Lisbon or Seville??
 

Thinking about our upcoming trip to Portugal. Here are the key logistical features of the trip
a) flying in and out of Lisbon
b) will (must) spend a good portion of a week in Algarve
c) 11 days total - immediately prior to Easter Sunday 2009

I had always assumed we would spend the bulk of our non-Algarve time in Lisbon. But - I am having second thoughts. The Aunt (visting her house) really played down Lisbon as an interesting destination and played up Seville as a good place to visit. Browsing some on-line resources - I do come away with the impression that Seville has more to offer.

In an ideal world - we would have enough time to spend a few days in both locations. But - I don't think we will have enough time to do that.

Question - Which would you choose - and why?

Thanks,

Rick

Is the Aunt in the Algarve?

Both cities have their attractions and their music. I like Lisbon and prefer it over Seville. Why? I enjoy Fado, the structure of the city, the charm of the Portuguese, the cuisine and the rhythm of the city life. I also like Sintra quite a bit, the proximity of the sea and some of the older cities. Unfortunately, you don´t have the Alhambra and Granada, but hey, life isn´t perfect! :)

We were in Spain and Portugal just after the early Easter this year. We were in both cities. We stayed near Sintra and traveled to Lisbon on the train.

You are not going to make a mistake with either choice. That said, if we had to choose only one it would be Seville. We were lodging in the Santa Cruz section of the city. We parked the car in a garage for three nights and walked everywhere. Although we are seniors walking was not too difficult because the area to be explored, including both the historical and the city center, is fairly compact. We found good, casual outdoor places to eat. We thought that Seville was very charming with balanced offerings of history, music, and food. There are a nice selection of green spaces for walking, relaxing. In the center there is also high fashion shopping. The only drawback we encountered was that Seville is very confusing for the driver with many one-way streets, alleys, etc. Once we ditched the car, we really enjoyed Seville.

Easter Sunday, 2009, is 12 Apr. For several days of the week leading up to Easter (Thu & Fri especially), driving in Sevilla is virtually impossible. Many calles are closed for Semana Santa Processions. You encounter Processions as far west as Huelva.

Semana Santa is also Peak season for Hotels throughout Andalucia.

On Thursday, I would drive from the Algarve to Huelva; take an early Train to Sevilla: try to arrive in Sevilla by about 10 AM. On Avda. Kansas City outside Santa Justa station, catch an Exterior loop Bus to el Portal de la Macarena; and watch the Procession returning from its all night loop.

When the Procession ends, hang out near the Cathedral & Maestranza.

Return to Huelva, leaving Sevilla around 19:00, then across to wherever you're staying on the Algarve.
That's what I would do.

I prefer Lisboa over Seville. There is more to see and do, and you have access to Sintra, a very beautiful town. The Gulbenkian Museum is one of the GREATEST museums in all of Europe, in my opinion. (I work for one of America's prestigious auction houses.)

Seville is very atmospheric, but there isn't a hell of a lot to see and do. There is a wonderful cathedral and Giralda tower.

Lisbon and Seville have very similar architecture--buildings covered with beautiful tile. In Portugal it is called Azuljos.

Thin

Seville hands down. Lisbon is interesting but Seville is fascinating. But - then I found all of the cities and towns in Andalusia more interesting than Lisbon (which is fine - but not 3*).

To me - no contest. Love Seville and have spent a lot of time there and will spend more and cannot imagine tiring of it.

Lisbon was, to us, very underwhelming and very run down and poor by comparison. The people were not as friendly as the spanish either.

eliza3 writes: "Lisbon was, to us, very underwhelming and very run down and poor by comparison. The people were not as friendly as the spanish either."

I disagree wholeheartedly with your comment about the Portuguese people in Lisbon! I found them warm and friendly, much moreso than people of Andalucia.

rholt: Don't base a vacation plan on beach resorts in early April (i.e., Algarve). You may get lucky but chances are you won't be doing any swimming.

I think you can do both, allocating 2-or-3 days to each and spending the rest of your time in Albufeira or Lagos or Faro.

Great - some very informed yet diverse opinions here.

I think we will end up
a) spend first 3 days of trip in Lisbon
b) drive down to Algarve
c) take at least one - possibly two - day trips to Seville

Google claims it is only a 2 hour drive from Faro to Seville. I hope that is true.

Actually - related question.

We might spend the last few nights in Seville and then drive to Lisbon via
a) North on E803 to Merida
b) West on E802/A6 through places like Montmor-o-Nova

Is this a nice drive? It looks to be a long one - 4.5 hours.

Hei man, are you a masochist?
If the dear aunt wishes to visit Seville, don't think twice.

I completely disagree that Lisboa is "poor and run down." It is a very old city and much of the architecture in Alfama, Chiado, and Baixa reflects that.

Saying that Lisboa is "run down" is like saying an 18th century Meissen soup tureen is "run down" because it is old.

Obviously, there are those on this board who know nothing about, nor appreciate, Manueline architecture.

Thin

Just by way of clarification - by run down I meant the sheer number of buildings which were either boarded up, in a state of complete disrepair, or covered in grafiti.

A huge number - and I found it very sad. I love old buildings as much as the next person which is why I found it sad that so many were not preserved at all.

A run-down city? Definitely no.
A few buildings that are run down? Yes

Because of Lisbon's riches to rags history, a few of these grand buildings now lack funding by the owner to rebuild. Everyone is hoping the situation will change.

Lisbon is very tidy and rich in history. Do some research before going to Lisbon and you'll appreciate the lovely city.

Haven't been to Seville (yet!) so can't compare.

Faro-Sevilla is also in reality an appr. 2hr drive, maybe 2 1/2 hrs when you take it easy.

Try to fill up in Spain whenever possible. Gas is considerably cheaper there than in Portugal.

A couple more suggestions for you:
1) Read the Dogs of God. It is by James Reston and is nonfiction. It details the Muslim vs Christian war going on as well as the Inquisition and Christopher Columbus. fAscinating reading for that region.
2) Skip Albufeira completely
3) See Lagos, Silves, Sagres and the lighthouse and bring walking shoes. There are fabulous walks all along the Algarve´s cliffs.