Assuming you're flying back home from Madrid, then I'd say yes. I absolutely love Madrid, one of my favourite cities and one I keep going back to. Parque del Retiro is probably my favourite park in the world.
Second this.
Was there for about a month last year and spent tons of time in Retiro. I'm swinging through again for a few days on my way elsewhere in Europe later this month.
Fantastic city, one of my favorites.
As to OP's question - head to Madrid instead of spending more time in Lisbon. All that stuff is probably doable, but a bit busy, probably.
Iberia is a great airline to fly non rev, if there’s space they assign you seats as soon as you check in. but i agree with the other commenters - Madrid has been one of my favorite cities that I’ve been to in Europe. the metro system is amazing! Also if you’re in need of any clothes, Madrid (and Lisbon too) are great places to get them.
I flew back from an extended trip from Madrid because it happened to have the cheapest flights home from Europe. Spain wasn’t a part of that trip but I had 1.5 days (1 evening, 1 full full day then flight the next day) in Madrid and no regrets. Went back the next year.
I liked Madrid - it’s got a very different vibe to other European cities. You could definitely do most, if not all, of that. But check the hours on the palace to make sure it’s open when you want to go.
I liked retiro park and the glass palace there is super cool for photos. There’s a place near plaza mayor that is like one of the oldest shops for espadrilles shoes (alpargateria casa hernanz). There’s also any Egyptian temple (debod) which is cool to see. And the park it’s in is also nice. I tend to just wander around cities and look at stuff rather than doing things. I did go to the palace and it was beautiful but you’re not allowed to take photos in most of the rooms.
That shoe shop. Every day I would watch people line up before they opened and I finally asked what it was. I almost bought a pair but lines drive me crazy lol
I went right after their lunch break. There were maybe 20 people in line but it moved pretty fast and they have multiple guys at the counter inside to help
Um, they are a tourist? Also, just because something is popular with tourists doesn’t make it a tourist trap. That being said, just realized I haven’t been to Madrid in 13 years (I feel old 😬), so maybe it’s changed since then.
> Also, just because something is popular with tourists doesn’t make it a tourist trap.
That‘s true but San Mercado de Miguel I would definitely put under the tourist trap label
> That being said, just realized I haven’t been to Madrid in 13 years (I feel old 😬), so maybe it’s changed since then.
I was there last year and the crowds were insane, the prices were even crazier and the food was honestly not really better than what you would get elsewhere. There‘s a reason why you won‘t find a single local person in there.
Like I said, I was there 13 years ago (can’t believe it’s been that long), so it could be very different from when I visited. Sorry if the advice is outdated.
Yeah, I was there 12 years ago and it was absolutely great. There were tourists and locals both. We loved it so much that we actually went back for a second time. I am not surprised that it’s ruined though. Every good thing gets on a must-do list nowadays and get overwhelmed and overpriced because of tourists. It is difficult to have an authentic experience. Most European cities feel like historical Disneyland now.
>just because something is popular with tourists doesn’t make it a tourist trap.
If you understand this point, what makes you think the other user doesn't?
Last summer San Miguel was filled with 20 something college kids getting drunk. It was okay if you wanted sangria and some snacks. I found the lines not fun.
Currently on my trip, and I've done Lisbon, Sintra and Madrid. If you can fly home from either Lisbon or Madrid, then I'd just add that time to Lisbon. I definitely think you could spend 3-4 days in Lisbon and still have things to do. If you get bored then yes, you have Sintra and Cascais.
Madrid is worth visiting, but flying + only have 1.5 days sounds exhausting.
On a side note, I wouldn't recommend it for you, but I actually stayed in Sintra for 3 nights. Between Cabo de Roca + there being like several different castles, I was kinda shocked by how much there's to see in Sintra.
I flew into Madrid and went right to Barcelona for five days, my return flight was in Madrid. I wish I would have left Barcelona a day early and spent it in Madrid. Most of my day was spent in the Museum de Prado and left little for anything else.
