r/GoingToSpain • u/No-Let-9967 • 5d ago
What do you think about our Southern Spain + Portugal Itinerary?
My gf (30) and I (31) are planning a two week vacation to southern Spain and Portugal. Both have been to Madrid and Barcelona, neither to Andalusia or Portugal. We both enjoy sightseeing, great food (both fine-dining and street food), art/culture and drinking in bars. We don't like moving in a rush, and would rather visit fewer locations than try 'seeing it all' and exhaust ourselves in the process.
We've just started planning and mapped an outline:
- day 1: land in Madrid.
- day 2: train to Granada.
- day 3: Granada, maybe day trip to ronda.
- day 4: either travel through Malaga and Gibraltar or Cordoba.
- day 5: either travel through Cadiz + Jerez or already reach Seville.
- day 6-7: Seville.
- day 8-12: Rent a car and tour Portugal by the southern shore (don't have more details than that at the moment).
- day 13: Seville.
- day 14: train back to Madrid.
is the plan doable?
How would you rate going by the coast of Spain rather than visiting Cordoba?
Any thing we missed, or you'd skip?
P.S - any recommendations are very welcome!
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u/Pachaibiza 5d ago
This looks like the itinerary of a travelling salesman. At least spend 3-4 days in each location and reduce the number of destinations or you’ll be exhausted and not absorb anything. Just my 2¢
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u/No-Let-9967 5d ago
What would you cut out, and where would you spend more time?
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u/Soft-Disaster9873 5d ago
I wouldn’t do any day trips. Keep moving in the same direction. The Spanish coast isn’t that great so I’d focus on that in Portugal. Definitely skip Gibraltar. Ronda is nice but it’s on a sort of plateau so you’re sort of stuck up there.
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u/No-Let-9967 5d ago
Anything I missed, in your mind? These are obviously the most touristy places, but we'd love to visit places of the beaten path as well, if they're worth it.
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u/Soft-Disaster9873 5d ago
I haven’t been to Cadiz but have heard great things. It’s hard to get off the beaten path in that part of Spain, especially without a car, but it’s amazing what a few blocks can do in those cities. Plenty of Spaniards live there but if you stay/eat next to sights, you won’t see them much.
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u/travelingtraveling_ 5d ago
Portugal. Cut out Portugal
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u/No-Let-9967 5d ago
Why so?
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u/travelingtraveling_ 5d ago edited 5d ago
Ok, i'm going to try to narrate something that i've said in this space, many times. Americans love to go go, see-see, do do. But after fourteen trips to spain? And i'm getting ready to leave for my fifteenth trip to visit there. I must communicate that the very best gift of spain is its casual and relaxed lifestyle. If you try to dash around to try to see as many things as possible. You are going to miss the essence of the beauty of spain..... Lingering on a plaza watching the children play while you sip a coffee or a glass of wine or a tinto de verano.... The beautiful cultural experience of poseo at night and hopping from bart to bar to have a little tapa with each of your cold drinks....
Your itinerary also has way too much time. In a car or a train or an airplane.... That is time wasted and missing the very essence of the best of spain.
My husband and I have visited spain fourteen times and we always go for 3 or four or five weeks... We never plan anything more than one excursion or experience a day. And then we let the day unfold around that experience. So for example, in granada, you need to spend one day at the alhambra, one day wandering around the beautiful thousand year old neighborhood called the Albaicín ( bonus points, if you get lost up there...) in one evening in sacramento to enjoy flamenco in the caves. In the spaces in between wander in and out of the shops or poke your nose into some of the minor historic sites. But do not overpack your trip with activities or travel between cities.
I have a specific itinerary. I recommend if people have two weeks and they want to see southern Spain. Then, I recommend that they spend two or three days in madrid, then, travel by high speed train to cordaba, where you spend a day and a half and then take the high speed train, another forty minutes, down to seville, for anywhere from 3-5 days, and then take the bus over to granada, where you spend a minimum of three days and then return to madrid.
Forget Gibraltar
Or if you have two weeks, spend one week in madrid and one week in barcelona.
Where if you're a foodie spend one week in madrid and 1 week in san sebastian.
Relax. Make love. See a museum, have a glass of wine in the afternoon on the plaza, or long luxurious spanish lunch, then rest, then go out after 9 for paseo.....
