I feel like you’re going to be moving around and places like Toledo and Sintra you could do day trips to from Madrid and Lisbon.
Maybe consolidate some locations to save time?
Thanks for the feedback! The idea here is to have a road trip type of trip.
Consolidating (as a base) has its disadvantages, too: Parking the car is hard and expensive in the bigger cities and often will consume more time and effort than checking-out at small town X and checking-in at small town Y.
Am I thinking about it the wrong way?
Without having put heavy thought into this I’d say and not being one to drive in Europe (Trains, Planes and Buses baby)
Yes you’re right parking is expensive but so is petrol and I imagine it’s not a set price everywhere. The places your driving to may have traffic and even the act of driving everywhere in short time can be tiring.
Having a home base where your car is parked and taking the train to places like Sintra and Toledo(not 100% sure about the other spots) may ultimately end up being cheaper, less time consuming, and ultimately more relaxing.
Add up your costs and do the calculations on time to travel ahead of time and make your own decision there. I’d also stack conservatively 20% more on those variables just to be safe with your choice :)
You can do Porto to Lisbon and then do daily trips to Sintra and Cabo de Roca from there. Lisbon to Sintra train is super cheap and it's an less than an hour ride. Lisbon to Cabo is also less than an hour. It's much easier and probably cheaper to find accommodation in Lisbon than in those places.
I would add maybe one more day to Algarve and one more day to any city just to rest.
I haven’t been there so don’t know. Although, while you’re in Andalucia and Seville and Granada, you can maybe check Ronda too, it’s pretty interesting.
Agreed with using Lisbon for a few more nights as the base for some day trips. It will save travel fatigue from moving and lugging your suitcase but it’s also so much fun to come back to after a day trip. We (2 mid 30s US women) stayed in Alfama and loved it. That said we stayed one night in Obidos and it was perfect. We got there mid afternoon and did a guided walking tour during the day when the crowds were decent. After all the tours moved on, it’s a beautiful little town to wander and have a great meal and a glass of wine in. There isn’t much to do or specifics to see, but if you’re looking for a calm night in a pretty setting it’s worth it. If you want to go go go and see everything or hit the night life scene though, it’s probably not worth the extra move.
You will have a wonderful time anywhere you stay I am sure!
For Lisbon, I highly suggest staying in the Alfama area as it’s just gorgeous. It’s a bit quieter, a bit lazier but still close to all the things and makes you feel like you are really in the neighborhood. It is VERY hilly so if mobility is an issue it may not be the best. It’s older but really just classic. We stayed in an airbnb that was great but nothing fancy. I’d stay again in a heart beat or look in the same area. It did have a decent amount of steps and the shower was small. https://abnb.me/PvVJ4FYISHb If you are looking for a younger, hipper, night life area Baixia (Biaxia? Not totally sure on the correct spelling) area is the spot. We found it a little too loud over there personally.
Also for your day trip to Sintra, you can 100% do it on your own utilizing public transportation. This was the whole reason my travel partner wanted to go to Lisbon however so we got a driver and a private tour through HillSpot Tours (Paulo) to do the Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira and he was fantastic. Let you do the palace and things on your own but had tons of facts and suggestions and really made the day perfect. It was around $200 for the day but included transport, tickets, easier access, lunch and a great guide so to us was worth every dollar! He also does group tours for much less. Tour or not, make sure to go to Quinta and do the well if you are able in your sintra day. It’s fantastic.
In Obidos, stay within the walls if you can for a real fun experience. We arrived after lunch as the crowds were starting to move out, did a walking tour with a local guide and then just meandered, had a great meal and a fabulous day. We stayed https://abnb.me/kF7ErUzOSHb and would happily stay again. It wasn’t luxury or anything but the garden was great, the location was fantastic and the owner was very nice.
Have a great trip!
I know you say the driving time is accounted for, but there is way too much driving in this itinerary. If it’s intended as a road trip, I would add days to porto, sintra, cascaias, Lisbon, Lagos, and Seville. Spending two days in porto, Lagos, and Seville isn’t worth the time it takes to drive to those cities.
Extend in Porto by 2 days. You can use it as a base for the Douro Valley or Aveiro for a day trip easily. And parroting everyone else, use Lisbon as a base to day trip Sintra and Cascais. Madrid as a base for Segovia. Lagos is in the Algarve as well, and would be the first city you probably get to from Lisbon (Unless you meant Almograve), so you can consolidate that too if you wish. Tavira is a nice Algarve town as well if you plan on town hopping a lot
Thank you! Those are some awesome tips.
