# Need help with itinerary in Spain and Portugal



## ValHam (Sep 6, 2009)

I am stayingi in Malaga for 2 weeks in October and going to Portugal for a week.
Would it be best to book an overnight in Seville on the way to Portugal ?  I want to visit Granada, Ronda and Cordoba - Can these cities be visited on a day trip - We have a rental car - should we book an overnight in Granada or Ronda?  I don't mind booking a couple of hotels but can't decide what area .  I can do Gibralter in a day trip .  I was also wanting to go to Tangiers - I do not want the hassle of driving to the ferry - very long day - Can anyone recommend a good tour company for a day trip to Tangiers with hoetel pick up?  Thanks


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## Keitht (Sep 7, 2009)

Ronda can definitely be done in one day.  The major sites of Granada can also be done in a day, but if you have the time available an overnight stop makes it much less frenetic.


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## jerseyfinn (Sep 7, 2009)

I'd suggest visiting both Ronda and Granada during your two week stay in Malaga.  As Keitht notes, Ronda is a great day destination. Likewise Granda is generally more of a day trip destination for the Alhambra. Both are easy to reach from Malaga & fit very well a day trip sort of itinerary.

This way you could distill your Portugal transition to choosing between Cordoba or Sevilla as an overnight stop with some quality sight-seeing thrown in. If I had to choose between those two destinations on the criteria of history and culture, I would select Cordoba because of the deep Moorish/Christian history and culture that you could experience over two days. An early morning departure from Malaga gives you a big chunk of the day in Cordoba to get a portion of your sightseeing done and the following day to finish it off before heading to Portugal.

Sounds like you have a great trip planned. Enjoy it.

Barry


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## ValHam (Sep 7, 2009)

My flight is direct to Malaga and I return from Malaga - Would it be best to do Seville for an overnight on my way to Portugal and Cordoba on the way back to Cordoba for an overnight?  Thanks


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## scott2245 (Sep 7, 2009)

*So far sounds like a plan*

I lived there for five years.... more than twenty years ago.

I would skip Morroco and Gibraltar. Stick to Spain and Portugal. Spend one night in Sevilla and one in Cordoba. From Sevilla or on the way to Sevilla, stop in Jerez de la Frontera, maybe Cadiz.  Make sure you visit a town named Arco de la Frontera, small town on a hill top between Ronda and Jerez.

Go to the Dry Shack (sp) vineyard in Jerez.

While in Malaga make sure you go to Granada (one day) Marbella & Ronda (one day) and Almeria (one day).

Pick up Arco and Jerez on the way to Sevilla. Spend the night. 

Make your way to Portugal the next day.  On the return stopping in Cordoba  would be nice, although out of the way.

Scott


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## ValHam (Sep 7, 2009)

I booked a hotel in Seville on the way to Portugal.  How long does it take to drive to Cordoba from Malaga?  Would it be best to overnight in Cordoba before I drive to Seville for an overnight?  In Portugal the timeshare is in Albufeira - What sights to see in that area?  Perhaps I should take an overnight to Lisban as well - Thanks for the help - I am sure glad I have 3 weeks.


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## hibbeln (Sep 14, 2009)

Your resort will almost certainly set up day trips (with bus pick-up) with a local company to Morocco.  Ask when you check in. If not, there are a myriad of travel companies EVERYWHERE where you can book once you get there.
Having said that, while we did the bus tour (which was admittedly simple & easy) I wish we had given more thought to hiring a local Moroccan guide to meet us at the ferry terminal in Tangiers and to give us a personal tour for the tour.  It probably would have been cheaper since we were a family of 5, and probably would have been an even better experience.  Rick Steve's Spain guidebook recommends a few personally, and several people on this board have used them (search through the last year or so and you'll find their reviews).  There is nothing hard about driving to get on the ferry, and would probably be shorter day to do it yourself rather than having to ride the bus from resort to resort for P/U and drop-off????

Ronda is absolutely a day trip.  I don't think it took us much over an hour to drive (slowly) from the Marbella area to Ronda.  

Granada is an easy drive on wonderful highways.  Maybe 2 to 2 1/2 hours from Marbella?  (check on www.viamichelin.com)  I think that's how long it took us and that was from the parking lot at the Alhambra to the doorstep of our resort in the Marbella area.....including driving in a downpour and Granada rush hour traffic on the freeway.


