Rental car pickup in Spain, drop off in Portugal

Malaga is a great place to pick up a car, since the competition is fierce and prices are cheap. Unfortunately, as soon as you propose to drop it off somewhere else, you revert back to regular rental rates. In addition, you'll pay a hefty extra charge for dropping it off in another country....possibly $400-500 more for a two-week jaunt. It can be done, but it is expensive. As for the border, both countries are members of the European Union, so the border is transparent....no stops, no customs, etc.

On the Hertz website I found that a one week rental with pickup at Malaga and dropoff at Lisbon would cost E958 for the smallest car. For the same car and dates with dropoff in Seville the cost would be E180.

We rented a car in Madrid but dropped it off in Seville and took a bus from there to Salema, Portugal. From Salema, we took a bus to Lisbon and flew home from there. It was a few years ago and I can't remember exactly why we did it that way, but it may have been the expense of returning the rental car to another country.

Thanks to all. It seems clear that a Malaga pickup with a Seville dropoff and either train or bus to Albufeira/Faro is my best bet. You're the best.

George

Haven't taken the train but the bus trip between wasn't bad. Sounds like you have a great trip planned!

If you're heading from Sevilla into southern Spain, you'll have to take the bus. You can always rent a car in Faro and continue on from there, avoiding a major drop charge.