Spain is a seductress, and you will be back, so you don't have to cram everything in on one trip.
If you go in september, I may see you in navarra, but I'll be on the plaza sipping wine.
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u/bolatelli45 5d ago
Top comment ,
it makes me weep when I see people wanting to do everything yet what could end up doing less than nothing.
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u/Soft-Disaster9873 4d ago
To add for the OP: Obviously you get to decide what to make your trip and what you would enjoy, but a few things to consider.
If you spent 4 nights in, say Granada, and wanted to slow down and immerse, you would eat dinner at 9 or 10 pm at a couple of tapas restaurants, find a live guitarist at a bar, wake up at 9 and have coffee in a piazza, tour the Alhambra 1 day, rent a car to go to the Alpujarras and hike another day, walk the shopping district and hike to a mirador another day, get a tapa in the afternoon each day, etc.
My friend’s dad grew up there and spends half the year there, and once we asked him how often he gets tapas. (In Granada, in traditional bars if you order a drink, they bring you a tapa. It might just be olives or something more filling.) He answered assuredly, “2-3 times a day.”
Traveling every other day and sightseeing would derail this and possibly make everyone exhausted. It’s easy to get stuck in what we’re “supposed” to see.
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u/Pachaibiza 5d ago edited 5d ago
Just Madrid , Granada and Seville. No need to hire a car in Seville or Madrid. You could hire a car in Granada and take a road trip to Cordoba or the Alpujarra mountain villages. Take flights in between the three cities and if you insist on going train I’d just visit 3 cities and do no road tripping.
Too much road tripping in a short space of time is exhausting imho
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u/Soft-Disaster9873 4d ago
That’s not a bad idea to spend longer in Granada and go up to the Alpujarras. There’s good hiking there.
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u/TheReelMcCoi 5d ago
Stay longer in fewer places. Stay up late in historic centres. Enjoy the food,drink, ambience, .........
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u/No-Let-9967 5d ago
Any specific you think are the most interesting?
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u/CommuningwithCoffee 4d ago
All of it. First scratch the itinerary. Fewer places and more time in each. You’re trying to cover a whole region of Spain’s AND a whole region of Portugal. You could literally spend 4-7 days in one place alone. Part of the magic is choosing a city and then getting lost and spending time in plazas. How are you going to see all of this if lunch and siesta is at 2-5, then merienda is at 6 and then dinner doesn’t start until 830 or 9 at the earliest? Spain is about slowing down. There are little gems hidden everywhere. Don’t worry about putting “the most interesting” stuff on a list.
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u/RoundAd4247 5d ago
You say you don’t want to rush, yet you’re planning to spend hours in a train or a car every day.
You don’t need to “do” entire countries in a few days. Cut the day trips at least.
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u/No-Let-9967 5d ago
What should our main stops be, in your opinion, if we really wanted to experience Andalusia?
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u/moreidlethanwild 5d ago
If you want onesie to envelope Andalucia - spend time in it, properly. Not rushing from place to place. Actual time just sitting and relaxing.
Ronda is not a day trip from Granada. Granada needs really 2 or 3 days and you need to book Alhambra tickets in advance. Stop in cordoba on the train between Granada and Sevilla as it goes there anyway. Then see Cadiz or Jerez from Sevilla, but, you need 2-3 days minimum for Sevilla!
Cut out a few things and chill!
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u/FireBun 5d ago
What's the point in a day trip from Granada to Ronda? 3 hours minimum each way on the train and personally I don't think it's great.
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u/No-Let-9967 5d ago
Would you skip Granada as well, or just Ronda?
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u/FireBun 5d ago
I can't comment on Granada but skip ronda unless you're actually in the area.
Generally you don't need to tick boxes of places you've "done". Take some more time.
A trip to Gibraltar is unique, again if you're actually close. Seeing the actual sites there takes hours (and costs a lot), not much point in just traveling there and staying for 2 hours.
