinking the whole trip!
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Jean

October? Your thread says March/April

Sorry Chani, that was an answer to another itinerary through the Alps.... replied in this forum in error...