Tell me about Spain and Portugal

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by fleury

Thanks everyone! I don't think I'll have time to go up North to San Sebastian, but I'll look into going to Seville, and maybe Lagos too. I don't want to continuously be moving, as it is a bit of R&R, sightseeing and party, but all in all I think I want a good balance. More time on the road takes away from enjoying it. As for AirBNB, I don't think I'll go that route as it makes it harder to meet others around. I'm a bit weary of this solo travel (though I did central Europe and Thailand solo), as the pickpocket thing seems rampant, but I think I'll just be extra vigilant. From the sounds of it, safety wasn't a concern for anyone?

Thanks again everyone for the advice. Alright, so there's so much advice on here that I've got analysis paralysis, and think I chose too many destination cities to check out (thus wearing myself thin). I'm leaning to delete Madrid. What I'm looking for is:
a) friendly people to meet
b) cool things to see in the day, fun also at night
c) accessible by bus/train and not too remote.

Having said this, I'm going to need help deciding my trip:

Barcelona (4 days) to
Valencia (5 days) to
Granada OR Saville (4 days) to
Lagos (4 days) to
Lisbon (3 days)

So I ask that you help me choose Granada or Saville, and if I should really spend much time in Lagos (and if I shouldn't, where should I allot the days?). Lisbon I have to depart back to Canada from so I need it in there, but two days is fine.

[Fuzz]

Granada or Seville? Tough call. Granada is a bit harder to get to, I assume you would fly? The airport is a long ways out from Granada. But the Alhambra is pretty exceptional. Given your timing, I'd first check online and see if tickets are available. They sell out. We checked about 2 months ahead for the end of September and there wasn't a lot available. If you can't get tickets, I'd definitely say Seville. Granada is a cool town, but I think you would have more to do in Seville.

Do you want to sit on a beach? Lagos has nice beaches, and really cool areas around. You can rent a car and drive out to the west coast for some really amazing spots. You won't be able to rent a car and drive from Seville to Lagos. But like I said, you can take the bus. If you go to Granada, it will be trickier to get to Lagos. Depends how much money is an object.

Funny sidenote, when you type Granada into google, to first suggestion is "sevilla vs granada"

[burn_this_city]

Both are must see imo. You only need two days in each. I drove between them all in a couple hours.

[DirtyMike]

I spent four months on exchange on Barcelona this past fall, and loved it. Agreed that 4 days is enough if you're trying to hit a few other places on your trip. Feel free to PM me if you'd like any more info, but I would recommend staying in the Born or Gothic Quarter.

As for sights to see, one of my favourites was Mount Tibidabo and Park Guell (you need tickets 1 or 2 days in advance). I'd skip Montserrat, it's nice but also a mountain and we have plenty in Canada.

The picket pocket thing was a little overblown, as the previous poster mentioned keep your wallet in your front pocket and youll be fine. I was robbed while I was there though (not pick pocketing), so I'd recommend not walking alone between 3am and 5am on quieter streets or near the beach.