Hi! My boyfriend and I will be traveling to Spain and Portugal for the first time this December - January. We're in our late 20's that loves to explore, hike, experience cultures, and is a foodie (excited for the tapas/pintxos!). We're not into art museums and beaches. We're normally a fast paced traveler. See below:

Day 1 / Dec 18 - Barcelona - Arrive at 9AM from SFO
Day 2 / Dec 19 - Barcelona
Day 3 / Dec 20 - Barcelona
Day 4 /Dec 21 - Barcelona
Day 5/Dec 22 - Barcelona ---> Fly to Granada
Day 6/ Dec 23 - Granada (Alhambra)
Day 7/Dec 24 - Granada to Seville
Day 8/Dec 25 - Seville
Day 9/Dec 26 - Seville - Day trip to Cordoba
Day 10/Dec 27 - Seville --> Fly to Porto
Day 11/Dec 28 - Porto
Day 12/Dec 29 - Porto
Day 13/Dec 30 - Porto to Lisbon
Day 14/Dec 31 - Lisbon
Day 15/Jan 1 - Lisbon (Day Trip to Sintra)
Day 16/Jan 2 - Lisbon
Day 17/Jan 3 - Fly to SFO @ 12:55P

Barcelona - 4 nights
Granada - 2 nights
Seville - 3 nights
Porto - 3 nights
Lisbon - 4 nights

Does this itinerary makes sense? Should we add Ronda? I originally wanted to go to San Sebastian b/c of the amazing food (pintxos!!), but realized it would make be too much traveling. Would 3 nights in Porto, 4 nights in Lisbon work? Open for any suggestions

That's fast paced for sure! It might work for you, and you'd see some wonderful things, but you will have time for only the highlights. For example:

• 4 nights (so 3 days) is not much for Barcelona, particularly if you have jet lag on your first day.
• 2 nights could work for Granada -- but be sure to book your tickets for the Alhambran well in advance.
• IME, most people want at least 3 days for a first visit to Sevilla, plus a day -- or better, two days -- for Cordoba.

As for Ronda: It's interesting, but by no means is it in the same league as the other places you are considering.

I trust you are aware that the weather in Dec./Jan. is not ideal (if you haven't already done so, consult weatherbase.com) and that days will be very short when you are there -- making it even more difficult to see everything one might want to see than at other times of year.

Hope that helps!

I'd also say that you'll probably end up wanting more time in Seville, but I'm not sure where you'd find that time, because I wouldn't recommend cutting down the time you're already planning for the other cities. I've been to all of the cities in your itinerary, and they're all wonderful! You'll probably leave wanting to immediately plan a return trip!

The age-old question: Skim a lot of places, with a lot of time spent in transit rather than "on the ground" vs. see a bit more of fewer places, maximizing the actual time one has to see the places one does visit. I'm firmly in the latter camp, but I don't think there are any right or wrong answers on which strategy works for any particular trip.

I agree that Ronda is not in the same league as the other places so I would not add Ronda or San Sebastian. You don't have the time to add any additional destinations.

I think it's a pretty good itinerary. Looks like you have 16 nights. We just returned from Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro. We stayed in 5 places in 13 nights so I think your 5 places in 16 nights is doable. In 2017 we visited Spain. Our itinerary included 6 places in 15 nights. So, knowing from firsthand experience what it's like to include 5 or 6 destinations, I think your itinerary can work.

Ideally, it would be nice to spend 1 or 2 nights in Cordoba, but there is no place where you can cut back on nights, so stick with your plan of seeing Cordoba as a day trip.

And I like the idea of having two 4-night stays, especially at the beginning and at the end of a trip. That's what I did when we spent the 15 nights in Spain. I find 4-night stays more relaxing.

I've stayed at many more destinations in trips of this length, but from my perspective, that's not the point. The question is whether one can see what one wants to see in the time one has. Maybe the OP can; I certainly could not have done so.

"The question is whether one can see what one wants to see in the time one has."

That's a good point!

Each traveller is different. When we're talking about the ideal or minimal number of time spent at a destination we never think about that some travellers manage to see as much or more in 1 day as others in 2 days.

Traveller A is 70 years old, she walks slowly and has to rest frquently, walking up and down steps is time consuming for her and she needs to go to a restroom several times a day. She can't do a full day of walking/sightseeing, but needs to rest/nap for a few hours at afternoon to recuperate and continue her sightseeing. She goes to bed early. Her day looks like waking up at 7, preparing slowly and having a slow breakfast ready to go by 9am, 3 hours of sightseeing, than a slow lunch and going back to the hotel for 2 hours rest in the afternoon. Ready to go again for 3 hours sightseeing from 4-7pm, early dinner and going to sleep at 9pm. Actual sightseeing time around 6 hours.

Traveller B is a fit and healthy 40 year old, he walks twice as fast as traveller A and is running up and down steps. He jumps out of the bed at 7am, has a quick breakfast and is out on the streets by 8. Sightseeing for 4-5 hours, lunch, sightseeing again from 2-7pm, goes back to hotel for 1-2 hour in the evening, than has dinner at 10 pm followed by a brief bar hopping, goes to bed around midnight. Actual time spent sightseeing around 10 hours. Combined with a faster walking traveller B can see as much in 1 day as traveller B in 2 days.

Not only pace, but also what, exactly, what wants to see and experience and in what depth. All personal preferences.