vicQ

I'll be making a three week trip to Spain and Portugal mid-October. I have the first week or so loosely planned and an even vaguer notion for the remaining two weeks. I would be interested in and appreciative of any input regarding my itinerary.

* Fly in to Madrid in a.m. Three nights in Madrid.
* Fly to Barcelona Saturday a.m. Train to Llanca to visit a friend. One or two days seeing Girona/Figueres.
*Return to Barcelona (two nights, three days).
*And from here on things are still undefined ...
*From Barcelona to Valencia (one night)?
*Valencia to Granada (two nights)?
*Granada to Cordoba (one night)?
*Cordoba to Sevilla (two nights)?
*Sevilla to Faro/Lagos (two nights)?
*Faro/Lagos to Lisbon (two nights)?
*Lisbon to Coimbra/Fatima/Navare (two nights)?
*Return to Madrid, fly out the next day.

Would it make sense to extend my days in some places (Lisbon, for example) and make day trips to some of the other sites?

Based on the above itinerary, I am also looking for tips on the most efficient (and relatively inexpensive) way to get from Valencia to Granada and then from Portugal to Madrid. (Unfortunately, my ticket is to fly in and out of Madrid.)

Thanks, in advance, for your input.

NEDSIRELAND

I always try to get as far as possible the first day since it's pretty much a washout anyway, with jetlag. To that end I wouldn't stop in Madrid. I would continue on to Barcelona and save my last few days for Madrid.

You don't say what modes of travel you will be using: A rental car can be a liability in the large cities (Madrid, Lisbon, Barcelona). You may want to stay at hotels on the outskirts of the cities: use public transportation for intra-city tourism but have a car available for daytrips (Coimbra, Fatima & Nazare for example).

Spain and Portugal are not in the Tropics; and mid-October is NOT 'Beach Bunny' weather. You may be disappointed with Portugal's Algarve (i.e., Faro & Lagos). I would cut my stay there to one-night and add one to Lisbon.

vicQ

NEDSIRELAND -- Thanks for writing back. Right now I'm planning on flying from Madrid to Barcelona and then using the train system to get from city to city. I'd prefer not to drive. So planes, trains and buses work well for me. However, I like the idea of staying in Lisbon and renting a car to make the surrounding areas day-trips. I've read that driving in Lisbon is more hassle than it's worth, so maybe I should split my time between Lisbon (three nights) and Coimbra (2-3 nights) and make Fatima and Nazare day-trips from there?

As for Faro or Lagos, I was thinking I'd like to have a couple of days of downtime. Just sitting around without feeling the pressure to do any sightseeing. I thought those places would be nice -- maybe a hotel with a terrace and a view of the ocean. (I'm not much of a beach-goer.) Any other alternatives.

Underhill

You might get more responses if you re-post your question with Spain and Portugal in the title.

vicQ

Hello, Underhill. Thanks for the advice. I reposted the message with "Spain and Portugal" in the header. I am a bit confused by the site, though. Do I somehow specify where these messages go? I had thought I posted this one in the Europe area but couldn't find it until I searched under "Portugal" for topics. I am new to this; but I can't find a Help page from the Fodor's website.

carlosr

vicQ,

My family and I will be making a similar trip to Spain and Portugal this Dec. I was advised to land in Madrid and stay in Toledo (30 min SW from Madrid) to avoid Madrid traffic. Our itinerary is:
Toledo (2d), Segovia (1d), Cordoba (1d), Granada (2d), Ronda (1d), Sevilla (2d), Lisbon(2), Fatima(1) and back to Sevilla. I plan to return the car rental in Seville (no drop-off fees).

Someone provided feedback on this board about this hotels:
Granda - Hotel America
Seville - Hotel Simon
Ronda - Parador de Ronda Plaza de Espana.

Can someone else provide comments on these hotels?

Also, how is New Year eve in Seville?

Thanks, Carlos

NEDSIRELAND

Sorry, I can't help you with any of those hotels. We usually stay with relatives.

Wherever you are in Spain, you will hear the bells from Madrid's Puerta del Sol chiming over the broadcast media at Midnight 31 diciembre.

DAMAS SA operates bus service Sevilla - Huelva, Faro, Albufeira & Lagos. There's also a Portuguese company that runs along that route. I can't remember the name of the Bus Company but I'm pretty sure that 'Bus' is one of the words in its name.

I think it's the first Saturday of each month that the Church of Nossa Senhora do Fatima in Lisbon has a bus daytrip to Fatima. It costs next to nothing and includes a lunch. There's a religious articles shop across the street from the Church that can provide you with details.

You might consider staying out by the Parque dos Naciones (sp?) in Lisbon (Expo'98 site). There's a multimodal transportation center (i.e., Metro, Bus, Tranvia, etc.) there and if you are driving you can get out of town quickly from there. There are also several nice hotels there with secure parking.