Day 1: Arrive in Barcelona (2 nights).

Day 2: Enjoy Barcelona’s sights.

Day 3: Sightsee Barcelona, then take afternoon AVE train (or flight) to Madrid (2 nights).

Day 4: Sightsee Madrid.

Day 5: Pick up your rental car and drive to El Escorial palace and Franco’s monumental Valley of Fallen on your way to Segovia (1 night).

Day 6: Sightsee Segovia before driving to Salamanca (1 night).

Day 7: See the sights in Salamanca, then cross the Portuguese border and head for Coimbra (2 nights).

Day 8: All day for Coimbra.

Day 9: Visit Batalha and/or Fátima en route to Nazaré for the afternoon and night (1 night).

Day 10: Sightsee Nazaré, then visit Belém on the way into Lisbon (2 nights).

Day 11: All day for Lisbon.

Day 12: Morning in Lisbon, then head to Portugal’s south coast, the Algarve. Sleep in Salema (2 nights).

Day 13: Enjoy a beach day, and consider a side-trip to Cape Sagres.

Day 14: Head east across the Spanish border to Sevilla (2 nights).

(more…)

Spain erupts with fiestas and celebrations throughout the year. Below is a list of the most important events in Spain for 2008. Semana Santa (Holy Week) fills the week before Easter with processions and festivities all over Iberia, but especially in Sevilla. To run with the bulls, be in Pamplona — with medical insurance — July 6–14.

For more information on these and other festivals, see www.spain.info and www.whatsonwhen.com.

NOTE: Before planning a trip around a festival, make sure that you verify the festival dates at the festival or local TI’s website.

(more…)