Madrid to Lisbon: Palaces, Patios and the Atlantic

Getting around

• Day 1: Madrid airport to central Madrid with your licensed driver, then an optional evening walk.
• Day 2: A guided day in the Art Triangle, with your licensed driver for the hotel transfers.
• Day 3: Madrid to Toledo by road, about 1 hour each way.
• Day 4: Madrid to Córdoba by high-speed train, about 1 hour 45 minutes, then Córdoba to Seville by road, about 1 hour 45 minutes.
• Day 5: A day in Seville on foot, with your licensed driver for the crossing to Triana.
• Day 6: A walking day in Seville, with a licensed driver for the hotel transfers.
• Day 7: Seville to the Algarve by road, about 2 hours to Faro and a little longer to the central coast.
• Day 8: The Algarve to Lisbon by road, about 3 hours.
• Day 9: Lisbon to Sintra, about 30 minutes, then the coast to Cascais and back to Lisbon.
• Day 10: Hotel to Lisbon airport with your licensed driver.
• In Spain, a licensed guide leads each visit and a licensed driver handles every transfer. In Portugal, a licensed driver-guide travels with you, with Luisa in Lisbon and Sintra.

Is 10 days enough for Spain and Portugal?

Ten days covers Spain and Portugal at a steady pace when the route keeps to the south and runs in one line, as this one does. The plan gives six nights to Spain, in Madrid and Seville, and three to Portugal, on the Algarve and in Lisbon, with Toledo, Córdoba and Sintra as day trips or stops on the road. You see both capitals, two of the great monuments of Islamic Spain in the Mezquita and the Alcázar, and a stretch of the Atlantic coast. The trip leaves out Granada, Barcelona and Porto, which the two-week routes add, and it keeps each hotel change to a short road day or one train.

How do you get from Madrid to Lisbon on a private tour?

By rail and road through Andalusia, as this route does. A high-speed train carries you from Madrid to Córdoba in about 1 hour 45 minutes, a licensed driver takes the road on to Seville, and a licensed driver-guide crosses the Guadiana into the Algarve and drives north to Lisbon the next day. Every leg runs about 3 hours or less, and the journey itself carries the trip: Toledo, the Mezquita, Seville and the Atlantic coast all fall on the way. Our article on Renfe high-speed trains from Madrid to Córdoba and Seville explains the train. Travelers with less time often take a direct flight between the two capitals instead, and our romantic 10-day route links Madrid and Lisbon by air.

Does a 10-day Spain and Portugal trip need Granada?

No. This route leaves Granada out so Portugal gets three nights. The Alhambra fills a full day on its own, and Granada sits about 2 hours 45 minutes by road from Seville, so adding it to ten days usually costs the Algarve night or a full day in Seville. Here Córdoba’s Mezquita gives you the great monument of Islamic Spain on the road south, and Seville’s Real Alcázar adds the Mudéjar palace of a Christian king. Travelers set on the Alhambra often trade the Algarve night for Granada, or choose one of the 14-day routes below, which include it.

This 10-day route or another Spain and Portugal journey?

Choose this route for ten days in both countries, with Madrid, Córdoba, Seville, the Algarve and Lisbon in one line, by train and road and with no flight inside the trip.

The 10-day romantic Spain and Portugal tour serves couples better if Barcelona matters more to you than Andalusia. It spends three nights each in Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon, with Montserrat, Toledo and Sintra as days out, and links the cities by one high-speed train and one short flight, so it involves fewer hotel changes and no Seville.

With four more days, the 14-day Madrid to Porto tour suits a first visit to both countries in full. It keeps Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Lisbon and Sintra, adds Granada and the Alhambra, Évora, Coimbra, Porto and the Douro Valley, and leaves out Córdoba and the Algarve.

The Barcelona to Lisbon private tour keeps this page’s southern crossing, Seville, a night on the Algarve and Lisbon, and adds Barcelona at the start and Granada for the Alhambra over 14 days. It suits travelers who want Gaudí and the Alhambra as well as the road into Portugal. Travelers who want most of their time in Spain ask our team for a 14-day version with Barcelona, Montserrat, Toledo, the Alhambra, Ronda, the white villages and Seville, then a short flight to Lisbon and Sintra.

