So at the beginning of next month I will be spending three weeks visiting Spain and Portugal with a few friends. Never been to either country. We have an itinerary worked out with four of five nights in Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Lisbon and Porto. We have some plans for Barcelona, Seville and Porto, the Picasso Museum and Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, a day trip out to Alhambra from Seville, and in Porto we will take a boat up the river visit some wineries and drink port. Could use suggestions everywhere but especially Madrid and Lisbon. I bought a couple Rick Steves guidebooks but still need to look through them. Any help is appreciated. We are not renting a car but have our transportation from city to city and accommodations set up.
Hey world travelers, anybody know about Madrid or Lisbon?
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We have been to all the places you mentioned as part of an organized trip. It was one of the best trips we were on, beautiful country and lots of history. There are great museums in Madrid. While you are there you can travel to Toledo and then to the Costa De Sol. Check your Rick Steves books, they are the best in describing places and things to see and do.
Real Madrid stadium tour. Even my wife didn't completely hate it.
http://www.realmadrid.com/en/tickets/bernabeu-tour
http://www.realmadrid.com/en/tickets/bernabeu-tour
Madrid was amazing. Make sure to visit the prado, plaza mayor, and the royal palace. The most memorable thing I did was eat at Botin, the oldest restaurant in the world. I recommend the cochinillo asado. Make sure you have reservations.
Porto is quite a haul from Lisbon so its a curious choice. On the way is Coimbra which is where Coimbra university is. This university was started in 1290 and has a fantastic library. IIRC, it is the third oldest university in the world. Nazare is a nice beach and a nice fishing/touristy town.
I don't believe you are religious, IIRC, but Fatima is also north of portugal. Fatima is where three kids saw Mother Mary. It is fascinating even if you are not religious....people make pilgrimages there and the people watching, along with the temple, are very much worth the trip.
Palacio Naional de Sintra is on the UNESCO list of sites so its pretty cool.
Here is a decent site.
I am interested in why you are going north instead of south from Lisbon. South has some great resorts and golfing...perhaps one of the best and most under rated places to vacation in Europe. Just check out Algarve...google it.
You bring back memories...I was in Lisbon, really a small place named Sao Martinho. There is a bay which is great for swimming. We camped on the hills overlooking the ocean and scraped off muscles to fry for breakfast. It is a beautiful small fishing village. The guy who took me, then we went to college together, was from Portugal and I sponsored him for his US Citizenship. He ended up being the lead engineer on the Navy's Rail Gun project (now being deployed) so I feel I made my contribution! He was also, BTW, our small college's Field Goal kicker. He was 23 for 23 on extra points and 10 of 11 on FG's as a true freshman. He was one of the first soccer style kickers in college ball. He had pro capabilities but in the spring, he had a conflict with an engineering lab and spring practice. the coach wouldn't excuse him for lab so he quit football and never went back. Back in the day, you were expected to change majors for football. A shame.
When I completed my tour of duty from the US Army in 1970, I took a European out. The army would fly me home up to a year after mustering out. I was 21, still single, and with an adventurous spirit. The Gaudi designed cathedral in Barcelona is a must. At the Prado, I sought out the Garden of Earthly Delight's tryptic by Bosch, probably because it was featured on a rock album during that period. Things got more interesting as I trained south and ferried across the Straights of Gibraltar to North Africa and spent a month in Tangier. My recollection is the Spanish people were the most friendly of all the places I visited at that time, and Spain was the most modestly priced. Enjoy.
It's a bit of a drive from Seville to Granada. If you only have half a day or so for the Alhambra, plan your visit so that you can make it to the Generalife gardens by around 2 pm so you don't have to purchase an afternoon ticket. You could easily spend most of the day at the Alhambra.
In Barcelona if you have time check out the Palace of Catalan Music. It's a beautiful facility. Also try to see at least one flamenco performance.
I don't know why we are going north from Lisbon instead of south. This trip was an idea of my friend and his wife. I told him I don't have the time or knowledge to plan it so told you come up with an itinerary and if it looks good we'll do it. I'd like to see that university but we are flying from Lisbon to Porto. All I know about Porto is it's the region where they make port wine so it sounded good to me. No matter where we go we'll find a way to have fun.
Its a beautiful country...kind of second world. The people and food are wonderful. Try the Portuguese Sausage. I make it in a sandwich with muenster cheese. I butter the OUTSIDE of the sandwich and fry (toast) it. I also smash it down. Kind of a Portuguese Croque Monsieur. since the coast is on the west side of the atlantic (meaning weather comes in over the ocean) it is more CA like than NC. Warm sun with a cool breeze. The water is cold. But the coast is pretty natural with rocks and waves and blue water. I'd spend as much time near the water as I could.
Enjoy...I am jealous.
Been to all of those. Excellent recommendations. Madrid is a city with great architecture and a beautiful main boulevard. Get out and walk around, don't just use taxis or other public trans. Did not get to eat @ Botin.
