Hey y'all! I've been reading the forums for the past week and you've definitely got a cool thing going here. Everyone seems very open, real & helpful :)
Anyway, a bit about me, I'm 26, from Ottawa, Canada. I've been to Brazil, Turkey, Mexico, Belize & Cuba. So far.

I'm hoping to add Portugal & Spain to that list in Sept. My & my gf are leaving on the 14th, though we were able to take only 2 weeks because of our work schedules, but we'll still try to make the most of it.

This post is gonna be long, but here's our rough & tentative itinerary. Please feel free to comment. Everything in there is subject to change and we could really use some suggestions on where to go and what to do.

Sept 14, Montreal:
. Departure @ 4PM

Sept 15-16, Porto:
. Tram #28
. Boat trip on River Douro
. Relax, walk around, enjoy the city
. Maybe overnight train to Cascais?

Sept 17-18, Cascais:
. Beach
. Day trip to Sintra

Sept 19, Lisboa:
. Walk around the city
. Maybe catch a football game

Sept 20-21, Lagos (Tavira? Albufeira?):
. Beach
. Boat tour of the coast, grottos
. Walk around the city

Sept 22, Faro:
. Walk around the city in the afternoon
. Take the overnight bus at midnight to Malaga

Sept 23-24, Malaga:
. Beach
. Visit Alhambra (maybe during the day, maybe at night)
. Walk around the city
. Take the overnight train to Valencia (Barcelona?)

Sept 25-26, Valencia (Barcelona?):
. Beach
. Maybe catch a football game
. Walk around the city
. If in Barcelona, take the overnight train to Madrid

Sept 27, Madrid:
. Walk around the city

Sept 28, Madrid:
. Departure @ 11AM

Welcome to the boards!!!!!!!!!!!! Sounds like you guys will have an awesome time! :)

Sound great

the only question is Malaga, it may just be full of drunk brits. I mean we are not that bad haha. Yeh your right we are, it is a bit of a trailer park trash resort but i have never been only spoken to people that have. I think there are some lovely places to stay just down the coast from there.

hope it is a great trip

Thanks guys!

About Malaga, that's very good to know. I don't think we'd enjoy it that much if it really turns out to be a trashy resort spot. I know we had hated Cancun, even though we only spent two days there.

My gf's actually been to Spain before so we're trying to go to spots she hasn't been to (except for Madrid & maybe Barcelona). She's been to Cadiz and was really praising it. It'd be great if we could find another town near Malaga like that. Any suggestions anyone?

Hey man and WELOCOME TO TRAVELPUNK.COM! GOOD TO HAVE YA :cheers: :thumbup: :cheers: Your trip sounds way cool..... you know youve given us dates we'll expect loads of pics and updates :) :cowboy: have a blast :cheers:

Maybe I was a bit harsh on Malaga looking on the web there are meant to be some things to see, but there will defiantly be many brits, hopefully they may stay on the beach all day though and that is where I guess the resorts are. The only plus point is apparently there has been a big drop in tourism this year so prices will probably be very low.

if you do go let me know what its like

Rozza, I'll definitely post some pics when we're back.

butterj, I've been reading up on Malaga as well and you're right, it doesn't look like it's that bad. They say Marbella & Nerja are resort towns but Malaga seems to have kept it's identity.

I just found out about a really nice and unspoiled town east of Malaga. It's called Almeria. It looks like there are some cool excursions around there like some caves (www.cuevasdesorbas.com), a beautiful castle, and the Cabo de Gata natural park with amazing beaches and coves.

But it's really not as well connected as Malaga, so we might just do that one as a day trip, maybe rent a car.

The big drop in tourism is good news though (for us at least), I hadn't heard about that. Low prices are always good :)

Hey, welcome to the boards! I feel it is my moral duty to comment on your plans as I just returned from 2 months in Spain and Portugal!

I'll give it to you straight up.
1) I would spend more time in Porto and Lisbon. Both are incredible cities.
2) Why are you going to Cascais? Just for beach? If you plan to go to Sintra, which you DEFINITELY should, a closer beach is in Colares, only about 10 minutes from Sintra, as opposed to probably 45 minutes between Cascais and Sintra. Plus the beach in Colares is bigger, nicer, and less crowded, at least when I was there. However, if you are doing beach in Spain, you could probably forgo beach in the Lisbon area altogether (especially if you're going to Lagos) unless you have a burning desire to set foot in the Atlantic. Anyway, Colares and Sintra are easily connected by a bus which runs every hour and takes 10 minutes, and Sintra and Lisbon are connected by a train which runs probably twice an hour and takes 25 minutes to get to the city center. So it would be easy for you to get between these 3 places. I think if I were you I'd position myself in Sintra, instead of Cascais and go to Colares and Lisbon from there. I know there's a hostel in Sintra and several hotels.
3) Lagos is good. Beautiful, but be warned, VERY touristy.....definitely take the boat ride out to the grottos. Here is the place to get drunk and party for very cheap-constantly-if you're into that! Plus all the restaurants have amazing food.
4) Faro I don't know. I didn't go there, but I heard there is not that much to see. I don't know if you have to go there to go into Spain. I went between Lagos and Seville. Seville is wonderful but I assume you may not be going there because your gf has probably already been. If not, I'd go there....
5) I would not go to Malaga at all. The beach is not very nice, especially after you've been to Lagos. There is absolutely nothing to see there. Don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike it, but with only two weeks it is definitely a place to pass up.
Plus, you are mistaken about the Alhambra....it is in Granada, not Malaga. Definitely nothing to see in Malaga. I was there 24 hours only to meet up with a friend and it was more than enough. Granada is only 1 1/2 hours by bus away from Malaga so you should go there. It was one of my favorite places in Spain. The Alhambra is AMAZING and so is the city-Moorish, European and Spanish all at the same time. Plus it is one of the few cities in Spain where the tapas are free with drinks! So I would go there if I were you.
6) I had mixed feelings about Valencia. Basically, there is not much to see there either. I mean, there is and there isn't. It is a nice city. I didn't go to the beach there so I can't comment. But I was there for 36 hours and ready to move on. A day there would be enough; even less if you don't want to go to the beach.
7) Madrid and Barcelona good. I mean, you could spend weeks there; tons to see of course.