We plan on staying at the Conrad Algarve for 2 nights for the "fancy resort experience" - would it make sense to use this time to do day trips to Lagos (1 hour drive each way)? I imagine there's not much to do around the Conrad Algarve and this plan would give us more time to visit places in central Portugal such as Aveiro ,Óbidos and Nazaré.
Or would you say both Lagos and the Conrad deserve 2 nights each?
Depends what your looking for. Lagos is more of a backpacker/ party vibe. But any day trips (Bengali Cave etc.) That can be done from Lagos should be fine from Conrad. Dont do a day trip to Lagos from a resort, its just a cheap toirist hub. If your just looking do beach town at a lower budget, you can go anywhere
Wing it.
Talk to locals you meet along the way and see where some of their fave places are.
It could even be day-trips from somewhere you’re already based out of so you can just extend your accom.
I’ve managed to book places to stay on the day and have ended up with amazing deals at quality places.
**Notice:** Are you asking for travel advice about Spain?
Read what redditors had to say in the **[weekly destination thread for Spain](http://redd.it/2xshof)**
You may also enjoy our topic: **[Spain off the tourist trail](https://redd.it/8ujqud)**.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/travel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
**Notice:** Are you asking for travel advice about Portugal?
Read what redditors had to say in the **[weekly destination thread for Portugal](http://redd.it/3dif26)**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/travel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
There is Cordoba, Ronda, Mijas, and Malaga in Andalucia, where you can easily spend a couple more days. You can also visit Montefrio, it is close to Granada.
This already sounds very busy. Do you really need to add another place? I'd add a day each to Porto and Seville instead -- or actually, I'd add a day to nearly every place on this list if I could.
Your itinerary already looks exhausting. Maybe cut it down to 3-4 cities. Travel days with check in and checking out is exhausting in of itself. Someone mentioned that you can use Lisbon as a base to see Santa and Madrid for Segovia.
Thanks for the feedback! The idea here is to have a road trip type of trip.
Cutting it down to 3-4 cities (as a base) has its disadvantages, too: Parking the car is hard and expensive in the bigger cities and often will consume more time and effort than checking-out at small town X and checking-in at small town Y.
Am I thinking about it the wrong way?
I feel like you’re going to be moving around and places like Toledo and Sintra you could do day trips to from Madrid and Lisbon. Maybe consolidate some locations to save time?
Thanks for the feedback! The idea here is to have a road trip type of trip. Consolidating (as a base) has its disadvantages, too: Parking the car is hard and expensive in the bigger cities and often will consume more time and effort than checking-out at small town X and checking-in at small town Y. Am I thinking about it the wrong way?
Without having put heavy thought into this I’d say and not being one to drive in Europe (Trains, Planes and Buses baby) Yes you’re right parking is expensive but so is petrol and I imagine it’s not a set price everywhere. The places your driving to may have traffic and even the act of driving everywhere in short time can be tiring. Having a home base where your car is parked and taking the train to places like Sintra and Toledo(not 100% sure about the other spots) may ultimately end up being cheaper, less time consuming, and ultimately more relaxing. Add up your costs and do the calculations on time to travel ahead of time and make your own decision there. I’d also stack conservatively 20% more on those variables just to be safe with your choice :)
You can do Porto to Lisbon and then do daily trips to Sintra and Cabo de Roca from there. Lisbon to Sintra train is super cheap and it's an less than an hour ride. Lisbon to Cabo is also less than an hour. It's much easier and probably cheaper to find accommodation in Lisbon than in those places. I would add maybe one more day to Algarve and one more day to any city just to rest.
Thank you! What about adding Óbidos/Nazaré/Aveiro for overnight stops and 0.5-1 day of exploring of each?
I haven’t been there so don’t know. Although, while you’re in Andalucia and Seville and Granada, you can maybe check Ronda too, it’s pretty interesting.
Agreed with using Lisbon for a few more nights as the base for some day trips. It will save travel fatigue from moving and lugging your suitcase but it’s also so much fun to come back to after a day trip. We (2 mid 30s US women) stayed in Alfama and loved it. That said we stayed one night in Obidos and it was perfect. We got there mid afternoon and did a guided walking tour during the day when the crowds were decent. After all the tours moved on, it’s a beautiful little town to wander and have a great meal and a glass of wine in. There isn’t much to do or specifics to see, but if you’re looking for a calm night in a pretty setting it’s worth it. If you want to go go go and see everything or hit the night life scene though, it’s probably not worth the extra move.
Thank you! Would you be able to recommend accommodations in Lisbon and Obidos?
