How to Plan an Amazing Spain and Portugal Itinerary

How to Structure Your Itinerary

The way we’d recommend structuring your itinerary is to split your time roughly in thirds, and dedicate one third of your trip to Portugal, and two thirds of your trip to Spain. 

In this case where we’re writing a 14 day itinerary, after a few iterations of this itinerary trying to fit in all of the things in Spain that we loved and think you should see, we landed on five days in Portugal and nine days in Spain. 

An extra day in each country, making it 16 total days, would be ideal, we think. 

While the countries are adjacent to each other, it’s worth taking a second to look at a map to orient yourself here because it’s not particularly easy to travel back and forth between the two countries.

The two main cities we’re featuring in Portugal – Lisbon and Porto – are on the western coast of Portugal, with Lisbon being roughly in the middle of the coastline, and Porto being towards the northern end. 

The cities we’re focusing on in Spain – Sevilla, Madrid, and Barcelona – are not close to either Portuguese city. At best, you’re looking at Madrid, which basically sits smack dab in the middle of Spain. 

The train or bus journey between Lisbon and Madrid is an eight hour trip, with very limited direct options between the two. 

Why are we covering all of this here? Because we’d recommend flying between the two countries, covering the first half of your trip in one, and then flying onwards to start your time in the second country.

Within each country, there is a robust train network of regional and high speed trains to cover the ground you’ll need, and it will be faster, cheaper, and better for the planet to stick to trains for those journeys within a country. 

Where to Start and End Your Trip

We want to start this section by saying that this piece has the potential to vary wildly based on where you’re coming from. 

The short answer here is that you should fly into Porto’s Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO) and fly out of Barcelona’s El Prat Airport (BCN) for the best setup in terms of international flights and the best connections between Spain and Portugal.  

Here’s the slightly longer answer. 

For most destinations, the cities with the best international flights are going to be Lisbon (in Portugal) and either Madrid or Barcelona (they’re roughly equal) in Spain. 

That means you’re going to want to start and end your trip in one of those cities to minimize your flight time on the way in and out. 

HOWEVER, there’s an important caveat here: There are very, very few (if any) direct flights between Porto and Sevilla. But there are tons of direct flights between Lisbon and Sevilla, so we’d recommend starting your Portugal leg in Porto and working your way south to Lisbon. 

Given that most people coming from abroad are going to have to make a connection on their way to Portugal anyway (usually through London, Paris, Amsterdam, or Frankfurt), we think it makes the most sense to do it that way. 

When you think about planning your time in Spain, you should consider the three cities in Spain and their geography – Sevilla, Madrid, and Barcelona. 

Madrid is in the middle of the country between the other two), so it makes the most sense to put Barcelona at the end and fly out home from there. Which means your Spain leg goes Sevilla → Madrid → Barcelona.  

Getting Around Spain and Portugal

Let’s talk about getting around during your Portugal and Spain trip. 

The first thing we want to say is that you really don’t need to rent a car to do this trip. 

In fact, we’d advise against it if you’re following the itinerary below as written (or close to it) because the car is going to be more hindrance than help in the cities, which is where you’ll spend most of your time (doing day trips from your home base in each city).

The second thing to know is that both Spain and Portugal have robust train networks, and that’s what you should use to get between cities. 

We LOVE train travel (especially high speed train travel), and it is by far the most efficient way to connect Lisbon and Porto or Madrid, Sevilla, and Barcelona. 

However, we would say that we found that the two agency’s websites – Renfe in Spain, and Comboios de Portugal in Portugal (obviously) – tended to have some glitches. 

We used Omio often to book trains in Spain and Portugal, which was a far more streamlined experience (in English, no less).

The last thing we’d say is that you should absolutely fly between the two countries to save time on the journey. Usually, we’re big proponents of train and bus travel, but it just doesn’t make sense here, especially with limited time. 

How to Plan a Perfect Two Week Spain and Portugal Itinerary

Now let’s talk about exactly what to do with two weeks in Spain and Portugal. 

