ok this is it - we have 50 days. we originally planned to include
morocco but 50days just doesn't seem enough for Portugal and spain,
let alone Morocco!!!

we arrive in Mallorca 22 April 2003 and leave from Girona (barcelona)
june 12.

please bear in mind this is just a rough idea , please feel free to
advise what you think is best.

mallorca maybe 4/5days
alicante - elche 2 days
murcia 1 day
almeria - cabo de gato 3days
granada 2 days
malaga 2 days
gibraltar 1 day
seville 2 days
cordoba 2 days

then into portugal

tavira 2days
faro 1 day
lagos - sagres 2 days
evora 1 day
lisbon 3 days
sintra 2 day
leiria/batalha 1 day
tomar/alcobaco 1 day
coimbra 2 days

then east into spain again (i figure its not worth going to porto - or
is it)? _

madrid 4 days
toledo 2 days
zaragoza 1 day
tarragona 3 days
barcelona 4 days
girona. 1 day

the end

so what do you think ?
please let me know

"SNW" wrote

    > please bear in mind this is just a rough idea , please feel free to
    > advise what you think is best.
    > mallorca maybe 4/5days
    > alicante - elche 2 days
    > murcia 1 day
    > almeria - cabo de gato 3days
    > granada 2 days
    > malaga 2 days
    > gibraltar 1 day
    > seville 2 days
    > cordoba 2 days
    > then into portugal
    > tavira 2days
    > faro 1 day
    > lagos - sagres 2 days
    > evora 1 day
    > lisbon 3 days
    > sintra 2 day
    > leiria/batalha 1 day
    > tomar/alcobaco 1 day
    > coimbra 2 days
    > then east into spain again (i figure its not worth going to porto - or
    > is it)? _
    > madrid 4 days
    > toledo 2 days
    > zaragoza 1 day
    > tarragona 3 days
    > barcelona 4 days
    > girona. 1 day
    > the end
    > so what do you think ?
    > please let me know

Wow, have a ball.

I think that for 50s days of travel I would not want quite so many 1- and
2-night stands.

At least I would think about pacing.

After a two weeks of stop & go, for instance, I'd like to plan a good 4 or 5
days in the same place.

After a bout of cities I'd like to plan a few days on the beach or in the
mountains or in a small town.

I might anchor my itinerary with a week-long rental somewhere along the
route.

And I'd spend more that two days in Granada.

As another poster said, that's a lot of short stops. Depending on how you're
travelling you'll get pretty weary of packing and unpacking.

OTOH I like Porto. It depends a little on whether you like Port I guess. But
the city is nice, and for me a stroll round Vila Nova de Gaia (The opposite
side of the river where all the major port names are based) was great.

Also the drive up the Douro valley to Lamego was well worth the effort, and
we stayed in a lovely hotel in Lamego right next to the cathedral and at the
top of an outrageous tiled staircase.

Depends what you like doing. Your original post doesn't really give too much
away.

Rob

"SNW" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > ok this is it - we have 50 days. we originally planned to include
    > morocco but 50days just doesn't seem enough for Portugal and spain,
    > let alone Morocco!!!
    > we arrive in Mallorca 22 April 2003 and leave from Girona (barcelona)
    > june 12.
    > please bear in mind this is just a rough idea , please feel free to
    > advise what you think is best.
    > mallorca maybe 4/5days
    > alicante - elche 2 days
    > murcia 1 day
    > almeria - cabo de gato 3days
    > granada 2 days
    > malaga 2 days
    > gibraltar 1 day
    > seville 2 days
    > cordoba 2 days
    > then into portugal
    > tavira 2days
    > faro 1 day
    > lagos - sagres 2 days
    > evora 1 day
    > lisbon 3 days
    > sintra 2 day
    > leiria/batalha 1 day
    > tomar/alcobaco 1 day
    > coimbra 2 days
    > then east into spain again (i figure its not worth going to porto - or
    > is it)? _
    > madrid 4 days
    > toledo 2 days
    > zaragoza 1 day
    > tarragona 3 days
    > barcelona 4 days
    > girona. 1 day
    > the end
    > so what do you think ?
    > please let me know

[email protected] (SNW) wrote in message news:...

I think you're making a mistake in skipping Porto, especially with as
much time as you have. Lisbon and Sintra are both great, but Porto
gives you a taste of yet another aspect of that wonderful country.....

[email protected] (Terryo) wrote in message news:...
    > [email protected] (SNW) wrote in message news:...
    >
    > I think you're making a mistake in skipping Porto, especially with as
    > much time as you have. Lisbon and Sintra are both great, but Porto
    > gives you a taste of yet another aspect of that wonderful country.....