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## windmillhill (Sep 16, 2009)

> In Portugal the timeshare is in Albufeira - What sights to see in that area? Perhaps I should take an overnight to Lisban as well



I know Albufeira well as we have an apartment there.  It is not as rich in culture as the other cities you will be visiting in Spain, but it will provide a more relaxing environment, with its beautiful beaches and quaint Old Town (not *all* of which has yet been modernised!).  You can wander through the cobbled alleyways between what used to be fishermen's cottages and enjoy a drink or meal at one of the many bars and restaurants, some of which have fantastic sea views.

Which timeshare are you staying at?  If it's Clube Praia da Oura you'll be on a nice beach, but close to the southern end of the infamous "Strip" which is a road full of neon-lit bars aimed purely at the youngsters out for a good time!  But don't worry - in October it will be quiet.

Will you be hiring a car?  If so, Albufeira is centrally located in the Algarve and it's possible to reach the whole area in day trips.  There is public transport to the main towns, but if you want to explore the countryside or the beautiful typically Algarvian coves a car is the best way.  

Other towns you might like to visit are (east to west) Tavira, Faro, Vilamoura and Lagos.  The ruins of Silves castle are quite interesting, and you can take a trip over the mountains at Monchique and out to the west coast, where the beaches are wilder than on the south coast.

Here are some useful websites:-
http://www.visitalgarve.pt/visitalgarve/vEN/VivaOAlgarve/?categoria=0 - lots of info on all sorts of aspects of the Algarve, including "Culture and Tradition"
www.albufeira.com - great interactive maps and beach guide
http://www.fiesa.org/ - huge sand sculptures
http://www.algarvegolf.net/courses/areas/albufeira.htm - if you're a golfer

I hope this helps a little, but if you could let me know what kind of things interest you I will try to make some more recommendations for places to do and things to do.


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## windmillhill (Sep 16, 2009)

Forgot to say, it is possible to do Lisbon in a day trip by train, with an early start.  But you'd obviously have more time if you stayed over.  A good website is http://www.lisbon-guide.info/about.


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## Jimster (Sep 16, 2009)

*Malaga*

If you scroll down, you will find 7 threads related to Spain.  If  you search the archives I am sure you will triple that number.


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## Passepartout (Sep 16, 2009)

We were in Portomao just a year ago (Sept). You will have a geat time in Algarve. Especially if seafood is your preference. Try _Cataplana_, a seafood stew made in a hinged copper cooker. It will take about an hour after you order it. Plenty of time for the wonderful _vinho_.
 We drove out to the far S.W. corner of Europe, to Sagres, the fortressa/school of Prince Henry the Navigator. It's the place where all the great sailors of history learned their craft- Columbus, Magellan, etc. Each year of the 15th Century sailors would go from there West, or South along the African coast, each building on previous experience, until eventually they circumnavigated the world. It's just undergoing restoration, but you certainly get the feel for the place. 

Lisbon is too far (IMO) to make a day trip. We flew in/out from there and I think it was 4-5 hrs driving even on superhighway. There is just too much to see. Just visiting the castle overlooking Lisbon is a day's adventure by itself.

I'm envious of you just getting ready to go there. We used www.visitportugal.com for a lot of tips and hints.

Jim Ricks


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## ValHam (Sep 17, 2009)

I am staying at Punte Grande Resort in Portugal - I have booked a side trip from Malaga to Cordoba - I plan to stay 1 night in Cordoba and back to the timeshare.  On the way to Portugal we have decided to overnight in Seville.  When we get to Portugal we shall stay 5 nights at the timeshare and 2 nights in Lisban.  Thanks kindly for all the help - The advice made me decide to take these overnight side trips to Cordoba, Seville and Lisban  - Now I have to plan my day trip to Morrocco - Is it hard to get to the boat and how is parking ?  We shall have a car for the 3 weeks.  Thanks again.


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## RIMike (Sep 17, 2009)

*Not going to Alhambra in Granada?*



ValHam said:


> I am staying at Punte Grande Resort in Portugal - I have booked a side trip from Malaga to Cordoba - I plan to stay 1 night in Cordoba and back to the timeshare.  On the way to Portugal we have decided to overnight in Seville.  When we get to Portugal we shall stay 5 nights at the timeshare and 2 nights in Lisban.  Thanks kindly for all the help - The advice made me decide to take these overnight side trips to Cordoba, Seville and Lisban  - Now I have to plan my day trip to Morrocco - Is it hard to get to the boat and how is parking ?  We shall have a car for the 3 weeks.  Thanks again.



It is truly an amazing place, but gets tickets ordered before you go...as they are limited to the number per day that can enter.  loved Seville as well, but did not make it to Cordoba.


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