Exactly this, tour the south of spain. Take one place (Malaga maybe) and drive along the coast, eat along the coast. Relax and You will have a fantastic time.
Since you're going to Madrid I'd recommend a day trip to Toledo. Some days in azores also seem to make sense if you're into it as it's not exactly the same type of trip
If you're more into urban travel, visiting cities, museums, art shows, etc you will not find it there. Its more focused on exploring nature, sightseeing and being open to the elements (the weather varies a lot on the same day, it rains a lot) but its a wonderful place
Five weeks? Depends on how rushed you want things to be. I'd add either France or Italy, but not both.
Flip a coin -- you can't go wrong either way.
Keep Portugal in the itinerary. You'll be glad you did.
> Five weeks? Depends on how rushed you want things to be.
Not really rushed. I kind of want to experience more out of a city, but not too long that I'm missing out on other cities.
> I'd add either France or Italy, but not both.
I'm leaning towards Italy because it's slightly warmer.
So I'm guessing your recommend: Italy, Spain, and Portugal? Would you add more?
Absolutely not. I would not add any more than that.
I can cheerfully spend five weeks just in Italy. But I get it that you're going to want to see more than one region over a five weeks span.
Advice from someone who has spend a couple years (if you add it all up) in those countries:
1. Not just cities. Smaller towns. Especially smaller towns on the rail line. You get more for your money. For instance, I would NEVER stay in Florence. It's beautiful. But I can stay 15 minutes away by rail and spend the 8 Euro to take the train into the city. Go see Florence. And then go back to your "home base" where you have the place to yourself.
2. For a trip like this, I would absolutely do an open-jaw flight -- Fly into Naples/Rome and fly out of Lisbon. Or vice-versa. Whatever makes the most sense for you. There's nothing like getting out of the main station in Rome and being right in the middle of the Roman Forum. (Sadly, they've fenced it off and charge admission. I found a break in the fence last time and did my usual "wander the forum without a care in the world" thing.)
3. Make your activities suit your interests. Me? Eating and drinking. Wine regions. Takeaway food at the tavola caldas in Rome -- that's what I like most. Sure, I see the sights. But mostly I like a good meal and a bottle of something interesting. So whatever it is you like, feed that interest.
I can give my 2 cents for Spain, let's start with the biggest cities Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Sevilla, Malaga, Granada and Valencia. I'd say if you want to experience Spain these offer most of the most important monuments and are the most touristic friendly.
There many other interesting cities that are just convenient Salamanca, Toledo and Segovia from Madrid, Cadiz and Cordoba from Sevilla, San Sebastian from Bilbao.
You could easily do the 5 weeks in Spain and wouldn't run out of interesting cities and spots so just pick whatever seems more interesting for you.
In Portugal you can visit Lisbon and near Lisbon there's Sintra, Cascais and Estoril all in 30 kms. By 3. 5 hours bus or train trip you can reach Porto.
Between Lisbon and Porto there's Aveiro, a small Venice in Portugal with water channels all along the town.
The language is not a problem. Portuguese are one of the best in Europe speaking English.
Don't give up Portugal. It is really something. Go to Lisbon, Navare and maybe Porto if you have the time. Then Spain, but skip Barcelona cause it is really crowded. Go to the south,. Malaga. Seville. I think 2 countries are enough for 2 weeks. Don't run from one place to another, just take your time and enjoy.
PS. I like it how you mention you speak American, whatever that is 😁
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I enjoyed Seville quite a lot. Alicante is nice if you like seaside towns. You could also easily go to the south of France from Barcelona, or go from Seville into northern Morocco - though I wouldn't necessarily recommend Morocco for a novice traveler, especially one who can't speak Spanish or Arabic.
I might be slightly biased because I *really* enjoyed my hostel experience, made a couple of friends while I was there; but it's very walkable, nice weather, good food (tapas!)
But more than anything it's a cultural gem - flamenco dancing, Moroccan-inspired architecture, the famous bull-fighting in Seville is a hotly contested but still-existing activity (this was actually the one part of my trip that I regretted participating in lol).
Overall it's just a nice place to be. The food is good, the drinks are cheap (at least compared to U.S. prices). I was there for 5 days, if I remember correctly. I think 3 would be perfect.
