Should We Begin Trip in Spain or Portugal & Where To Visit
 

My wife and I plan on a 15 day trip that is to be divided between Spain and Portugal. I have read all the guidebooks but I always seem to get better travel advice on boards such as this, thus here I am.

We can begin the trip in either Spain (fly into either Madrid or Barcelona) and work our way south (want to spend time in Sevilla, Granada, etc.) and end up in Lisbon. I figure that we would spend 3 days in Lisbon and 3 days in Barcelona but the rest is wide open. We are not beach people so we would prefer to remain inland but would not mind a day trip to the coast (say Cascais).

Are there any advantages to beginning in Portugal and ending in Spain or vice versa. The airfares that I am coming across from the US to either Portugal (Lisbon) or Spain (Madrid/Barcelona) are similar. It is better/easier logistically beginning in Spain and taking the trains through Spain.

We are also open to suggestions/recommendations as to where to stay (we would like to stay around 100E per night or less give or take but could splurge a few nights) where to eat, what to see, etc.

Any ininerary suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

From pure logistics point of view Lisbon has overnight sleeper train to Madrid & frequent discount flights to both Madrid&Barcelona (EasyJet). High speed (AVE) trains connect Madrid to both Sevilla & Barcelona and of course there are lots of frequent discount flights between the two. Also I would visit Porto & area if you have time. Definitely visit Sintra while in Lisbon. I am not a big fan of Cascais especially if time is limited.

Start from the city to where you can get reasonable priced non stop from the US. Also check SATA for Portugal flights; sometimes are very good deal. For hotels in Spain & Portugal you can check http://www.rumbo.es/; I booked thru them this year; very good deals.

What time of the year will you be traveling?
In summer, one might prefer a route leaning towards the north, and to the south in winter or early spring/late fall.

for a bit on trains - from Barcelona if you do not want to hit Madrid in between there and Seville or anything else then you can hop an overnight train from Barcelona and wake up in Granada or Seville - Grandad would make more sense in that it's before Seville and then go to Seville, perhaps via Ronda, to me one of the most awesome towns in Andalucia area and then from Seville take the train and bus combo or better for most a direct bus from Seville to Faro or other place in the Algarve (or bus direct to Lisbon - no direct train service Seville to Portugal anymore.

Yes weather may be better in Portugal than in Barcelona but that would not be a huge factor IMO

For lots on Spanish and Portugeuse trains I always spotlight these fantastic IMO sites - www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com - to check schedules and fares and to nab possible online discounts - www.renfe.es - spanish railways official site. There is also a Spain Railpass that could be viable if you want to arrange your trains as you go along - online discounts I believe are train specific and hard to change.

Adding Barcelona means a lot of time spent traveling. 15 days is just enough to see part of Portugal, Madrid and Andalucia.

I'm w/Egbert. You're covering alot of geography in 15 days even flying open jaw. 15 days would be adequate for Lisbon & Andalucia. But I wouldn't even want to visit Barcelona, Madrid & Andalucia with only 15 days.

Adding Barcelona means a lot of time spent traveling>

no necessarily - the overnight train between say Barcelona and Granada or Seville or Madrid lets you travel wide swathes whilst sleeping and saving on the cost of a hotel and these are Hotel Trains with some of Europe's most luxurious overnight cabins 0 Gran Classe can even have shwoers/WC in them and there are formal dining cars, etc.

I agree with Egbert also---Barcelona is the outlier and is too much to handle in 15 days.

go to sleep in Barcelona wake up in Granada - how is that a waste of time? some really great onlline fares at www.renfe.es if you act in advance and can get that site that frustrates so so many Fodorites to death.