Christmas-New Year in Spain-Portugal
 

We are a family of three, the two of us in our early 50s with average fitness, and a 22 year old daughter. We want to spend a Christmas in Europe, at places where the winter is not very severe (night temperature not below 2°C/36°F and day temperature not below 12°C/54°F). We have narrowed our search to Andalusia, Algarve and the coast from Lisbon to Porto. We would be happy with 9-10 hours of daylight and areas with a history of low rainfall.

We enjoy history, culture, architecture, beaches (cannot swim), food (not a wine enthusiast) and nature. We love small towns and villages with character, enjoy the local culture and prefer to use public transport. This is our first visit to Spain and Portugal, so everything is on and never before.

Our tentative plan is as follows (no bookings made yet):
Dec 19-21: Fly in to Malaga. Stay at a sea-facing accommodation
Dec 22-23: Granada
Dec 24-26: Sevilla - spend the Christmas there.
Dec 27-28: Cadiz. Spend 2 days exploring the region.
Dec 29-30: Algarve
Dec 31-Jan 3: Lisbon
Jan 4-5: Porto
Jan 5: Take the evening train back to Lisbon and spend the night at the airport. Return flight is at 5 or 6 AM the next morning.

Are we trying to cover too much in 17 days? Should I skip Porto, stick to Lisbon and instead take a day trip to Coimbra and Fatima? Are any of these places colder than my threshold? I skipped Cordoba as it may have been squeezing in too much. Do you think I should tweak the itinerary to include or exclude any places? The challenge is to be in Sevilla for Christmas and Lisbon on New Year. Will appreciate your suggestion.

Well, no one can guarantee the weather, but this part of Europe should give you the best chance of warmth. Although I really like the Cadiz area, I would put those two days onto Seville and take a day trip by train to Cordoba from there. Am not sure how you plan to visit so many places by public transportation since you haven't allowed for any travel time, but good luck.

I'm not sure about the Algarve that time of the year, it is geared up for summer whereas the other areas are year round. We have been to Malaga and surrounds a couple of times at Christmas and had great weather but its not really beach orientated. Go with others suggestions and spend more time in Seville, although it is likely to be cooler than Malaga.

One thing to note is that nearly every restaurant will be closed Christmas and New Years day, so you need to plan accordingly.

<We love small towns and villages with character>

In Andalucia, take a look at Antequera and Alhama de Granada.

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

The old SPA town Alhama de Granada: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...d-of-town.html

This article about Christmas time in Malaga city gives you an idea of what to expect in Andalucia at this time of year: http://www.spainforpleasure.com/2014...ime-in-malaga/

In Spain on New Year's Eve, when the clock strikes midnight. You are supposed to stuff your mouth with 12 grapes every time the clock strikes. It is supposed to be fun and I do not know if they do that in Portugal.

12 grapes every time the clock strikes midnight would kill you. How about one grape each time the clock strikes, for a total of 12, not 144.

You are correct Robert, I did not write clearly. But that would be interesting.

Thanks folks for your response. Now I am debating whether to spend the entire trip in Andalusia or to go to Portugal.

If I stick to Andalusia, my itinerary could be like,

# Malaga - 4 Days with day trips to Antequera and Costa de Sol.
# Granada - 4 Days with side trips to Alhama and Guadix.
[Will Sierra Nevada/Alpujaras be too cold during daytime]
# Ubeda/Baeza - 1 Day
# Cordoba - 1 Day
# Seville - 4 Days
# Ronda - 1 Day
# Cadiz/Tarifa/Huelva - 2 Days

We may hire a car in Malaga for trips to the smaller towns and villages in the region which are not well connected. Thanks Kimhe
for sharing those links. Malaga looks decked up like a princess for Christmas. Will Granada be equally grand? Then we can spend the Christmas there and the New Year at Seville.

If I go to Portugal then my revised itinerary could be like,

# Malaga - 4 Days with day trips to Antequera and Costa de Sol.
# Granada - 3 Days with side trips to Alhama.
# Cordoba - 1 day
# Seville - 4 Days with day trip to Ronda.
# Lisbon - 5 Days with day trips to Sintra/Estoril and Coimbra.

Waiting for your guidance and thanks once again.

Sudip

New years eve in Cordoba is special. The gathering of thousands of people on Plaza de las Tendillas for the midnight eating of the grapes is traditionally directly televised. The clock on Plaza de las Tendillas has got no bells. Since 1961 the hours has been chimed in by recorded flamenco chords from the guitarist Juanito Serrano. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fexMbX4EsRE&NR=1

From the opening of the flamenco clock in Cordoba in 1961: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlyX0icBYBo

New Years eve on Plaza de las Tendillas in Cordoba (eating of the grapes from 8 mins): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUmHIXHaGEk

To give you an idea of what to expect, we spent 2 weeks in Portugal over New Years in 2010/2011. You can see our pics here

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gi...57636734183955

Hi there! I think your revised plan to have three days in Lisbon + two day trips is better than trying to squeeze in Porto, especially if some of the days in Lisbon are holidays where some things will be closed. There will be plenty to see in Lisbon, plus you might even see Sintra one day and Estoril a second day (there is more than enough in Sintra for one full day).

For food in Lisbon check out the Mercado da Ribeira, a big food hall run by Time Out, that is kind of like a fancy food court with great restaurants. You can get everything from one place or make up a meal of things from different restaurants and then eat at the big communal tables.