My husband and I are planning a trip to Spain & Portugal in early September. I purchased both of Rick's guidebooks for the two countries and now I have way too many places on my list to see than we can fit in in two weeks! We're planning on going into Barcelona and out of Lisbon traveling by train and bus. Any itinerary suggestions or highlights we shouldn't miss would be much appreciated!
Thanks!
Lets see....from Barcelona to Madrid (cultural capital as well as political capital), to Granada (the Alhambra, the best site in all of Spain), to Cordoba, to Sevilla, then into Portugal. That's a lot on its own for two weeks though, but it'll give you some ideas. Just remember that you're travelling across Spain, so travel times might be longer than you think (eg. 5 1/2 hours by bus or train from Madrid to Granada.
i agree 100%. but for 2 weeks, you'll be fine. just budget your time within the cities.
My family and I did a two week trip through Spain and Portugal in 2005. Flew into Barcelona for 3 night stay. Then flew on Iberian Air to Madrid for 3 more nights (daytrip to Toledo). Took the AVE to Sevilla for 2 nights. Bus to Lagos, Portugal and a local bus to Salema for 2 nights. Bus to Lisbon for a 3 night stay (daytrip to Sintra). We had a great time and followed all Rick Steve's recommendations which were 100% right on.
I was in Portugal in Oct 2006. Lisbon, Sintra, Douro Valley are my votes. Seville, Arco de la Frontera and Toledo are my top votes in Spain. Do what Rick says in these areas, he is right on in my opinion.
Thanks for all the great feedback. The highlights of your trips are very helpful. Did any of you go to Gibraltar or Tarifa in Morrocco? Just wondering if I should try to include them or not.
Michelle, 2 ears ago in mid-September my wife and I did the same trip, only flying into Lisbon and out of Barcelona. A quick rundown of what we did: Flew into Lisbon, arriving Saturday afternoon; spent two nights there and picked up a rental car in downtown Lisbon, then drove to the Algarve (Salema, Rick's favorite) for one night. We then spent a night in Saville. From there we had lunch in a white hill town in Andalusia, then on to Tarifa for 2 nights so we could take the ferry to Tangier for an 8-hour tour with Aziz, one of Rick's tour guides. We then drove to Gibraltar for several hours, before staying for 3 nights in Nerja on the Costa del Sol. Nerja is the only town Rick likes on the coast, and it is wonderful. From there we drove up to Toledo for a night, then into Madrid, where we turned in our car. Stayed in Madrid for 1 1/2 days, then splurged and went first class with a sleeping compartment (with bath) on the overnight train to Barcelona. 2 nights there then home.
Give this site a try. It had some tips that Rick's book didnt have
http://maribelsguides.com/