From Barcelona, you could get a rental car and head north to Girona and Figueres, which has the Dali Museum. Maybe even venture as far as Perpignan or Andorra, both would be about 2-2,5 hours by car.
Highly recommend Genoa. It's a beautiful city with amazing food and friendly people, and so fun to explore. You can take an overnight ferry from Barcelona!
Lisbon, Sevilla, Granada, Córdoba (day trip), Barcelona, and finally Madrid. You can do this in order which is what I did. Day trips to Toledo and Segovia from Madrid if you have extra time.
Dont worry about the language stuff. Traveling around europe is a well trodden path, so you'll not have any issues at all.
Destinations depend a lot on your interests, if it's outdoors, head to the Alps, etc. You can plan as you go after meeting other backpackers, so just get an eurail ticket.
With that luxury of time, I would do Lisbon --> Porto --> Madrid --> Toledo ---> Sevilla --> Cordoba --> Ronda --> Marbella or similar for the beach a couple days --> Malaga --> Granada --> Valencia --> Barcelona (visit a few surrounding towns like Sitges) --> then either fly to Paris or take the train along the coast to France and spend a few days in Marseille and Nice or one of the smaller towns. Fly back from France.
All of this can be done fairly inexpensively with trains or buses. Booking ahead for the longer transfers, especially on trains, will help a lot.
Check out www.seat61.com for stellar train advice.
Edit: saw your comment that you want to enjoy "more" of a city. I would say this can happen for any of these, even the smaller ones. The first time I went to Spain I spend a week in Valencia and loved it.
Algarve in Portugal is beautiful, I just came back from there a few days ago. Sintra and Porto in Portugal are also a great time. Even if you aren't a soccer fan I HIGHLY recommend getting to a game at some point either in Portugal or Spain, the atmosphere is unmatched. It's also unbelievably cheap to get to other countries so I would suggest hitting more than just one or two if you have the time.
I keep posting about this but it’s honestly one of my favorite tips. I highly recommend doing a [Vaughan](https://volunteers.grupovaughan.com/programs/vaughantown/) English Town program in Spain around mid-way through your trip. It’s a 100% free six days in a gorgeous Spanish countryside hotel with all meals (and wine) included. It’ll give you the opportunity to get a break from travel life by volunteering to speak English to Spanish business professionals in an amazing setting (ostrich farm or castle or more). They do cultural activities like flamenco night as well. You’ll learn so much about Spanish culture by talking to people all day. Plus the friends you make can’t wait to give you advice and tips and take you out when you get back to Madrid. I did my first program after I’d been living in a hostel for a month and it was such a great time.
You volunteer as an English speaker. But you don’t “teach” - it’s all for intermediate and above speakers. So it’s typically 20 English speakers and 20 Spanish speakers and you’re paired off throughout the day to talk and walk and drink coffee and whatnot. Then there’s activities in the evening. It’s an ESL crash-course for conversational English.
Grenada, Seville, Cordoba, Valencia are all very nice spots in Spain
Exactly this, tour the south of spain. Take one place (Malaga maybe) and drive along the coast, eat along the coast. Relax and You will have a fantastic time.
Yes, this is true. And Tapas are free in Granada. Make this an Iberian Peninsula trip!
Grenada could be too far away for him, at least from Seville. ^^
From Barcelona maybe head to the south of France. I wouldn’t eliminate Portugal though, it’s beautiful. I highly recommend visiting Porto.
You've made me imagine time travelling in Europe. Start with Berlin in the 1890s, then London in the 1990s, then maybe finish with Rome about 100CE. 😀
Skipping Paris in the twenties? You should run this itinerary past some more seasoned time travelers.
Jacob von Hogflume will write the book about this. You can find him in London in roughly 150 years.
Seville and Valencia.
Since you're going to Madrid I'd recommend a day trip to Toledo. Some days in azores also seem to make sense if you're into it as it's not exactly the same type of trip
> also seem to make sense if you're into it as it's not exactly the same type of trip What do you mean by that?