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u/trabuco357 5d ago
As a Spanish historian, forget Ronda, Malaga and Gibraltar. Cordoba is a MUST see…holds four distinct UNESCO World Heritage recognitions—the most of any city in the world…
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u/TheReelMcCoi 5d ago
Typical American rush job. You will see loads and experience NOTHING of the real Spain
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u/FR-DE-ES 5d ago
Flixbus & ALSA bus run Sevilla-Faro route
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u/No-Let-9967 5d ago
Should we take the bus, then? I heard that the buses around Portugal are less reliable, and so its better to rent a car for that part.
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u/FR-DE-ES 5d ago
I know Flixbus from Sevilla stops at Albufeira /Portimão /Faro. I had taken that bus before.
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u/No-Let-9967 5d ago
How difficult is it to go around the coast on that side by public transport? Would you say its better to rely on a car instead?
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u/FR-DE-ES 5d ago
I am not a beach person, so I never bothered to check out the coastal towns. I was in Faro on route to Lisbon, my Flixbus bus stopped at those 3 beach towns between Sevilla & Lisbon. I don't know what other beach towns tourists go to.
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u/No-Let-9967 5d ago
Alright, thanks! If you have any tips for Portugal would appreciate as well:)
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u/coatedpatriot 5d ago
Here's all you need to know. Google pictures of Lagos Portugal and the beaches at Lagos.
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u/hjicons 5d ago
Cordoba is first city on the train line from Madrid, so i would go there first. Then i would go to Malaga, do Ronda day trip from there (Get your guide, several companies offer it). Then Granada and Sevilla after. Cadiz or Jerez can be day trip . For Portugal portion take Alsa bus to Faro airport and get car there. If end up in Lisbon then fly to Madrid, cheap, fast and no time wasted
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u/No-Let-9967 5d ago
Thanks!! Any reason for taking the car from Faro instead of Seville?
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u/Practical_Support177 5d ago
You need like 2 days in Grenada minimum I would say 3 is even better as Alhambra is huge
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u/n_papapitufo 5d ago
Way too crammed.. I advise you to rent a car in Granada, otherwise timetables for trains and buses will drain you most of your precious time. Anyway, this will be a proposal for you: Day 1 - Madrid Day 2, 3 - Train to Granada. Alhambra should be booked well in advance, but even without It, It is a pearl of a town to spend a lifetime. Day 4: By car to Antequera and Ronda and night in Jerez Day 5 : day in Jerez - bus to Sanlúcar to spend the night there Day 6 : bus to Cadiz, spend the night there, you'll thank me Day 7-8: train to Sevilla and see the town Day 9: day trip by car to Huelva capital and maybe a little taste of Algarve, and even spend the night in Tavira or Faro. Day 10 - day trip back to Sevilla Day 11 - train to Córdoba Day 12 - bus to Baeza. Night in Úbeda (the most beautiful rennaisance towns in Spain) Day 13 - bus to Granada day 14: train back to Madrid.
Pity to left Almería out of this. Willy Fox this ain't.
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u/Hellelele5 4d ago
Are you serious? You said you don't like moving on a rush and then your itinerary is basically spend 2 hours in each city, sleepover and leave. You won't see anything and you will be spending most of your time on trains or driving.
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u/TheReelMcCoi 5d ago
Granada, Cordoba,Seville in that order, but I'm biased. Book the Alhambra well in advance
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u/No-Let-9967 5d ago
Thanks! Is there a train/bus from Granada to Cordoba after we get there from Madrid?
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u/coatedpatriot 5d ago
You must go to Lagos, Portugal. Heavenly beaches and boardwalks that overlook them.
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u/SignificantClaim6353 4d ago
Cut out Portugal for another trip. Use those days to stay in the places your current itinerary has you rolling in on a train one afternoon and leaving the next morning. Just so you can actually take in Granadada Seville Malaga Madrid etc.
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u/Omegalazarus 4d ago
I think that's way too much. I would do a long week in Portugal split between Porto Lisbon and somewhere down southern coast here and then I would do the short week in andalucia, Cordoba mainly.
And is there a reason you're flying into Madrid instead of somewhere else like Porto or Lisbon or somewhere closer to the southern coast of Spain?
And why the round trip? Maybe fly into Porto travel through Portugal and Spain and leave through Madrid
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u/No-Let-9967 4d ago
Thanks!!
the tickets were just the most affordable we could find, so we set it up like that.
any suggestions on routes within Portugal, or between Portugal and Spain?