Anyway, of course, I don't know what you and your girlfriend exactly want to do; maybe you want to relax on the beach most of the time or see sites most of the time. These are just my suggestions based on my recent experience! If I can be of more help, let me know. If not, have a wonderful trip! I want to go back!!!!!!!!!!

Love,
Lauren

Wow! That's just EXCELLENT feedback Lauren! :thumbup: :worship:
I'll definitely be hitting you up for more info. It's exactly the sort of stuff I was hoping to get out of these forums.

Some info on what we like to do. We do like sightseeing but we're not that much into monuments unless they're really special, we'd rather spend our time walking around a city with character and mingle with the locals. We definitely like to party & dance, and we love the beach.

So in response to your comments:
1) I'll try to allocate more time for Porto & Lisbon for sure.

2) I had picked Cascais just because I had read it was a really nice beach. I figured after spending 2 days in Porto, it would be time to hit the beach somewhere, and since we were going to Lisbon, that we should go there. But given your feedback, we'll skip it. I know you mentioned staying in Sintra and moving around from there but would it be better if we stayed in Lisbon and went to Sintra during the day, if we forgo the beaches around Lisbon?

3) We'll probably go to Lagos then. Would you recommend any other spots along that coast?

4) We were going to Faro 'cuz that was the only overnight bus we could find, and for long rides, we'd like to do that as much as possible, given that we only have two weeks. We weren't actually planning on staying there. But now we might take a morning bus from Lagos to go to Seville, it arrives at 1PM which isn't too bad. We could party at night and sleep on the bus in the morning. :) You were correct to assume that my gf's been to Seville btw. But she's been to Barcelona and Madrid too, yet still can't wait to go back to Barcelona so I'm sure she wouldn't mind a quick stop at Seville either.

5) I knew that Alhambra was in Granada, I was planning that as a day trip from Malaga. My gf's actually been there too, but during the day only, so I'm thinking the visit at night should be a good change. You also solved another problem when you suggested we go to Granada though. I wanted to go visit Almeria but it didn't seem to be well connected with Malaga. If we go from Granada instead, there's tons of trains we could take. Have you been to Almeria? I mentioned the stuff I found on a previous post: caves, castle, Cabo de Gata. Anything on those?

6) We were talking earlier tonight about Valencia, and we had switched that to Barcelona already. Which seems to be your suggestion as well.

Again, thank you so much Lauren :) , I'll discuss this stuff over with my gf and run it again by you once we set a new course.

Oh, and I wish we had the two months that you had. Do you have your pics anywhere?

peace.nev

Lauren (or U2FAN) which ever you prefer, you're an absolute star!!

I'm not forgetting your name (which may annoy you) as I would love some advice like that once my trip to Europe draws closer. If you aren't aware, I plan to travel to Europe for approximately 6 months next July. Have planned absolutely nothing and have never been overseas. (I'm an Aussie) so I live quite far from all you guys, but I can't wait to get up and party with your lot.

Anyways, speak with you all soon,

Michael

PS: I've been chatting with a few guys and gals from this site on MSN, and so far everyone's been really cool. Touch wood, that continues, hehe, so if anyone wants to chat on MSN just let me know your MSN email and we can get chatting. By the way mine is mickdina@hotmail.com

Take care and all the breast,

Michael (I'm sure I said goodbye earlier)

B)

Hey guys, only have a second because I'm in between classes. I will post a more thorough response later and when the new potential itinerary is up! Anyway, that's not a bad idea about MSN. I am laurenlantz@hotmail.com on there if you want to ask any questions and see me online. TTY soon!

Love,
Lauren

PS Aussie guy, before my trip I had only met maybe three Australians in my life; but during my trip I met and hung out with loads of Australians and am still keeping up with most of them....some of the coolest people ever and now I am so much more laid back! My craziest moments during the trip were with Australians! Good influence! :)

Welcome to the family TBlondi!!!!
sounds like you have been to some great places so far!!! And this trip coming up will be a lot of fun!!!
Listen to Lauren she spent a lot of time in Spain and Portugal!!!