A note on our travel style before we get into it – we’re not huge museum people, nor are we into going inside every single church in a city (there are too many to cover anyway, in two countries that are still heavily Catholic). 

We’re far more into experiences that connect us with locals who can show us their version of the city, which is why you’ll find a walking tour and a food tour on our itinerary rather than a list of six churches and three museums. 

Different strokes for different folks, I suppose, but we’d much rather spend our time going deeper on fewer things than running around from tourist sight to tourist sight trying to see it all. 

Days 1-2: Porto & the Douro Valley

Start your trip to Spain and Portugal off in Porto, which is the second biggest city in Portugal (after Lisbon, which is your next stop).

Porto and Lisbon have a friendly (ish) rivalry going back centuries. One tour guide in Porto gleefully mentioned that only one of the two cities has the root of the country’s name in its own name… and it’s not Lisbon. 

Compared to other second cities around Europe, like Barcelona in Spain, Porto is a fairly small and compact city set on the northern banks of the Douro River.

Climbing up the steep hillsides along the river, Porto is a particularly beautiful city, and it’s compact enough to see the highlights in a day and a half. 

It’s particularly famous for being the home of port wine, the sweet but surprisingly complex viscous wine that you’ll certainly be acquainted with by the end of your time in Porto. 

Though, technically, that wine is made over in Vila Nova de Gaia, the city on the other side of the river. 

Ordinarily we wouldn’t recommend a day trip with just two days in a city, but we enjoyed our tour of the Douro Valley – the oldest wine region in the world where the grapes for port are grown in beautiful terraced vineyards – and think it is well worth taking a day of your precious time to do. 

Getting to Porto

As it’s the start of your trip, you’ll be flying into Porto’s Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO) from wherever you call home. 

The airport itself is located just 11 km north of Porto, so getting into the city center is super quick and easy.

The metro is the easiest and cheapest way to reach the city from the airport – and the method that we’d recommend using.

Buses and taxis are available too and slightly more convenient if you’re traveling with a lot of heavy luggage.

• By Metro – Line E (purple) of the Porto Metro runs between the airport and city center every 20-30 minutes from 6:00 am to midnight. The journey takes around 25 minutes to reach ​​Trindade station. A single ticket costs €2. You’ll also need to pay a refundable card fee of €0.60.
  
  
• By Bus – A direct airport shuttle is operated by GetBus. The bus takes 25 minutes to reach the center and costs €2.80. However, GetBus only runs six times a day, so you’ll have to time your journey well to catch it. STCP runs more regular public buses between the airport and the city center. But these are much slower and the routes/timetables can be confusing, so we wouldn’t recommend using them.
  
  
• By Taxi – You can also book an Uber or jump in a taxi outside of arrivals. A taxi from the airport to central Porto takes just 20 minutes and should cost you around €25. If you’re arriving early in the morning or late at night, a taxi is your best option.

What to Do in Porto (and the Douro Valley)

Porto is a compact, charming city, and while it would probably be ideal to have three days in Porto (including the day trip to the Douro Valley, which was our #1 highlight on our three month European extravaganza), two days will do just fine. 

At a very high level, there are three main highlights that you shouldn’t miss: viewpoints, port, and Azulejos, the iconic blue and white tiles that adorn various churches around Porto. 

Here is a slightly deeper dive into each of those aspects. 

There are plenty of other things to do and see in Porto (we’d highly recommend this walking tour, which we did and loved).

For more, read our 3 day Porto itinerary or our guide to spending one day in Porto.

See all the Miradouros

Porto is basically a city built on a hill overlooking the Douro River, with Porto on one side of the river and Vila Nova de Gaia on the other side (which is where all of the port houses are located).

As a result of that geography, there are a plethora of great views to be had around the city.

Our favorites – in order of preference – were Miradouro da Vitória (great view looking east at the church on the hill), Miradouro da Serra do Pilar (great view from the other side of the river looking back at Porto), and the view from the top deck of Ponte Luís I, the tall bridge over the river. 

