Here is the itinerary from when my husband and I traveled to Spain for vacation (after spending 7 days in Portugal). 14 days of vacation was definitely too much for me lol. I planned the trip on my own and we figured things out along the way. I included everything I could remember.
Pro-Tips
Our Airbnb's and hotels were willing to keep our bags after check out which was super convenient and helps you save money while still exploring the city. There are also plenty of luggage lockers all over the cities.
Pack Light: there are plenty of hills and stairs and light bags are much easier with public transportation
We visited at the beginning of October so there were some cooler nights in some cities, but it wasn't busy season which was nice
A comfortable pair of sneakers is a non-negotiable, you will definitely be walking
I've found that if you want to take public transportation in a new city, you have to plan to make mistakes, build in additional time for it, and just accept it in advance. At first I used to get super frustrated, but I'm glad my husband is more patient than me and it's empowering and exciting when you do finally figure it out because you are free to travel anywhere without considering traffic or distance.
Find a travel budget template and estimate how much transportation, shopping, entertainment, restaurants, and souvenirs will cost so you know how much to save up for the trip- DM me on IG @ktorr1 if you would like mine
Bring cash in case of emergencies, some places don't accept certain credit cards
Free walking tours are a great way to find out about unique places and restaurants that only the locals know about
Remember that the more cities you choose to visit, the more you have to unpack and repack at each location. I find it worth it unless you plan on visiting a certain country several times to experience various cities.
Day 1: Tuesday (Malaga)
I decided to go to this city because we had a few options of things we could do: ferry to Morocco, the Caminito Del Rey Hike, or visit the Rock of Gibraltar. If we had concrete plans earlier, we maybe could have stayed closer to Gibraltar and Caminito Del Rey, but I still really enjoyed the trip despite the 1hr+ bus rides for activities.
✈️Landed at 2:40pm: Tap Air Flight from Lisbon, Portugal (1.5 hours) $100/pp?
Stay: Airbnb near Museo Casa Natal Picasso
🍽️Lunch: Picasso Bar Tapas
I think this was a tourist trap😔, wouldn't recommend. The food wasn't seasoned in my opinion
Walked to the top of the Alcazaba fortress
Evening visit to Malagueta Beach
🍽️Dinner: Lorenzo (Italian restaurant)
our server didn't speak English, but the pasta was great
5/5⭐, would recommend and would definitely go back
Day 2: Wednesday (Malaga)
El Caminito Del Rey! This hike was one of the highlights of our vacation
We booked a tour through Viator that included a bus pickup from/to Malaga and skipping the line upon arrival. Alternatively, you can purchase tickets to the hike on your own and find your own travel there, but I would recommend doing it with a tour company if it's in your budget. Pack snacks and water because you won't be able to buy anything to eat until the end of the hike.
The bus ride from Malaga is 2 hours (bring a book or something to do for the ride because traffic is likely) and the hike is about 3 hours
$60/pp (bus trip & tour guide) - make sure to buy tickets in advance because they sell out
🍽️Dinner: Radici Osteria Italiana
this place felt like home and the food was so good, I'd be a regular if I lived in Malaga
Day 3: Thursday (Malaga/Gibraltar)
Rock of Gibraltar (1.5hr bus ride) - you have to cross the border because this is British owned territory
Getting to Gibraltar was not as easy as other travel. We were confused about where the Avanza bus picked up, where to go after the bus dropped us off, etc. but there are TikTok's/YouTube videos that give instructions with videos and my husband figured it out. Definitely recommend praying before embarking on this trip alone hahaha 😂
We took the cable car to the top, and then bought the all-inclusive "Nature Reserve" tickets that lets you see everything on the rock.
St Michael's Cave
Something about entering a cave inside of a massive rock doesn't sit right with my soul, but I still did it.
Great Siege Tunnels
You can walk through the tunnels that were created during the wars - again, something about walking through tunnels inside of a large rock is crazy
Ape's Den
there are apes (macaques) wandering freely on the rock
We walked down the rock rather than taking the cable car again
There were a lot of great views and a lot of walking, but I enjoyed the day trip
Day 4: Friday (Madrid)
Madrid was giving NYC and because I'm from NJ (meaning NYC is not a big deal to me), I was not a fan of this city. A lot of people and a lot of places to shop.
🍽️Breakfast: Brunch It Coffee & Kitchen
it was giving touristy and I enjoyed it
🚆11am Train to Madrid - 3 hours ($70/pp)
(we bought tickets through Omio, I think it would have been cheaper if we bought them earlier)
Stay: Airbnb in Chueca neighborhood
this was our only Airbnb that I did not like- outdated but spacious
Walked around the Gran Via area with a lot of shops
🍽️Lunch: Pizzeria Vesuvio🍕
Walked around the Plaza de Espana area
El Retiro Park
this was a nice area, the line was too long for us to do row boats in the pond
Day 5: Saturday (Madrid)
Mimi's Creperia
Visited El Oso y el Madrono sculpture which represents the city of Madrid
11am Walking tour using Airbnb Experiences
This was one of the most enjoyable parts of Madrid
Flamenco dance class
Our instructor didn't speak English and this was super fun, would recommend, but I'm biased cause I love to dance
🍽️Dinner: Villa Capri (rated 4.7⭐ on Google Maps,19K reviews)
service wasn't great, portions were too small for me, but the vibes and food was great
get the cheesecake for dessert!
😋Late Night Snack: Churreria Chocolateria
they have several of these locations around Madrid where you can dip churros into hot chocolate
Day 6: Sunday (Barcelona)
🚆8:25AM Train to Barcelona- 2.5 hours ($75/pp)
(we bought tickets through Omio, I think it would have been cheaper if we bought them earlier)
Stay: Cuatro Naciones Hotel (our only hotel stay for the trip)
La Rambla Walk
🍽️Lunch: Canton Food 2
Chinese food in Barcelona? Absolutely.
Banksy Museum
Free walking tour
Montjuic Castle
🍽️Dinner: Lascar 74
If you like seafood I would say this is a must-visit food spot
Day 7: Sunday (Barcelona)
9am La Sagrada Familia
We didn't get tickets in advance, but they open a few tickets every morning so go online first thing in the morning of the day you want to visit and buy the tickets ASAP. The amount of detail is unbelievable
Arc de Triomf
Ciutadella Park
beautiful park with a pond and row boats
Parc Guell was sold out so we didn't get to see this 😔
Barceloneta Beach to end our trip
✈️8:40pm flight to Porto - 2 hours ($75/pp)
stayed at a Porto airport hotel before our early flight back to Atlanta the next day
FIN.
Final Reflection
Excluding the international flight, our total budget for lodging/transportation/ shopping/ restaurants was $2,000/pp for Spain and it was definitely more expensive than Portugal
Spain's public transportation was much easier to figure out than Portugal's
If I had to do this trip again, I would only go to Malaga and Barcelona and spend more time in Barcelona. I've been to plenty of cities like Madrid and I don't feel like I would have missed out on anything.
Overall, Barcelona and Lisbon were my favorite cities in Portugal and Spain. They are both cities that I feel like I could live in.
If I had to choose 1 country to recommend to the general population for vacation, I would say Spain, but both have their unique features and it really depends on what you prefer. Personally, I would go back to Portugal first, but I know that my preferences are not the same as everyone's.
I have highlights of both trips on my IG that has more pictures & videos
Thanks for reading & comment if you have any questions! :)
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