We are a couple in our 30s from Singapore and are super excited to go on our 15 day trip to this region. From what we have seen so far, there is really rich culture and it presents itself differently in everyday life across the different regions. The cuisine looks splendid as well in both countries, and we are really looking forward to the food and high-quality produce.
The thing is, there is so much we want to do and see that we had a lot of trouble finalising where we want to visit. We’d really appreciate it if you could sanity-check our itinerary and suggest any changes.
We’re visiting in late March/early April 2027. We prefer not to drive, and are very interested in culture, food, architecture, art and beautiful scenery. We generally prefer visiting slower, more chill places coming from a busy city, but we are also happy to spend time in busier areas or visit crowded sights if they have significant historical or cultural value.
Honestly, we live really far away from Portugal and Spain, so the flight tickets are expensive and we want to make the most of the trip. At the same time, we don’t want to pack every day with sightseeing and end up completely exhausted. We’re trying to find a good balance between seeing a lot and actually having time to enjoy each place.
Our current itinerary is:
Day 1, Sat: Lisbon
Arrive around 12pm. Check in, explore the hotel neighbourhood, have a nice dinner and take it easy.
Day 2, Sun: Cascais
Lisbon to Cascais as a day trip. We are thinking of doing just half a day and returning to Lisbon in the afternoon, but could spend the full day there if people think it is worthwhile.
Day 3, Mon: Sintra
Full day in Sintra. Main priority would be Quinta da Regaleira and potentially another major sight. We don’t want to cram too much into this day, and read that Pena Palace can be obscenely touristy.
Day 4, Tue: Lisbon
Full day in Lisbon. Planning to explore the city at a slower pace rather than trying to tick off every attraction.
Day 5, Wed: Lisbon to Porto
Travel to Porto in the morning and arrive around 1pm. Explore Porto from around mid afternoon onwards, mainly walking around, eating and getting a feel for the city.
Day 6, Thu: Douro Valley
Full-day trip to the Douro Valley. We are thinking of doing this as our main big excursion from Porto and keeping the evening free. Try port wine.
Day 7, Fri: Porto
Full day in Porto. Mainly interested in architecture, food, the riverfront, cafés and just wandering around. Would like to visit Livraria Lello as I am an avid reader, but I’ve also read that it’s obscenely touristy and crowded so having some hesitation.
Day 8, Sat: Porto
Another day in Porto, but intentionally keeping this one even slower. We may use it for anything we missed, shopping, cafés and generally having a more relaxed day before the early flight the next morning. See what the locals do on the weekends. Probably do some laundry.
Day 9, Sun: Porto to Seville
Early flight to Seville. We should be able to start exploring around 12pm. Catch a flamenco show in the evening.
Day 10, Mon: Seville
Full day in Seville. We definitely want to visit Alcázar, Cathedral/Giralda, Plaza de España.
Day 11, Tue: Seville to Córdoba
Slow morning in Seville, then train to Córdoba. Explore Córdoba in the afternoon/evening and stay overnight.
Day 12, Wed: Córdoba to Granada
Morning in Córdoba, lunch, then train from 3:21pm to 4:58pm to Granada. Check in, dinner (by hopping across 2-3 bars probably that serve tapas alongside drinks) and a relaxed evening.
Day 13, Thu: Granada
Full day in Granada. Main priority is the Alhambra, with time for the Albaicín and some wandering around. See the sunset.
Day 14, Fri: Granada to Madrid
Train from Granada 11:04am to 2:38pm. We are thinking of buying some food from the local supermarket and having lunch on the train, and then just having a relaxed final evening in Madrid to prepare for our flight back to Singapore.
Day 15, Sat: Madrid
Slow morning, lunch, then head to the airport for our late afternoon flight home.
The main things we are wondering about are whether this is a reasonable pace, whether we have allocated too much or too little time to any particular place, and whether there are any obvious changes you would make to the route.
We are particularly interested in hearing from people who have travelled through these places without a car. Is this a reasonable balance between seeing a lot and not exhausting ourselves? What would you recommend?
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