Explore the World of Port

Now, technically, you’re leaving Porto and venturing over to Vila Nova de Gaia for this one, but it’s a short walk (or ferry ride) across the river to get there, so we’re including it.

Port is a must-try in Porto, and the best place to do it is at a winery where they can walk you through the history and a guided tasting, which makes for a much more enriching and engaging experience.

There are a nearly unlimited number of port houses you could go to, but we very much enjoyed the tour and tasting at Graham’s.

Worth stopping at the garden at Churchill’s backyard garden bar while you’re up there for a port tonic with a view. 

See Some Azulejos

There are countless churches around Porto adorned with the iconic blue and white tiles, which are called azulejos.

In our opinion, the best places to see them are Igreja do Carmo (here on Google Maps) with its tall walls covered in them, Igreja Paroquial de Santo Ildefonso (here on Google Maps), and, ironically, São Bento Station (the train station in central Porto). 

Eating and Drinking in Porto

Generally speaking, the best way to experience the food culture of a place is to have someone who knows what they’re talking about show you around.

However, Matt has Celiac Disease, and most food tours in Portugal weren’t particularly suitable for his gluten free needs.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do one, though! My mom and her friend did this highly rated food tour in Porto, and highly recommended it.

If you don’t want to do a full tour, the two dishes you should definitely try are the bifana, a traditional sandwich consisting of a soft bread roll filled with thin slices of marinated pork and plenty of mustard and piri-piri sauce (try it at Conga, which was recommended to us by a walking tour guide and my brother enjoyed), and a francesinha, which is an indulgent sandwich filled with various meats and smothered in a beer-based red-colored sauce. 

Planning Your Day Trip to the Douro Valley

It’s not an exaggeration to say that our day trip out to the Douro Valley was the highlight of our three months we spent galavanting around Europe.

Between the unique terraced vineyards lining the steep hillsides of the valley and the winding Douro River, it’s one of the most beautiful wine regions we’ve ever been to. 

We tell EVERYONE about it the second they say that they’re thinking about a trip to Portugal, because it is well worth setting aside a day for, even with a relatively limited time in Portugal. 

Basically, you could do this as a self-guided day trip on your own, but that presents a couple of problems.

Either you have to rent a car (which is inconvenient and means you can’t enjoy the wine as fully), or you have to take the train (which means you’ll miss a bunch of the viewpoints and wineries that a car allows you to get to). 

Days 3-5: Lisbon & Sintra

Lisbon is Portugal’s capital, and is comfortably Portugal’s biggest city. It’s big, sprawling, diverse, and feels like a much bigger city than Porto. Still, it’s equally charming, with areas of narrow cobblestone streets like Alfama. 

The first thing to know about Lisbon is that it’s a city of hills, much like our former home of San Francisco. The city is set on the Tagus River (NOT the ocean), and even has a red bridge over the water to rival the Golden Gate. 

Which means there are some pretty nice views to be had if you’re willing to put in a little sweat. 

Over the past five years or so, Lisbon has been in a constant struggle between inviting and accepting the steadily increasing crowds of tourists, which are an important piece of Portugal’s economy, while minimizing the negative impacts of tourism on local residents. 

This is not a challenge unique to Lisbon (it’s also a hot topic in Barcelona, for example), but it is a newer issue in Portugal, which has really seen a huge increase in visitors over the past few years. 

Regardless, even if it’s going through some stuff right now, Lisbon is a fantastic city to spend a few days soaking up the perpetual sunshine, seeking out some exceptional views at the top of its many hills, and exploring the rich history and culture – including food – that the city has to offer. 

Getting to Lisbon

As we mentioned above, taking a train is your best bet between Lisbon and Porto.

You’ll leave from Porto’s Campanha Station, which is a short metro or train ride out to the east of Porto’s city center (you can get there from São Bento, the train station in the middle of the city). 

From Porto, it’s a three and a half hour train ride to Lisbon’s Santa Apolónia station, which is the one you want if you’re staying in Lisbon’s city center. Oriente is Lisbon’s other train station, but it’s further from just about everything and will require a metro connection. 

