travelling to Spain & Portugal mid July with family

The whole of the Iberian peninsula is a lot of ground to cover in 17 days. Maybe the RS tour itineraries are a good start for you to get your head around what you're looking to plan. (Though keep in mind that it's a bit hectic to recreate a tour's pace on one's own.).

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/spain-portugal/spain

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/spain-portugal/portugal

We visited Madrid, Granada and Barcelona just before the pandemic hit, and thoroughly enjoyed the country. We'd previously stopped on cruises along the Spanish coastline, and found it to be too many high rise condos that were very congested.

We found the interior of the country very beautiful and it's much less expensive than many other countries like England & France. We also found the people to be very nice and uncommonly beautiful too.

Lisbon is the only European city we've not been in. But it's on our list of must see's.

Do you have 17 days actually on the ground or is it 15 after travel time to get there and back?

Southern Spain is going to be very hot - are you happy with heat? What ages are your children?

Travel between Spain and Portugal isn’t as easy as you would expect by public transport and therefore unless you want to hire a car, I would suggest that you visit one or other country, as both have enough to keep you fully occupied.

Do you have flights booked? Where are you landing and departing? I suggest that you plan for 3-4 nights minimum in most locations.

You mention the Alhambra, which suggests Granada and Andalusia plus possibly Madrid and Toledo or Cordoba. Seville can easily fill 3 full days plus day trips to Cadiz and/or Jerez.

We mostly rent a car on our trips to Spain. If you intend on visiting Portugal then I’d keep the Spain portion to Extremadura and Galicia regions. If the Alhambra is a must, then I’d drop Portugal since you really do have limited time. Portugal is west and Granada east, so you’d spend a lot of time getting from one to the other that could be better spent seeing places closer together. One could easily spend 17 days in each Extremadura or Andalucía.

A few questions ... what time of year are you planning to go and how many people (spouse only, plus kids and how old?) ... with the limited information provided, I would suggest Spain only ... Madrid for a week (including day trips to Toledo and El Escorial) ... then (in no particular order) Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Barcelona, maybe Malaga, Valencia and a few others depending on time ... you could do all this by train since you wouldn't need a car in the cities and use trains/buses for day trips. A car is a good option if you like going off the beaten path and/or are traveling with others to make it cost effective.

As mentioned, Granada (Alhambra) is on the wrong side if you wanted to do Portugal, you'll spend a day just traveling back and forth unless you get a flight that arrives in Madrid and leaves from Lisbon, but that adds the cost of dropping a car at a different location. Portugal itself is an option, we (2 of us) did a 2+ week trip by car and loved it ... hit all the major spots and then some ... was a lot of driving but we like that travel style of being able to stop when we want to take a detour if the mood hit us. Portugal doesn't have the train system Spain does so you would really need a car to get around unless you took a few flights between the major cities which can be expensive and time consuming.

Glad to help provide more insight / suggestions if needed.

The whole of the Iberian peninsula is a lot of ground to cover in 17 days. Maybe the RS tour itineraries are a good start for you to get your head around what you're looking to plan. (Though keep in mind that it's a bit hectic to recreate a tour's pace on one's own.).

Thank you Scudder. these look like decent options. Will consider these once we are nearing the finalisation of the itinerary.

@David "interior of the country very beautiful"

Can you be a bit more specific regarding this please

@ JenniferDo you have 17 days actually on the ground or is it 15 after travel time to get there and back?
You're absolutely spot on there. Technically we only have 15 days if we take out the 2 travel days from home and back home

Southern Spain is going to be very hot - are you happy with heat? What ages are your children?
how hot are we talking about? any rains then? we're planning the trip starting mid july. All kids in their teens

Travel between Spain and Portugal isn’t as easy as you would expect by public transport and therefore unless you want to hire a car, I would suggest that you visit one or other country, as both have enough to keep you fully occupied.
not looking to do any driving ideally. Will consider you suggestion which makes sense. the final say will be the kids as always ;)
Do you have flights booked? Where are you landing and departing? I suggest that you plan for 3-4 nights minimum in most locations.
None of these done at present. all options open at this stage

Firstly, i would like to thank you all for your valuable inputs. It really means a lot to us as first timers in this region.
By the looks of it, the general opinion here is that for 15 days spent in the region, only Spain would be sufficient which, to me is also making sense. So assuming we only do Spain. What cities would our itinerary include and suggested number of nights in each city?
The kids are interested in photography and culinary arts as well, with one already an aspiring pastry chef and another into astro physics. Any suggestions?