What happened to Barcelona? (Sitges is 40 min south and has a great
beach) Gotta spend at least 2-3 days here. I'd give Madrid only 2
days, it's just a big city and one night on the town is fine. Take a
day/2day trip to Toledo it's amazing. I'd skip Alicante (I was there
May last year) and it's too English. Beaches are better down south
Marbella and south. Spend more time in Andalucia around Seville,
Granada and Cordoba. Ronda is great for typical white houses with red
roofs. I'm hoping to see Salamanca some day, it's a UNESCO site.

The best thing about your 50 days is 50 days, go where the wind takes
you. May is the best time to go, before the tourist season, the
weather is great. Buy the Rough Guide, by far the best of the
guidebooks.

Spain is the most beautiful and enjoyable place in the world, you'll
love it.

Que te vayas bien,

"SNW" escribió en el mensaje
news:[email protected]...
    > so what do you think ?
    > please let me know

About the Spanish part of your trip, I think it's pretty good. The stay you
plan in every place is more or less the standard to visit them. If I had to
skip any of the legs, it'd be Alicante-Elche. You can set your base those
days in Murcia and Alicante-Elche are just 45 minutes driving away. In
Alicante the only interesting thing is the MARQ (Archaeological museum), and
in Elche the palms forest (Huerto del Cura). Both places can be visited in a
one relaxed day excursion from Murcia.

Said that, I agree with a previous poster that the whole plan can be a bit
tiring because you are going to pack your things almost everyday. But that's
your choice and maybe you can easily bear it.

[email protected] ([email protected]) wrote in message news:...
    > [email protected] (Terryo) wrote in message news:...
    > > [email protected] (SNW) wrote in message news:...
    > >
    > > I think you're making a mistake in skipping Porto, especially with as
    > > much time as you have. Lisbon and Sintra are both great, but Porto
    > > gives you a taste of yet another aspect of that wonderful country.....
    >
    > What happened to Barcelona? (Sitges is 40 min south and has a great
    > beach) Gotta spend at least 2-3 days here. I'd give Madrid only 2
    > days, it's just a big city and one night on the town is fine. Take a
    > day/2day trip to Toledo it's amazing. I'd skip Alicante (I was there
    > May last year) and it's too English. Beaches are better down south
    > Marbella and south. Spend more time in Andalucia around Seville,
    > Granada and Cordoba. Ronda is great for typical white houses with red
    > roofs. I'm hoping to see Salamanca some day, it's a UNESCO site.
    >


I'd skip Alicante and Murcia too. Not that they are not interesting at
all, but there are more interesting places in your itinerary where I
would stay longer. Also, take into account that you'll need to relax
(and wash your clothes) from time to time, so maybe it's a good idea
to eliminate some of your one day stays and extend some of your two
day stays to three days and rest a little.

Spend more time in Granada and Cordoba, and I would recommend visiting
Cadiz (maybe instead of Malaga ?) When you go back from Portugal to
Spain you definitively have to stop at Salamanca. And in Madrid,
you'll probably have enough with two days to see the city, then I'd
rather do daytrips to Toledo and Segovia, spending the night in
Madrid.


    > The best thing about your 50 days is 50 days, go where the wind takes
    > you. May is the best time to go, before the tourist season, the
    > weather is great. Buy the Rough Guide, by far the best of the
    > guidebooks.
    >
    > Spain is the most beautiful and enjoyable place in the world, you'll
    > love it.
    >


Are you Spanish too ?


    > Que te vayas bien,

Y bienvenido

Alejandro.

Hi,

On 13 Mar 2003 11:32:56 -0800, [email protected] (SNW) wrote:

    >ok this is it - we have 50 days. we originally planned to include
    >morocco but 50days just doesn't seem enough for Portugal and spain,
    >let alone Morocco!!!

50 days is enough to do your planning, in my opinion.

    >we arrive in Mallorca 22 April 2003 and leave from Girona (barcelona)
    >june 12.

Girona is not in Barcelona, close from it.

    >please bear in mind this is just a rough idea , please feel free to
    >advise what you think is best.
    >mallorca maybe 4/5days

Boats from Barcelona.

    >alicante - elche 2 days
    >murcia 1 day

If you come from Alicante (north of Murcia), and you continue to Cabo
de Gata, maybe it is more direct, and interesting, to continue from
the coast. The Mar Menor coast could be interesting.

    >almeria - cabo de gato 3days

Almeria, the city, has not a lot of things to visit, Cabo de Gata is
great.

    >granada 2 days
    >malaga 2 days

Ummm.... maybe it is more interesting to go to Malaga first and after
to Granada... anyway I am not sure... try http://www.viamichelin.com
for distance calculation

    >gibraltar 1 day

Enough

    >seville 2 days
    >cordoba 2 days

Cordoba first, Sevilla after?

    >then east into spain again (i figure its not worth going to porto - or
    >is it)? _

I have not being there, but I have it like an interesting place to
visit.

    >madrid 4 days
    >toledo 2 days

Toledo, about 60-70 km south from Madrid can be a day-trip. Consider
another places to visit around Madrid.

Regards,

Aitor
http://w3.to/travellers