In terms of trains, you have a couple of options. 

Express Trains – called Alfa Pendular or AP – take two hours and forty five minutes or so, and are the most expensive (and comfortable) option. 

Intercity trains – called Intercidades or IC – are cheaper, less comfortable, and take a little longer at three and a half hours. For what it’s worth, we took multiple IC trains, and it was plenty comfortable and super affordable, especially when you buy tickets in advance.

There are also regional routes, which take around five hours. You don’t want that here!

When you book your trains, look for “AP” or “IC” in the train number, which indicate which version you’re getting. 

Planning Your Day Trip to Sintra

Sintra is a great day trip from Lisbon, and is also the most common day trip that visitors take, which means you’re not going to be alone on the journey out there.

The main attraction here is Pena Palace, which is all the way at the top of the hill. Take the bus or a taxi to get there from the train station, it should be your first stop in Sintra. From there, work your way back down the hill. 

Pena Palace is essentially a summer home, built in the Sintra Mountains by King Ferdinand II.

Originally, it was a monastery on the hill, but it was destroyed during the 1755 earthquake and sat there in disrepair for years.

Then, Ferdinand said “wouldn’t it be great to have a place to escape the oppressively hot Lisbon summers? Maybe a place on a hill, with nice views and a cool coastal breeze?” 

12 years later, the palace was finished. There are tons of other attractions to see in addition to Pena Palace, but you should keep in mind that you won’t be able to see them all on a day trip.

Focus on 2-3 (we have thoughts in the more detailed guide linked below on what those 2-3 should be, duh), and save some time for walking around the town of Sintra at the bottom of the hill. 

Rather than cover all of that information here in this already long guide, we’re going to direct you to our guide to planning a day trip to Sintra, which has everything you need to know – including logistics, what to see, and how to plan your itinerary. 

One of our favorite things about spending a month in Spain was learning about the interactions between the three main religions in the Iberian Peninsula – Islam, Christianity, and Judaism – over the course of hundreds of years. 

An important lesson we learned, particularly in southern Spain (specifically Andalucía) is that things that we view as traditionally “Spanish” are often influenced by the time period where Islam was the dominant religion in the region.

Even the name Andalucía is influenced by the Arabic language. 

Sevilla is a great place to start exploring that blend of cultures that has been cultivated over almost 1,000 years. 

Between the Royal Alcázar (you can see the influence of the Arabic language on the Spanish word “Alcázar”) and Sevilla’s main cathedral, where you’ll find Christopher Columbus’ tomb, is built on the site of a mosque (you can tell by the prayer tower, which is now a bell tower), you’ll get a great introduction to the beauty and rich culture and history in Andalucía.

Córdoba, which is an easy 45 minute day trip from Sevilla, is another great place to dive into that unique history and culture.

The former seat of power under the Caliphate that ruled the Iberian Peninsula, the highlight is undoubtedly the Mosque Cathedral (we’ll cover more on that day trip below). 

What to Do in Sevilla

Here are some things that we think you definitely shouldn’t miss while you’re in Sevilla. 

For more, we’d point you to our 2 day Sevilla itinerary, which has all of our favorite things to do, see, eat, and drink.

The Royal Alcázar of Sevilla

Our favorite attraction in Sevilla, the Royal Alcázar was originally built as a fort or castle (a military installation of some kind), and was repurposed as a royal palace following the Reconquista.

That history is important, because many elements of the structure today go back to that period – notably the walls enclosing the grounds so that you can’t see anything from the outside and the lush gardens that exist on the other side, unbeknownst to onlookers walking the streets along the walls.

The conversion to a palace included a remodel of the Gothic palace that was built here by the original Spanish occupants to bring the Mudéjar style to the palace because it was en vogue at the time.

We assumed that, similar to the Alhambra, the design was a relic of the history of the Islamic Caliphate’s period of rule, but that’s not true (most of that structure no longer exists).

If you’re going to do one tour in Sevilla, we’d make it Jose’s Royal Alcázar tour, which we did and loved on our first day in Sevilla.