Southern Spain is going to be very hot - are you happy with heat? how
hot are we talking about? any rains then? we're planning the trip
starting mid july.

You can probably in general expect 30-35°C during the day and no rainfall.

@ Badger You can probably in general expect 30-35°C during the day and no rainfall.
Oh!! that's pleasant. We're at 41C right now :)

shoaibmotiwala.1 - Those linked itineraries I posted should help you with initial, not later details. It might be time for you to do some primary research.

The area around Seville is the hottest in Spain (and in Europe), I believe. Granada is at altitude so a bit cooler. Coastal areas also tend to be a bit cooler. The most pleasant areas in the middle of the summer will be the high Pyrenees (but having a car is probably necessary there) and the north coast from the Basque Country to Galicia. That's a very different climate zone; it tends to be much cooler and overcast.

Here are actual, historical, day-by-day temperature graphs for Seville in July 2017-2021:

2021: https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/spain/sevilla/historic?month=7&year=2021

2020: https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/spain/sevilla/historic?month=7&year=2020

2019: https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/spain/sevilla/historic?month=7&year=2019

2018: https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/spain/sevilla/historic?month=7&year=2018

2017: https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/spain/sevilla/historic?month=7&year=2017

It's easy to spend many months in Spain without covering all of its interesting destinations, so from my perspective, it would be smart to consider the weather in your selections.

Oh!! that's pleasant. We're at 41C right now :)

That sounds horrible. Just remember that what I wrote is based on average temperatures, and it can be colder as well as hotter. And when there is a heat wave in Spain, it gets hot. During a heat wave in august last year the temperature reached a bit over 47°C.

Popular tourist destinations for 1st trip to Spain travelers include, Madrid, Sevilla, Córdoba, Barcelona, Granada, Toledo, and Segovia. In each of those cities there are a multitude of opportunities for photography enthusiasts. In Madrid visit Retiro Park; Segovia has the aqueduct, Toledo has the bridge of San Martín, Córdoba the Mezquita, Granada and its Alhambra, and Barcelona has the Gaudí architecture and Boquería market. For a culinary experience try the roast suckling pig at either El Mesón de Candido in Segovia or El Sobrino de Botín in Madrid.

When I was planning my trip to Andalusia, I read trip reports from people who were there during the summer months. Temps can be around 100F in Seville! They wrote about being drenched in sweat after being outside for 10 minutes. If you visit Andalusia, which I love, be sure to get hotels with pools.

We visited Andalusia (and Madrid and Toledo) from mid-September to very early October in 2017. Temps were typically in the 80's; 70's in Malaga (a bit cooler on the coast); and low to mid 90's in Seville!!! This was our last stop. So late September/early October for Seville.

If you decide you can tolerate the heat in Andalusia, I recommend visiting Cordoba, Granada, Sevilla, and perhaps Malaga, which we loved, and it might be a tad cooler and will give you some coastal ambience.. Our itinerary for almost the same amount of time, if this helps you in planning, was Madrid (4 nights); Toledo (1 night); Cordoba (2 nights); Granada (2 nights); Malaga (2 nights); and Sevilla (4 nights).

We also visited Barcelona, Girona and Costa Brava on a separate trip, and this is a beautiful area, too. It might be a tad cooler, but I've heard could be very humid. We were there in October, so we had perfect weather.

I agree with visiting only one country on this trip. Spain makes the most sense.

Keep in mind that while it may be that hot at home, you aren't out sightseeing all day in the heat and sun. The upside is that because of the extreme heat, hotel rates are lower in Andalucia.

Use the official Renfe site to find train schedules and prices. Tickets usually go on sale about 60 days in advance and you can get deep discounts by purchasing nonrefundable, nonexchangeable tickets. Teens may benefit from additional student discounts.
Don't buy them until you are sure of your itinerary. In the meantime, it's useful for planning your trip.

Hello everybody. Firstly, thank you all very much for your valuable inputs. I've taken a couple of days to work out the potential itinerary, and i'm posting it here for any feedback you guys may have. If you feel like i'm missing anything out or if i'm spending too much time in a particular place, please feel free to advise accordingly. My daughter also wants to visit Catalunya and the Basque regions, would it be a good idea to spend a couple of days doing that as well?

