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Lisbon to San Sebastián to Madrid itinerary help!

Lisbon to San Sebastián to Madrid itinerary help!

Old Jun 17th, 2017, 09:27 AM
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Lisbon to San Sebastián to Madrid itinerary help!

Hi all! I posted earlier this year about whether to go to Lisbon and northern vs southern Spain. We finally decided to buy our plane tickets- we fly into Lisbon 9/7 and out of Madrid 9/24, giving us 16 nights. We plan to spend a few days in Lisbon, then head to San Sebastián and finally train to Madrid where we will spend a few nights before flying home. My sister and her husband are joining us and they are really interested in the Galicia region as well, so we are considering renting a car after 4 nights in Lisbon, heading north and staying in a couple small villages before heading over to San Sebastián where will return the car (I got a quote for $400 for a week). I'd like to do a day trip to the Rioja region also. But I feel that we have too many places we want to see in such a short time. Does anyone have any must-see villages in northern Portugal or northern Spain? Is the Douro Valley a must? La Rioja? I'm a planner and my husband and I are foodies and city people so I'd be happy with a week in Lisbon and a week in San Sebastián but my sister and her hubby are small town and nature people and they don't want to plan anything, they just want to get a car and go where the wind blows! Suggestions? Ideas?
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Old Jun 17th, 2017, 10:09 AM
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SS is very popular in the summer...make sure you have accommodation booked.
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Old Jun 17th, 2017, 10:14 AM
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Danon thank you! We shall book very soon. Is mid-September still considered summer in SS?
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Old Jun 17th, 2017, 10:27 AM
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We once did: (All by train)

Lisbon
Porto (day trips Guimares, Braga and Duruo Valley (not a must IMO but nice)

Santiago de la Compestella

Leon

Burgos

San Sebastian

All were nice places

There is even an overnight train I believe still between Porto/Lisbon and San Sebastian.

Book long-distance trains far in advance to get discounts - for lots on trains check www.seat61.com (great info on booking your own discounted tickets); www.budgeteuropetravel.com (check out their online European Planning & Rail Guide for lots of itinerary suggestions in both countries) and www.ricksteves.com (also loads of info on where to go).
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Old Jun 17th, 2017, 10:36 AM
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There's a film festival in SS sometime in September so it will be overcrowded then. Does your $400 car rental include a drop off charge ? If not, you will want to take the train into Spain and pick up a car there. There are plenty of villages and nature for your sister in Spain.
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Old Jun 17th, 2017, 10:44 AM
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Mid-September is high season in Donostia, and yes, still summer. The Regattas (boat races) and 'Euskal Jaiak' (Basque Festivities) begin the first week of September. The Donostia Kutxa Kultur Festibala 2017 (indie and alternative music festiva) is on the 15th and 16th. The International Film Festival is from September 22-30 this year (www.sansebastianfestival.com/in/).
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Old Jun 17th, 2017, 10:48 AM
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SS film fest. Is usually the last week of Sept...but it is probably busy before and after that week.
Madrid is hot, hot in July...
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Old Jun 17th, 2017, 10:58 AM
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Every "must see" will be in a guide book. However I feel you are travelling far too much to allow time to give any destination justice.
Your 400 (I assume USD) will either get you a small car with a drop off fee or a nice car without drop off fee. Double check what you have reserved.
You can fly between Lisbon and Galicia. That will cut lot of your time peering through the windscreen.
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Old Jun 17th, 2017, 11:51 AM
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As noted, your rental car quote seems a bit off for picking up in one country and dropping if off in a second country. The normal one-way fee (if they would even allow for the car to go one-way) is usually around 400€. Check with Auto Europe to be sure (if that's where you go the quote).
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Old Jun 17th, 2017, 12:35 PM
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Did the car rental quote include a drop off fee from one country to another?

There is a hotel in Santiago that we really like named
Hotel A Tafona do Peregrino

Be sure to visit the Costa da Morte, quite beautiful. Depending on your route across Northern Spain, try to see Lugo, Santander, and Cuevas de Altamira.

Remember you will need a International driver's Permit and if you wear glasses, you need to have a second pair in the car, if you are stopped by the cops.
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Old Jun 17th, 2017, 03:01 PM
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IMO, you are trying to fit in a LOT -- more than I would want to try; YMMV.

One option to consider: Because Madrid is among the easiest places in Spain to reach from the US, consider spending just your last night there. Doing so won't let you see even the highlights of Madrid, but will give you a bit more time for your other destinations, and you can then give Madrid 4 or 5 days on your next trip to the area. Just a thought!
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Old Jun 18th, 2017, 10:01 AM
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<Is mid-September still considered summer in SS?>

As Robert says, still summer season, but the middle of the month will be relatively quiet. The two MAJOR things in San Sebastián in September is the huge Euskal Jaiak festival in the beginning of the month (Sept 2-10) and the prestigious international film festival from the 22nd.

Euskal Jaiak is a fabulous celebration of Basque culture, thousands of neighbours from across the region come into town to compete, sing, dance, eat, drink and have a great time.