It set us up for a deeper understanding of the city and its history and culture over the course of the rest of the trip.

If a tour isn’t in the cards (or budget), you’ll need to purchase tickets ahead of time here. 

The Catedral de Sevilla

Sevilla’s cathedral used to be – and this might shock you – a mosque!

You can tell by the extra tall bell tower (“La Giralda”), which was once used to issue the call to prayer before the building’s ownership changed hands.

It’s worth climbing to the top of the Giralda (there are ramps, not stairs, that bring you to the top) for excellent views out over Sevilla.

The other notable thing about this cathedral is the fact that Christopher Columbus is buried here. Or, more accurately, at least some portion of his body is buried here, but it’s unclear how much (he was originally buried in the Caribbean, and they may have kept a souvenir).

Putting aside the whole “is Christopher Columbus a hero that we should be looking up to” conversation, the cathedral itself is very impressive, and worth visiting.

You’ll want to buy tickets here, and make sure to decide whether the tower climb is something you want before you buy tickets. 

Plaza de España

Star Wars nerds might recognize this beautiful plaza from scenes on Naboo with Anakin and Padme in Attack of the Clones (just before the “I hate sand” exchange), but its purpose in real life was to show off for the Ibero-American Exposition in 1929.

I don’t know what you know about 1929, but it didn’t turn out to be a GREAT time to host a big economic forum (kind of like how February 2020 wasn’t a GREAT time to bet it all on a travel website – OOPS!).

However, the fact remains that this might be the most beautiful plaza in all of Spain, with its water features, bridges, and ornate tilework.

Definitely come in the early morning and you’ll have this place to yourself (especially on a Sunday). 

Tapas!

Sevilla sort of takes the whole Spain thing – eating late, tapas, etc etc – and turns the dial to 11. And by that, we mean that dinner doesn’t start until literally 11pm (we’re sort of joking, but it’s not far off).

Tapas are something you should absolutely try in Sevilla, and it’s going to look a little different than it will in, say, Madrid, with different ingredients and drinks showing up as a result of the change in region.

To get the most out of your limited time, we’d absolutely dedicate an evening to a tapas tour – either guided (we’d recommend this one because it’s a locally run company, though Matt having Celiac Disease means food tours aren’t always the best option for us), or self-guided based on recommendations from locals.

A good place to start would be Mercado de Triana, an indoor food market on the other side of the river with all sorts of fun stalls selling both ingredients like fruits, meats, and cheese, and ready-to-eat tapas.

Pro-tip: People in Sevilla DO NOT eat paella or drink sangria, but they DO eat churros and drink vino de naranja, vermouth, and sherry. 

Planning Your Day Trip to Córdoba

We were recently working on a different guide where we were dealing with a more limited timeframe in Spain (it was our 7 day Spain itinerary, if you’re curious), and we decided that we had to choose just one day trip from Spain’s major cities (those being Sevilla, Madrid, and Barcelona).

We made the list of potential day trips to include, and didn’t spend more than 30 seconds moving the city of Córdoba, where we actually spent three full days a few years ago, right at the top of that list. 

It’s a great city from a historical perspective because it was the capital of the Caliphate of Córdoba, which ruled the Iberian peninsula for a few hundred years before it broke up into smaller kingdoms. 

Plus, it’s a quick and easy high speed train ride from Sevilla, which makes it an ideal way to spend a day. 

Days 9-11: Madrid & Toledo

Spoiler alert: Madrid is our favorite city in Spain, and after my last trip (in the spring of 2024), I think I would put it in my top 3 favorite European cities. 

You might think that, given its status as Spain’s capital in today’s times, Madrid has this grand, illustrious history going all the way back to Roman times.

After all, cities like Cadiz and Barcelona (and nearby Tarragona) were extremely important cities at the height of the Roman empire. 

However, until about 500 years ago, Madrid basically didn’t even exist – it was barely worth the ink it would take to put it on the map. 

The seat of power in the region was Toledo, which is ~45 minutes (by train) south of the city.

