Portugal coast

We loved both Lisbon and Seville! In Seville we saw the Palace, Alcazar, flamenco show and had an awesome dinner, but only stayed one night-would probably recommend two or three. The old city has a nice vibe, but be warned that parking can be a challenge. Spent a few nights in Lisbon, took the trolley to Belem, ate the famous custards, toured the palaces and found the Royal Coach Museum to be more interesting than expected! Sorry no info on the other two cities, as Lisbon was our last stop after travelling through Spain for 3+ weeks. Just wondering why you don't rent the car right from Lisbon, rather than taking the train then renting a car in Faro?

We could rent the car in Lisbon but we thought the train would be more relaxing and faster. What do you think is the advantage of the rental in Lisbon? We are open.
Also, we thought that since we would be in Marbella, the trip from there would be quite long by car...again, relaxing train ride.

You've built in all kinds of problems: a. There's more car choice in Lisbon than Faro b. You're back tracking on the Evora excursion c. You're twice paying for a car and train on the same day d. You're twice driving the same roads through the Algarve Opinions: a. You have way too much cumulative time in Lisbon b. You're missing a lot along potential routes c. Faro is not the best base for the Algarve since it's on one end - - Albuferia works better and you've got too long in Faro, anyway Consider doing Lisbon/Sintra then getting the car to head toward Evora. From there swing through Elvas enroute to Seville. Cordoba is worthwhile if you can fit it in. From Seville renter Portugal along the coastal Algarve and get back to Lisbon to drop the car the night before the return flight.

Thank you....your suggestion is well received. So....how long does it take to drive from Elva to Seville? I see it is all highways. So....four days in Lisbon with one being Sintra.....drive to Evora, then to Elva, right? One night there? ( which city should we stay?) After leaving Seville (three nights)' drive to the coast of Portugal for three nights and then drive from there back to Lisbon for 1 1/2 days before departure the next day.
We are seniors and don't want to be a whirlwind....trying to spend a few days in each region. Again...thank you soberly much!!

Thank you....your suggestion is well received. So....how long does it take to drive from Elva to Seville? I see it is all highways. So....four days in Lisbon with one being Sintra.....drive to Evora, then to Elva, right? One night there? ( which city should we stay?) After leaving Seville (three nights)' drive to the coast of Portugal for three nights and then drive from there back to Lisbon for 1 1/2 days before departure the next day.
We are seniors and don't want to be a whirlwind....trying to spend a few days in each region. Again...thank you so very much!

Elvas to Seville is about two and a half hours by freeway maybe four if you take the back roads of Extremadura. I like Elvas better. Evora is larger, but it's a congested mess until late afternoon when the day trippers finally clear out.

would you recommend any hotel in either location?

I can't. We don't plan or make reservations, so there's no way we can remember where we'd stayed by the end of the next week. Sorry. Also, you'd better add an hour to my times above. Seville is hard to wiggle into if you're unfamiliar with the city. Getting out is easy: follow any artery to the beltway and turn as necessary to get on your way.