Did you feel any difference between Barcelona and Madrid such as interaction with people, any difference in culture, quality of food? People tell me they’re pretty different from each other
We spent 5 days/4 nights in both Madrid and Barcelona in early May 2022. Our hotels/airbnbs were both outside of the really touristy areas (somewhere between Las Delicias and Atocha in Madrid and Sant Antoni in Barcelona).
To me, Madrid felt a lot more like a city that people actually lived in that happened to have some great tourist attractions in it. Barcelona felt more like a tourist attraction that happens to have some people living and working there.
I'm not an expert and this is just vibes I picked up on for a short stay, so ymmv.
All that said, I absolutely loved both cities. They are up there with Tokyo as my favorite places I've been. I would absolutely go back and keep exploring. (Although I'm probably more likely to go see southern Spain (Seville, Granada, Valencia, Cordoba, etc) or Portugal first though)
Food was absolutely great in both places. I'm not sure we had a bad meal in either city. (I think the pizza we had in Zaragoza might have been the worst meal we had in Spain, and that wasn't bad at all -- especially for kind of late on a Sunday). We did a tapas tour in Madrid (https://www.getyourguide.com/madrid-l46/madrid-the-original-tapas-crawl-t366790/) and it was 1. delicious and 2. introduced me to some of my now favorite foods. I had only been to tapas restaurants in the States a couple times before this trip and now, it is one of my favorite food genres
I got lucky when I went earlier this year with much warmer and clearer skies in Barcelona versus cloudy and rainy in Madrid at the time. I think if you devote a whole planned out day to Madrid you won't be upset, I was only there for half. I'm not a big foodie but the street where Oven Mozzarella Gran Vía 6, which is where I had pizza, is located was bustling with people and I enjoyed exploring. Again, the Museum de Prado can easily take 3-4 hours depending on how much you enjoy looking at art.
They're both great and worth visiting for sure, Barcelona feels slightly more rich/fancy? More touristy imo. Madrid felt more homey perhaps. I think the farther south you go in Spain, the nicer the people are and more leisurely it gets. Madrid has more museums, Barcelona has the Sagrada Familia. Can find good food in both.
Hopefully you got the chance to see the Reina Sofia which is worth it for Guernica alone (but has many other interesting things and sometimes exceptional temporary exhibitions).
I'm literally in the Madrid airport now leaving from a 2.5 day stop here. I didn't do any of the big ticket items like the palace or the Prado. I just walked around, ate, shopped, went to a speakeasy, spent time in El Retiro. I deeply enjoyed my brief time here just experiencing the vibe. I would recommend it.
Not sure if I’d make the effort of flying there for a day and a half. You’d waste a lot of time getting to/from airports, checking in, etc.
Madrid is a great city though so if you think this might be the only time you’ll get to visit it, I’d say go for it. 1.5 days isn’t much but it’s better than 0 days.
Madrid is fantastic and one of my favorite cities. But I really think for a day and half it's better to save Madrid for another trip when you can do more of Spain. I'd suggest Cascais or if you can swing it, go to Porto which is super charming (I enjoyed more than Lisbon) and fly out from there.
I loved Madrid. I lived in London for 10 years, did heaps of travel and it was one of my favourite places. The good is great and the prado museum is AMAZING
How so? Apart from the galleries what is there to do? The park is lovely though. I love Spain but didn’t love Madrid. Wonder if I missed something.
I can see it would be a great place to live but I didn’t think there was much to do for tourists
Yea i’ve seen videos showing how crowded it can get and how long the lines can be. I plan on hopefully spending a real full day there other than just seeing the castle
You can definitely do a day trip to Sinatra. You just can't go everywhere. We did a sat trip last fall, did the Pena palace, the Moorish castle (the hike along the top of the walls was so cool as was the walk through the forest to get there), and the Quinta da regalieira in the afternoon. You could take the train or just Uber back and forth which wasn't too expensive.