Toledo is a beautiful walled city on a hill right on a river, which makes it a far better location for a major power center than Madrid, which is essentially in the middle of nowhere. 

However, since Toledo was the seat of power for both the Catholic church and the state, it also meant that the Archbishop of Toledo was a very important figure and wielded a lot of power in Toledo. And Phillip II wasn’t terribly excited about that lack of autonomy. 

So, he moved his court to Madrid, and began Madrid’s journey from tiny backwater village centered around an old fort from the days of the Caliphate (400 years prior to this move), to the biggest city in Spain today.

The fact that it wasn’t developed until the 16th Century also means that the city is laid out in a more modern way, which made expansion easier over the years. 

Today, Madrid is the most livable city in Spain (we think), with a much more laid back vibe than Barcelona, a more pleasant climate than Sevilla, and no shortage of cultural and historical elements (and we haven’t even gotten to the food!). 

Madrid often gets overlooked for the “sexier” destinations in Spain, but we think it is absolutely worth your time, and would encourage you to spend a couple of days in the city itself, and then spend a day heading out to Toledo, which is our second favorite day trip from Spain’s major cities. 

Getting to Madrid

The best way to get from Sevilla to Madrid is by train. 

There are multiple direct high-speed trains a day running between Sevilla’s Santa Justa station and Madrid’s Puerta de Atocha, which are the stations you’re looking for. 

You’re going to want to book one of the “AVE” trains, which are the high speed trains that will give you the fastest, most comfortable journey. 

It takes roughly three hours and costs around 30 Euros per person to start, getting more expensive if you book closer to your travel dates. 

One other thing to note – the best way to get from Atocha Station to the center is using the regional train system (called “Cercanías”), and your train ticket includes a transfer to that system. 

You have to scan your long-distance train ticket at a special scanner – ask an attendant how to do it if you can’t figure it out. 

More information here. 

Planning Your Day Trip to Toledo

Of the many day trip options that you could take from Madrid, we think Toledo is the most important from a historical and cultural point of view. Until Phillip II moved the capital to Madrid in the 16th Century to get away from a nagging archbishop, Toledo was the seat of power in the region.

And, to be honest, Toledo as a capital makes a LOT more sense. It’s a strong position on a hill, it’s on a river (the Tagus), and it’s more well connected to the areas nearby as a result. 

Toledo has a similar history to other places mentioned in this itinerary. It was first an Iberian settlement captured by the Romans, then it was a Visigothic city until the Umayyad Caliphate showed up and captured it. Then, it was reconquered in the 11th Century. 

The result was a city that had three large religious groups all living in one place: Muslims, Jews, and Christians. 

And that, my friends, is why we think it’s worth visiting today – there are examples of religious sites from all three, including a gorgeous synagogue, a relatively modest mosque, and a massive cathedral (Catholics live by the “bigger is better” maxim) and monastery. 

Days 12-14: Barcelona

If we’re being completely honest, we have somewhat mixed feelings about Barcelona. 

On the one hand, it’s a lovely city in a beautiful location with great food and drinks and a more modern energy than, say, Sevilla. 

On the other hand, its status as a bucket-list destination for so many travelers means that it ranges from unpleasantly crowded to downright impossible to navigate (particularly in the Ciutat Vella, which is where you’ll find the Gothic Quarter and its winding narrow alleys). 

Now, I want to make sure to reiterate something here.

This next few paragraphs is going to sound a little negative, but the reason we think it’s important to touch on is that setting expectations is key to having a great travel experience in places like Barcelona.

And we want to make sure you set expectations about Barcelona accordingly to set yourself up to enjoy the city – the good and the not-so-good. 

The role and importance of tourism versus the needs of the local populace is a push-pull that cities like Lisbon and Amsterdam are also dealing with as we’re writing this. But Barcelona is the poster child for over tourism in recent years (see also Venice), and after visiting this spring, we get it.