Spain- 17 nights
Barcelona- 4 nights

Day 1:
Sightseeing all day- hop on hop off bus tour option
Sagrada Familia
Casa Mila
Picasso Musesum
Casa Batlo
Dinner

Day 2:
Gothic Quarter
Barcelona Beach
Grab dinner and watch sunset at Bunkers De Carmel

Day 3:
Day trip to Costa Brava or Montserrat & Dali Museum/ cataunya

Day 4:
La Boqueria Market
Park Guell
Casa Viecens

Valencia- 2 nights

Day 1:
City of Arts and Sciences- oceanarium

Day 2:
El Saler beach
Paella
Central market

Granada- 4 nights

Day 1:
Alhambra guided tour
Dinner

Day 2:
Albayzin
Flamenco performance

Day 3:
Day trip to Sierra Nevada- 30 mins (20km) from Granada
Guided safari
https://www.getyourguide.co.uk/granada-l207/granada-sightseeing-4x4-tour-t42922/?partner=true
Alcaeria Market

Day 4:
Sacromonte neighbourhood
Zaidin market

Seville- 2 nights

Day 1:
ALcazar guided tour

Day 2:
Tapas cooking class
Cathedral

Madrid- 4 nights

Day 1:
Matadero market
Museum of illusions
Ikono experience museum

Day 2:
San Gines Churros and hot chocolate
San Fernando Market

Wow! My husband and I spent 5 days in Barcelona a couple of years ago, and I have only one comment about your itinerary: WAY too ambitious day one. The Gaudi sights merit a couple of hours each and so does the Picasso Museum, and they are not close together. I would at most try to visit Sagrada Familia, Casa Batlo and the Picasso Museum.

Chris

Barcelona Day 1 has four key sights crammed into it, all but the first of which will probably be extremely crowded. Are you sure you'll be up for such intensity on Day 1? Do you not have a tiring flight to get to Spain? How are you going to schedule the four stops to be sure you have plenty of time at each one, time to travel to the next one, and time for lunch? It's inefficient to insert the Picasso Museum between Casa Mila and Casa Battlo, which are only a few blocks apart. You'll need to buy tickets in advance for all four of those sights, so you can't play the timing by ear. It would be better to make one of them your first stop on Days 1, 2 and 4 so you are not so time-crunched.

I think the HO/HO bus will be a waste of money. Barcelona's Metro is very useful, and it runs a lot more frequently than the HO/HO buses.

I'm not sure what combination(s) you're considering for Day 3 or what you mean by "Catalunya". The entire region around Barcelona--including Barcelona--is Catalunya. I am doubtful about combining Montserrat and the Dali Theatre-Museum on one day. I don't know whether it would be easier to combine the DTM and one of the beach towns.

For Day 4 Casa Vicens does make geographic sense, but I wonder how you'll feel about it after seeing four other Gaudi sights? It was not as impressive as the others. I was glad to see it, but I am a modernista architecture junkie, and I don't think it's necessarily the best choice for most folks. I'd certainly recommend the Palau de la Musica Catalana or the Sant Pau modernista site instead.

It's quite a long trip from Valencia to Granada; the fastest route is through Madrid. Valencia is adding a lot of travel time here. It's a pleasant city, but there are other places where I think those days would be more valuable: Seville definitely needs more than two days, and you are not going to Cordoba or Toledo. (I suppose if the short time in Seville is due to weather concerns, substituting time in Valencia might be logical.)

I am not convinced a tour of the Alhambra is a good plan. The Alhambra is crowded; I'd rather be able to move around at my own pace, avoiding the more-packed areas. If you have any interest in taking photos, I think you'll really prefer to make your own decisions about where to pause. Your ticket to the Alhambra allows only one entry to the Nasrid Palaces, which are the most important/beautiful part of the entire complex. If you feel the guide has rushed you through the palaces, you will not be able to return to them later (unless you've purchased an extra ticket). I used the audio guide and felt it worked well.

I've done some research on this for when we go either in 2 weeks or wait until October ... for the Alhambra, get the earliest timed ticket (8:30am ... you get a 30 minute window to use it) and enter through the Puerta de la Justicia (Gate of Justice) which opens at 8:30 (so get there prior to the opening time) ... entry is only by printed tickets with a QR code ... go straight to the Nasrid Palace (it's about a 5 minute walk to the palace from that entry compared to at least a 30 minute walk from the main gate) ... you could (almost) have the palace to yourself for about 30 minutes ... after the palace, wander around before heading back down to see the area between the palace and the main entrance ...