Fly to Lisbon, Portugal.
Hire a car from Lisbon Airport. Return the car to the same airport (it’s only a three hour drive to Porto from here and a lot cheaper if you return the car at the same location).

Spend two nights in Porto.
We stayed at a cute Air BnB place which is walking distance from the city.
(see https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1592655)

Start with a visit to the port wine lodges and hang out at the waterfront cafes of the Ribeira district. Stroll the streets and admire all the beautiful blue tiled houses. Pay a visit to Majestic Cafe for a coffee and sweet treat. Cross the iconic Luis bridge and don’t miss a ride on the Teleférico de Gaia (gondola that takes you down to the waterfront bars and restaurants).

On Day 3 jump in the car and head down the coast towards Peniche.

The drive from Porto to Peniche is only 3 hours but there is plenty to see along the way.

Stop at the town of Águeda for the art festival where the streets are lined with colourful umbrellas every July. We went at the beginning of August and they were still there.

Stop at Praia de Mira or any of the beaches along the coast for lunch and a swim to cool off.

Stop at the medieval town of Óbidos and visit the castle where you can walk along the castle walls.

Spend 3 nights in Peniche.
We stayed at the Peniche Surf Lodge which we highly recommend. It’s hosted by a really cool family with all the surf gear for hire and they even take you to the best surf spots each day. It’s definitely worth visiting Supertubos, regarded by many as one of Europe’s best beach breaks and if you time it right, you are likely to be able to watch some surf comps!

There’s not much to do but surf, relax on the beach and eat. Make sure you hit up the Bar do Bruno beach restaurant for yummy burgers and live music. Since you will have a car it’s worth a drive around the peninsula, especially to find a spot at sunset.

On Day 6 check out and head to Sintra.

The drive from Peniche to Sintra is just over an hour, but make sure you leave in the morning because traffic can be a nightmare once you get to Sintra. Find a park and pick up some lunch from the town of São Martinho before heading up the hill to the secret gardens of Quinta da Regaleira and the Pena Palance. In summer the lines for the buses to take you up the hill are ridiculously long. It’s better to do a couple of loops around town and try your luck with a carpark or do the walk. You can also rent buggys to drive up the hill or get open top taxi’s for the journey. Continue heading to Lisbon in the afternoon. We went via Christ the King. You can take the lift to the top for incredible views over Lisbon. Return the car at the airport and take a train into town.

Spend 3 nights in Lisbon.
We stayed at an AirBnb in the middle of old town Baixa-Chiado. It’s a 10 minute walk to the main square and 15 minute walk the other way to TimeOut…ideal spot!
(see https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/9802686)

One of the best things we did was hire Twizzy cars from Lisbon Eco Tours. They come with GPS tour guides that take you to all the main sights around town and are super easy to use (and park!) It’s a great way to see the city, especially in the summer months. Don’t forget to stop off at Pasteis de Belem and go inside for a table (skip the massive takeaway line). Walk along the old town streets and visit the São Jorge Castle and National Pantheon. Both have great views over the city.

Head to TimeOut Market for dinner (or whenver you’re hungry). A food hall with so many delicious food options its hard to decide (do what we do and get a few to share). Also head to Taberna da Rua das Flores for some great wine and tapas. If you’re like me and felt like some exercise after all the food we’d been consuming, then head down to the waterfront for a morning run. It’s definitely worth it for the sunrise!

Day 9 is when the next road trip (and relaxation time) begins. Pick up another rental car from Lisbon Airport and drive to Lagos. This will be returned at Faro Airport (it’s worth the one way hit and relatively cheap).

Spend 4 nights in Lagos.
We stayed at a brand new Air BnB apartment with an amazing roof top terrace and views over the marina. Super central and walkable to everything. We even improvised and bought a paddling pool to cool off! (see https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/11140158)

We made the most of our epic apartment and stayed in to eat. Can’t go wrong with meats, cheeses and homemade cocktails on the roof. There’s so many cool spots to explore in this area, our favourites were:
– Praia do Camilo – worth a morning walk for sunrise
– Ponta da Piedade – take a boat trip and explore the caves by kayak
– Praia da Marinha – this one is a MUST SEE and worth the drive
– Cape Saint-Vincent – a cool drive south west and worth the views
– Praia do Beliche – stumbled across this beach for a swim on our way back

On Day 13 drive to Faro Airport to return the car. Hop on a bus and head to Seville. This ends the two weeks in Portugal!