The city is becoming less livable by the day, with apartments being ripped away from locals to be rented out to tourists (which is often more lucrative), cruise ship tour groups of 50+ people packing the alleys of the Gothic Quarter from wall to wall, and local businesses serving locals being pushed out in favor of businesses that cater exclusively to tourists. 

What does that all mean for you? Two things.

First, be prepared for crowds in a way that you likely haven’t seen on this itinerary yet.

Second, be respectful of locals and do your best to support local businesses – bars, restaurants, hotels, tour companies – along the way. 

With that somewhat depressing preamble out of the way, we do want to reiterate that Barcelona is a lovely city. 

It’s more cosmopolitan and international than the other cities you’ve hit on this itinerary (which has pros and cons), and it has the most progressive food and drink scene of the places in this itinerary (again, pros and cons), and it’s a beautiful city on the coast. 

The Gaudí sites offer a completely different architectural style than you’ve seen elsewhere in Spain (likely anywhere in the world, really), and the location on the water means that you’ve got some great seafood to add to your strict diet of tapas. 

As long as you go into your time in Barcelona knowing that it’s going to be crowded at times, you’re going to love it. 

Getting to Barcelona

Once again, as we’ve already covered, the best way to cover ground within Spain is going to be by train. It’s cheaper and faster than flying between cities, not to mention more comfortable and more pleasant (we think). 

Again, given that this is probably the most popular train journey within Spain, there are multiple direct high-speed trains a day running between Puerta de Atocha in Madrid and Barcelona Sants, which are the two stations you’re going to want. 

It takes roughly three hours and costs around 40 Euros per person to start, getting more expensive if you book closer to your travel dates.

We couldn’t figure out how to fit it into the main itinerary above, though we strongly considered swapping out Barcelona for Granada. 

That’s how much we enjoyed Granada. 

Granada was one of our favorite stops in Spain for a couple of different reasons. 

First, the Alhambra is an impressive feat of architecture, and it’s well worth half a day exploring the former fort turned palace at the top of the hill. The gardens of Generalife, the former summer palace of the Nasrid family, and the Nasrid Palaces in particular are stunning.  

However, Granada is more than the Alhambra, which is why we’d recommend spending a couple of days here rather than coming, doing the Alhambra, and then leaving. 

Granada was the last Muslim stronghold on the Iberian Peninsula, falling in 1492 to the Christian monarchs after many centuries as part of a Muslim caliphate.

The impact of those centuries of a strong Muslim community are immediately evident as you walk the streets of Granada, particularly in the Albaicín, the Muslim Quarter. 

The Algarve (+3-5 Days)

If you’re looking to spend a few days on the beach over the course of your trip, you should head down to Portugal’s southern coast and the lovely Algarve, which is essentially a string of sandy beaches that stretches from Spain’s border all the way to Sagres at the southwestern corner of mainland Europe. 

We spent about a week on the Algarve to close out our time in Portugal, and really enjoyed it.

However, it’s worth noting that we were there in early December, and that is a much different experience than what you might get in, say, July or August, when it will be significantly busier. 

Still, it’s beautiful.

There’s a reason it’s one of the most famous surfing destinations in the world.

Between the sandy beaches and windswept cliffs rising hundreds of feet out of the sea, it’ll have your jaw on the floor (even if you’ve lived in coastal California for a significant period, like us). 

What to Do with Less Time in Spain and Portugal

We’re going to be honest, with 10 days or less, we would STRONGLY (yes, all caps) recommend sticking to either Spain OR Portugal. 

10 days is just not really enough time to cover the ground in both countries, and you’ll spend too much time moving around to really have those deeper experiences that spending 2-3 days or more in a city will bring. 

Lucky for you, we have ideas on how to plan that trip too. Here’s our guide to 10 days in Portugal, and here’s our guide to planning a 7 day Spain itinerary. 

But what if you have somewhere between 11 and 13 days? We’d recommend keeping the Portugal leg intact (we’ve already basically slimmed it down as much as you can) and choosing between the Sevilla to Madrid leg (our preference) or the Madrid to Barcelona leg, sacrificing one of the three cities in Spain. 

Here’s what those versions look like.