We are spending almost two weeks in spain in May. We fly into Madrid, and will be visiting Barcelona and San Sebastian at some point. I am deciding between also adding Seville and Granada or instead going to Portugal (perhaps Lisbon). I have never been to Spain or Portugal before. For those who have traveled in this area, do you think it would be better to spend more time in Spain, or add Portugal. If adding Portugal sounds good, what city would you recommend? I like to have a mixture of big cities and off the beaten path destinations, and night life is not a big deal for us. Thanks!!

It takes at least 6 weeks to see the best of Spain. Portugal is another 2 weeks--or more. You will do well to see selected regions of Spain this time.

We leave for Portugal in 2 weeks. When planning our trip, we were faced with the same decision as you. The more we researched Portugal, the more we found we liked. So, we decided to stick with Portugal this time. We are spending <BR>2 1/2 weeks there and will not even make it to the Algarve. We will go back to see Spain another time.

Portugal has the friendliest people I have ever met in Europe. Don't pass up the Algarge.

Jor--any suggestions for places north and/or east of Lisbon? We skipped the Algave this time since it wouldn't be beach weather anyhow. Just another excuse to go back again

I'd say stick with Spain then split your time. You will want to relax and enjoy...also consider Pamplona...Barcelona is very relaxing, San Sebastian was a bit too low key for my taste when compared to Madrid and Barcelona. I have always heard great things about Seville - we didn't make it there on my last trip.<BR><BR>Enjoy - plan Portugal for next time.

We have been both places many times. For adventure and exotic stuff, go Spain (helps to speak the language off the beaten track). They are very time conscious and shops close, open, close, etc.. they are a very nocturnal people, up celebrating until 2 a.m. However, Portugal is very friendly, clean, and most everyone we met speaks English, it it smaller, thus you can see more in less time, more predicaable for American tourists. So it depends on your interests. Personally, I can't wait to get out of big cities (anywhere) and after we have spent enough time in cities to satisfy my husband, we head for the country...to rest, walk among the folks who have time to talk to you, to see how life is lived etc...p.s. no pick pockets in the country.

North of Lisbon there are some interesting options:<BR><BR>Obidos is a very small medieval walled city with a fortress/castle at one end. It's all on top of a mountain. The castle has been converted to one of the state-run hotels, or Pousadas. We stayed in one of the old rooms in the castle, which was extraordinary. The town itself is cute and pleasant, and while it clearly survives on tourist money, it does not feel overrun. Pricey to stay at the Pousada, but we treated ourselves for one night. Had our best dinner of the trip in Obidos, at a restaurant along the main street.<BR><BR>Barcelos, way up in the north, is interesting because it's the home of the famous Portuguese rooster (or cock, as they call it), and it's also home to a massive weekly market that's worth seeing. Nothing touristy about the market, for sure. The north in general is not overrun with tourists and has a very local, provincial feel. (Note, if you're going to Barcelos make sure to find out what day the market is - I don't recall.)<BR><BR>Porto (Oporto), the second city of Portugal, is worth visiting mainly because of the port lodges. It's worth visiting one or two of them. The rest of the city is fairly mundane, but that in itself makes it interesting.<BR><BR>Have fun.

Do you enjoy seeing one country in depth, or do you like seeing the highlights of places and then perhaps exploring them in depth on a subsequent trip? If the latter, then add Portugal.<BR><BR>An argument can be made that there are few, if any, countries that to which you can do justice in only two weeks--or three weeks--or a month. I have a friend who only spent 3 nights in London and 3 nights in Paris on his first European trip. I wouldn't have spent so little time in either city, but he was quite satisfied with it. Another flew to Hong Kong for 5 nights on his first trip to Asia. Again, far too little time for me, but he was fine with it. So whether you choose to stay in Spain or include Portugal is a matter of personal preference.<BR><BR>Having been to both Spain and Portugal, I will say that Spain is beautiful, and Seville was my favorite city there. If you go to Portugal, you may like the Algarve. Whichever option you choose, have a wonderful time!

There's a wonderful festival in Cordoba in mid-May. If you go, don't let any one scare you of the dangers. We stayed in a hotel very near to the festival. It is very family oriented, plenty of security, families with young children stay out all night dancing the flamenco. We stayed out until 3 a.m. but had to give it up then. We could hear the frolicking until 5 a.m. It probably continued after that but we finally fell asleeep. We especially enjoyed it because it was typical. Don't leave out Seville although it's a ways off, but with two weeks you might can manage it. I love Portugal, but it would really make your trip very tiring and most of it spent on the road.

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