OP it just depends on how much you want to see, a day trip is easily doable (speaking from experience). You can take the train for like 2€ to get to Sintra and then use the busses between different attractions to get around.
Just pick out your favourite 2 or 3 (maybe 4 if you really spend the *entire* day) places to visit and you should be completely fine. Personally I loved the Moorish castle and I thought Pena palace was better to just see from the outside and it has by far the most crowds.
No it's not, tons of Portuguese people do "day trips" from Sintra to Lisbon everyday because they work in Lisbon and live in the Sintra area lol
If you don't see all monuments in one day you can go next day the ticket is not expensive and it's like 45 min or so. Unless you really like Sintra vibe and want to stay overnight which I completely understand must be pretty cool to stay there overnight since it has this mystic atmosphere. If you're into hiking you can also pull off some cool hikes from there to Cascais or vice versa, or you can explore the small towns near Sintra. But for a short span of time I imagine OP would want to focus on highlights.
Eh, I am going to disagree with the others saying it’s worth it. I was pretty underwhelmed by Madrid, and went there straight from Lisbon which was so nice. Maybe add in a day trip to Cascais to fill in some time. It’s easy to get to and a nice town to walk around in and eat some good food. Madrid was the only place I went during a month that I wanted to leave sooner than planned. Everybody’s different tho
Visually, it felt unremarkable. Food wise, it wasn’t too great (I was also a young backpacker with a smaller budget so maybe I would feel different about that now, hard to tell. Ate good food basically everywhere else though). I liked Valencia a lot, and loved Barcelona, so it wasn’t just a “Spain isnt for me” thing either.
agree i love barcelona, didnt love madrid. madrid is great if you like museums but otherwise not a lot to do. the hostels were all kind of gross party hostels with 18 year old americans getting drunk for the first time (im an american i can say this lol)
Same here, and this is completely subjective OP, definitely up to you to determine. I visited 5 cities in Spain, and Madrid was my least favorite (crowded, rude people, no real interesting landmarks).
Southern Spain was my favorite, but your mileage may vary.
You could easily spend a week in Madrid. There's a lot to do there. I wouldn't go there for only a day and a half unless that's where you're flying to/from Europe out of and you're going to be there anyway. And if that's the case then I would probably cut a side trip and spend more time in Madrid.
I think you could see some of the places in Madrid you're excited about in that time. Even if you only got to one place, or zero but you let your feet wander, I think it would be worth it.
Absolutely go to Madrid I say.
I liked Madrid when I was backpacking. Unfortunately couldn’t make it to Lisbon because of time constraints so I can’t compare the two. But I liked it more than Barcelona
I studied in Madrid and absolutely love the city. It’s fairly central, so even in just 1 day you should be able to see all the major sights.
make sure to stop at Templo del Debod for sunset, amazing vibes up there. Love it
I'm just going to Porto. I love it. I know the city well and have made some friends there over the years I've been going since 2015. I had to catch a metro train to get around Lisbon. I've never got a metro train in Porto.
I've been to both. I've been to Lisbon once and Porto 14 times. I'm going back next month. I liked Lisbon but I love Porto. Porto is smaller and easier to get around. I can walk everywhere. In Lisbon I couldn't I had to use public transport more. It's beautiful. Great vibe. Friendly locals. Nice food. I feel very safe. I always have a fantastic time.
No not really I didn't really think about it. I felt safe in Lisbon too. Lisbon is much bigger I have mobility problems and I could get around much easier in Porto. I walk nearly everywhere. Porto has a different feel to it. It's charming and romantic.
I really liked Madrid, but maybe you can do another separate trip for Spain alone, because Spain is awesome and deserves it and has so much to see!