Aussie guy :lol: just ask Lauren about the aussie men she found in Spain!!! :lol:
some very interesting stories!!!
Sorry Lauren ;)

Thanks for the welcome Tecia, I'm sure the trip will be great!

Lauren, here's a new itinerary. We're taking out Barcelona and staying a little longer on Costa Tropical & Costa Almería:

Sept 15-16, Porto:
. Tram #28
. Boat trip on River Douro

Sept 17-19, Lisboa:
. Day trip to Sintra & Colares beach
. Maybe catch a football game (Sporting 19th)

Sept 20-21, Lagos:
. Beach
. Boat tour of the coast, grottos

Lagos to Faro, Faro-Malaga overnight and go to Granada from there.
OR
Lagos to Seville in the morning. Then move on to Malaga from there. But we pretty much lose a day with this one.

Sept 22-25, Granada/Almeria/Salobreña:
. Visit Alhambra at night
. Almeria:
.. Caves, www.cuevasdesorbas.com
.. Alcazaba
.. Parque Natural de Gata y Nijar, www.cabodegata-nijar.com/
. Salobreña:
.. White village
.. Moorish castle
.. Beach

Sept 26-27, Madrid:
. Day trip to Toledo
. Maybe catch a football game (Atletico 26th)

This is again tentative of course. If we really like a spot, we might stay longer and forgo something else.
Also, we'll probably just stay at Salobreña and visit around Almeria by renting a car. Salobreña looked beautiful, and so did Cabo de Gata. Any feedback on these spots?

Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions :)

peace.nev

Hey there! Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you on this! I think your new plan sounds really good. I didn't go to Almeria or Solobrena and didn't hear anything about them, so I can't comment. I would recommend renting a car since you are thinking about that. I couldn't do that, and I think I missed out somewhat. I met people who had rented a car at various points of their trip, and had gotten off the beaten path and stopped at some neat little villages. So you could definitely be more flexible that way. And what else....the bus between Lagos and Seville leaves at 7:30 am and maybe 4 pm....so you could take the later bus and get to Seville at around 10 pm and maybe get a bus to Malaga from there. Otherwise, yeah, it would kill the whole day. Sorry I can't help with Almeria and Solobrena but let me know if you want any other advice!

Hey, welcome to the boards! You said you've visited Belize...I'm moving there soon, tell me your experience of the place.

Welcome to the boards, hope you read this post before you head off to Europe.

First of all, if you're more interested in town ambience and people than sights and stuff, I'd recommend the town of Salema in Potugal. It's a half hour by bus from Lagos and is a tiny little fishing village where they still run out the row boat type boats every morning to bring in the daily catch. Very laid back, nothing to see. If you like that sort of thing, there you go.

Second, I'd like to put emphasis on this one, your trip around the Malaga area would be much improved if you went to the town that you mentioned called Nerja. I stayed in Nerja for 4 nights and it is an awesome town. There is nothing to do there but relax on the beach and hang out on the main square. There are tourists, but they're all European. Somehow, to me, that makes a big difference because European tourists tend to blend into the mix than Americans, Canadians, or Aussies. I absolutely loved this city. It's beautiful, reeeeeeally cheap, and close to both Malaga and Granada. It's about a 2 or 2.5 hour bus ride to Granada (costs 15euro), and a 70min ride to Malaga.
I stayed in a double room that was 1/2 block from main square, 50meters from the beach, had a full bath with shower for 30euro per night for 2 people.

Obviously, I'd highly recommend this city as the main square is tourist oriented in terms of shops and restaurants but you can escape the bustle by going 100 meters from the the beach in any direction.

If you or anyone have any more questions about Europe and where to go and where not to and why, let me know, I'm here to help.

Hasta luego,
Jason

Belize is a great place to visit. There are tons of things to do for an active vacation, like caving, canoeing, hiking, diving, etc. I would really like to go back for the things I didn't have time to do.

But the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Belize is how poor it was. And yet, nothing was that cheap really. Public transportation was pretty bad (though I've seen worse), and our accommodations usually sucked ass.
In general things weren't well organized, you have to be very relaxed and just go with the flow.

The people were great though, which is a big positive :)

Thanks Lauren, it does seem like renting a car is the way to go around the coast. As for the bus, we'll probably end up doing the overnight one but we'll see when we get there.

Jason, thanks a lot for the info!

From your description, Nerja sounds like a great spot. Since you put that much emphasis on it, we'll definitely go and stay there instead of Salobrena. We can see Salobrena on our way to Almeria & Cabo de Gata.

What was the name of the place you stayed in Nerja?

Hotel Medi or Meli, or something like that. Look at a Rick Steves Guidebook on Spain and Portugal for the name and number. I'm sorry that I don't have it but I gave it to someone.

If you live in America, you can just go to any bookstore and copy the number and name from the book in the bookstore without having to buy it. Good luck.

Jason