Using MAD as our international hub.. Flying straight on to Majorca for 10 nights. Reason: (rather than side trip to UK, arranged to meet DH mum here instead) Day 10 she flys back to UK and we fly to Barcelona to do a version of RS Spain Portugal Itinerary... ... http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/spain/itin_spainport.htm ... We haven't booked any accommodation yet or found out about car hire. Anyone had experience regarding this? .. We plan on getting the AVE train to Madrid from Barcelona and then hiring a car from here. DH is reluctant to hire one from in the city.....Is it easy to drive out of? .. We will follow the RS drive, does anyone reco which roads to travel on ? ... Once we get to Lisbon, we are thinking of staying in Sintra and travelling into Lisbon each day rather than deal with Traffic and parking there. We are going to make this a 4 night stop.. . ... Rather than 1 night in Salema we are adding 6 nights in Tavira, Portugal, my brother moved from UK a few yrs ago want to check it out and his reasons for moving there... ... After 2 nights Tarifa we were thinking of adding a stop in Ronda en-route to Granada... thoughts ??
... 2 nights in Granada, this would leave us with either the drive to Toledo and 2 nights there or a stop en-route, we then plan on getting a hotel near MAD as our flight home leaves at around 6:30am Thoughts, reco's appreciated..
Posted by
OP
Victoria, BC, Canada
101 posts
I should add, so far we have booked the main flight Canada to Madrid ... Arriving Sept 25th and departing Nov 3rd.. We have also booked our flight to Majorca. .... Still looking into Accommodation in Majorca thinking of Cala D'or.. .... As for the rest of the trip, we are wide open to suggestions, as to what roads to take and which to avoid. Where to stop for the night etc.. roughly we are thinking Day 1 -10 Majorca Day 11 -12 Barcelona 2 nights Day 13 AVE to Madrid 2 nights Day 14 Sightsee Madrid Day 15 Drive to Segovia 1 night Day 16 Drive to Salamanca 1 night Day 17 -18 Coimbra 2 nights Day 19 Nasare' 1 night Day 20- 24 Lisbon (stay in Sintra) 4 nights Day 25 - 30 Tavira Day 31 Seville 2 nights Day 33 La Fronterra 1 night Day 34 Tarifa 2 nights ~ Day trip to Morocco Day 36 Ronda ????? Day 37 - 38 Granada Day 39 - 40 Toldedo
Day 41 Madrid and home the next day I'm sure something is adding up day's wise.. I'll have to do the maths again !! LOL
Posted by
Philadelphia
655 posts
We did a similar trip. I think you've got the timing about right. Toledo was interesting - try to stay right in the old city. Two nights in Granada is good. To me, Cordoba can be seen enroute if you are driving. We also stayed in Sintra and took the commuter train into Lisbon. This seemed to work out well although parking in Sintra can be a problem. Perhaps you can stay close to the terminal and won't need to park. In any case, unless you have a particular interest in Lisbon I think two days in the city would be plenty. Our favorite was Seville, and Madrid. Seville is probably the worst place to drive I've ever been but you'll want to stay in the old city. We finally hailed a taxi, gave him the address of our B&B and followed him in our car to reach it. Consider a GPS.
Posted by
OP
Victoria, BC, Canada
101 posts
Thanks for your response, the only concern I have with Sintra is I hear that parking can be a bit of a problem.. I still think it might be the better option that staying in Lisbon and worrying about the car.. On Car hire, does anyone have any experiences they can share. We plan to pick one up in Madrid.. I'm also not sure about the route back.... After Tarifa does spending a night in or near Ronda make sense en-route to Granada, I know Ronda isn't on RS's suggested itinerary but it looks like an interesting town.. Thanks
Posted by
Phoenix, AZ
1 posts
I lived in Portugal for two years. Tavira is my favorite city in the country. If I were ever to buy a home in Portugal, that's where I'd buy. Enjoy!