emerald125

My husband and I are spending five weeks in Spain and Portugal in Oct/Nov to celebrate my 50th birthday. One week will be spent catching up with my brother and his young children who we will meet in Malaga. This week is not able to be changed. The rest I can change if it does not make sense. My flights are not yet booked so I can fly into or out of either Barcelona or Madrid.

We enjoy architecture, street photography, street food and understated restaurants and sculpture and street art over the classics. We like visiting cities and list New York, San Fransisco, Paris and Budapest among our favourites so far. Of smaller places we loved Verona and the lakes area of Italy over say, Florence.

We travel by public transport and stay in the family run rather than chain hotels. Bearing these things in mind, I have come up with this itinerary after looking through four guidebooks and numerous blogs and would love some critiques on it.

Flying into Barcelona from Australia – not booked so can change this
Malaga 7 days - to meet up with my brother for a family holiday (4 adults two small kids. Do very little other than catch up with each other and enjoy the sunshine + 1 day trip to Ronda (and perhaps Cordoba if we need a break from doing nothing lol) – can not change but at least it’s a beautiful house ;-)

Monday Barcelona – Jet lag day
Tuesday Barcelona
Wednesday Barcelona
Thu Barcelona
Fri Barcelona
Sat Barcelona /Malaga – Travel day – Train
Sun Malaga
Mon Malaga – Day trip to Ronda
Tue Malaga
Wed Malaga
Thu Malaga - Day trip to Cordoba
Fri Malaga
Sat Seville
Sun Seville
Mon Seville
Tue Seville/Lisbon – Travel day – Bus and Train or ?
Wed Lisbon
Thu Lisbon - Sintra day trip
Fri Lisbon
Sat Lisbon – Obidos day trip
Sun Lisbon
Mon Lisbon / Porto- Travel day – Train
Tue Porto
Wed Porto
Thu Porto – Travel day to San Seb – not sure best way yet
Fri San Sebastian
Sat San Sebastian – Birthday dinner
Sun San Sebastian
Mon San Sebastian / Madrid – Travel day – Train
Tue Madrid
Wed Madrid
Thu Madrid
Fri Madrid – depart mid afternoon for airport - flight to Australia

Maybe I should leave out Porto or San Sebastian as this seems like lots of moving although my husband is quite keen on Porto and I wanted to have my birthday meal in San Sebastian.

I had planned to do the trip in reverse going to San Sebastian right after Barcelona however, my brothers part of the trip is already locked in, and now I am a bit thrown.
Would appreciate any advice – our usual travel style is five days per place so this is slightly more moving than we are used to.

ribeirasacra

Oporto to San Sebastian is not easy.
http://www.rome2rio.com/s/Porto/San-Sebasti%C3%A1n
Maybe a re-plan to visit somewhere else on route? Where will depend on your method of travel.

kimhe

Sounds like a great plan, fabulous and very different cities!

But you should expect much more than sun out of your seven days in 3000 year old and genuine Malaga city. "Malaga: Spain's best kept Secret": http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...pt-secret.html

The Soho urban art district in Malaga. "The area is full of cafes, galleries and art spaces, putting on a wide range of cultural events and activities, and is especially famous for its graffiti or street art": http://www.andalucia.com/cities/mala...t-district.htm

"City of museums": http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...-culture-spain

Buy your food in the fabulous Atarazanas food market, close to the Soho art district and in the heart of the city: https://eastofmalaga.net/2014/07/25/...ry-perception/

Two excellent tapas bars inside the Atarazanas market as well. Very popular, and Saturday lunch here is something special.
Cafe Bar Mercado Atarazanas: http://azahar-spain.com/azahartapas/...do-atarazanas/
El Yerno: http://azahar-spain.com/azahartapas/el-yerno/

Going back here in a few months, and I was recently made aware of this Cofrade/Semana Santa Brotherhood bar, looks promising. On my list now, and Malaga is full of these quaint places. https://www.tripadvisor.es/Restauran...Andalucia.html

And whatever you do, don't skip Donostia/San Sebastián, the culinary capital of Spain, if not all of Europe: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...y-for-foodies/

Make your reservations soon, San Sebastián is also European Capital of Culture 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRWCdjw1C8Q
http://dss2016.eu/en/?view=default

Fun and informative video intro to the out of this world San Sebastián food culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwmBAvqa_0U

kimhe

In Sevilla, I think you will love the bustling Alameda district and the very local feel Macarena district around one of the most charming streets in town, Calle Feria with the markets, the small shops and bars/cafes: http://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...macarena-spain

In Barcelona, you should take a look at the local atmosphere Poble Sec district, just at the foot of Montjuic with all the museums, theaters, Olympic arenas. Poble Sec has a special and laid-back vibe, lots of great tapas bars and cafes. http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/...to-bodega.html
http://theculturetrip.com/europe/spa...d-sant-antoni/

In San Sebastian, you should also check out the local atmosphere Gros and Egia districts, just across the city river Urumea. Lots of arts galleries and live music venues, and many of the best pintxos bars in town are here.
https://theboywhoatetheworld.com/201...gros-district/
http://www.urbanadventures.com/blog/...tian-beer.html
http://www.sansebastianturismo.com/e...-gros-district

IMDonehere

There are some chain hotels, but mostly European. And there really isn't a culture of street food in Spain, but as Kimhe points out tapas bars have excellent food and unlike the US (I have not been to OZ), are often, not all, family affairs.

