Spain/Portugal

[husky429]

Absolutely incredible. Thank you so so much

Churros in Madrid too. Just eat crap tons of churros and make sure you have decent health insurance. I think two of the famous places are 1902 and San Gines... something like that. I remember San Gines was a really pretty old cafe. I was there alone because my wife was doing something with her sister and I stuffed my face for an hour without shame.

 

[NJHusky]

Vegas and 429 have given you all the info you’ll need for 2 weeks. Excellent advice. They included a lot of stuff I forgot about

 

[HuskyHawk]

Vegas and 429 have given you all the info you’ll need for 2 weeks. Excellent advice. They included a lot of stuff I forgot about

Doubling down on what @ColchVEGAS said, learn some of the language. At the very least, learn the phrase "A conta, se faz favor". It may be the only way to escape a restaurant. You'll sit there until you are nothing but a skeleton before they will bring you the bill. At least you'll have Port.

 

[Apollo]

Park Guell in Barcelona is a must-see. Antoni Gaudi, famous architect, built it and has many other crazy looking buildings throughout the city… definitely worth finding a few. Sagrada Familia is a must-see as well.

Madrid - awesome museums and food. If you have time, head two hours east to Salamanca. Beautiful, historical city with an iconic central plaza.

 

[UConn Dan]

I love Portugal. Friendly people. Good food and wine. Rich in history and nice beaches. Looking to go back soon.

If you go to Lisbon, you must spend a day in Sintra. It's majestic. You'll have no regrets.

If you're into going out, the Bairro Alto neighborhood has a bar for everyone, and people are out and about on the streets hopping from one to the other. After that, if you like clubs, walk down the hill or get an uber to the Docas area by the water for typical European discotheques.

 

[Umami Zen]

Prada Museum in Madrid-- Must see if into art..Tapas bars in Madrid during Happy Hour --Great way to meet the locals and taste their version of Sangria. Most menus that are verbally communicated to you (by waiters) vs through a menu-- on the plazas--ie. Plaza Major.. Is negotiable pricing. Day trips out of Madrid to Toledo and Seville-Definitely worthwhile. Largest Gothic Church in the world in Seville-Cathedral of St Mary of the See.. Toledo is where many ceremonial swords for the US Military are made if of interest.

Cautionary note in the larger cities (ie Madrid).. Be aware of your surroundings and who is near your group. Very talented pickpockets cruising the streets looking for easy targets.. Don't be hyper-vigilante but just be paying attention. On a very positive note--Spaniards are among the most friendly people you will meet in Europe. A smile and thank you goes a long way. Gotta say.. They do take their siestas seriously.

 

[cohenzone]

I actually preferred Madrid slightly to Barcelona, but both have lots to offer. But my two favorite cities were Seville and Toledo. Lots of history, great food, culture everywherre. Did a river cruise in Portugal. Lisbon is great and others have given you detail. Portuguese buildings are distinguished from other European architecture by beautiful tile facades. Also lots of laundry drying out of apartment windows and balconies. Apparently lots of washers, no dryers.

 

[ColchVEGAS]

Doubling down on what @ColchVEGAS said, learn some of the language. At the very least, learn the phrase "A conta, se faz favor". It may be the only way to escape a restaurant. You'll sit there until you are nothing but a skeleton before they will bring you the bill. At least you'll have Port.

This. They move a lot slower in Portugal, Europe in general, than we are accustomed to here in the Northeast. Do not be surprised if you are at lunch for a couple hours.

Also, remember their eating schedules are much different than ours. Get lunch early as late lunches are not really a thing there since many establishments close around 2-3ish and reopen around 5ish. Most eat dinner closer to 9PM than 5PM, so if you want to be in and out try to eat before/after the rush that starts around 7-8 for dinner and noon for lunch.

 

[Drew]

Vegas and 429 have given you all the info you’ll need for 2 weeks. Excellent advice. They included a lot of stuff I forgot about

@ColchVEGAS and @husky429 have been more than incredible.. this is exactly what I needed to plan it all out. Will give a final itinerary once we got it but this level of detail is excellent. Have never been- really looking forward to it.

 

[husky99]

The Alhambra Palace in Granada​

 

[husky429]

The Alhambra Palace in Granada​

Granada was my favorite spot in Spain, but it's also a 5 hour drive from Madrid. Not sure it's a feasible trip for OP.

 

[husky99]

Near Lisbon checkout cascais

​

 

[Palatine]

This is going to sound trite. But chicken at Bon Jardin in Lisbon is the best I have ever eaten. And I didn't cover it in the Piri Pira sauce. Simply absolutely delicious.

Restaurante Bonjardim - Lisbon, 11

Restaurante Bonjardim, Tv. de Santo Antão, 11, 1150-312 Lisboa, Portugal, Mon - 12:00 pm - 11:30 pm, Tue - 12:00 pm - 11:30 pm, Wed - 12:00 pm - 11:30 pm, Thu - 12:00 pm - 11:30 pm, Fri - 12:00 pm - 11:30 pm, Sat - 12:00 pm - 11:30 pm, Sun - 12:00 pm - 11:30 pm

www.yelp.com

 

[8893]

This is going to sound trite. But chicken at Bon Jardin in Lisbon is the best I have ever eaten. And I didn't cover it in the Piri Pira sauce. Simply absolutely delicious.

