Visiting Portugal and Spain

[member 51464]

I have three weeks free in the September/October time frame and would like to see some of Spain and Portugal.

Places I am considering:
Porto and Lisbon are definitely happening, so is just a matter of determining lengths of stay in each.

Spain is where I am needing a bit more guidance.
I am told for a first time venturer that Madrid and Barcelona are the must sees.

I could probably easily fill 21 days seeing just the above, but am open to exploring a bit more of Spain in:
San Sebastián and/or Bilbao in Basque country
Seville, Grenada, or Cordoba in the south

Any suggestions for how long to spend in each place? I am in no big rush, so relaxing is a big part of this. Any thoughts on lengths of stay in each spot and which of the Basque/southern Spain spots are worth checking out would be appreciated.

My preference for travel is plane/train/bus, and I'd rather stay away from renting a car. Money isn't so pressing. Ignoring the initial flight in and out, I can spend up to $7,000 for everything during the 21 days (including any flights/travel during it) without feeling too upset about it. Though, obviously, I'd be happy spending less.

My initial thought was to fly into Barcelona and train to Bilbao then go south to Madrid and Sevilla (all via train) before flying to Porto and finishing in Lisbon where I'd fly out of at the end.

4 nights each in Madrid, Barcelona, and Lisbon
3 nights each in Bilbao Porto, and Seville


Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

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[LickTheEnvelope]

There's a lot to see in both countries. I've only been in Portugal very briefly in Porto but if you are at all a walker i'd recommend walking part of the Camino de Santiago.

I walked the whole "French Way" from Saint-Jean Pied de Port in France to Santiago de Compostella in North West Spain a year ago (then on to the water) and it was an amazing experience with travelers from all over the world.

There is also a route from Lisbon all the way to Santiago and lots of smaller chunks you can walk to really get a sense of the communities and landscape.

One thing i'd mention too is that being on pilgrimage is VERY inexpensive. Hostels on the way generally average about $10-$15 a night and pilgrim dinners are usually 3 courses with wine for $15 or so.

 

[Hansen]

https://www.facebook.com/barcelona.parties/?fref=ts

For Barca check out this Barcelona Nights page if you're into the clubbing scene

Free cover if you mention it at the door till a certain hour. Other than that spend as much time on the beach as possible and hit La Ramblas hard

 

[Chris Hagen*]

Is this [serious]?

 

[Havre]

The good:

San Sebastian: Amazing place. Amazing food. Fairly small though so you can cover it easily in a day or two. But for the food it wouldn't hurt staying one more day. I can give you some recommendations later if you want.

Madrid: Great city. So much to see and also got great food.

The South: Never went up into the mountains myself, but it looks fantastic. The whole feel of the South is nice.

The overrated:

Barcelona: It's got a nice beach for a big city, but personally I much prefer Madrid of the two big cities.

Porto: The area down by the river is nice. But you can't help thinking this is mainly for the tourists? The food certainly reminded me of tourist traps elsewhere. The rest of the city is fairly boring if you ask me.

Not sure where to put Bilbao. I guess it can't be overrated. Old city is nice. A bit like San Sebastian, but just not as good. Got some interesting architecture in the new parts. Some really nice villages around the city, but I guess you got to know where to look. Easy to combine with SS and flights.

 

[tony d]

Spain seems like it would be a good country to visit.

No opinion on Portugal, hope you have fun when you go.

This should help:

http://www.roughguides.com/destinations/europe/spain/

https://www.visitportugal.com/en

 

[tarheelhockey]

Do what you need to do to get to Barcelona. Spend more than one day. Don't get drunk while the sun is up and don't stay sober after it sets.

 

[member 51464]

The good:

San Sebastian: Amazing place. Amazing food. Fairly small though so you can cover it easily in a day or two. But for the food it wouldn't hurt staying one more day. I can give you some recommendations later if you want.

Madrid: Great city. So much to see and also got great food.

The South: Never went up into the mountains myself, but it looks fantastic. The whole feel of the South is nice.

The overrated:

Barcelona: It's got a nice beach for a big city, but personally I much prefer Madrid of the two big cities.

Porto: The area down by the river is nice. But you can't help thinking this is mainly for the tourists? The food certainly reminded me of tourist traps elsewhere. The rest of the city is fairly boring if you ask me.

Not sure where to put Bilbao. I guess it can't be overrated. Old city is nice. A bit like San Sebastian, but just not as good. Got some interesting architecture in the new parts. Some really nice villages around the city, but I guess you got to know where to look. Easy to combine with SS and flights.

Do what you need to do to get to Barcelona. Spend more than one day. Don't get drunk while the sun is up and don't stay sober after it sets.

I don't drink, so these posts taken together make me think more time in Madrid and less in Barcelona

I just booked a flight to Barcelona and one leaving Lisbon 21 days later, so just have to fill in the middle

 

[Havre]

Don't get me wrong. Barcelona is a nice place (especially compared to most big North American cities) - I just prefer Madrid (as long as you disregard the city's extremely bloody history).

 

[HanSolo]

The good:

San Sebastian: Amazing place. Amazing food. Fairly small though so you can cover it easily in a day or two. But for the food it wouldn't hurt staying one more day. I can give you some recommendations later if you want.

Madrid: Great city. So much to see and also got great food.

The South: Never went up into the mountains myself, but it looks fantastic. The whole feel of the South is nice.

The overrated:

Barcelona: It's got a nice beach for a big city, but personally I much prefer Madrid of the two big cities.

Porto: The area down by the river is nice. But you can't help thinking this is mainly for the tourists? The food certainly reminded me of tourist traps elsewhere. The rest of the city is fairly boring if you ask me.

Not sure where to put Bilbao. I guess it can't be overrated. Old city is nice. A bit like San Sebastian, but just not as good. Got some interesting architecture in the new parts. Some really nice villages around the city, but I guess you got to know where to look. Easy to combine with SS and flights.

Can confirm San Sebastian is awesome. Visited it on a trip to France and I happened to be close to the border.

 

[Siamese Dream]

Look for Maddie McCann while you're in Portugal

 

[Finnish your Czech]

Look for Maddie McCann while you're in Portugal

Also look for Ryan Gauld while you are in Portugal (@ceremony)

 

[yubbers]

Lirl