Spain and Portugal- south or north?
 

This may seem a bit last minute to some, but this is genrally how we plan all of our trips- so we are planning to visit Spain this August and possibly Portugal. So I was wondering will it be best to take a southern route into Spain from Lisbon or visit the northern portion of Portugal and then northern Spain. I am a bit nervous about the crowds if we plan our trip from Lisbon, down the coast and into the southern towns of Spain and then head north into Madrid. Although I think I do prefer this paln. Which route is recommended? We are both in our early 30s and we want to experience the culture, history, food, a little nightlife, and possibly some surf. I just do not want to sit on a beach that is jammed packed with people and while we love to go out for drinks and we were "weekend warriors" in our college days - we not interested in a crazy party atmosphere at this point in our lives. We like to go places that are laid back and relaxed with the option for some drinks as we people watch.

We have to also decide and figure out which would the best mode of transportation. We heard that taking a car across the border is not a problem these days. How true is that? Is there a recommended transportation method?

Sorry if this post is allover the place- we are in the first stage of planning.

I forgot to mention that we will be there for two weeks.

With only two weeks to enjoy yourselves, you want to keep you wandering reasonably limited, otherwise you end up spending all of your time on the road, at the airport or in the train station.

It will be very warm (HOT) in the south of Spain and Portugal in August. My recommendation is to head north to northern Portugal and Green Spain. The coast will be warm enough in August and the beaches are great and uncrowned all the way from Galicia to the Basque Country. The food and wine are some of the best you'll encounter in your travels and the prices are very reasonable.

If you travel by car (a great way to see the countryside), pleas be aware that there is usually a steep fee to drop off a car in a country different from where you picked it up.

For a little more research on the matter of traveling in selected parts of Spain, check out Maribel’s Guides (http://mariblesguides.com) and contact the nearest Tourist Office of Spain. They will send you information on the areas you're interested in visiting.

Thanks for the advice. Should I consider looking into the trains as a the main means of transportation instead? This spring we were in the south of France and we rented a car which we didn't end up using as much as we had anticipated. The parking costs alone made it very expensive.

A train is great for getting from point A to B, but train travel in both the north and south has it's limits. You can check on using the buses to visit some of the villages on day trips from Sevilla, etc., but in order to really see most of the smaller villages and out of the way places along the north coast; you will need a rental car.

I agree, rent a car. I also recommend the northern part of Portugal, Oporto, Valenca, (beautiful) and Galicia
Vigo, Pontevedra, A Coruna, beautiful Santiago de Compostela, Asturia, San Sebastian