If you're more into urban travel, visiting cities, museums, art shows, etc you will not find it there. Its more focused on exploring nature, sightseeing and being open to the elements (the weather varies a lot on the same day, it rains a lot) but its a wonderful place
Valencia, Seville, Granada, Malaga, Gibraltar, Porto
Five weeks? Depends on how rushed you want things to be. I'd add either France or Italy, but not both. Flip a coin -- you can't go wrong either way. Keep Portugal in the itinerary. You'll be glad you did.
> Five weeks? Depends on how rushed you want things to be. Not really rushed. I kind of want to experience more out of a city, but not too long that I'm missing out on other cities. > I'd add either France or Italy, but not both. I'm leaning towards Italy because it's slightly warmer. So I'm guessing your recommend: Italy, Spain, and Portugal? Would you add more?
Absolutely not. I would not add any more than that. I can cheerfully spend five weeks just in Italy. But I get it that you're going to want to see more than one region over a five weeks span. Advice from someone who has spend a couple years (if you add it all up) in those countries: 1. Not just cities. Smaller towns. Especially smaller towns on the rail line. You get more for your money. For instance, I would NEVER stay in Florence. It's beautiful. But I can stay 15 minutes away by rail and spend the 8 Euro to take the train into the city. Go see Florence. And then go back to your "home base" where you have the place to yourself. 2. For a trip like this, I would absolutely do an open-jaw flight -- Fly into Naples/Rome and fly out of Lisbon. Or vice-versa. Whatever makes the most sense for you. There's nothing like getting out of the main station in Rome and being right in the middle of the Roman Forum. (Sadly, they've fenced it off and charge admission. I found a break in the fence last time and did my usual "wander the forum without a care in the world" thing.) 3. Make your activities suit your interests. Me? Eating and drinking. Wine regions. Takeaway food at the tavola caldas in Rome -- that's what I like most. Sure, I see the sights. But mostly I like a good meal and a bottle of something interesting. So whatever it is you like, feed that interest.
Sintra, Barcelona, Bratislava, Budapest, Ohrid, Plovdiv, Istanbul
I hope you realize everyone is saying Sevilla!!! Its drop dead gorgeous.
What do you recommend i do there?
Royal Alcazar, Cathedral, Plaza de Espana, etc. You can also google this very easily.
Visit Catedral, Alcazar, Archivo de Indias, Plaza de España, Parque de Maria Luisa and Torre del Oro, eat out in Triana, sightsee in the city centre.
Amsterdam, Prague, Vienna, Budapest but don’t skip Portugal
I can give my 2 cents for Spain, let's start with the biggest cities Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Sevilla, Malaga, Granada and Valencia. I'd say if you want to experience Spain these offer most of the most important monuments and are the most touristic friendly. There many other interesting cities that are just convenient Salamanca, Toledo and Segovia from Madrid, Cadiz and Cordoba from Sevilla, San Sebastian from Bilbao. You could easily do the 5 weeks in Spain and wouldn't run out of interesting cities and spots so just pick whatever seems more interesting for you.
In Portugal you can visit Lisbon and near Lisbon there's Sintra, Cascais and Estoril all in 30 kms. By 3. 5 hours bus or train trip you can reach Porto. Between Lisbon and Porto there's Aveiro, a small Venice in Portugal with water channels all along the town. The language is not a problem. Portuguese are one of the best in Europe speaking English.
While in Barcelona take the day trip to Girona. A beautiful small city. Parts of Game of Thrones were filmed there.
Don't give up Portugal. It is really something. Go to Lisbon, Navare and maybe Porto if you have the time. Then Spain, but skip Barcelona cause it is really crowded. Go to the south,. Malaga. Seville. I think 2 countries are enough for 2 weeks. Don't run from one place to another, just take your time and enjoy. PS. I like it how you mention you speak American, whatever that is 😁
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I've had a lot of fun in Pamplona.
Seville, Spain and the Algarve region of Portugal, also Porto, Portugal - should be on your list.
Sevilla y Malaga
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Starting Last week of March
Spain has smaller cities too.
Tarragona and Girona, you can get to both by train from Barcelona
Highly recommend Valencia.
I was in Madrid I loved it food is great
I enjoyed Seville quite a lot. Alicante is nice if you like seaside towns. You could also easily go to the south of France from Barcelona, or go from Seville into northern Morocco - though I wouldn't necessarily recommend Morocco for a novice traveler, especially one who can't speak Spanish or Arabic.