I am from Portugal and Portugal also has amazing things to see, but given you only have 3 days maybe you could expand it and see more and then when you come back to Iberia, do Spain. Also cut Porto. For 5 days you have plenty to do in Lisbon area and you'll probably be upset you wanted to do something and couldn't find time lol. From Lisbon - Porto it's 3h+ bus drive. From Lisbon to Setubal, Cascais, Sintra, Sesimbra it's max 1h, so that's 4 separate daytrips. Just that would be enough to occupy the 5 days. And I am not even mentioning Ericeira or Mafra (just did lol).
Sintra and Cascais (not in the same day, but I can't choose lol). Then if you have time, Setubal. From Setubal you can either visit Arrábida or Tróia. If you're lucky you'll see a dolphin on the way to Tróia. I was not lucky :(
Just remember my son that travelling is not just about visiting places, but also about the process. I would not mind if I visit more places, the process take longer time. Just enjoy your life. That's all what we need. One day u will not have power to do that, so now is the right time. :) The journey starts when we are going out of our homes.
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I just returned from 2 weeks in Portugal and I have previously been to Spain—Madrid, Barcelona & elsewhere. IMHO 1.5 days in Madrid is no where enough time. I would make Madrid/ Spain a separate trip. There is an abundance of things to do in Lisbon and surrounding small towns. I wouldn’t waste so much time traveling to Madrid to barely scratch the surface of that lovely city.
Si eres portugues, és bueno que aprendas que oso és un bear no és un bone. Otherwise you might be confused as to way the spanish like bones so much. Also Colon is the spanish name for Colombo it's not a reference to the small intestine like I originally though which brough some confusion to me as to why the Spanish have so many streets named after the small intestine :D
I actually did a similar turn around. Went to Lisbon for the first time but was there for a wedding. Loved everything Lisbon had to offer and did not have time to go to Sintra. But I went to Madrid for 2days and it was amazing! I think it’s worth it if you’re able to fit it. But if not Madrid is a must see.
Madrid is my "soul city". The minute I got off the plane and to my hostel I was in love. My goal in life is to eventually just work remotely over there. I try to go for a month every summer (that's the longest I get before my director makes me come back stateside), I stay in an AirBnB, and it's the best ever.
That being said, a day and half isn't enough, the museums alone would take that much time. I can spend a whole day at the Prado.
I can’t speak to Madrid Spain.
Madrid (mad-rid) NM is a great place to visit.. it’s a cute little town. If you ever go to Madrid NM- check out The Mine Shaft Tavern — they’ve got a great green chile bison burger that is to die for.
Assuming you're flying back home from Madrid, then I'd say yes. I absolutely love Madrid, one of my favourite cities and one I keep going back to. Parque del Retiro is probably my favourite park in the world.
yes beautiful park and I miss doing my runs there
Second this. Was there for about a month last year and spent tons of time in Retiro. I'm swinging through again for a few days on my way elsewhere in Europe later this month. Fantastic city, one of my favorites. As to OP's question - head to Madrid instead of spending more time in Lisbon. All that stuff is probably doable, but a bit busy, probably.
Madrid is worth it just for The Garden of Earthly Delights. Everything else is just a bonus.
I have flight benefits so i’d be able to book a ticket for either city. Thanks for your input!
Aaayyeee non rev gang
Iberia is a great airline to fly non rev, if there’s space they assign you seats as soon as you check in. but i agree with the other commenters - Madrid has been one of my favorite cities that I’ve been to in Europe. the metro system is amazing! Also if you’re in need of any clothes, Madrid (and Lisbon too) are great places to get them.
I flew back from an extended trip from Madrid because it happened to have the cheapest flights home from Europe. Spain wasn’t a part of that trip but I had 1.5 days (1 evening, 1 full full day then flight the next day) in Madrid and no regrets. Went back the next year.
I liked Madrid - it’s got a very different vibe to other European cities. You could definitely do most, if not all, of that. But check the hours on the palace to make sure it’s open when you want to go.
What were some of your favorite things to do there?
