Driving Lisbon to Seville - best overnight stop?
 

Hello Portugal experts! I will be staying in Lisbon for a conference in early October, and my husband is coming to join me at the end of it for a week-long trip to Andalucia to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. We have a rental car arranged so we can go wherever we want, as the trip will end in Madrid.

We have visited Portugal on holidays in the past, but have never traveled beyond Lisbon-Alentejo-Sines. Incidentally, we loved the coast of Portugal and the people there, but didn't love Lisbon. We have only ONE night to spend outside Lisbon, where my hubby will land and we will pick up the rental car, on our way to Seville. (Long verson: we have a very Andalusian focus on this trip for personal reasons - my hubby did his semester-long "study abroad" in Granada and has not been back to the region since the early 90s, and never with any money in his pockets. Also, we hope to spend part of the year of our early retirement in Spain, so we're doing some recon. It's hard not to choose Valencia or San Sebastian/Bilbao, and he's convinced I need to see Andalucia so I fall in love with it! On this trip we will be staying in Seville, Cordoba, and Granada, then on to see friends in Toledo before flying home from Madrid.)

Could you help decide where we should stay for our ONE night, on the drive between Lisbon's airport and Seville? Hubby will likely be a bit jet-lagged and walking/exploring always helps get through that part. We'll essentially have a few hours in the afternoon to tour, evening for dinner and a walk, sleeping and then the next day heading onward to Seville.

After reading through years of trip reports, my thoughts are Evora (which is a nice mid-point), Serpa (which looks like it is filled with architecture and ruins) or all the way south to Albufeira (which is beautiful but crazy expensive and already booked up!). Which of those might be best? Do you have other recommendations or thoughts on our drive from Lisbon to Seville? Thanks.

Overnight stop only if you insist. According to Google, it's a 4.5hr drive using the superhighways.

If it's a Friday night you are travelling, then stay near Loule, and do the Saturday market (goes till 1pm) before continuing on to Seville.

If it's not Friday, then consider Tavira, while making sure to visit nearby small but stunning Cacela Velha.

His flight arrives Saturday morning, so I'm wondering if we should try to get to Loule and visit the Saturday market!

I will check into both Loule and Tavira/Cacela Velha. Thank you!

I know! It's tempting to just get to Seville so we have 3 nights there instead of 2, but I don't want to zoom past something amazing in Portugal and regret it later. That's the kind of weird traveler I am, always sad that I didn't do enough research to make sure we can experience those magical, out-of-the-way places.

It depends on how comfortable driving feels after an overnight or early arrival. Loule is 2 hours 18 minutes from Lisbon airport, on a very easy and empty stretch of Portugal superhighway (you need to get the toll-charging device at time of rental), so that might be easy unless you want to tuck in fast to Evora (1 hour 18 minutes). Continuing then from Loule after the market (if you can get there before it shuts down) to Tavira would be easy, and you can gauge how much energy and alertness you have as the day progresses after Loule to maybe look at more (like the pretty town of Sao Bras de Alportel; the old Roman Villa that is now a pousada but always great for a coffee in Estoi; the old fishing town of Olhao, and the classic, elegant old center of Tavira, with Cacela Velha not far to the east - - though you could stop there the next day on the way to Seville, for a coffee and a stroll).

Merida.
Parador, request early check-in.

Succinct and helpful. Thanks so much!

I feel bad having this in the Portugal forum when it feels like I'm just trying to speed through this country to get to Spain - but Merida is now super appealing and hadn't been in our plans. Even if we don't stay overnight, I think we have to stop there for a few hours of walking and touring the incredible historical sites (25BC!?!). I will see if the Parador is available and discuss my husband's thoughts after we read up.

I just pulled out my 2006 copy of the Eyewitness Travel Guide for Portugal (I love Fodor's but those glossy books are best if you want photos!) and now I see what you mean about this plan. It looks like a delightful way to see some of the "real Algarve" in a short amount of time. Thank you for offering the options based on energy. It might be the way to go, depending on the weather in October.

Evora is both historic as well as charming and a foodie kind of place.We stayed for two nights at the very lovely and very comfortable Albergaris do Calvaro, outstanding breakfast provided, very lovely bar and charming and helpful hosts. Would stay there again in a heartbeat.

Merida in Spain is also very interesting. We were there years ago and had the Roman ruins practically all to ourselves. I don't think we stayed overnight, just stopped to tour en route from Salamanca to Cadiz.

Just curious as to the drop off charge for your rental car. I looked into doing something like you propose many years ago and found the drop off charge to be onerous.

I also would be concerned about a large drop off charge. We were quoted a 1000€ charge to pick up up in Portugal, drop off in Spain.
We took a taxi across the border and picked up another rental car in Spain.