Spring
Our favorite time for cities and Andalusia. Orange blossoms scent Seville, Holy Week brings candlelit processions, and the April Fair follows soon after. Hotels in Seville fill early for both, so we plan well ahead.
Spain & Portugal
Gaudí and flamenco, tapas bars and port lodges, Moorish palaces and Atlantic light. Two neighbors with very different personalities, and both easy to love.
By the Global Escapes travel team · Updated
- Best time to go
- April to June, September to October
- Trip length
- 10 to 14 days
- From Atlanta
- About 8 hours nonstop to Madrid or Barcelona
- Time difference
- Spain 6 hours ahead of Atlanta, Portugal 5
- Entry
- U.S. passport, no visa for stays up to 90 days
- Currency
- Euro in both. You’ll need a plug adapter
Why Spain and Portugal belong together
Long lunches, late dinners, warm people and some of the best food and wine in Europe, all a single overnight flight from Atlanta.
A favorite first trip starts in Barcelona, rides the high-speed train to Madrid, then carries on south to Seville and the white villages of Andalusia before crossing into Portugal for Lisbon and Porto. Spain’s fast trains make the long distances easy, and in Portugal a private driver opens up the wine country and the coast.
Come back and there’s more: pintxos bars in San Sebastián, the Alhambra in Granada, a slow week on Mallorca, a quinta stay in the Douro Valley or sunny cliffs in the Algarve.
Getting around
- Barcelona to MadridAbout 2.5 hours by high-speed train
- Madrid to SevilleAbout 2.5 hours by high-speed train
- Seville to LisbonAbout 5 hours by car, or a 1-hour flight
- Lisbon to PortoAbout 3 hours by train
- Porto to the Douro ValleyAbout 1.5 to 2 hours by car
- Barcelona to MallorcaUnder an hour by air
When to go
Spring and fall are the sweet spots, with warm days, comfortable sightseeing and the best of the food calendar. Summer belongs to the coast and the islands.
- JanCool, quiet cities
- FebAlmond blossoms, Carnival
- MarSpring arrives in the south
- AprHoly Week, Seville’s April Fair
- MayIdeal weather, Córdoba’s patios
- JunLong days, beaches warm up
- JulCoast at its liveliest, hot inland
- AugEurope’s vacation month
- SepWarm sea, harvest begins
- OctHarvest, mild days
- NovQuieter, rain returns
- DecHoliday lights, mild south
Peak season Shoulder season Low season
Average temperatures and rainfall
Jan1.3″
Feb1.3″
Mar1.4″
Apr1.8″
May1.9″
Jun0.8″
Jul0.4″
Aug0.4″
Sep0.9″
Oct2.5″
Nov2.0″
Dec1.7″
Jan3.9″
Feb3.3″
Mar2.1″
Apr2.7″
May2.1″
Jun0.6″
Jul0.2″
Aug0.2″
Sep1.3″
Oct4.0″
Nov5.0″
Dec5.0″
Average daily high and low in °F, with average monthly rainfall in inches.
Summer
Beach and island season. Mallorca, the Algarve and San Sebastián are at their liveliest, and Lisbon and Porto stay pleasant thanks to the Atlantic. Inland, Seville and Córdoba get very hot, so we keep sightseeing to mornings and evenings.
Fall
Warm seas, softer light and harvest time. The grape harvest in the Douro and Rioja runs from about mid-September into October, and city days are comfortable again. Rain starts to return to Lisbon and Porto by late October.
Winter
Quiet and good value. Madrid is crisp and sunny, Seville and the Algarve stay mild, and museums and tapas bars are easy to enjoy without the crowds. Lisbon and Porto see their rainiest months now.
Where to go
The places our travelers love most, and what each one does best.
Barcelona
Gaudí’s Sagrada Família and Park Güell, the Gothic Quarter, the market at La Boqueria and a city beach at the end of the day. Give it three nights at least.
Best for Architecture, food, first impressions
Madrid
The Prado, the Royal Palace and grand plazas, with Toledo and Segovia as easy day trips. Madrid eats late and stays out later, and the tapas crawl is half the fun.
Best for Art, nightlife, day trips
Seville & Andalusia
Flamenco, orange trees and the Real Alcázar in Seville, the Mezquita in Córdoba and the Alhambra in Granada, linked by white hill towns and olive groves.
Best for History, flamenco, spring
San Sebastián & the Basque Country
A crescent of golden beach, pintxos bars on every corner and a remarkable concentration of acclaimed restaurants. Bilbao’s Guggenheim is an easy drive away.
