BootsnAll Travel Community

So here in December, probably from about the 10th to January 2nd or so, my partner and I plus a friend possibly, will be headed to visit a friend in Morocco. We plan on spending 5 or 6 days with her, and then moving up to spend some time in Europe before returning to Portland. Depending on time (won't know exact dates until we register for classes this fall) we will have up to about three weeks total. We would like to spend the last 10-12 days running around in Spain, Portugal, and possibly France and Belgium/the Netherlands before returning home. We want to be able to make the absolute most of our time on this trip, but also don't have an unlimited budget. I realize this is a very broad post, but we don't have any exact plans yet. That's where you guys come in. So what I am asking is this: how do we see the most places/things in the most time and money efficient way possible? Airfare back to Portland looks to be about the same from Madrid, Paris and Amsterdam, so time is the only factor there. What are things we can't miss? Hostel recommendations? If we do end up staying past New Year's, where is the place to be for that? What can we expect for weather? Anything you all have for me would be helpful, as we are still in the very first stages of planning. Thanks!

Forget about France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and probably Portugal. Nothing against any of those places, but in 10 - 12 days you could just scratch the surface in Spain. You could easily spend a week in Seville and traveling a bit around Andalucia and then head to Madrid. From there besides seeing the city, you could do a day trip to Toledo or some other places. If you did want to spend a couple of days in Portugal, I'm not sure how convenient the connections are. I've traveled overnight from Madrid to Lisbon and from the Algarve to Seville, which was a bit of an adventure (train, ferry, bus).

Anyway, trying to go from southern Spain to someplace like Amsterdam in less than two weeks and enjoying the journey sounds insanely rushed. Just my two cents.

P.S. It will probably be cold in Madrid then but so will points north.

I agree. While there are exceptions, I think that most of us who travel a fair bit find that making the most of a trip doesn't mean jumping around from country to country as fast as possible to be an effective way to make the most of our time.

Now you're travelling in a part of Europe that I haven't been to in a while (in fact, I've never been to Spain), but my advice is this:

Everyone hears about the famous cities and the great things to see there. And I do enjoy most European cities, as they have some unique flavours, attractive architecture, and often a different pace of life than home. But in the end, major cities around the globe have more in common with each other than they have in common with the countryside surrounding them, and the places that leave me with the best memories are the small towns and villages. So please don't plan your whole trip around jumping from Madrid to Barcelona to Paris to Amsterdam. They're all lovely cities (or so I've heard, I've only been to the last two), but you'll be missing some real treats.

If it were me, I'd pick one country, probably Spain, given that you're going to Morocco, and plan to visit 2 cities and spend 3-4 days in a small town...probably in the south since it's winter...and do some hiking.

Yes, it depends on your preferences. The cities have a lot going for them, but in January it is likely to be cold and possibly rainy in Paris and Amsterdam.

Both Barelona and Porto are absolutely gorgeous (I've not been to Madrid), so my vote would be to concentrate on those two countries as well. It should be possible to do a round trip by train and there are frequent bus services to smaller towns/villages that may be worth a day trip.

It all depends on what your interests are.

Yes, I absolutely agree. Barcelona is a must-see with all its cultural background. Also Salamanca is a very interesting city and Seville is just a beauty. Amsterdam is a good choice too, but I wouldn't miss one day in Spain. Regarding Paris...well, you will need weeks to get to know the city and its people. If you have the chance to go there for a single trip or a trip through France you should do this one day. Because France is a very diversified country with different culture and landscape.
If not, you should go there for a few days to see the main sights and enjoy the lifestyle in the streets. Even though it's winter - Paris has its charm.