10 Days in Spain and Portugal
 

I'm going to be spending 10 days in Spain and Portugal this fall. What are the places I must see in your opinion.

I've only been to Madrid and the south of Spain, but you must see Seville. This is the Spain everyone imagines. Madrid is lovely and because it is Spain's most bustling city, I highly recommend seeing it, but I would spend more time in Andalucia (Seville, Malaga, Ronda, Jerez).

We were in Seville and Lisbon in May and loved both cities. Seville has the "charm" of narrow winding streets and the tapas bars are so much fun. Don't forget to try the Sangria. I was not sure how I would feel about Lisbon but I really enjoyed the city! It is an older city and has seen better days in some parts but there is much to see in do there for several days. Do not miss the Mosterio dos Jeronimos.It is very easy to see the major sites by taking the tram/trolly. I envy your trip and hope to return someday.

I agree with what's been said so far but must add Barcelona, a real contrast to Madrid, Seville and Lisbon, it's a city that looks forward rather than back, lots of exciting new architecture to compliment the solid base established by Guadi. It's covered market Bouqueteria (sp?) is also one of the best in Europe.

Now try to figure out how to pack all of that into 10 days--not possible, I know, so you'll need to decide which to do first. Good luck. You have a wonderful dilemma.

AJ

Just curious. What mode of transportation did you use between Lisbon and Seville? Thanks

We rented a car and drove from Lisbon to Seville, staying overnight one night enroute in Ayamonte on the border. It was ridiculously expensive--something like $400 US for two days--as I recall, but there is no decent train service between the two cities so it was our only real option. Not as bad since there were 4 of us traveling together. Not sure whether there is decent, less expensive air connection between the two cities which might be smarter if there are only one or two of you.

In Lisboa you must go to the Port Institute. They have hundreds of Ports to sample-WOW.
We drove from Barcelona to Lisbon- stopping along the way. We drove from Sevilla to Lagos, and then Lagos to Lisboa. The latter part of the journey was beautiful- take the back roads-and then you can catch the Autostrada closer to Lisboa.

Wow--impossible to answer this. It takes 6 weeks to see Spain and at least 2 weeks for Portugal. You need to narrow your scope geographically. In 10 days you must think regionally. After 6 trips to these regions, I still have not seen it all. Get a good map and narrow your options.

BobtheNavigator tells it like it is: You're not going to be able to see much in just 10-days. My Physician recently told me she plans to make a short trip to Spain in October. My advice to her was to try to be in Zaragoza on Oct 12 (la Virgen del Pilar) where you may see groups dancing Jotas Aragonesas as part of the celebration. The Cathedral there (some frescoes by Francisco de Goya) is very impressive.

Madrid and environs (Toledo, Segovia, San Lorenzo de Escorial): 4-days. You could leave out one of the daytrips and do Madrid in 3-days.
Sevilla (alone) demands 2-days as does Barcelona.

Consider your 10-day trip as a 'sampler.' Don't try to fit in too much or you might spoil what you do see.

There's a Viajes Julia (Eurolines) bus from Sevilla to Lisbon about 4-days a week. It takes about 9.5 hours. There are no direct flights between Sevilla & Lisbon but you can get a bus to Faro (Damas, SA) via Huelva and get a flight Faro-Lisbon.