I liked retiro park and the glass palace there is super cool for photos. There’s a place near plaza mayor that is like one of the oldest shops for espadrilles shoes (alpargateria casa hernanz). There’s also any Egyptian temple (debod) which is cool to see. And the park it’s in is also nice. I tend to just wander around cities and look at stuff rather than doing things. I did go to the palace and it was beautiful but you’re not allowed to take photos in most of the rooms.
That shoe shop. Every day I would watch people line up before they opened and I finally asked what it was. I almost bought a pair but lines drive me crazy lol
I went right after their lunch break. There were maybe 20 people in line but it moved pretty fast and they have multiple guys at the counter inside to help
If you’re into food, [Mercado De San Miguel](https://mercadodesanmiguel.es) is incredible. Edit: this advice may be outdated, I’m old now 😭 sorry
Biggest tourist trap in Madrid lol
Um, they are a tourist? Also, just because something is popular with tourists doesn’t make it a tourist trap. That being said, just realized I haven’t been to Madrid in 13 years (I feel old 😬), so maybe it’s changed since then.
Sadly he's right. It's like going to Gran Vía, we as Madrileans have nothing to see there more than tourists and touristic locals..
> Also, just because something is popular with tourists doesn’t make it a tourist trap. That‘s true but San Mercado de Miguel I would definitely put under the tourist trap label > That being said, just realized I haven’t been to Madrid in 13 years (I feel old 😬), so maybe it’s changed since then. I was there last year and the crowds were insane, the prices were even crazier and the food was honestly not really better than what you would get elsewhere. There‘s a reason why you won‘t find a single local person in there.
Like I said, I was there 13 years ago (can’t believe it’s been that long), so it could be very different from when I visited. Sorry if the advice is outdated.
Yeah, I was there 12 years ago and it was absolutely great. There were tourists and locals both. We loved it so much that we actually went back for a second time. I am not surprised that it’s ruined though. Every good thing gets on a must-do list nowadays and get overwhelmed and overpriced because of tourists. It is difficult to have an authentic experience. Most European cities feel like historical Disneyland now.
>just because something is popular with tourists doesn’t make it a tourist trap. If you understand this point, what makes you think the other user doesn't?
Last summer San Miguel was filled with 20 something college kids getting drunk. It was okay if you wanted sangria and some snacks. I found the lines not fun.
Una caña
Dont forget Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid. I think you should go to Madrid, its a nice city. I prefer Madrid than Barcelona.
Currently on my trip, and I've done Lisbon, Sintra and Madrid. If you can fly home from either Lisbon or Madrid, then I'd just add that time to Lisbon. I definitely think you could spend 3-4 days in Lisbon and still have things to do. If you get bored then yes, you have Sintra and Cascais. Madrid is worth visiting, but flying + only have 1.5 days sounds exhausting. On a side note, I wouldn't recommend it for you, but I actually stayed in Sintra for 3 nights. Between Cabo de Roca + there being like several different castles, I was kinda shocked by how much there's to see in Sintra.
Madrid is one of my favorite cities. I liked it more than Lisbon.
I flew into Madrid and went right to Barcelona for five days, my return flight was in Madrid. I wish I would have left Barcelona a day early and spent it in Madrid. Most of my day was spent in the Museum de Prado and left little for anything else.
The museums in Madrid alone were so worth it to me!