Restaurante Bonjardim - Lisbon, 11

Restaurante Bonjardim, Tv. de Santo Antão, 11, 1150-312 Lisboa, Portugal, Mon - 12:00 pm - 11:30 pm, Tue - 12:00 pm - 11:30 pm, Wed - 12:00 pm - 11:30 pm, Thu - 12:00 pm - 11:30 pm, Fri - 12:00 pm - 11:30 pm, Sat - 12:00 pm - 11:30 pm, Sun - 12:00 pm - 11:30 pm

www.yelp.com

Funny, the only thing I was going to add to all the excellent advice so far is that Lisbon is the only city in world where I ate at the same restaurant two nights in row, and it was chicken exactly as you describe. IIRC it was in a kind of sketchy part of town and mostly locals, and the chicken was cooked over open fires in halved oil drums.

 

[ColchVEGAS]

Hope you like French fries and rice because you will get one or both with just about every meal in Portugal.

A lot of the places will make their own piri piri sauce (hot sauce made with malagueta peppers which are similar to tabasco peppers in flavor but much hotter). One place I went to had malaguetas soaking in a whiskey as their "piri piri" sauce that was phenomenal. Covered my bifana (traditional pork sandwich/Portuguese street food) in it and have never looked back. I have been trying to duplicate it at home for a couple years now.

 

[husky429]

Eat some Jamon Iberico de Bellota in Spain. I think you can get it at the Mercado San Miguel. It's like meat candy. I dream of that stuff once a week.

 

[Conndog]

I love this thread! Was in Portugal late April and it was fantastic. Especially loved Lisbon most of all, Porto was a close second.

But the Pasteis de Nata recommended in Belem, we went there but didn't bother staying- it's very touristy and the line was incredibly long. There are great Pasteis de Nata places all over Lisbon especially downtown near Rossio Square. These pastries go down easy with the cherry liquor shots of Ginja.

What I loved about Portugual was that everyone seemed happy, there was positive energy everywhere, and people were very friendly to us. Having perfect weather, sunny and upper 60s to low 70s, certainly doesn't hurt. So many enticing streets to walk and mingle, beautiful tiles and colors everywhere you look.

 

[superjohn]

Spaniards like the pig. They showcase them (cooked ones) in storefront windows, put them on bar tops, hang them from ceilings, in their closets…..they’re everywhere. Sometimes they still have the fur on. Just a warning. They also like to serve their shrimp whole body including the head. Why? Who knows. Was in Madrid one time and went out for dinner at 9 pm, walked into a restaurant and the staff was in there eating. They said come back at 10. If these people start eating at 10 how do they get up for work the next day? I do like the olives there.

I don't ever remember eating dinner before 11 pm in Barcelona.

 

[LIuconn]

May pop back in the thread to offer some more but Madrid is fantastic.
One place for a snack and beer:
Sala De Despiece

It's starting to garner international notoriety. So good and so creative

If your trip isn't fully baked I couldn't recommend San Sebastian high enough. Food heaven and a different geography and climate than the rest of Spain

 

[John]

We have tix to FCB at Camp Nou. Not a soccer fan at all but super super pumped

we attended a Sevilla FC game at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium when we visited Spain last spring, it's an amazing experience going to a European soccer game.

 

[8893]

I don't ever remember eating dinner before 11 pm in Barcelona.

Never got used to the timing in Barcelona. This was in college, so we would wake up after noon and go looking for lunch around 2 or 3, when everything was closed for siesta. Then we'd go out looking for dinner and drinks around 7 and, like you said, couldn't even find a place that would serve dinner until like 10 or 11 pm; and then the clubs open at midnight.

 

[UCTitleTown]

I've been to Spain and Portugal twice. Must sees are Granada and Sevilla. I took guided tours around both countries to hit the key sites. The tour guide said Barcelona has more pick pockets than any place he knows, so if you go there, buy a satchel to hang around your neck inside your shirt to hold your wallet. I love Spain and Portugal.

 

[PNolanFan]

When in Lisbon definitely take a daytrip to Cascais (beach town outside of Lisbon). Great beaches and food, ton of seafood there. Also make sure to make dinner reservations in advance. All of the good places fill up and you wont be able to get in anywhere without a reservation in Lisbon. There are several Michelin star restraints to check out and you will find their price tags are much more reasonable than Michelin stars in other cities

 

[ColchVEGAS]

@Conndog Pastéis de Belém is definitely a touristy place and lines can be incredibly long, but they supposedly were the ones to invent the pastel da nata. You can definitely find equal or better all throughout the city, Sintra has the best I have ever had. But for the experience of being in the birthplace of the pastry, Pastéis de Belém is worth visiting.

 

[Samoo]

Absolutely incredible. Thank you so so much

The Miro museum is worth a visit and set in a nice setting in the park on the south side of town if you need an escape from urban Barcelona.