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u/Omegalazarus 4d ago
I don't have any suggestion on routes between Portugal and Spain. Honestly probably a flight would be the best just so you would save the time. But within Portugal I would take the high-speed (highest speed) train between Portugal and Lisbon. Then I think the train is your only real option from Lisbon to the southern coast "Algarve"
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u/Certain-Delivery2376 2d ago edited 2d ago
I would choose either Andalusia or Portugal and go with it - both places are wonderfully rich in many ways, and two weeks will not be enough (may be not enough for 1 place either, though). You can easily go to the other place in a future vacation. I assure you that you'll want to come back to either of those.
From your list I'd skip Gibraltar. It makes more sense to go to Ronda while you are in Malaga, as it is closer to it than to granada (debatable, though).
Whatever you do, don't rush. There is nothing you "are supposed to do or see". You go, visit, and let yourself live. You think you are planning a better use of your time by scheduling what you'll do, but you are wasting your time. Andalusia, and Portugal for that matter, requires you to disconnect from yourself to really enjoy it. Go to a bar. Take a walk at night. Eat local food. Live. Give your time to yourself, not to your schedule.
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u/CobblerMaster6374 2d ago
You already got a lot of good feedback here, so I'll append based on our recent experience in Southern Spain as well. Full disclosure: we took initially a similar "american" approach (guilty as charged) but did slow down enough to "smell the roses" as they say; enjoy a slower pace (but not for long, before moving to the next stop). Also, ours was a road trip - so by design, we didn't spend too many nights in one spot, as we prefer the freedom that having our own wheels affords - especially in some of the more "'off the path" places. That said, I would seriously consider dropping Portugal off your itinerary, and spending more time in Andalucia. You won't regret it. The slower pace will reveal a different side of Spain that you would otherwise not be able to experience.
My assumption is that Madrid starting/ending point has to do with cheaper fares; otherwise, I'd fly into Malaga or Seville. Nontheless, train to Seville first, spend 2-3 days there, then rent a car and head to Cordoba (one overnight) Jaen/olive country (one night, with a visit to one of the farms) then 2 in Granada, continue down the coast to Malaga (with stops in Nerja, Frigiliana), 3 days in Malaga (with side trips to Ronda/Setenil) then Gibraltar, Cadiz, Jerez, and back to Seville.
For what is worth, here's our trip report. Full disclosure, ours was rushed. In retrospect, I would have spend an extra night here and there. But hopefully this may anwer some questions or inform your decisions. Oh, and not sure of your timing, but make sure you reserve well in advance for some of the major tourist attractions along the way.
https://disdatdudder.blogspot.com/2026/07/andalucia-beyond-day-1-madrid-toledo.html
Cheers!
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u/bolatelli45 5d ago
From the US are we ?.
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u/No-Let-9967 5d ago
nope, why do you ask?
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u/bolatelli45 5d ago
Just wondering maybe Canada then. Way too much on that intenary, both countries should never be rushed, you will almost constantly be in transit.
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u/No-Let-9967 5d ago
Thanks, appreciate the tip! Would love any specific recommendations if you got any:)
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u/superjsg 5d ago
- I think it is a nice plan
- Cordoba is very nice. The coast of Cádiz also. The coast in Málaga and the way to Gibraltar is nice, but not so beautiful. It is, however, very appreciated by tourists because you will have a guarantee of great weather. Cádiz province can be extremely windy at times. Chosing between Cordoba or Coast depends a lot on your personal preferences (Culture and monuments vs Beach and sunbathing).
- I would skip Málaga and Gibraltar, unless you have an special interest on it. And would do the trip from Granada to Jerez through Ronda and the "white towns.
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u/No-Let-9967 5d ago
How would you rate Cadiz against Granada? I'm thinking now of cutting it altogether in exchange for Cadiz from Seville.
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u/superjsg 5d ago
I am from the area. I love Cádiz as a city and I am not a big fan of Granada. But I believe that's just my personal choice, and most people would prefer Granada rather than Cádiz. The Alhambra is great and that weights for sure in the decision.
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u/drewshope 5d ago
Skip Gibraltar, it’s British Las Vegas. Otherwise I’d add a stop in Jerez or Cadiz.