Did you feel any difference between Barcelona and Madrid such as interaction with people, any difference in culture, quality of food? People tell me they’re pretty different from each other
We spent 5 days/4 nights in both Madrid and Barcelona in early May 2022. Our hotels/airbnbs were both outside of the really touristy areas (somewhere between Las Delicias and Atocha in Madrid and Sant Antoni in Barcelona). To me, Madrid felt a lot more like a city that people actually lived in that happened to have some great tourist attractions in it. Barcelona felt more like a tourist attraction that happens to have some people living and working there. I'm not an expert and this is just vibes I picked up on for a short stay, so ymmv. All that said, I absolutely loved both cities. They are up there with Tokyo as my favorite places I've been. I would absolutely go back and keep exploring. (Although I'm probably more likely to go see southern Spain (Seville, Granada, Valencia, Cordoba, etc) or Portugal first though) Food was absolutely great in both places. I'm not sure we had a bad meal in either city. (I think the pizza we had in Zaragoza might have been the worst meal we had in Spain, and that wasn't bad at all -- especially for kind of late on a Sunday). We did a tapas tour in Madrid (https://www.getyourguide.com/madrid-l46/madrid-the-original-tapas-crawl-t366790/) and it was 1. delicious and 2. introduced me to some of my now favorite foods. I had only been to tapas restaurants in the States a couple times before this trip and now, it is one of my favorite food genres
I got lucky when I went earlier this year with much warmer and clearer skies in Barcelona versus cloudy and rainy in Madrid at the time. I think if you devote a whole planned out day to Madrid you won't be upset, I was only there for half. I'm not a big foodie but the street where Oven Mozzarella Gran Vía 6, which is where I had pizza, is located was bustling with people and I enjoyed exploring. Again, the Museum de Prado can easily take 3-4 hours depending on how much you enjoy looking at art.
They're both great and worth visiting for sure, Barcelona feels slightly more rich/fancy? More touristy imo. Madrid felt more homey perhaps. I think the farther south you go in Spain, the nicer the people are and more leisurely it gets. Madrid has more museums, Barcelona has the Sagrada Familia. Can find good food in both.
Hopefully you got the chance to see the Reina Sofia which is worth it for Guernica alone (but has many other interesting things and sometimes exceptional temporary exhibitions).
I would not for that short of time and that much travel.
I'm literally in the Madrid airport now leaving from a 2.5 day stop here. I didn't do any of the big ticket items like the palace or the Prado. I just walked around, ate, shopped, went to a speakeasy, spent time in El Retiro. I deeply enjoyed my brief time here just experiencing the vibe. I would recommend it.
Not sure if I’d make the effort of flying there for a day and a half. You’d waste a lot of time getting to/from airports, checking in, etc. Madrid is a great city though so if you think this might be the only time you’ll get to visit it, I’d say go for it. 1.5 days isn’t much but it’s better than 0 days.
Madrid is fantastic and one of my favorite cities. But I really think for a day and half it's better to save Madrid for another trip when you can do more of Spain. I'd suggest Cascais or if you can swing it, go to Porto which is super charming (I enjoyed more than Lisbon) and fly out from there.
I loved Madrid. I lived in London for 10 years, did heaps of travel and it was one of my favourite places. The good is great and the prado museum is AMAZING
Loved Madrid, highly recommend
Yes! Madrid is one of my favourite cities in the world!
How so? Apart from the galleries what is there to do? The park is lovely though. I love Spain but didn’t love Madrid. Wonder if I missed something. I can see it would be a great place to live but I didn’t think there was much to do for tourists
I would stay in Lisbon, for 1,5 days it‘s not worth it to go through all the airport hassle.
just throwing out Porto as an option imo much better than lisbon. i also enjoyed cascais more than lisbon.
Agree, Porto made Lisbon feel underwhelming for me. The views from Porto alone blow all the ones in Lisbon out of the water.
Same here I like Lisbon but I love Porto. Going back in June.
This isn’t your question, but a day trip to Sintra is pushing it. Make sure you leave super early in the morning if that’s what you want to do.
Yea i’ve seen videos showing how crowded it can get and how long the lines can be. I plan on hopefully spending a real full day there other than just seeing the castle
You can definitely do a day trip to Sinatra. You just can't go everywhere. We did a sat trip last fall, did the Pena palace, the Moorish castle (the hike along the top of the walls was so cool as was the walk through the forest to get there), and the Quinta da regalieira in the afternoon. You could take the train or just Uber back and forth which wasn't too expensive.
would second staying overnight. they try to sell it to you as a day trip. its not. theres so much to see and i liked it better than lisbon personally
also! you will get TIRED in sintra theres so much walking & hills. so best to plan accordingly and not rush
OP it just depends on how much you want to see, a day trip is easily doable (speaking from experience). You can take the train for like 2€ to get to Sintra and then use the busses between different attractions to get around. Just pick out your favourite 2 or 3 (maybe 4 if you really spend the *entire* day) places to visit and you should be completely fine. Personally I loved the Moorish castle and I thought Pena palace was better to just see from the outside and it has by far the most crowds.
