a starting itinerary
 

booked our flights this morning (used ASAP travel and got flights on BA much much cheaper than any where else). will be in spain and portugal may 10 - june 9. here are my first thougts:

4 days madrid (with day trips to toledo & segovia) i know need more time in
madrid but we aren't big city people
10 days in Andalusia - 3 different bases
(a long time but on my last posting everyone recommendeed this)
3 days South Portugal & Lisbon
3 days central portugal
3 days north portugal
5 days galicia region
3 days Baqque region
1 day overnight in Madrid near airport
recommendatons for villages to use as bases for day trips would be appreciated.

thank you in advance for your help

Going by train or car - Barcelona could be as close to some parts of the Basque region as Madrid and IMO and many others a much much more pleasurable city in many regards - Madrid does however have some tasty day trips - Toledo, Segovia, Avila for starters.

Your itinerary looks well-paced - Porto would make a good base - a lovely old-world city and has several neat day trips - Guimares, Braga - Duoro River Valley, etc.

I'd put at least 3 days in Lisbon itself - a day trip to Sintra is a must - a couple of castles of your dreams there - one of the most famous and popular towns in Portugal - former royal retreat.

Looks great, but note that there is a good deal of space between Galicia and Basque Country, so you may wish to rework that part.

Not enough time for Lisbon and area.

sorry that i didn't mention that we are renting or leasing a car in madrid. interesting that it is 2x or more to rent a car in lisbon. saw that portugal has more accident per capita than any EU nation. would have thought italy but then again we have driven for a month in italy for the last 3 mays and didn't see a single accident. might consider getting full insurance coverage this year.

we really don't like visiting cities that much. would much rather spend most of our time in small villages where there is not much more to do than exploring the narrow streets, eating, drinking and sitting in the piazza and watching the world go by. our travel mantras are "we travel to eat" and "put down the map and get lost". we have enjoyed this type of travel around the world.

Can you put all your time in Madrid at the end so you can cut out one stay?

I thought Toledo worth at least 2 days. YMMV.

I wanted more time in the Basque region, and if one of your travel mantras is "we travel to eat," then I would think you would, too. But you'll eat well ANYwhere in Spain. ;-)

yorkshire raises a very good point (as usual :-) ). And not just about the distance between Galicia and the Basque area -- you are planning on driving some VERY long distances!

the only reason for the second stay in madrid is to be close to the airport for the flight home. might add a day or two to basque and take away from andalusia. after all of this good input now i have to start doing my research.

thanks again

What a terrific trip ! You are lucky to have 4 wks for it. Many people here try to fit a trip like yours into 8 or 10 days !!! which, of course, is impossible. Enjoy !

"might add a day or two to basque and take away from andalusia"

Or, since Madrid is, for many of us, much easier to reach than either the Basque country OR Andalusia, take the time from Madrid and add it to the Basque country and / or travel time (as necessary) -- it will be easier for you to return to Madrid than anywhere else. Fly into Madrid, go straight to either Segovia or Toledo for a day or two to get over jet lag before picking up your rental car, and then set off on your route. Both Segovia and Madrid are, IME, especially delightful after day-trippers leave, and each sounds more in line with your interests than Madrid itself. Just a thought!

thanks, i tend to agree with you kja. train to segovia or toledo? not sure what IME means.

Sorry about that! I did, indeed, mean to say that both Segovia and <b>Toledo</b> are especially delightful in the evening. And IME = "in my experience."

Also, I should have said "take a train or bus." You can probably find your options for public transportation with a google search, or check the Rough Guide, which usually provides excellent information on this kind of thing.

Sorry for the confusing message!

<exploring the narrow streets, eating, drinking and sitting in the piazza and watching the world go by. our travel mantras are "we travel to eat" and "put down the map and get lost".>

In Madrid,

Chamberi: http://moving2madrid.com/neighbourhood-chamberi/
La Latina: http://www.spain.info/en/lugares-int...la_latina.html

In Andalucia,

Small Antequera, the so called heart of Andalucia: http://www.andaluciacoastandcountry....era-spain.html
http://wild-about-travel.com/2011/07...ing-antequera/
http://www.andaluciacoastandcountry.com/tapaspain.html