Would love your advice re: travel planning
#1
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Would love your advice re: travel planning
Hi there,
Our daughter is doing a travel abroad program and will be living in Nice, France and Seville, Spain. She will end her program with a week in Lisbon.
My husband and I would like to fly over a week before her program ends, do a little traveling on our own, then meet up with her and have her show us her stomping grounds in Spain and France for another week before heading home.
I am paralyzed with indecision as far as where we should go! Flying into Paris is the most affordable option from PDX, from what I can find, but I just can't seem to make the logistics work, based on where our daughter will be.
Any suggestions on the best way to spend 7 days, before we have to connect with our daughter in Portugal? I've always wanted to see Paris, which is why we are even considering that, but is it crazy to try to fit that in? We've never been to France or Spain, so we don't know where to begin!
Thanks for any help!
Our daughter is doing a travel abroad program and will be living in Nice, France and Seville, Spain. She will end her program with a week in Lisbon.
My husband and I would like to fly over a week before her program ends, do a little traveling on our own, then meet up with her and have her show us her stomping grounds in Spain and France for another week before heading home.
I am paralyzed with indecision as far as where we should go! Flying into Paris is the most affordable option from PDX, from what I can find, but I just can't seem to make the logistics work, based on where our daughter will be.
Any suggestions on the best way to spend 7 days, before we have to connect with our daughter in Portugal? I've always wanted to see Paris, which is why we are even considering that, but is it crazy to try to fit that in? We've never been to France or Spain, so we don't know where to begin!
Thanks for any help!
#2
Just quick (2nd half kick off just happening
)
Flying into the cheapest place can often be a false economy when you figure in the time/cost/inconvenience for getting to where you actually want to be . . .

Flying into the cheapest place can often be a false economy when you figure in the time/cost/inconvenience for getting to where you actually want to be . . .
#4
It sounds like you should fly into Lisbon for this trip. You could fly from 1, home to Paris and transfer to Lisbon. Or 2,stay in Paris a few days, then go to Lisbon to meet your daughter.
Two of our favorite travel experiences were when we visited our kids on their European study abroad experiences.
Or two, you could fly into Madrid, do a few day trips such as Toledo and Segovia. Then fly into Lisbon and explore the city with her as your guide. You will with her then fly to Sevilla. And after Sevilla, fly to Nice.
On your way home, fly with her from Nice to 3, Paris and either continue on a flight home or, better yet, spend several days in Paris before flying back to PDX.
Two of our favorite travel experiences were when we visited our kids on their European study abroad experiences.
Or two, you could fly into Madrid, do a few day trips such as Toledo and Segovia. Then fly into Lisbon and explore the city with her as your guide. You will with her then fly to Sevilla. And after Sevilla, fly to Nice.
On your way home, fly with her from Nice to 3, Paris and either continue on a flight home or, better yet, spend several days in Paris before flying back to PDX.
#5
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1. Fly to Paris, stay a week.
2. Fly from ORY to LIS. Buy tickets as soon as you can. Transavia, Vueling, and TAP all have service from ORY, cost should be about 50€ per person. ORY is much easier to use and definitely closer to Paris than is CDG.
3. Spend time with your daughter, then fly home.
2. Fly from ORY to LIS. Buy tickets as soon as you can. Transavia, Vueling, and TAP all have service from ORY, cost should be about 50€ per person. ORY is much easier to use and definitely closer to Paris than is CDG.
3. Spend time with your daughter, then fly home.
#6
Travel is not my favorite way of being on holiday
So I would forsake Paris for another time
I would either,,,,,
Fly to Porto and take time to enjoy northern Portugal in your very short holiday
or
Fly to one of Madrid or Barcelona, and enjoy a holiday in one of those regions before taking a train to Lisbon. Madrid alone has two world class museums, some fantastic palaces, very approachable local culture, great food etc etc
Trains are not like planes, they are far nicer. Depending on the class you travel on you can take a picnic or dine reasonably well, you get great views and you can chat to your neighbours while being able to walk about. Train travel is what plane travel ought to be like, civilised.
seat61.com
So I would forsake Paris for another time
I would either,,,,,
Fly to Porto and take time to enjoy northern Portugal in your very short holiday
or
Fly to one of Madrid or Barcelona, and enjoy a holiday in one of those regions before taking a train to Lisbon. Madrid alone has two world class museums, some fantastic palaces, very approachable local culture, great food etc etc
Trains are not like planes, they are far nicer. Depending on the class you travel on you can take a picnic or dine reasonably well, you get great views and you can chat to your neighbours while being able to walk about. Train travel is what plane travel ought to be like, civilised.
seat61.com
#8
#9
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Thanks everyone!
Wow, this is such a helpful group! Thank you for your insight. I do realize it's a very short time that my husband and I have before we connect with our daughter. I think we will try to narrow our scope. Too bad about the train to Lisbon though! That would've been a great idea.
I appreciate all of your insight!
I appreciate all of your insight!
#10
You'd have to link three to make it work https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Madrid/Lisbon#r/Train during the day
just to check
https://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/qu...176.1674496781
just to check
https://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/qu...176.1674496781
Last edited by bilboburgler; Jan 23rd, 2023 at 09:01 AM.
#11
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If you haven't been to Paris I think you should go. You could make that your entry point for the trip. After that, why not ask your daughter what she wants to see? She might want to show you the places she's been (Nice, Seville, Lisbon) or she might want to go somewhere new (western France, Alsace, Switzerland).
Alternatively, if your daughter didn't get a chance to spend time in Paris before your trip, all of you could wind up there and fly home from there. You could start the trip somewhere else and meet up.
Alternatively, if your daughter didn't get a chance to spend time in Paris before your trip, all of you could wind up there and fly home from there. You could start the trip somewhere else and meet up.
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jaspertl
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Mar 22nd, 2003 06:21 PM