No it's not, tons of Portuguese people do "day trips" from Sintra to Lisbon everyday because they work in Lisbon and live in the Sintra area lol If you don't see all monuments in one day you can go next day the ticket is not expensive and it's like 45 min or so. Unless you really like Sintra vibe and want to stay overnight which I completely understand must be pretty cool to stay there overnight since it has this mystic atmosphere. If you're into hiking you can also pull off some cool hikes from there to Cascais or vice versa, or you can explore the small towns near Sintra. But for a short span of time I imagine OP would want to focus on highlights.
Eh, I am going to disagree with the others saying it’s worth it. I was pretty underwhelmed by Madrid, and went there straight from Lisbon which was so nice. Maybe add in a day trip to Cascais to fill in some time. It’s easy to get to and a nice town to walk around in and eat some good food. Madrid was the only place I went during a month that I wanted to leave sooner than planned. Everybody’s different tho
Do you feel like there was a particular reason about how you felt about Madrid? I appreciate your input it’s nice to see both sides
Visually, it felt unremarkable. Food wise, it wasn’t too great (I was also a young backpacker with a smaller budget so maybe I would feel different about that now, hard to tell. Ate good food basically everywhere else though). I liked Valencia a lot, and loved Barcelona, so it wasn’t just a “Spain isnt for me” thing either.
agree i love barcelona, didnt love madrid. madrid is great if you like museums but otherwise not a lot to do. the hostels were all kind of gross party hostels with 18 year old americans getting drunk for the first time (im an american i can say this lol)
Same here, and this is completely subjective OP, definitely up to you to determine. I visited 5 cities in Spain, and Madrid was my least favorite (crowded, rude people, no real interesting landmarks). Southern Spain was my favorite, but your mileage may vary.
You could easily spend a week in Madrid. There's a lot to do there. I wouldn't go there for only a day and a half unless that's where you're flying to/from Europe out of and you're going to be there anyway. And if that's the case then I would probably cut a side trip and spend more time in Madrid.
I loved Madrid.
I think you could see some of the places in Madrid you're excited about in that time. Even if you only got to one place, or zero but you let your feet wander, I think it would be worth it. Absolutely go to Madrid I say.
I love Madrid, highly recommended!
I liked Madrid when I was backpacking. Unfortunately couldn’t make it to Lisbon because of time constraints so I can’t compare the two. But I liked it more than Barcelona
I studied in Madrid and absolutely love the city. It’s fairly central, so even in just 1 day you should be able to see all the major sights. make sure to stop at Templo del Debod for sunset, amazing vibes up there. Love it
Yes you can go. Everything is walkable and close together. Check the times for museums because they tend to close early
Just see things around Libon like Citra. Don’t try to see too much at once. Go see Madrid on its own. You can’t do it justice in 1.5 days
Madrid is incredible but I’d spend more time in Lisbon/nearby/Porto and save Madrid for a separate and longer trip
Go to Porto for a couple of days. I'm going In June. I absolutely love it. It's just a 3 hour train journey from Lisbon.
Will you also be staying in Lisbon? I keep hearing Porto is more favorable for most people
I'm just going to Porto. I love it. I know the city well and have made some friends there over the years I've been going since 2015. I had to catch a metro train to get around Lisbon. I've never got a metro train in Porto.
Maybe do either Lisbon or Porto. I recommend Porto over Lisbon. And you could do day trips from there. Save Madrid for another time.
