Will be going to Iberia for 24 days in Oct, RT to Madrid. We plan to spend 3 full days in Madrid and another 2 days taking side trips from there vis public transportation if possible. Then 3 days in Lisbon before renting a car and going to Southern Portugal, Sevilla, Andalucia etc and then back North to Madrid. Questions-1) Is it a good idea to visit the towns north of Madrid and go back to Madrid at night or stay over somewhere. 2). What is the best way to go from Madrid to Lisbon? I am trying to avoid a car as it will be useless in Lisbon. I guess if I had to I could rent the car in Madrid and just pay to park it in Lisbon or pay a dropoff charge when I get there and re rent when we leave. Any ideas? Other tips welcome as well. Thanks.
Posted by
Honolulu/Seattle, HI/WA, USA
2787 posts
Do you have RS "Spain & Portugal" guide book yet? If so, good. If not, suggest you get one right away as it certainly helped us with our planning when we did Spain & Portugal.
You might also want to check out the itinerary for RS tour of S&P to see what where they are going and what they are doing. I enjoyed Spain OK but liked Portugal better - person preference. Happy travels
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
1. Which towns north of Madrid? Most people prefer staying overnight in smaller towns to enjoy the city after the tourists have left. With 24 days, you'll have that time. 2. Madrid to Lisbon is one of two options really: fly or overnight train. Both have their plus and minus so compare and make the best decision for you. PS - Rental car drop off fees are quite high for pickup and drop-off in different countries. It might be worth the convenience but be sure to check your options and what the fee is. PSS - It almost never pays to rent a car so it can sit in a parking lot that you also pay for.
Posted by
OP
Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
255 posts
Thanks for the replies. Yes I do have the RS book but getting from Mad to Lis is not really covered except that there is an overnight train each evening. I guess I will spend 5 days in Madrid with day trips to Toledo and Segovia, then rent a car and do the counterclockwise 3 week tour in the book beginning with Salamanca, going thru Portugal to Coimbra, Lisbon, Evora, Salema, Andalucia, Costa del Sol and return to Madrid. Renting in Madrid and dropping in Lisbon has a HUGE drop off charge and renting in Lisbon is VERY costly so my options are limited. Anyway, any tips for the rest of the general outline of the trip will be welcome. Thanks.
Posted by
Newburyport, MA
683 posts
We spent 8weeks in Spain in 2005. We didnt drive and founf no problems w using trains and the excellent bus system. Highly recommend seeing Segovia, Merida, Palma de Mallorca and Granada. Found best way to Portugal was shorter trips as opposed to overnight. Left from Merida in Extremadura. North of Madrid is very diff from south. With such a short time, we'd advise saving them for another trip.
Posted by
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, USA
62 posts
Rental cars only pay off if you plan to spend a tremendous amount of time out in the countryside. As soon as you hit the city the car becomes more enemy than ally; just finding a place to park the thing can be exasperating and when you do find somewhere to park the location is seldom anywhere near the attraction that you want to visit. Sometimes two days of parking amounts to nearly as much as one day car rental fee! As already mentioned; off fees are ruinously expensive. Madrid to Lisbon is either going to be an airline flight or the overnight train. I take the train and find the couchette to be very comfortable but it pretty much boils down to two schools of thought: a) Leave (say) Madrid by palne in late afternoon, arrive in Lisbon, get from the airport into town by taxi, check into hotel, have dinner, sleep, awake, eat breakfast, tour Lisbon . b) Eat dinner in Madrid, board train in late evening, sleep, arrive in Lisbon (train station is in town, unlike the airport) eat breakfast, Tour Lisbon.