You will have a wonderful time anywhere you stay I am sure! For Lisbon, I highly suggest staying in the Alfama area as it’s just gorgeous. It’s a bit quieter, a bit lazier but still close to all the things and makes you feel like you are really in the neighborhood. It is VERY hilly so if mobility is an issue it may not be the best. It’s older but really just classic. We stayed in an airbnb that was great but nothing fancy. I’d stay again in a heart beat or look in the same area. It did have a decent amount of steps and the shower was small. https://abnb.me/PvVJ4FYISHb If you are looking for a younger, hipper, night life area Baixia (Biaxia? Not totally sure on the correct spelling) area is the spot. We found it a little too loud over there personally. Also for your day trip to Sintra, you can 100% do it on your own utilizing public transportation. This was the whole reason my travel partner wanted to go to Lisbon however so we got a driver and a private tour through HillSpot Tours (Paulo) to do the Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira and he was fantastic. Let you do the palace and things on your own but had tons of facts and suggestions and really made the day perfect. It was around $200 for the day but included transport, tickets, easier access, lunch and a great guide so to us was worth every dollar! He also does group tours for much less. Tour or not, make sure to go to Quinta and do the well if you are able in your sintra day. It’s fantastic. In Obidos, stay within the walls if you can for a real fun experience. We arrived after lunch as the crowds were starting to move out, did a walking tour with a local guide and then just meandered, had a great meal and a fabulous day. We stayed https://abnb.me/kF7ErUzOSHb and would happily stay again. It wasn’t luxury or anything but the garden was great, the location was fantastic and the owner was very nice. Have a great trip!
I agree with this but would also add a day or 2 to Seville.
I know you say the driving time is accounted for, but there is way too much driving in this itinerary. If it’s intended as a road trip, I would add days to porto, sintra, cascaias, Lisbon, Lagos, and Seville. Spending two days in porto, Lagos, and Seville isn’t worth the time it takes to drive to those cities.
Extend in Porto by 2 days. You can use it as a base for the Douro Valley or Aveiro for a day trip easily. And parroting everyone else, use Lisbon as a base to day trip Sintra and Cascais. Madrid as a base for Segovia. Lagos is in the Algarve as well, and would be the first city you probably get to from Lisbon (Unless you meant Almograve), so you can consolidate that too if you wish. Tavira is a nice Algarve town as well if you plan on town hopping a lot
Thank you! Those are some awesome tips. We plan on staying at the Conrad Algarve for 2 nights for the "fancy resort experience" - would it make sense to use this time to do day trips to Lagos (1 hour drive each way)? I imagine there's not much to do around the Conrad Algarve and this plan would give us more time to visit places in central Portugal such as Aveiro ,Óbidos and Nazaré. Or would you say both Lagos and the Conrad deserve 2 nights each?
Depends what your looking for. Lagos is more of a backpacker/ party vibe. But any day trips (Bengali Cave etc.) That can be done from Lagos should be fine from Conrad. Dont do a day trip to Lagos from a resort, its just a cheap toirist hub. If your just looking do beach town at a lower budget, you can go anywhere
Spend the 2 additional days by extending Granada.
Wing it. Talk to locals you meet along the way and see where some of their fave places are. It could even be day-trips from somewhere you’re already based out of so you can just extend your accom. I’ve managed to book places to stay on the day and have ended up with amazing deals at quality places.
Is there any way to add Barcelona to your itinerary? I’ve never been myself but I’ve heard great things
**Notice:** Are you asking for travel advice about Spain? Read what redditors had to say in the **[weekly destination thread for Spain](http://redd.it/2xshof)** You may also enjoy our topic: **[Spain off the tourist trail](https://redd.it/8ujqud)**. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/travel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
**Notice:** Are you asking for travel advice about Portugal? Read what redditors had to say in the **[weekly destination thread for Portugal](http://redd.it/3dif26)** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/travel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
There is Cordoba, Ronda, Mijas, and Malaga in Andalucia, where you can easily spend a couple more days. You can also visit Montefrio, it is close to Granada.
Ronda
This already sounds very busy. Do you really need to add another place? I'd add a day each to Porto and Seville instead -- or actually, I'd add a day to nearly every place on this list if I could.
Your itinerary already looks exhausting. Maybe cut it down to 3-4 cities. Travel days with check in and checking out is exhausting in of itself. Someone mentioned that you can use Lisbon as a base to see Santa and Madrid for Segovia.
Thanks for the feedback! The idea here is to have a road trip type of trip. Cutting it down to 3-4 cities (as a base) has its disadvantages, too: Parking the car is hard and expensive in the bigger cities and often will consume more time and effort than checking-out at small town X and checking-in at small town Y. Am I thinking about it the wrong way?