Itinerary:
Tarifa – 3 Days
• Flew into Malaga and rented a car. We were never asked for an International Driving Permit.
• Chose Tarifa as a central point to other locations (Tangier/Gibraltar) we wanted to explore, but loved it on its own. The old town within the wall has some wonderful shops/drinking/dining establishments. Vaca Loca was a wonderful place for dinner.
• Day trip to Tangier was an experience and glad we did it, but almost not worth it for the back-and-forth ferry rides, etc. for just a day trip. Think one could see all the major stops, shop and have a nice lunch in about 4 hours.
• We enjoyed day trip to Gibraltar.
Nerja – 1 Day
• Balcony of Europe is worth the visit.
• Excellent shopping and dining and a great place to just relax.
Granada – 2 Days
• Returned car.
• Highly recommend Gayle’s Granada Tapas Tour, including the Albayzin. Was fun and informative and an easy downhill walk.
• Alhambra is a must. Get tickets early and tour the western portions first, then the make way to Summer Palace and end there.
Seville – 4 Days
• Train from Granada.
• Seville walking tour is a nice introduction to the city.
• Cathedral and Royal Alcazar were both visit-worthy and could be seen in ¾ of a day, with a nice tapas lunch in between. Make sure you have timed tickets to the royal palace at the Alcazar and arrive 15 minutes early.
• Flamenco show at Casa del Flamenco. Nice introduction to Flamenco.
• Cervereria Giralda has the best traditional tapas in town.
Lisbon – 5 Days
• TAP Air Portugal flight.
• Wonderful food scene.
• Take time to stroll the different neighborhoods.
• Find an English-speaking Tuck-Tuck guide and do a tour to get oriented.
• Buy tickets a day in advance (avoiding peak travel times) for Sintra. Then day of, just walk past the hour-long line and go directly to the train of your choice.
• Save time for the Belem area
Hotels:
• I always trust Rick Steves’ guidebook on selecting hotels.
• Breakfast included at every location.
• We loved all these hotels and would book any of them again.
Tarifa – Hostel Alborada
• Excellent location just a few blocks outside the old town walls.
• Friendly and accommodating staff.
• Nice, serviceable rooms.
Nerja - Hotel Balcón de Europa
• Just amazing! Great views and impeccable service.
• Includes breakfast buffet with more amazing views.
• Private beach.
Granada – Hotel Casa Capitel Nazari
• Excellent location with friendly and attentive staff.
• We stayed in the Palace side facing the Alhambra.
• Excellent, spacious rooms.
• Probably our favorite of all our hotels.
Seville – El Ray Moro Hotel
• Perfect location in the Barrio Santa Cruz.
• Easy walking to everything one would want to do.
• Attentive and friendly staff.
Lisbon – Blue Liberdade Hotel
• In the Rossio – right across the street from the train station.
• Excellent location for walking to the various neighborhoods.
• Extremely attentive and helpful staff. Helpful with dinner and tour reservations.
• Surprisingly, it is not recommended by Rick Steves given the centralized location and that he recommends the wonderful Pinóquio Restaurant located within the hotel.
• Rooms are a bit ‘cozy,’ but extremely clean and serviceable.
Recommended Restaurants:
• Brasería Vaca Loca – Tarifa
• Taberna Casa Enrique – Granada
• Cervereria Giralda – Seville
• Café No Chiado – Lisbon
• Pinóquio Restaurant – Lisbon
• Tascantiga – Sintra
Hindsight – Final Thoughts:
• Travelling between locations was easy. • International travel on Air Canada. Customs through Toronto literally took 1 minute (We have SENTRI).
• Although we probably would not change much about this trip, we could have cut a day from Seville and/or Lisbon and spent more time relaxing in Nerja.
• We purchased Osprey Backpacks for this trip and were not disappointed.