Spend 2 nights in Seville.
We stayed at Fontecruz Sevilla Seises. It’s super central, has a great breakfast and a rooftop pool overlooking La Giralda. A great hotel for enjoying an afternoon swim and cocktail (and don’t forget siesta).
(edit June 2020: we have since stayed at this hotel on two more occasions and highly recommend!)

Visit the stunning palace of Alcázar (a highlight of our stay), the Plaza de España and climb the La Giralda tower for epic views.

Head to El Pintón for the best tapas and sangria. Cute restaurant, friendly staff and great food. We visited twice in two days…Another great tapas place we found is Vinería San Telmo. Yummy tapas and great wine (Brendon went back to both places again this summer).

On Day 15 pick up another rental car from the Seville Airport for the South of Spain roadtrip. The car will be returned here at the end, creating the loop!

Even though renting three different cars is more admin, it is definitely the cheaper way to go. The companies add horrendous fees when you don’t return the car in the same location and even higher fees if you return the car in a different country (plus it meant that we didn’t have to worry about driving the inner cities and finding a parking spot during our stays in Lisbon & Seville).

After picking up the car in the morning make your way to Nerja for the next base. Nerja is a cool area with heaps of beaches, snorkelling and cave exploring (we really didn’t rate Malaga so if you can, stay clear and spend your time around Nerja instead).

The total drive to Nerja is around 4 hours. Stop in Ronda for lunch. A mountain top city set above a deep gorge. You can walk across the bridge and take some cool photos from underneath. There’s some interesting history here too, we’ll leave it to you to find out…Continue onto Nerja.

Spend 3 nights.
We stayed at another epic Air BnB house in Torrox with a private pool and sea views. We spent most of this time chilling poolside in the sun for pure relaxation. We did daily supermarket runs to buy king prawns, beers and wine (for homemade sangria).
(see https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/663606)

This summer Brendon did the Spain portion of this trip again with his dad (I joined for a long weekend in Nerja) and we stayed at another epic Air Bnb place with a private pool, this time situated up in the hills with amazing views over the coast.
(see https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/9481430)

If you want ideas for potential outings then definitely pay a visit to these towns:
– Nerja town – a bustling village on the coast. If you’re there then make sure you walk down to Chiringuito de Ayo for open fire paella. Mr Ayo himself is there serving paella to the guests. It’s pretty cool to watch them make it from scratch. Visit one of the many beaches around Nerja.
– Frigiliana – a pretty white village with narrow, winding, cobblestone streets, cute shops and tapas bars.

On Day 18 check out and head to Granada, only an hour away.

Spend two nights.
We stayed in a two bedroom suite at Oro del Darro Suites. Really central and great air conditioning for those 40 degree days! The one thing you must see here is the Alhambra and Generalife. We definitely recommend booking a time slot in advance (the earlier the better before it gets too hot).

After an afternoon siesta it’s time to stroll the gorgeous streets and find some tapas. Tapas means “cover” or “lid” and some myths are that they were given free to cover the drink and protect it from fruit flies. Granada is one of the only towns in Spain that still provide tapas free with drinks, so we decided to make our own “walking tapas tour” of Granada. One bar, one drink, free tapas. We started at Mirador San Nicolás to watch the sunset before strolling the streets for local spots. It’s a town that you need to get lost in to really see and appreciate.

After two days check out and make your way to Cordoba, a two hour drive.

Spend one night.
We stayed in a simple, two bedroom Air Bnb right in the historic old town.
(see https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/955103)

Make sure you visit the La Mezquita, an immense mosque dating from 784 A.D., featuring a columned prayer hall. Another highlight (more for the girls) was a visit to the Hammam Al Ándalus Arab Baths. You need to make a reservation in advance as they only let a small number of guests per hour. Swap your afternoon siesta for a massage.

Another night spent tapas hopping, this time we got to try the delicious, local olives!

After a sleep in head back to Seville (only an hour and a half) to return the car and take a flight to your next destination!