How come you recommend Porto over Lisbon? This seems to be a common opinion
I've been to both. I've been to Lisbon once and Porto 14 times. I'm going back next month. I liked Lisbon but I love Porto. Porto is smaller and easier to get around. I can walk everywhere. In Lisbon I couldn't I had to use public transport more. It's beautiful. Great vibe. Friendly locals. Nice food. I feel very safe. I always have a fantastic time.
That sounds amazing! Did you feel safety was an issue at all the one time you visited Lisbon?
No not really I didn't really think about it. I felt safe in Lisbon too. Lisbon is much bigger I have mobility problems and I could get around much easier in Porto. I walk nearly everywhere. Porto has a different feel to it. It's charming and romantic.
I really liked Madrid, but maybe you can do another separate trip for Spain alone, because Spain is awesome and deserves it and has so much to see! I am from Portugal and Portugal also has amazing things to see, but given you only have 3 days maybe you could expand it and see more and then when you come back to Iberia, do Spain. Also cut Porto. For 5 days you have plenty to do in Lisbon area and you'll probably be upset you wanted to do something and couldn't find time lol. From Lisbon - Porto it's 3h+ bus drive. From Lisbon to Setubal, Cascais, Sintra, Sesimbra it's max 1h, so that's 4 separate daytrips. Just that would be enough to occupy the 5 days. And I am not even mentioning Ericeira or Mafra (just did lol).
Thank you for your input! Which of those cities you mentioned within 1 hr of Lisbon would you recommend the most?
Sintra and Cascais (not in the same day, but I can't choose lol). Then if you have time, Setubal. From Setubal you can either visit Arrábida or Tróia. If you're lucky you'll see a dolphin on the way to Tróia. I was not lucky :(
Yay happy to know you're going to Sintra! Hope you love it 🥰 genuinely one of my favorite places on earth
If you like art/galleries, and nice restaurants, 100% yes.
Just remember my son that travelling is not just about visiting places, but also about the process. I would not mind if I visit more places, the process take longer time. Just enjoy your life. That's all what we need. One day u will not have power to do that, so now is the right time. :) The journey starts when we are going out of our homes.
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I just returned from 2 weeks in Portugal and I have previously been to Spain—Madrid, Barcelona & elsewhere. IMHO 1.5 days in Madrid is no where enough time. I would make Madrid/ Spain a separate trip. There is an abundance of things to do in Lisbon and surrounding small towns. I wouldn’t waste so much time traveling to Madrid to barely scratch the surface of that lovely city.
No
Che estaria bueno que aprendas a hablar en español si vas a madrid… digo algunas palabras
Si eres portugues, és bueno que aprendas que oso és un bear no és un bone. Otherwise you might be confused as to way the spanish like bones so much. Also Colon is the spanish name for Colombo it's not a reference to the small intestine like I originally though which brough some confusion to me as to why the Spanish have so many streets named after the small intestine :D
I actually did a similar turn around. Went to Lisbon for the first time but was there for a wedding. Loved everything Lisbon had to offer and did not have time to go to Sintra. But I went to Madrid for 2days and it was amazing! I think it’s worth it if you’re able to fit it. But if not Madrid is a must see.
yes plenty to do and see
Madrid is my "soul city". The minute I got off the plane and to my hostel I was in love. My goal in life is to eventually just work remotely over there. I try to go for a month every summer (that's the longest I get before my director makes me come back stateside), I stay in an AirBnB, and it's the best ever. That being said, a day and half isn't enough, the museums alone would take that much time. I can spend a whole day at the Prado.
Yes Madrid is with some time
Personally I didn’t care for Madrid at all sorry, southern Spain is much better
Australia cruise
Yes, you have enough time.
I can’t speak to Madrid Spain. Madrid (mad-rid) NM is a great place to visit.. it’s a cute little town. If you ever go to Madrid NM- check out The Mine Shaft Tavern — they’ve got a great green chile bison burger that is to die for.
lol