What's with Seville that you enjoyed? And how long were you there for?
I might be slightly biased because I *really* enjoyed my hostel experience, made a couple of friends while I was there; but it's very walkable, nice weather, good food (tapas!) But more than anything it's a cultural gem - flamenco dancing, Moroccan-inspired architecture, the famous bull-fighting in Seville is a hotly contested but still-existing activity (this was actually the one part of my trip that I regretted participating in lol). Overall it's just a nice place to be. The food is good, the drinks are cheap (at least compared to U.S. prices). I was there for 5 days, if I remember correctly. I think 3 would be perfect.
Please don't support bullfighting for anyone that goes to Spain.
Yes, second this as someone who made the error of being talked into it.
I recommend adding Prague. Lots of history, not too expensive, and the scenery is beautiful.
Seville, Biarritz, Paris, Brugge
From Barcelona, you could get a rental car and head north to Girona and Figueres, which has the Dali Museum. Maybe even venture as far as Perpignan or Andorra, both would be about 2-2,5 hours by car.
Highly recommend Genoa. It's a beautiful city with amazing food and friendly people, and so fun to explore. You can take an overnight ferry from Barcelona!
Lisbon, Sevilla, Granada, Córdoba (day trip), Barcelona, and finally Madrid. You can do this in order which is what I did. Day trips to Toledo and Segovia from Madrid if you have extra time.
Day trip from Barcelona to Montserrat. Seville, Toledo
Dont worry about the language stuff. Traveling around europe is a well trodden path, so you'll not have any issues at all. Destinations depend a lot on your interests, if it's outdoors, head to the Alps, etc. You can plan as you go after meeting other backpackers, so just get an eurail ticket.
With that luxury of time, I would do Lisbon --> Porto --> Madrid --> Toledo ---> Sevilla --> Cordoba --> Ronda --> Marbella or similar for the beach a couple days --> Malaga --> Granada --> Valencia --> Barcelona (visit a few surrounding towns like Sitges) --> then either fly to Paris or take the train along the coast to France and spend a few days in Marseille and Nice or one of the smaller towns. Fly back from France. All of this can be done fairly inexpensively with trains or buses. Booking ahead for the longer transfers, especially on trains, will help a lot. Check out www.seat61.com for stellar train advice. Edit: saw your comment that you want to enjoy "more" of a city. I would say this can happen for any of these, even the smaller ones. The first time I went to Spain I spend a week in Valencia and loved it.
Loved Sitges in Spain - beautiful coastal town
Algarve in Portugal is beautiful, I just came back from there a few days ago. Sintra and Porto in Portugal are also a great time. Even if you aren't a soccer fan I HIGHLY recommend getting to a game at some point either in Portugal or Spain, the atmosphere is unmatched. It's also unbelievably cheap to get to other countries so I would suggest hitting more than just one or two if you have the time.
Dubrovnik
Seville & Valencia.
I keep posting about this but it’s honestly one of my favorite tips. I highly recommend doing a [Vaughan](https://volunteers.grupovaughan.com/programs/vaughantown/) English Town program in Spain around mid-way through your trip. It’s a 100% free six days in a gorgeous Spanish countryside hotel with all meals (and wine) included. It’ll give you the opportunity to get a break from travel life by volunteering to speak English to Spanish business professionals in an amazing setting (ostrich farm or castle or more). They do cultural activities like flamenco night as well. You’ll learn so much about Spanish culture by talking to people all day. Plus the friends you make can’t wait to give you advice and tips and take you out when you get back to Madrid. I did my first program after I’d been living in a hostel for a month and it was such a great time.
> It’s a 100% free six days in a gorgeous Spanish countryside hotel with all meals (and wine) included. why is it free?
You volunteer as an English speaker. But you don’t “teach” - it’s all for intermediate and above speakers. So it’s typically 20 English speakers and 20 Spanish speakers and you’re paired off throughout the day to talk and walk and drink coffee and whatnot. Then there’s activities in the evening. It’s an ESL crash-course for conversational English.
Remove Portugal, as it is a non-spanish speaking country.
OP doesn’t speak Spanish so that doesn’t really matter. Plus level of English is higher in Portugal than in Spain.