Requesting help with Spain Itin - Couple with 12 YO
 

In late March, we are traveling to Spain with our 12 year old girl. We are flying in and out of Madrid and will have approximately 10 days in Spain but need to spend at least 1 night each in Toledo/Madrid & Seville. We've already been to Barcelona, Bilboa & San Sebastian so don't plan to re-visit on this trip. We plan to stay on the Western & South side of Madrid but are wide open to places/activities. We enjoy (maybe equally): Food/Wine, Art, Outdoor activities and taking trains.

I'm asking for help on a couple of topics:
1 - is it worth spending a day or 2 in Lisbon/Portugal as none of us has every been?
2 - Are we better off taking trains btw cities or just renting a car?
3 - Is Caceres worth a stop (I hear the food is phenomenal)?
4 - Any thoughts on hotels/restaurants would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Avila, Salamanca, Caceres and Merida are all worth a stop on a car ride from Madrid to either Lisboa or Sevilla.
Count about 4 days for such a journey (decent visits of these places take time).

If you want to see Lisbon and have not so much time, it might be better to take the overnight train (sleeping cars).

As you enjoy taking the train, you might have fun train experiences on the high speed AVE trains between Madrid and Toledo and Madrid and Sevilla. A friend of mine in the 50's becomes like a child en route between Madrid and Sevilla.

For outdoor activities in Madrid, check out both the famous Retiro park as well as the huge Casa del Campo park behind the Royal Palace, rowing boats in both places and lots of activities.

Outdoor activities - besides walking around and taking in the city - is one of the last things I associate with Sevilla, but it could of course be a fun to go kayaking on majestic Guadalquvir which runs through the city: http://notjustatourist.com/seville-kayaking/

What fun...yes I'll bet a youngster would enjoy a train. I don't see a train trip via Salamanca to Lisbon though. (But previously we stayed in Salamanca and enjoyed it). Madrid to Toledo and Sevilla a good trip and elsewhere nearby.

Several of us have posted reports on travel to Spain and also Portugal. Lots to see and enjoy, beginning with Madrid as kimhe says and then through Andalucia. And since kimhe has responded maybe he will say a bit about flamenco.

As for Lisbon that requires more travel time. Yes, there are beaches and mountains to explore in the area.

And seing genuine flamenco could of course be a great experience also for your 12 year old girl.

A couple of years ago, my brother and some friends took their 8 to 16 year old kids to excellent Casa Patas in Madrid. They all had a fantastic time. The nine year old girl was mesmerized. http://www.casapatas.com/

Casa Patas has consistently been the greatest tablao not only in Madrid, but in all of Spain the past few years. Firework Belén López danced the night my brother and his boys were there: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hbhkIWSX-Q

In Sevilla, I recommend intimate venues Casa de la Memoria or La Casa del Flamenco.
http://www.casadelamemoria.es/
http://www.lacasadelflamencosevilla.com/

Thanks, all great suggestions and seeing flemenco or kayaking wasn't something we remotely even thought about. Any hotel recommendations in either Madrid, Sevilla or Lisbon. Looking something mid to high priced that would be close to action.

Thanks again!

Heading over next week and through some uncontrollable circumstances, we are now throwing Portugal off the agenda will have 2-3 days in Southern Spain after hitting Seville and Granada.

Any thoughts a good city/hotel to stay 2 nights ... I was thinking Gibraltar-area or maybe Malaga? We will be driving so flexible on travel.

And dare I even ask if a day trip across the Strait a good idea? It seems like this is a very polarizing idea?

Thanks!

I spent several days in Malaga last Fall and enjoyed it. But I used one of them to do a day trip to Granada.

I recommend the NH HOtel in Malaga. That's my favorite Spanish hotel brand. It was very comfortable and a great location (convenient if you have a car), as it was within an easy walk to the main pedestrian Old Town area but not right in it -- which means less hectic, and cheaper, no doubt. Even though a very nice hotel, it was very cheap IMO, but I'm used to hotels in more expensive cities like Paris. I believe they have parking, also, right under the hotel (or across the street, I forget as I didn't have a car).

http://www.nh-hoteles.es/hotel/nh-malaga

If you mean to Morocco my friends enjoyed the ferry last summer as part of a 4 week visit to the country, I think it makes more sense to fly given the time. If you fly you have a choice of cities and some are nicer than others. My preference would be (in no particular spelling) Marrakesh, Rabat, Fez, Ouarzazate, Taroudant and Essaouira. I don't like Casablanca

In terms of your earlier question, Malaga is very pleasant, nice shopping, restaurants and museums, worth a couple of days on its own and a good beach.

Definitely Malaga city: http://www.andalucia.com/cities/malaga/home.htm
Picasso's city of hidden treasures":
http://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...-breaks-travel
"Secret Spanish pleasures": http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalis...pleasures.html

Thank you, you've all been really helpful. We leave in a few days and I'm finally nailing down the final details a booking a few more things.

Bookmarking--as always, so much helpful information from Fodorites!