We’ve got a couple of weeks and keep seeing Iberia tours that fold Lisbon and Porto in with Spain. It’s tempting to bag both at once, but I worry we’d end up skimming each. Did Portugal earn its place, or stretch things thin?
| Janice: Here are three different Spain and Portugal trips that we made: |
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The answer to your question is two more questions: Where do you want to go in Spain, and how much time do you want to be there? Portugal alone probably needs at least 10 days, and Spain needs even more time.
I feel like you could fit both countries in a fortnight, I’ve seen people visit Spain, Portugal and Morocco in like 10 days! But it does depend where you want to go and how you want to spend your time.
If you wanted to see lots of the North and East of Spain (eg. Basque Country, Barcelona) then it might be difficult to also see lots of Portugal without flying.
Similarly if you were hoping to spend lots of time relaxing on the beach, I wouldn’t want to devote too much of the rest of my time to traveling around everywhere.
But if you’re up for a full itinerary and being really busy then I’m sure you would manage and find it worth your while.
Portugal definitely earns it’s place! This also might be controversial, but I would pick to go to most places in Portugal over a lot of the Spanish locations, so if anything I would skip some of Spain to ensure I was also able to visit Portugal.
Where have you got in mind?
Like others have said, it totally depends on what experience you are looking for. I lived in southern Spain. During that time, I traveled to Portugal with a northern Spain (Santiago de Compostelo) visit. We started in the southern Algarve and traveled up along the coast visiting Porto, Lisbon, Sintra. The trip was about a week. My favorite parts of Spain are the southern Andalusia region. I think you would need a week at least to explore Seville (where I lived), Granada, Cordoba (you could add a beach visit to Marbella), Rhonda… then there’s Barcelona (multiple days needed), Madrid…. I would focus on a geographical region. If you want the coast- do Portugal & parts of southern or northern Spain. If you want to experience the richness of Varied Spanish culture, do Madrid (Toledo day trip), to Seville and around Andalucia perhaps with Barcelona. The festivals in Spain are magical. Running of the bulls in Pamplona is such an incredible experience, Féria in Seville, Las Fallas in Valencia, La Tomatino in Bunol… The cultures around Spain are unmatched. Happy to chat more. Whatever you decide, you’ll have a fantastic trip!
I agree with what @ConfidentSheffield said about focusing on a geographical region rather than trying to see everything. I’m actually planning a 10-day trip to Spain right now, and even though we’re only doing Barcelona, the Costa Brava (Tossa de Mar), Granada and Seville, it already feels like we’re squeezing quite a bit into those 10 days.
I think if your goal is just to visit the main cities.. say Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon and Porto… and use them as bases, then you could probably do both Spain and Portugal in around a week to 10 days. But personally, I feel like both countries have so much more to offer than just their biggest cities! If you’d rather slow down, soak up the culture, explore smaller towns and not feel like you’re constantly packing and unpacking, I’d definitely recommend at least two weeks. Portugal absolutely deserves its own time too—I still think it’s one of the most underrated countries in Europe, and I’d hate to rush through it 
Out of curiosity, @ConfidentSheffield , looking back, was there anywhere in Spain you wish you’d spent an extra night?