ElenaPSU

Hello!! This forum has been WONDERFUL for us to get ideas for our May 2011 honeymoon...but now the big question. Can we do Portugal & Spain in 13 days? We don't have to see every single city, however, we'd like to get the most out of Lisbon and the surrounding areas, and perhaps, Barcelona and the surrounding areas.

Any thoughts?! We are food & wine lovers in the NYC metro area who love to explore restaurants, wines, museums and beautiful scenery. I am also a beach lover, so a day or two of rest on a beach somewhere is also key. We are getting married December 2010 and doing a 'mini-moon' for a few days in NYC and then this trip will be the 'official' honeymoon.

Thank you all in advance!

irishespanola

I am American and live in Spain. Barcelona is far from Portugal- would you be flying there? It is a fantastic city- also very touristy. You could also go to southern Spain from Portugal, much closer, and more "typical Spanish." Sevilla, for example, is beautiful, smaller and more manageable and very romantic.
Have fun!

kimhe

Both Lisboa and Barcelona and Lisboa and Sevilla are great ideas for a honeymoon. Direct flights from Lisboa to Barcelona for about 40€ with Vueling (+ luggage etc.). Beautiful Sevilla is 1,5-2 hours away from some of the finest beaches in Spain (in the Cádiz region). Barcelona will meet all your requirements. Why not stay in the Born area? Great bars, restaurants, cafés, shopping, museums, sights and 10 mins walking from the Barceloneta beach.
http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.c...s/el-born.html

Hotel Banys Orientals might be an idea: http://www.hotelbanysorientals.com/

BrunoRibeiro

Being a food & wine lovers I would recommend going to the Douro Valley in Portugal.

ribeirasacra

*** Can we do Portugal & Spain in 13 days?***

You could try but you will either not see much of the countries or miss out on a lot.
All of the things you want to see can be found all over Spain.
I live in a wine growing area and I can say you will need a car and you need to get away from the cities to see some bodegas. There are some great places to be found, maybe read up on the wine guru “Parker” to find out more about what is what presently here in Spain.

First porst of call should be www.Spain.info and www.visitportugal.com

csandoval

ElenaPSU, my wife an I have done both countries a few times, and yes you can do the trip in 13 days. We also love all of the areas you mention, except for the Museums. Also, keep in mind that in May, the waters on the beach will be rather cold, but still beautiful. Anyway, here are my thoughts,
Fly from EWR to LIS: Maybe stay in Cascais or Lisbon as your base, and rent a car and explore the following: don't need a car if you are staying in Lisbon, and you can explore Lisbon and Belem, but you will need a car to explore Evora, drive thru the Alentejo and you will find plenty wineries, go to Cascais, Sintra, Obidos. I'd say try to stay 4-5 days in Portugal. I wouldn't go Porto as it's too long of a drive and and maybe leave it for another visit.
Then, Fly from Lisbon to Sevilla. Explore Sevilla, then rent a car, and drive to Cadiz, then drive to Costa del Solo, you will find some beautiful beaches and Andalucian towns, we love Nerja, and Frigiliana. Great food, people and wines. Then either drive back to Sevilla to take a flight to Barcelona. Another option will be to fly from Lisbon to Barcelona, and explore Barcelona, then rent a car and explore Catalunya, visit the mini villages like Porrera where you will find some of the best wineries in Spain from the Priorat Region.

ElenaPSU

Thank you all so much for your replies!!! I really appreciate it

Leah_Carroll

Hi ElenaPSU - I am also in the process of planning a honeymoon to Spain/Portugal in May 2011. We are thinking more like 11 or 12 days, but would also like to combine food, wine, scenery and beach. Have you worked out your day by day itinerary yet? I would love to see what you've come up with and share ideas. Thank you!

BigRuss

It's the Costa del Sol, not "Solo". Barcelona and Lisbon are on opposite sides of the Iberian Peninsula and Barcelona may not be warm enough for beach time in May. If you go from Seville to the Costa del Sol, you may be close enough to Malaga to catch a flight to Barcelona (depending upon where you stay).

oopsy

Oh what a lovely honeymoon! I think I would choose just two bases, your Portugal base and then either Barcelona or Seville. It will be much more relaxing. Depending on what you mean by beach lover, I would choose Barcelona over Seville. I am a beach lover, but that is anytime of year for me. My beach relaxation is not dependent on the water being warm enough to swim. If you're the same way, I suggest Barcelona--great food, easy day trips to smaller towns, great museums, and as someone else pointed out you could rent a car for a day or two exploring the coast north of Barcelona.