How hard will it be for 4 middle aged women to rent a car and drive from Lisbon to Seville and back to Seville? We only speak english. Would it be mostly freeway or back roads.
Thanks for any help.

You can check viamichelin.com for the best routing.

The usual route from Lisbon to Sevilla would be roughly half freeway, half highway (no real "back roads" though).

It's also possible to use freeways only for that trip, if you want to. That route is a bit longer, and would take you straight south all the way to the Algarve until you hit the coastal motorway and go straight East to Sevilla.

You don't really have to speak Portuguese or Spanish to find your way around. But it helps when you know how the places you want to go to are spelled in the local language, e.g. Lisboa / Sevilla.

The major difference (IMHO) for first time visitors from the US re. road signage in Europe may be that road numbering does not come with N/S E/W add-ons. You will have to know towards which city you want to drive, not in which direction.

I have done that and it was fun. I assume you mean back to Lisbon. I see no problem, but I also suggest an overnite in Evora just because it is worth your time.

Not hard at all. You will generally find excellent roads and, if you are from the USA, considerably less traffic than you are accustomed to. The only difficult parts might be within the limits of Seville and Lisbon. If you are traveling from hotel to hotel be SURE that you have detailed directions regarding navigating in the city limits, where to park, etc.

For the highway parts use www.viamichelin.com mentioned above. Print out the directions and take them with you. Take Michelin maps with you. Don't rely on maps provided by the rental car company.

The attendants you will meet at service stations, restaurants, etc. along the way understand enough English to help you. Remember to be sure you understand if the car you are renting uses diesel (most common) or gasoline. You will usually be expected pump it yourself. It is easy to rent an air conditioned car. It is not so easy to rent one that has automatic shift. Almost all cars in Spain and Portugal are manual shift. The few automatics are usually large BMWs, Audis or Mercedes. These are the most expensive but if you are sharing expenses, will still be reasonable and also more comfortable.

I have done this trip on my own several times, with no problems. I'm female and in my thirties...if that's any help. I have gotten lost a few times in Seville....but always managed to find where I was going in the end (pre GPS ownership!)

Thanks for the help.
I hope we can do it.