If you prefer one country, our Spain and Portugal pages list single-country journeys, and our multi-country journeys page collects every combination of Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

Who this journey suits

First-time visitors with ten days who want both countries without rushing, and who prefer one line across the map to a loop. The private format sets the pace around you, with lunches, rest afternoons and early starts in the summer heat of Andalusia.

Travelers who prefer the ground to the air, since after the arrival flight one train and the road carry the whole route. Art and history travelers, since the route runs from the Prado and El Greco’s Toledo to the Mezquita, the Alcázar, the Jerónimos Monastery and the Pena Palace. Food lovers, since the days bring the Triana market, a chef’s kitchen in Seville, salmorejo in Córdoba, cataplana on the Algarve and custard tarts in Belém.

Families with teenage or adult children, who share the guide’s attention and the vehicle and set their own rhythm. Couples travel this route often too, and those who want Barcelona in place of Andalusia usually choose the romantic 10-day route.

The people behind the route

Two people lead the visits most travelers remember on this route. In Madrid, where your dates allow, Ana, an art historian, leads our Prado visits through Velázquez, Goya and El Greco on day two. Our article on the highlights of the Prado covers the collection in more depth.

In Lisbon and Sintra, where your dates allow, Luisa, one of our licensed guides, leads Belém, the Alfama and the Sintra day alongside a licensed driver. Our expert guide to Sintra sets out the palaces in more detail. On the road from Seville across the Algarve to Lisbon, a licensed driver-guide, one person holding both licenses, looks after you, and in Spain our team works with licensed guides and licensed drivers, two separate people, in Madrid, Toledo, Córdoba and Seville.

What the 10-day journey costs and what it includes

The 10-day route starts from $9,980 per person, double occupancy. The from-price covers nine nights in deluxe four-star properties selected for comfort, location and service. Five-star luxury properties are available by request. It includes licensed guides for the visits described, licensed drivers in Spain, a licensed driver-guide from Seville across the Algarve to Lisbon, and Luisa with a licensed driver in Lisbon and Sintra.

Four things move the price: the season, the hotel category, the size of your party and the experiences you add, such as the cooking session and flamenco in Seville and the boat along the Algarve cliffs. Our team sends a written quote for your dates and party before you commit.

To shape these ten days around your dates and your party, speak with our team about your Spain and Portugal journey.

Frequently asked questions about the 10-day Spain and Portugal tour

How much does a 10-day private tour of Spain and Portugal cost?

This 10-day route starts from $9,980 per person, based on two people sharing a room. The from-price covers the route as written: nine hotel nights, licensed guides for the visits described, licensed drivers in Spain, a licensed driver-guide from Seville across the Algarve to Lisbon, and Luisa with a licensed driver in Lisbon and Sintra. Four things move the price. The season matters most, since hotel rates rise and fall through the year. Five-star properties raise it. Party size changes it, because the guides and drivers serve the whole party, so larger private parties pay less per person. Added experiences, such as the cooking session in Seville, an evening of flamenco or the boat along the Algarve cliffs, add to it. Our team sends a written quote for your dates and party before you commit.

When is the best time to spend 10 days in Spain and Portugal?

April to June and September to October suit this route best, because it spends three nights in Seville and a day in Córdoba, the warmest cities on the trip. AEMET, Spain’s weather agency, records average daily highs in Seville of about 23°C (74°F) in April and 26°C (79°F) in October, against 36°C (97°F) in July, and in Córdoba about 23°C (73°F) in April and 25°C (77°F) in October. Madrid averages about 18°C (65°F) and 19°C (67°F). IPMA, Portugal’s weather institute, records average highs in Lisbon of about 20°C (68°F) in April and 23°C (73°F) in October, and in Faro about 20°C (69°F) and 23°C (74°F). Summer departures work well with early starts in Andalusia, lunch indoors and a cooler evening by the sea on the Algarve, and our team plans each day around the season you choose.

How does the route cross from Spain into Portugal?

By road, on day seven. A licensed driver-guide collects you at your hotel in Seville and drives west to the Guadiana, the river border between Andalusia and the Algarve. The International Bridge, which opened in 1991, links Ayamonte in Spain with Castro Marim in Portugal, and Faro lies about 2 hours from Seville. Portugal runs one hour behind Spain, so you gain an hour on the way. The crossing trades a morning at an airport for an afternoon on the coast, and it splits the road from Seville to Lisbon into two shorter days. On day eight the same licensed driver-guide drives you north to Lisbon, about 3 hours, and Luisa meets you there with a licensed driver for the afternoon in Belém and the Alfama.

