Spain or Portugal
 

My husband and I are beginning to plan our vacation for the beginning of May 2018; we are able to take 10-12 days for this trip. Last year we visited the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria for two weeks and had the best time! We loved the culture, history, and how quaint the towns were. We would love to see an different part of Europe this spring. We have begun preliminary research and are trying to decide between Portugal and Spain. We are on our mid-twenties and traveling without kids. We are looking for a mix of adventure, relaxation, and good food. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

If only you had been responsive to your other two posts on this forum then I could given some help.
A forum is about a conversation.
Bye

Well either would be very nice. I had visited Spain maybe 10 times before going to Portugal but once I went, have wanted to return. Portugal has alot to offer but I do think Spain has more A list sights. Food is probably more diverse in Spain but we ate very well in Portugal too. If you decide on Spain, you'll probably need to focus on a region - it's a pretty big country!

Perhaps the OP does not know how to see if there are responses.

Thank you all for the feedback! I am new to this forum and still learning how to use it! We have flexibility with what time of year we visit; do you have any reccomendations on when would be best?! Thank you!

Portugal is nice. Spain is nice and bigger.

Buy some paper guides and read them. Then decide where to go and how long.

Don't rush. You are in your mid 20 so plenty of time to come back.

Only you can decide where to go. Sometimes I want fish. Today was meat. Same goes for travel.

What fun! We have loved both but found Portugal to be cheaper, if that makes any difference. Hoping you have many, many, many more years of travel and adventure.

Yes Portugal is much cheaper and a little shabbier IMO, not that there is anything wrong with that :) Pretty much either country, I'd go spring or fall, just to avoid the summer tourists. The further south you want to explore, the earlier spring / later fall you could go. One exception would be the San Sebastian area of Spain - it is much more temperate that the center or southern parts.

I'm not comparing them, but will only offer my thoughts having traveled to Andalucia in the spring. One of our all time favorite trips -- each of the towns in the region are wonderful (our favorite was Seville) and you will have everything you're asking for --food, culture, charm, beauty.

I've no doubt you can't go wrong with either place or any location, but I will say that this was a fabulous area to visit in the spring.

Spain is really a number of different cultures, histories, languages, and backgrounds, as recent event highlight yet again. Portugal is less complex and smaller in geographic size.

If you invest the time and investigate the differences, where you shall visit will become clear to you.

Why not both? If you did Andalucia (which is amazing!), I think you have time to do both! We headed in a few weeks for 6 days in Spain and then 4 days in Porto, can't wait!

For a ten day trip, it is advisable just to see one. In ten days you would still not get to see much of either.

If you do go to Portugal, we found Nuno at Lisbon Riders to be a great private guide. We based ourselves in Lisbon and took some really fabulous day trips with him. We actually did Lisbon, Portugal and San Sebastian, Spain on that trip and it was perfect for us. However, everyone has different travel styles and there are other more seasoned travelers on this forum.

Thank you all so much for your feedback! We are still in the researching stage, so your advice is very helpful!

Both countries are amazing: beautiful cities and towns, amazing food, great people. We just returned from a 15 day trip to Portugal and LOVED IT. We love Spain, sure, but something about Portugal just clicked. Definitely one of our top travel destinations in the world - but then again, I don't think you can go wrong with either. Have fun!

Spain of course.

Portugal is a less exciting copy of Spain.

My daughter is your age, and she has been to both Spain and Portugal. She enjoyed Portugal, but she absolutely loved Spain.
For your age I think I would visit Spain. It seems to have a really great atmosphere for your age group.

With 12 days, I'd go to both Sevilla and Lisbon.
We have been to both and loved each one.

Lisbon and Porto are both in the beginning stages of major renovation projects and new construction as Portugal is finally coming out of the recession. And both are highly popular now that they have been written up in major publications, so expect both to be very busy next year.

Lisbon appears to have more of a night life then Porto, and both have a number of new dinning options, including the TimeOut Market in Lisbon, with more to follow as the concept expands to other locations.

The Rock in Rio has moved to Lisbon - https://rockinriolisboa.sapo.pt/lisboa/pt-PT

There is always something going on in Madrid. Check out esmadrid.com to get an idea of what's happening in the city.

Maribel said "Portugal is finally coming out of the recession."

Are we??? Well, the external debt is still increasing. As unemployment.

The thing is: Portugal is a country. Spain is a set of provinces (some of them still claiming for independence). Decide wich ones you want to visit, as they are quite different.