r/Europetravel • u/JasmineDragon22 • 12h ago
Itineraries Spain and Portugal trip: Barcelona - Porto 5 cities, 2 weeks
Hi, planning a trip to Spain/portugal this summer for me and my husband (34 y/o). We are thinking Barcelona 4 days > train to Seville 2 days > train to Lagos 4 days > train to Lisbon 3 days (Sinatra day trip) > train to Porto 3 days (Douro valley day trip). We mostly care about eating and wandering, not big on seeing the sights. Would this be too rushed?
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u/ThaddeusGriffin_ Based PT enjoyer 9h ago
Why do you want to go to Lagos? I’ve been there three times - it’s perfectly nice but there’s places just as good if not better in Spain.
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u/TrampAbroad2000 12h ago
Well you'd have to build some train tracks from Huelva to Lagos first. 😄
That's mostly a mad pace. For such a short trip, trying to jam in both Spain and Portugal is the most common mistake.
Also, look up the weather in Sevilla before you decide to do this. High will be 37C today, and it's only the beginning of June.
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u/JasmineDragon22 12h ago
Would you recommend just flying Barcelona to faros instead of stopping in Seville?
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u/Attention_WhoreH3 12h ago
I would take the coastal train and visit Valencia if possible
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u/scottarichards 11h ago
This is sound advice. Valencia is great city to visit and wonderful alternative to the over touristed Barcelona.
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u/Attention_WhoreH3 7h ago
it is absolutely mad that someone downvoted this.
I used to work in Spain and have taken trains through much of the same places OP discussed.
I genuinely think it a pity that OP is skipping such cool stuff. Granada would also be awesome, and perhaps more doable than Sevilla
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u/OllieV_nl European 12h ago
You're running into the age old problem that every Iberian city tourer gets: Spain has great intercity trains. Portugal has decent intercity trains. They are completely unconnected networks. Even if you take the partially high speed train from Madrid to Badajoz, all you get into Portugal is a single track and there's not even a direct connection to Lisbon from there. For most travel options between the two, you'll lose the better part of a day.
At least you're doing it in the right order, as the time zone change gives you an extra hour of day.
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u/lucapal1 European 12h ago
Too rushed for me...5 different bases plus two day trips.
You haven't accounted for transit time at all You would spend half the trip going from one place to another, rather than seeing and doing interesting things.
Personally with two full weeks, I'd focus on 3, maximum 4 destinations.
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u/_YOUR_INSIDE_BEAST_ 10h ago
Not too rushed, but for a food-and-wandering trip I'd honestly skip Lagos and add those days to Seville or Lisbon. Fewer hotel changes, less travel time, and more time to actually enjoy each city.
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u/_YOUR_INSIDE_BEAST_ 10h ago
For a food-and-wandering trip, 5 cities in 2 weeks is right on the edge of feeling rushed. I'd either drop Lagos or shave a day from Barcelona and add it to Lisbon. The biggest downside isn't the sightseeing—it's packing, checking out, and travel days eating into your time. Otherwise, it's a solid route.
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u/Green_Poet_5510 4m ago
Definitely skip Lagos. Add a day to Lisbon and Sevilla. You can day trip to Ronda or Cordoba from Sevilla.
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u/Sad_Refuse3472 11h ago
That is a lot. It is 6 hours by train from Barcelona to Seville. 5 hours by bus from Seville to Lagos. 4ish hours from Lagos to Lisbon. 40ish minutes each way for the Sintra day trip. 3 hours from Lisbon to Porto. 2ish hours each way from Porto to Douro valley.
That is 24 hours of travel time. Not including your flights to and from home.
Personally I would find that exhausting in a compressed amount of time. But that is a judgement call you and your spouse will need to make for yourselves.