My husband and I have the following itinerary for a driving tour through Spain and Portugal planned out. Please let us know if you think we're too ambitious! Also, if you think we are missing something, we'd love to know that as well (or any "must sees" or fantastic but reasonable hotels along the route):<BR><BR>Madrid to Segovia (1 night), then Segovia to Leon (1 night). <BR>From Leon, on to Santiago (3 nights), then on to Viana Do Castelo (Portugal) (2 nights), then Viana to Porto, Portugal (1 night), then Porto to Salamanca (1 night), then back to Madrid for three nights. <BR><BR>Thank you very much in advance!!

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This is certainly off of your intended track, but if you can fly from Madrid to Palma, rent a car, and drive to the town of Deja on Mallorca, you'll want to throw the rest of your itinerary out of the window. Deja is a charming artist villiage located in the Tramuntura mountain range and is where the sea meets the mountains. There is a very cheap pensione ($30/night) that overlooks the mountain range. Good luck.

Here's the thing...when you drive "to" someplace, and find a hotel, get money, find food, etc., you will probably be exhausted! and won't see much of that area. we have travelled like that (getting up the next day, checking out, having a meal and hitting the road again) and we find that we don't see much. Why not travel less and see more? Like you can spend days in Santiago, then drift over to the Basque country. Leon is also incredible,,,the have an ancient castle there that is worth an afternoon. So I would suggest tightening up your plans and staying more nights in same place. YOu'll be glad that you did.

I see your point--the thing is, we are really hoping to see the coast in Portugal, and we've both been to Leon and Salamanca before. Also, it doesn't seem like there's a lot of driving time, b/c some of these places are only an hour apart... I guess more specifically my question is whether it's realistic in terms of actual milage, or if the trip is truly a lot longer than it appears when run through the Michelin website. Thanks for any help you can give!

Oh my God, Bella you are doing my May '99 vacation!!!! (great trip!!). Since you have been to Leon and Salamanca, it's reasonable that you are just overnighting there. Segovia to Leon is a good ride, doable, but start early as parts of it are at a slow pace. Leon to Santiago, there are parts that they are just plains and there are parts that are thru mountains, rainy and a bit scary. You do not want to be in those areas in the dusk, so plan accordingly. That is the toughest and longest part of your itinerary (estimate about 4-5 hours). We stopped at Ponferrada to visit the medieval castle of the Knights of Templar, overseers and protectors of the Route of St. James. Totally worth it. Santiago to Viana, do the coast; gorgeous ride, great roads. There is a quite a steep toll in Pontevedra, to pay for the nice roads, I guessed. If you browsed old posts you'll see my recs for Hotel Linares or Hostel Plaza in Segovia, NH Palacio de Castellanos in Salamanca, Parador/Hotel Santa Luzia in Viana (we rented a small apartment, but visited and loved this hotel!), Posada Regia in Leon, and Casa De Artes in Santiago. I bought a book called "Rural Architecture in Spain" that truly made the trip so much more enjoyable as you have a better understanding of the functionality and cultural significance of the amazing construction and ancient buildings and structures. Have a great time!<BR>

Hello Bella, Overall I like it alot. I would drop one nite from Santiago and stop at Marvao enroute from Porto to Salamanca--stay at the Pousada. Have a great time--you have a good start.

Great, thank you all so much for the tips! We can't wait!

Oh, incidentially, Maira, my husband and I are huge architecture fans, so the book recommendation is greatly appreciated!

You welcome Bella! BTW, BOB THE NAV was one of the people I listened to when planning my trip and was glad I did. If looking for book rec, the book I bought was "Traditional Houses of Rural Spain" and amazon.com has a used copy for $12. Great planning, hope you guys have a great time.<BR>