3 week trip to Spain and Portugal

[jnn]

Hi,

I am planning a very last minute trip to Spain and Portugal. We just booked our flights a couple of days ago, and we're leaving on May 22! We are 3 girls travelling together, 2 of us have been to europe before, but none of us have been to spain or portugal before. Here is what we're thinking so far:

May 23 Arrive London in am, flight to Barcelona (fly with easyjet)
May 24 Barcelona
May 25 Barcelona
May 26 Day in Barcelona, night train to Madrid
May 27 Madrid
May 28 Madrid
May 29 Madrid -> Cordoba by train? by bus?
May 30 Cordoba
May 31 Cordoba -> Seville by train? by bus?
June 1 Seville
June 2 Seville -> Lagos
June 3 Lagos
June 4 Lagos -> Lisbon
June 5 Lisbon
June 6 Lisbon
June 7 Lisbon -> London (fly with easyjet)
June 8 London
June 9 London
June 10 London
June 11 London
June 12 fly home

The only things above that are booked are the Toronto <-> London flights...we're hoping to book the flights within Europe by the end of the week.

Does our route seem logical? Should we be stopping in Granada instead of Cordoba? (I dont think we have time to do both). Should we be spending more/less time in certain places? When I backpacked through europe in the past, I bought a railpass, but I don't think it will be worthwhile for this trip...is travelling by bus as easy as travelling by rail?

Thanks!

[Eagle]

jnn, welcome to the Boards! my knowledge of Spain is a bit limited, but a few thoughts (hopefully our resident Spain and Portugal experts will be along shortly?).

> for such a short trip, "open jaw" flights would have been a more efficient option. However, you've already booked so that's not possible (perhaps something to consider for next time?).

> I believe that Granada would be a better stop than Cordoba, however that will depend on what you plan on touring in each city. I'll defer to our resident experts on that point.

Whether travelling by Bus is as easy as by Rail will depend on the particulars of each route. You might want to check www.bahn.de to determine what rail options are available for each of your trips. Again, with such a short trip you'll have to achieve a balance between cost and time. Bus will undoubtedly be less expensive, but travel times will in some cases be considerably longer. You might try entering your Itinerary into www.railsaver.com to see what options the web site recommends?

Good luck and happy travels!!!

[herrbert]

Hi Jnn,

I think the route makes sense, but I would indeed swap Cordoba for Granada. (can fly with Iberia to almost every town in Spain, and surprisingly for a normal airline, cheap as well). This is also true for the flight to Granada. (faster than the train) other options are Spanair and Condor. Possible routes, and links to the airlines you can find here: revolutionmusic.eu/flightassistent/countries/spain/madrid.html

I think you might be leaving yourself a little bit too little time in some places. In Barcelona you have 3 whole days, expect to 'loose' the day you arrive (jetlag) Madrid is great for daytrips to Toledo (You must) and Segovia. So personaly I would make it at least 3 whole days. (I am returning to Madrid, from Andalusia in the afternoon of the 26th, and having a day there at my friends house, before flying home the 28th, so if you want to meet up, the 27th give me pm, and I'll give you a short tour)

If you keep in Cordoba, you can leave Madrid with the AVE (the fast train, and you can make it to Cordoba within 2 hours, and Sevilla in 2.5. for timetables, check www.renfe.es

I think you should have two days in Granada, at least two whole days in Sevilla as well. The trip to Lagos, needs to be done by train, and partly by bus. I don't know how much of a must-see Lagos is, but it's maybe not worth the time and effort for just 1 day.

Busses are a pretty good way to get around Spain, but distanceses can be big in this country, and not all busses are really comfortable. Trains are good and cheap in Spain (with the exception of the AVE, that is pretty expensive, but then again it's fast)

Maybe it would be good to skip Lagos, and keep Lisbon, and be effective with time. You could do London - Barcelona, and then a flight to Lisbon, flight to Madrid (or train, in that case consider Caceres, the old city is beautiful), and then from Madrid to Granada and Sevilla, and train back to Madrid (with maybe a short stop in Cordoba).