10 Days in Spain and Portugal: Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon & Porto

Fly into Barcelona, fly home from Porto. In between: Barcelona (3 nights) → Madrid (2 nights) → Lisbon (2 nights) → Porto (2 nights). This 10 day Spain and Portugal itinerary uses a high-speed train from Barcelona to Madrid, a short flight from Madrid to Lisbon, and a train from Lisbon to Porto. It runs west the whole way, so you never double back.

Four cities in ten days is a fast pace, and the route accepts it: one big sight each morning, a free afternoon, and a table booked for dinner. Southern Spain, Seville, Granada and the Alhambra are not here. They need their own trip, or a longer one.

Barcelona gets three nights because it holds the most that needs booking ahead. The Sagrada Família, Antoni Gaudí's basilica, has been under construction since 1882, and you need a timed ticket, ideally for the first slot of the morning, when the light through the stained glass is at its best. Casa Batlló and La Pedrera (Casa Milà) are two of his apartment buildings on Passeig de Gràcia, and Park Güell sits on a hill above the city.

On day three, switch from Gaudí to the Gothic Quarter. The cathedral, the old Jewish quarter and the narrow streets of the Born are all within a 20-minute walk, and the Picasso Museum is in the Born. Tapas is the way to eat here, standing at a bar and ordering a few plates at a time.

The AVE high-speed train from Barcelona Sants to Madrid Atocha takes about 2.5 to 3 hours, depending on the service. Madrid is bigger and more formal than Barcelona, and the day starts and ends later: dinner at 9 pm is normal.

The Royal Palace is the largest functioning royal palace in Europe, and the Prado Museum holds Velázquez, Goya, and El Greco. Both reward a guide, as each is large. Use the free late afternoon to walk in the Retiro park, and spend the evening in La Latina or Huertas, where the tapas bars cluster. Churros with thick hot chocolate at San Ginés is the traditional end to a night out.

Madrid to Lisbon is a short flight, about 1 hour 20 minutes, and flying is the sensible choice: the train takes most of a day. Lisbon is built on seven hills above the Tagus river, with yellow trams, tiled facades and viewpoints at almost every corner.

Spend the first morning in Alfama, the oldest district, where streets are narrow and steep. Then head west to Belém for the Jerónimos Monastery and the Tower of Belém, both built from the wealth of the age of discoveries, and a pastel de nata at the bakery that has been making them since 1837. If you would rather leave the city, Sintra is 40 minutes away by train or car, with the Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle. You can do one or the other in the time you have.

The express train from Lisbon to Porto takes about 3 hours and runs several times a day. Porto is smaller, steeper and more granite-grey than Lisbon, and it sits on the Douro river, where the port wine trade has been based for centuries.

Start at São Bento station, whose hall is lined with about 20,000 blue-and-white tiles, then walk down through the Ribeira to the river. Cross the Dom Luís I bridge on foot to Vila Nova de Gaia, where the port lodges are, for a tour and a tasting. Take the last evening for dinner by the river, or in Foz do Douro, where the Douro meets the Atlantic.

Barcelona: the Eixample, near Passeig de Gràcia, or the edge of the Gothic Quarter. Madrid: Salamanca or around the Plaza Mayor, close to the Prado and the Palace. Lisbon: Chiado or Baixa, on foot to most sights. Porto: the Ribeira or the streets just above it. On a trip with four stops, choose hotels within a 10-minute walk of the old centre, and ideally close to the station you leave from.

April to June and September to October are the best months. Temperatures are comfortable in all four cities, and the sea air keeps Barcelona and Lisbon pleasant. July and August are hot in Madrid, often above 35°C, and crowded in Barcelona. November to March is cooler and quieter, and Porto and Lisbon are wetter then. Book the Sagrada Família and the Prado ahead in any season.

Short of days? Drop Madrid and fly Barcelona to Lisbon, for an 8 day trip. Want Andalusia? Replace Barcelona with Seville and Granada, and fly into Seville, which is the route of our 8-day South of Spain tour. Got 12 days? Add a night in Évora or Coimbra between Lisbon and Porto, or a day in the Douro Valley. Prefer a calmer pace? Cut Porto, and finish with three nights in Lisbon and Sintra.

We book the trains and the flight, private transfers at each end, timed entries for the Sagrada Família and the Prado, and guides in each city. One person on our team is your contact from the first email to the flight home.