Agreed, I loved just walking around that city, so clean and safe. Although a friend did get their phone stolen on a subway, they took it right out of their backpack.
This may be a dumb question, but do you like port? If not, but you do like wine, I would make the "wine country" part of your trip somewhere else.
I love wine, but am not a huge fan of port.
I love wine, but am not a huge fan of port.
Lisbon is a wonderful place to visit. I was there last June and am hoping to return this fall. Great people, easy to get around, super-affordable and much to do. Get the transit pass that includes the trams, buses and the boat tours - it was an unbelievable value. For a 4-5 day stay, I would suggest the following:
As a final note, the Douro valley (where Porto is located) is a terrific place to visit. I'm not a fan of port but there was so much other good food and non-port wine there that I plan to take a few days to visit that region in the future rather than just the up-and-back day trip from Lisbon.
- Alfama/St. George's Castle - day tour
- Santa Justa Lift - quickie
- Bairro Alto - restaurants, bars (my favorite - the Old Pharmacy wine bar since I'm a wine guy) - great in the evenings with the street musicians
- Alcantara/Belem - boat and walking tour
- Oceanarium
As a final note, the Douro valley (where Porto is located) is a terrific place to visit. I'm not a fan of port but there was so much other good food and non-port wine there that I plan to take a few days to visit that region in the future rather than just the up-and-back day trip from Lisbon.
Yes I like port. I like almost all wines if it is decent quality. Wine and tapas will be a nightly part of our trip!
I was there for a NATO exercise many years ago. We stayed at the Hotel Baia in Estoril. Costelo San Georgio in Lisbon was very interesting as was the Monument to the Discoveries and Maritime Museum. Took a bus down to Portimao on the southern coast and then boarded a British Oceangoing Tug and went through the Straits of Gibraltar.
The countryside in Portugal is beautiful. The cities are old and tightly packed - just like most of southern Europe. Some of the villages in the countryside were dirt poor. If you treat them with respect, the people are just fine.
The countryside in Portugal is beautiful. The cities are old and tightly packed - just like most of southern Europe. Some of the villages in the countryside were dirt poor. If you treat them with respect, the people are just fine.
Southwest Spain. Arcos de la Fronterra and Jerez(sherry not port) have incredible rustic vibes. Get away from the crowds for 2 days. Great food, Sherry and vistas.
Love both Barcelona and Madrid. My daughter just spent entire fall semester in Madrid studying abroad so of course we visited and stayed a while. Was in Barcelona years ago.
In addition to previously mentioned, in Madrid, would also walk through Museo Arqueologico National, El Retiro Park, the Grand Via (go up to the top of el Corte Ingles Market and have drinks for view), and of course Prado. You can find many tapas bars with free or cheap food when you buy drinks. They definitely start the day late and eat and party late. Many restaurants open for dinner at 8 pm or later.
Toledo is nice. However, if you can drive/train to Cuenca, it is pretty cool. Liked it better than Toledo.
Seville is pretty amazing. I had lived in Germany for 3 years and never had gone before. It is worth several days. The Alcazar, The cathedral and Plaza de Espana are awesome, but you HAVE to reserve in advance or show up early.
The metro in Madrid is nice. You can buy multi ride tickets at a discount. Compared to many other European cities, there is less English spoken in Madrid. Be prepared to walk a lot!
In addition to previously mentioned, in Madrid, would also walk through Museo Arqueologico National, El Retiro Park, the Grand Via (go up to the top of el Corte Ingles Market and have drinks for view), and of course Prado. You can find many tapas bars with free or cheap food when you buy drinks. They definitely start the day late and eat and party late. Many restaurants open for dinner at 8 pm or later.
Toledo is nice. However, if you can drive/train to Cuenca, it is pretty cool. Liked it better than Toledo.
Seville is pretty amazing. I had lived in Germany for 3 years and never had gone before. It is worth several days. The Alcazar, The cathedral and Plaza de Espana are awesome, but you HAVE to reserve in advance or show up early.
The metro in Madrid is nice. You can buy multi ride tickets at a discount. Compared to many other European cities, there is less English spoken in Madrid. Be prepared to walk a lot!
Loved Barcelona, so much going on, I agree with those who suggest a trip to Sintra to see the Pena Palace while in Lisbon. Enjoy!
Thanks guys, a lot of great ideas here. Appreciate all the help. This trip is coming together!
One other question, how safe is the drinking water in these countries? I frequently fill up a water bottle from the tap and take it with me when I'm out and about. We are staying at some nice hotels so I would think the water OK. Am I wrong?
One other question, how safe is the drinking water in these countries? I frequently fill up a water bottle from the tap and take it with me when I'm out and about. We are staying at some nice hotels so I would think the water OK. Am I wrong?
No problems with drinking water! Except sometimes the taste may be a bit different with different mineral composition, but safe.