Are the guide and the driver the same person?

In Spain they are two different people. A licensed guide leads the visits and a licensed driver handles the vehicle and the road transfers, so your guide focuses on the site and your driver on the road. Your guide changes from city to city, so the guide in Córdoba knows the Mezquita in depth and the guide in Seville knows Seville. On the road from Seville across the Algarve to Lisbon, a licensed driver-guide, one person holding both licenses, looks after you and leads the Algarve afternoon. In Lisbon and Sintra, where your dates allow, Luisa, one of our licensed guides, leads the days alongside a licensed driver. Where your dates allow, Ana, an art historian, leads the Prado visit in Madrid.

Which airports should we fly into and out of?

Fly into Madrid and home from Lisbon. An open-jaw ticket of this kind avoids a return across two countries at the end of the trip. Your licensed driver meets you at arrivals at Madrid-Barajas on day one, and on day ten your licensed driver takes you to Lisbon’s airport, about 7 kilometers northeast of the historic center, so the last transfer stays short. Our team arranges VIP airport assistance at both ends on request, covering the meet-and-greet and help through the terminal. Our guides to arriving at Madrid-Barajas and VIP airport services in Portugal explain both ends. If your flights fit better the other way, the route runs from Lisbon to Madrid with the same bases in reverse, and our team aligns the itinerary with your flight times once you have them. Our article on flying into Madrid or Barcelona compares the two airports in more detail.

How many hotel changes does the 10-day route involve?

Three changes across four bases. Madrid and Seville get three nights each, the Algarve one and Lisbon two. Toledo and Sintra run as day trips from the nearest base, and Córdoba sits on the travel day from Madrid to Seville, so the only short stay falls on the Algarve, where the night breaks the road from Seville to Lisbon. Your licensed driver or driver-guide handles the luggage on every road day, and on the train day a licensed driver meets you at Córdoba station and keeps the bags in the vehicle while you visit the Mezquita. American travelers who want fewer moves sometimes add a second Algarve night, and our team rebalances the nights to suit.

What happens on the Algarve day?

The afternoon on the Algarve follows your party’s choice, after a morning drive of about 2 hours from Seville to the coast. Where it suits you, a private boat runs along the cliffs to the sea caves near Benagil. Walkers often prefer part of the Seven Hanging Valleys trail in Lagoa, 5.7 kilometers one way along the clifftops from Praia da Marinha to Praia de Vale Centeanes, with your licensed driver-guide alongside. Others choose a winery visit, an afternoon on the beach or the spa at the hotel. Dinner suits a cataplana, the region’s copper pan of clams, pork or prawns cooked with tomato, peppers and white wine. Our Algarve page sets out what else the coast offers if you want to add a second night.

How flexible is the 10-day route?

The route works as a starting point, and your planner shapes it around your party. Common changes include adding Granada and the Alhambra between Córdoba and Seville, adding a second night on the Algarve, or adding Porto by train from Lisbon at the end. Art lovers add the Reina Sofía or the Thyssen in Madrid, and food lovers add a market tour in Lisbon. Our article on Córdoba or Ronda between Granada and Seville explains one of those choices for travelers who extend the Andalusian part of the trip. Our team confirms timings, ticketed entries and hotel nights once you settle the shape of the trip, and every added day keeps the same private basis, with your own guide, driver and pace.

Does this journey suit families or travelers with limited mobility?

Families travel this route often, because a private guide and driver set the pace around the youngest and the oldest in the party. Teenagers tend to respond to the Mezquita’s forest of columns, the Plaza de España, the boat to the sea caves and the Initiation Well at Quinta da Regaleira, and the three-night bases in Madrid and Seville leave room for a slower afternoon. Several days involve walking on cobbled streets and slopes, especially in Toledo, the Alfama in Lisbon and Sintra. Your guide is glad to advise on suitability before booking, and our team adjusts walking routes, adds vehicle time between sites, or shortens days where it helps. Our page on accessible travel sets out how our team plans for travelers who need step-free routes or extra support.

Who do we contact if something goes wrong or we want a change?

Your planner designs your journey with you and stays in touch after you land. For the fastest response at any hour, message your private WhatsApp group, where our 24/7 support team works alongside Rachel or Dan. Because we begin no more than five journeys per country each week, peak spring and fall dates fill early, and that limit is what lets us stay this close to every trip.