Check Vueling, Ryan, and Easyjet for Iberian flights. And as Ribe points out the Oporto to San Sebastian/Donostia leg is not that easy. You may consider going to Santiago de Compostela, which is worthwhile, as a step in between,

Oporto and Donostia are not very good gateway cities.

chapla

I was in San Sebastian a couple of years ago in Oct/Nov and the weather was just dreadful -wind and rain just about all day,every day.The same goes for Madrid but you can visit lots of places indoors-not the case in SS.

emerald125

Thank you so much everyone. I love Rome2Rio and realise that getting between Porto and San Sebastian will be a chore - will consider an overnight as suggested. Any suggestion Which place would you cut a day from to do this?

I expect we may hit some bad weather Chapla but I am not afraid of the cold, in fact I kinda really like it One blue sky day in San Sebastian would be great though.

Kimhe thanks for such great detailed tips... really appreciate your time. I am feeling better about Malaga now. If you are ever in Sydney let me know. I am a Sydney Greeter and would be happy to show you around top return the favour.

ribeirasacra

***Any suggestion Which place would you cut a day from to do this? ***
Like I said before you have to choose your method of transport.
If you get an overnight bus then there is little chance of finding somewhere to stop off.
Bus and train routes differ.

kimhe

<If you are ever in Sydney let me know>
I'll keep that in mind, thanks!

And regarding San Sebastian and weather, it's of course a reason for the heavy green colour up here. I have visited almost every year since 1987, and I find San Sebastián beautiful in rain, especially if it's hard and comes almost out of the blue. People flock into the bars and under the arcades, and the Belle Epoque city never looks prettier. Last year's visit was in mid/late October, mainly clear sky, just a few rain-drops, and at the end, really warm (about 70F).

emerald125

Thanks Kimhe Looking forward to spending time in those bars, rain hail or shine

thursdaysd

I would fly from Porto to Madrid and take the train from there (for some reason the flights to SS are expensive). Maybe you can switch Madrid and SS and fly home from Barcelona.

It seems a pity to be in the south of Spain and not visit Granada. Not being a fan of Madrid I would cut time in Madrid in order to visit the Alhambra both day and evening.

NomadLass

It sounds like a wonderful trip! If you are looking for lodging in Barcelona, BarcelonaBB is a family owned Bed & Breakfast in the Eixample district. Very positive reviews on Trip Advisor. We have stayed twice and are booked there for our 3rd trip in Sept. Beautiful place, great service, ideal central location. They offer 3 suites with private bath; other rooms have shared baths.

You mentioned an interest in street art - Street Style offers 2 daily Street Art Tours - free with tip to the guide at the end of the tour. Have not done either of these tours but it's on our itinerary for Sept.

danon

What chapla said about Madrid... surprisingly cool , especially at night... take a warm jacket.

emerald125

Thanks for the street art info Nomadlass - Have not been back on Fodors for a few weeks. My trip is pretty much set except I have managed to fly in one day earlier now so I have added a one night stop in Cordoba on the way to Malaga.

Still working on how I will get from Porto to San Sebastian but I am thinking of flying Porto to Madrid then taking the train? I am not sure this section will be worth it if I can only manage two full days in San Sebastian.

Would anyone recommend cutting a day from Lisbon - maybe miss the Obidos day trip to give an extra day in San Sebastian?

kimhe

You wouldn't want to miss San Sebastián. http://www.euskoguide.com/places-bas...stian-tourism/

Fly from Lisboa or Porto to Bilbao, then a 75 mins direct bus ride from Bilbao airport to San Sebastián.

TAP Portugal with direct flights from Lisboa to Bilbao in 1h 55 mins, tickets in Oct/Nov would be some 80-90€: http://www.flytap.com/USA/enus/Homepage

From Porto to Bilbao is 4 hours flight with one stop, this one is also operated by TAP Portugal airline. Expect more or less the same price, some 90-100€.

San Sebastián is 75 mins bus ride from the Bilbao airport, direct buses all the time (once an hour, some 15€): http://www.pesa.net/pesa/en/horarios

thursdaysd

No, I would not short-change Lisbon. And Obidos is a charming town, although rather touristy. Not counting day trips you only have three days for Lisbon, and you will want one of those for Belem.

I was not a fan of San Sebastian, although I will concede that the weather was partly to blame, and I am not a beach person in any case.