Spain or Portugal for 6 days
 

We are hoping to take a trip during spring break with our 19 yo son and one of his friends. Both Spain and Portugal are appealing--none of us has ever been to either. He has expressed interest in seeing a city. Given that we would have only 6 days the week of March 20, where would be a good place to focus our attention?

Barcelona/Spain

Absolutely positively it should be Spain over Portugal.

There are SO MANY places in Spain that are great, so it really gets down to what his (and your) preference is. Madrid is great, Toledo is wonderful, Granada is terrific, Seville is awesome, the Costa del Sol area is to die for, etc.

Barcelona has already been mentioned, but I have not been there (yet).

--Marv

With only six days, I'd probably do Madrid with two side-trips:

- Segovia (less than an hour and a half by bus) - fantastic aqueduct, very cool cathedral, interesting castle - and THE place to try suckling pig (if you're interested!)
- Toledo (about an hour by train or bus), with its amazing cathedral and tangle of streets that are fun to stroll. The Victor Macho museum is interesting and quite different. And definitely try some marzipan! It's awesome. Toledo is probably the best place in Spain to buy the black and gold jewelry.

As for Madrid - don't miss the Prado, of course. Also the Royal Palace. And there are tons of other things! Madrid is a happening place!

I've also been to Portugal and while Lisbon is a wonderful city, I think there's more to be seen with the combination of Madrid/Segovia/Toledo. If you do end up opting for Portugal, there are several worthwhile day trips from Lisbon, as well, including Sintra and Evora.

Sevilla and Granada are also wonderful. The Alhambra, in Granada, is almost worth a trip to Europe all by itself. There's a definite Arab influence in Granada, which makes it a bit more exotic than some other European cities.

I haven't been to Barcelona, so can't comment on it.

Have fun whatever you decide!

Tough Call- both are great places! I was a student 21 years ago in Spain and traveled to Portugal at the end of my studies. Having been back to Spain once in 98 and going for a second trip this spring to me Spain is worth many visits. Consequently, I would actually knock Portugal off the list and plan separate trips for Spain when you have a two week minimum. I loved Lisbon and the surrounding areas and when I was there in 1984 it reminded me a bit of San Francisco with its hills and trolly cars. I think you may be a bit early for the beaches. Hope this is helpful.

I've been to both Barcelona and Madrid and prefer Madrid ... but your son may prefer Barcelona because of the Gaudi architecture. We took a day trip to Segovia from Madrid and I agree it is a nice place to go. I've heard that Toledo is amazing as well.

It's a hard call between Barcelona and Madrid with sidetrips to Toledo and Segovia. You can't go wrong with either, so why not have your son and his friend check them out (google them plus check out comments here) and decide...this way you won't have to make the decision and won't feel guilty if they're not happy with it (but I'm sure they will be with whatever place they pick--Spain is fantastic and they're so lucky you're taking them there!)

Semana Santa is that week: Most Offices are closed Thu & Fri leading up to Easter Sunday. I would go along with althom1122's recommendations re. Madrid w/Toledo & Segovia daytrips.

If you're going to be there Friday, a daytrip to Sevilla is not out of the question: We took a 07:30 AVE from Madrid's Puerta de Atocha (25% off on same-day return), arrived Sevilla Santa Justa at 10:00, saw an awesome Procession (la Virgen de la Macarena), toured Sevilla and got the 20:00 AVE back to Madrid (arr. 22:30). It was a memorable experience.

We've been to both. Both are wonderful. If I had a week, I'd go to Seville and take a couple of side trips to Ronda and Cordoba. I love Seville and there is so much to do, so much color and it should be spring-like late in March.