Southern Spain and Portugal any suggestions ?
 

Hi, I'm travelling to Malaga in September for a week. I want to make the most of the time I have and so I'm looking for any helpful hints. I was also going to go to Lagos in Portugal. Should I ? Thanks for any advice.

Naomi, Only one week? you will be pressed to see
most of Andalusia in that time. You have to do
Granada, Seville, Ronda and that is a week.
Lagos is cool, but a long way off. Given a second
week we can talk about Portugal.

Bobis right, the places he suggested are a must, I was in Malaga for a month and didn't see all I wanted, going back in Sept.

Thank you for your comments. If I don't have the time for both should I go to Spain or Portugal ?

I have spent a lot of the past year in Portugal, and would suggest you do it in a separate trip if time is short. Portugal is a well-kept secret in Europe and deserves more than just a day or two. Even if you stay along the Algarve coast, you can easily spend several days lazing and exploring that small area. You can get a lot of good tourist info. from the Portuguese Nat'l Tourist office in NYC.

i have to say the only place is marbella.i have a house there and try to go at least 3 times a year.
everybody says its the place for the rich but its that and everything else .email me for more info.
i promise you for 1 thing orange square is the most
amazing places to go too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Penny,

Since your Portugal experience is recent, could you comment on: 1) using ATMs outside Lisbon -- are they easy to find in such towns as Lagos, Porto, Coimbra? 2) security and rental cars -- of course I would do the usual sensible things, not leaving packages or luggage in sight, locking car whenever I'm stopping, etc. But I have heard too many stories about luggage thieves, etc. Is it actually very rampant, or just some persons having a bad experience as often as we do in the States? When I read the web sites it does sound as though southern Europe is a hotbed of crime, but is it any worse than the rest of the world? 3) Would you recommend the Algarve or the Costa de Prata? I'm going for two weeks but want to tour the north and historic sites also, so only a couple of days available for beaches.

We traveled by car through Portugal for two weeks. We never had a problem with crime but spent most of our time in the north - only a few days in Evora. It was actually easier driving and felt much less security consciuoius than in France and Italy! It's a beuatiful country to travel in. We had investigated ATMs but decided not to rely on them since we were in many small places. Good luck

quick note: do not miss Arcos de la Fonterra; a small hill town north of Sevilla. Exquisite and not to be missed. Have a great time.