Best for Food lovers, summer, second-timers
Mallorca
Hidden coves, mountain villages in the Serra de Tramuntana and Palma’s cathedral on the water. Lovely for a slow few days at the end of a busy trip.
Best for Beaches, couples, families
Lisbon
Seven hills, pastel tiles, vintage trams and custard tarts warm from the oven. Sintra’s palaces and the Cascais coast are a short drive away.
Best for Charm, views, easy day trips
Porto & the Douro Valley
Port lodges across the river in Vila Nova de Gaia, then terraced vineyards and quinta stays in the valley upstream. Porto is also the starting point for Douro river cruises.
Best for Wine, river cruises, harvest season
The Algarve
Golden cliffs, sea caves and calm coves along Portugal’s southern coast, with superb golf and resorts that work beautifully for families.
Best for Beaches, golf, families
A closer look
The Douro Valley
Upriver from Porto, the Douro winds through hillsides terraced by hand over centuries. It’s one of the oldest demarcated wine regions in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it’s where port and some of Portugal’s best table wines are born.
Stay two or three nights at a quinta, a family wine estate with rooms, near Pinhão. Days are for tastings, a lunch overlooking the vines and a short boat trip on the river. The scenic train from Porto follows the river for much of the way, or a driver gets you there in under two hours.
Harvest runs from about mid-September into early October, the liveliest and most popular time to go; late spring is greener and quieter. If you’d rather unpack once, Uniworld sails the Douro from Porto, often with a day trip into Spain to Salamanca.
Good to know
The small things that make a big difference once you land.
Eat on local time
In Spain, lunch runs from about 2 to 4 and dinner rarely starts before 9. Portugal eats a little earlier. A late lunch and a tapas stop before dinner make the rhythm easy.
Book the big sights early
The Alhambra, the Sagrada Família and Seville’s Alcázar sell timed tickets that go weeks ahead in spring and fall. We reserve them, with a private guide if you’d like one, when we build your trip.
Trains in Spain, drivers in Portugal
Spain’s high-speed trains link Barcelona, Madrid, Seville and more in comfort. In Portugal, a private driver is often the easiest way to reach the Douro, Sintra and the Algarve.
Two time zones
Portugal runs one hour behind Spain. It’s easy to forget when you’re timing a train, a dinner reservation or a guide at the border.
Tipping, lightly
Service is usually part of the bill. Rounding up or leaving five to ten percent for great service is appreciated, and a little extra for guides and drivers is customary.
Plan around the heat
In July and August, Seville, Córdoba and Madrid are hot. We plan early starts, long lunches and evening walks, and pair inland cities with the coast or the islands.
Questions we hear a lot
Do U.S. citizens need a visa for Spain or Portugal?
No. U.S. citizens can visit for up to 90 days in any 180-day period across Europe’s Schengen countries, which include both. Your passport should be valid at least three months beyond your departure date, and we recommend six. Europe’s new Entry/Exit System, which began in October 2025, records your fingerprints and photo at the border on your first entry, and the ETIAS travel authorization is expected to begin in the last quarter of 2026. Check current requirements before you travel, and we’ll make sure you’re covered.
Can we see both countries in one trip?
Yes, and it’s one of our favorite combinations. Ten to fourteen days covers Barcelona, Madrid, Seville and Lisbon comfortably, with Porto or the Douro Valley if you have a few more nights. A short flight or a scenic drive links Andalusia with Lisbon.
What is the best time of year to go?
April to June and September to October bring warm days and comfortable sightseeing. Summer is wonderful on the coast and the islands but hot inland, and winter is quiet, mild in the south and good value.
How hot does it get in summer?
Madrid averages highs around 90°F in July and August, and Seville and Córdoba run hotter still. Lisbon and Porto stay milder thanks to the Atlantic breeze. We schedule sightseeing for mornings and evenings and pair inland cities with time by the sea.
Can we add a cruise?
Easily. Barcelona and Lisbon are favorite ports for Mediterranean and Atlantic sailings with lines like Silversea, Regent Seven Seas and Azamara, and Uniworld sails the Douro River from Porto. We can build a few days on land before or after.
Is Spain and Portugal a good fit for a family trip?
Very much so. Kids love Barcelona’s beaches and Gaudí’s playful buildings, Lisbon’s trams and the castles of Sintra, and the Algarve and Mallorca have resorts made for families. Late dinners are easy to work around with a big lunch and a tapas stop.
Let’s plan your Spain & Portugal trip
Tell us when you’re thinking of going and who’s coming along. An advisor will take it from there.