For our honeymoon, my husband (to be) and I are planning to stay roughly 2 weeks (in mid-December) in these 3 countries. We plan on flying in to and out of Madrid. My thought is 3-4 days in Madrid, one day/night in Tangier, 6-7 days in Portugal, then back to Madrid. Is this feasible? My concern is transportation time between the countries. Also, is there another city or town in southern Spain we should try to see? What cities would you recommend to visit in Portugal this time of year? (We love art, architecture, great food and experiencing other cultures.) Thanks for your input!!
Posted by
Tampa
1 posts
Heather,
Spent 3 weeks in Spain & Portugal...had a wonderful time.
You might research and consider:
Madrid Room Mate Alicia on fun little square not far from the Prado
Lisbon Hotel Senhora do Monte on a belvedere amke sure you see Sintra
Nerja Hotel Carebo B&B sitting on the deck overlooking the Mediterranean (sp?) priceless
Granada & Alhambra are a must Casa Frederico.
marginal but perfect location
Take train to Toledo for the day
Barcelona is not Spain! Cheap flight from Madrid and a wonderful city. Consider Marina View B&B
Check tripadvisor.com for traveler's evaluation.
Happy
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
Your big problem will be Tangiers. You could fly there from Madrid, but you won't arrive until mid-afternoon (according to the latest Easyjet and Ryanair schedules) and you'll have to spend 2 nights there, because it'll take you a day to make it from Tangiers to Portugal....there are no easy flight connections (that are affordable), and land travel between southern Spain and Portugal is not the best.
Frankly, with two weeks, I'd spend 4 days in Madrid (with day trips to Segovia and Toledo), 3 days in Sevilla, 3 days relaxing somewhere along the Algarve (although it won't be lying-on-the-beach weather) and 3 days in Lisbon. Travel from Madrid-Sevilla takes about three hours on the fast AVE train. There are buses into southern Portugal from Sevilla.From Lisbon back to Madrid, your choices are a long (and expensive) overnight train journey, or a flight on the discount airlines Vueling or Easyjet the night before you leave for home.
I, too, would hate it if you had to miss the Alhambra in Granada, truly one of the great sights of Spain. So an alternative itinerary may be 3 or 4 days in Madrid, then the bus to Granada (about 5 hours, very cheap and very scenic...everything from Don Quixote windmills to mountains,) 2 days there, then bus or train to Sevilla (about 3 hours) for 3 days, then a day to go right thru from Sevilla to Lisbon for three days before heading back to Madrid.