I would strongly recommend to try to catch the final days of the Euskal Jaiak: https://tourism.euskadi.eus/en/calen...aa30-12375/en/
http://www.lacunza.com/en/evento/23/euskal-jaiak
http://www.iberia.com/jp/destination...aiak-festival/
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Old Jun 19th, 2017, 05:38 PM
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Hanks for all the helpful replies! I figured it would be a lot to pack into 16 nights. My ideal trip would be one week on each Lisbon and SS. With the night train from one to the other and day trips from each.

Sis and hubby want to see Galicia so one idea is:
Start in Lisbon and spend 4 nights
Train to Porto for one night
Train to Pontevedra for one night, rent a car there
Drive through Galicia and stop in a couple villages--- so that's two more nights.
Arrive in San Sebastián on the 8th day and spend ~5-6 nights basing ourselves there and my sister and her husband can continue doing day trips as much as they want while my husband and I lay on the beach all day and eat pintxos all night. Then train to Madrid and stay 2 nights. I agree not enough time to even scratch the surface of Madrid but enough time to catch a flamenco show and see one museum (Prado? suggestions?)

Yes! I reserved a car for $400 then I received an email confirmation that had a drop off fee of 1500€. So that's not happening. If we rent a car we would get it in Spain, and leave it in Spain.

We will be getting to San Sebastián the week before the film festival starts so I hope it won't be too crowded there!! Does anyone know?
Thanks everyone!
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Old Jun 19th, 2017, 05:54 PM
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Your choice of museums in Madrid depends on your interests, and Madrid has a wealth of incredible museums!

El Prado is, I believe, the undisputed best collection of classic Spanish art anywhere -- its a huge collection with incredible works by Goya and El Greco and Velázquez and Murillo and oh so many others, and its collection of masterpieces by other artists is also breathtaking.

The Reina Sofia is devoted to modern art, and the collection is certainly impressive! Picasso's Guernica is, perhaps, its best known work, but it is by no means it's only star.

The Thyssen-Bornemisza has a stunning collection of impressionists and post-impressionists -- not to mention extraordinary holdings from other eras.

And of course, Madrid holds many other very worthy collections, such as the Monasterio de las Descales, and its archeology museum (which is, IMO, vastly underrated). If you can only visit one museum, I would strongly encourage you to do a bit of research to identify the one that best suits your interests.

Good luck!
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Old Jun 19th, 2017, 08:17 PM
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All of Sept. is very busy in SS.
Book your hotel .
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Old Jun 20th, 2017, 05:59 AM
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We would be highly bored by 5-6 days in SS. Would take a couple of days and pit them with Madrid.
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Old Jun 20th, 2017, 06:48 AM
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We would be highly bored by 5-6 days in SS.>

ditto to what Bedar says!

Easy to do a day trip to nearby France by Tren Euskro - tiny commuter train - head for St-Jean-de-Luz -see France too!

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ean-de-luz.cfm
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Old Jun 20th, 2017, 07:26 AM
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Some travellers liked a long stay in SS.
We had four nights which was more than enough ( no side trips ).
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Old Jun 20th, 2017, 02:55 PM
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the train from Oporto to Galicia ends in Vigo.It is a much bigger city than the town of Pontevedra, thus a great choice of reantal cars.Besides Cambaos is the place to go to that part of the coast.It is the wine capital of Europe this year.http://www.cambados.es/eportal/porta...solo_caja=1289
Vigo is not going to be be on one of my highly recommand locations to visit in Galicia,plus Pontevedra can stick at times,smells emanating from the pulp paper factory.
If you are "into " Goya we have a place that some works of him hang in Galicia too.
In general We in Galicia have far more to offer the tourist that a few "old Paintings" ;-)
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Old Jun 26th, 2017, 08:31 AM
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Thanks everyone for all the input! Yes getting a car in Portugal and returning in Spain is out of the question. As I said, we fly into Lisbon and out of Madrid. I really, really must go to San Sebastián and the plan for my husband and I was to rent a car in SS and see some nearby basque villages and la rioja.

My sister and her husband came up with their rough itinerary and I'm thinking it's probably waaaaaay too much moving about but they want to "just get in the car and explore!". For this end of you who've traveled the Portugal/Galicia/basque regions....Is this a crazy itinerary that my husband and I should not attempt to join them on? Should we skip some of it to make it less stressful and more relaxing? I want to see Galicia and small villages but I DONT want to be stressed out and constantly on the go. Is the Galicia region more filled with great food and quaint charming villages than basque/la rioja? Here is their ideal itinerary: 16 nights total)

Arrive Sept 8 at 9:15 am: Lisbon (3 nights)
Day trips: Sintra one day, Cascais another day

Leave for Porto from Lisbon on train on Sept. 11, stop in Coimbra
Spend 1-2 nights in Porto

Arrive in Pontevedra/Galicia Sept 13
Get car at pontevedra rail station and go along coast towards San Sebastián, stopping in small towns to Sept 18
Rías Baixas, Santiago de Compestrella, Vigo, etc
Stay in Oviedo or Santillana Del Mar

Arrive in San Sebastian Sept 18
Spend 3-4 nights in San Sebastian/Rioja, and Pamplona? and Basque country

Sept. 21-head to Madrid, spend 3 nights

Leave from Madrid Sept 24.
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