I took this tour in 2015 and thought it was so good, I took the Northern Paradors tour in 2016. Every day it just seemed that we were seeing incredible attractions and I equally enjoyed the "quiet" days. Wish I could say, "I'll see you in October" but know you will have a wonderful time.
I, as well, took this fabulous tour in 2015 and the Paradors tour in 2013...both small group tours with directors Patricia H. and Todd H., respectively, two of the best in the field in my opinion. To this day, the Spain and Portugal tour remains our favorite European land tour. And the food and wine!
Karen4731 - Enjoy and please report back with your thoughts. Something tells me this will be the first of many Tauck adventures for you. Warm wishes.
Sure is, Smiling Sam. I still remember her flamenco performance on the bus. She is such a treasure. She permanently left San Francisco and now lives in Madrid in the same building with several other tour directors. Sounds silly, but every time I am in Madrid I hope I might see her.
just returned, lots of cobblestones, hills and steps. also lots of time on the bus, but covered a lot of territory, too many "meals on your own" hotel bathrooms somewhat of a challenge-the tub, shower not so great for seniors climbing in and out. Definitely a high energy tour.
We did the Douro plus Lisbon and Madrid cruise at that time of year and the only rain we had was in the north mainly from Porto and along the river. But it's always good to pack a thin rain coat just in case. First river cruise in France/Provence in July we got rained on and I was so grateful I'd packed one.
The fall is a beautiful time of year for this trip. I have taken all the Tauck tours of the Iberian Peninsula except for the small ship cruise. I recall two rain events...a brief downpour in Porto and a brief drizzle on the outskirts of Lisbon. Of course, it is impossible these days to predict the weather. My best advice is to take a lightweight rain jacket with hood and preferably one with a zip-out liner. That is all you really need for outerwear.
The small group Spain and Portugal tour remains our favorite Tauck European land tour. I hope you go.
We will be on the Spain and Portugal tour leaving on Oct. 18th. It will be our second Tauck tour. It looks like a very busy, active tour with many beautiful places to see. Is the weather generally pretty nice at that time of the year? Looking forward to it!
MJRH - October is a beautiful time of year for this trip—certainly not hot or cold. You will be kept busy, but I would not characterize it as strenuous. The Moorish architecture in the south of Spain is beautiful in my opinion. There is so much history, especially of how the followers of the three major religions lived in harmony for centuries. And the food and wine!
Have a wonderful time and please consider posting a review afterwards.
I failed to mention that many walkways/paths and plazas in Lisbon have limestone set in beautiful patterns—stunning to look at but quite perilous to walk on when wet. To that end, it is imperative to have footwear with sturdy, hard, non-slip soles. Some of the limestone patterns are works of art in their own right and can also be quite dizzying if, like me, you suffer from vertigo at times. Ginger helps to counter that.
We took this trip this past May. Portugal and Spain are quite beautiful and it was a wonderful trip. It was the most strenuous trip we have taken with Tauck. Lots of walking on uneven surfaces and lots of up and down walking. The Alhambra and the Mezquita were well worth the walking not to mention all the wonderful places we saw.
I know walking during this trip involves a lot of stairs - for the most part, did the stairs on the daily tours have railings? I'd welcome suggestions for sneakers that you found good on the slippery surfaces. Is this trip more strenuous than Croatia to Venice land journey (both rated 3/3)?
We took this tour in 2015 and only remember one time in which we climbed stairs with no railings. I don't remember where in Spain that was. The tour directors and local guides have a knack of finding alternate routes for those with mobility or stamina concerns. I do recall at the Alhambra our tour director arranged for a cab back to the hotel for a few guests, including my husband, who did not want to walk back.
I have been to Venice and Croatia independently and briefly. My opinion is that walking in Spain and Portugal is easier. Someone else may offer a more comprehensive perspective, however.
I can't help with sneakers since I do not wear them. All of my touring shoes are leather ankle boots with hard soles.
Footwear: I recommend a pair of walking or hiking shoes with a good tread. There are a lot of options. I currently have Merrell hiking shoes and my husband has Eddie Bauer. In my opinion, sneakers such as Vans and Keds are not enough.
We will be taking this tour soon. Just wondering if we should be packing any dressy clothes - a dress for me or sports coat for my husband. Otherwise it seems like casual layering clothes, sweater and a rain jacket are best. And comfortable walking shoes with good support. Any suggestions?
Just returned from a personal trip to spain. We did lots of walking. I used 2 pairs of good OC sneakers and I also used aspercreme
Lidocaine pain relief roll on liquid each day on the soles of my feet.
I had no problems with all the walking. Hope this helps.
We recently returned from the Spain and Portugal trip. We had a wonderful time! We enjoyed all the cities we stopped at and the amazing sights and culture. Our weather was great and our tour director, Patricia, was so knowledgeable about the history of the area and did a great job. We were glad we brought along our hiking shoes as these were essential to walking the hilly cities of Porto and Lisbon and on the beautiful cobblestones everywhere. I recommend this trip to anyone who enjoys history, stunning architecture and cultural experiences.
Comments
I took this tour in 2015 and thought it was so good, I took the Northern Paradors tour in 2016. Every day it just seemed that we were seeing incredible attractions and I equally enjoyed the "quiet" days. Wish I could say, "I'll see you in October" but know you will have a wonderful time.
I, as well, took this fabulous tour in 2015 and the Paradors tour in 2013...both small group tours with directors Patricia H. and Todd H., respectively, two of the best in the field in my opinion. To this day, the Spain and Portugal tour remains our favorite European land tour. And the food and wine!
Karen4731 - Enjoy and please report back with your thoughts. Something tells me this will be the first of many Tauck adventures for you. Warm wishes.
kfnknfzk - Is this the Patricia that you are referring to? If so, then I totally agree with you. We did the S&P tour in 2014.
Sure is, Smiling Sam. I still remember her flamenco performance on the bus. She is such a treasure. She permanently left San Francisco and now lives in Madrid in the same building with several other tour directors. Sounds silly, but every time I am in Madrid I hope I might see her.
Her flamenco performance on the bus was an unexpected treat.
I had Tod on my Paradors tour in 2011, he was fantastic. Can't believe it was 13 years ago.
just returned, lots of cobblestones, hills and steps. also lots of time on the bus, but covered a lot of territory, too many "meals on your own" hotel bathrooms somewhat of a challenge-the tub, shower not so great for seniors climbing in and out. Definitely a high energy tour.
hello Karen4731, we are taking the 9/23-10/8/2024 Spain and Portugal trip. are we together, or are you the following weeks?
I am thinking of going October 22 to November 5, 2025. Is that a rainy time of year in Spain and Portugal - has anyone gone at that time?
We did the Douro plus Lisbon and Madrid cruise at that time of year and the only rain we had was in the north mainly from Porto and along the river. But it's always good to pack a thin rain coat just in case. First river cruise in France/Provence in July we got rained on and I was so grateful I'd packed one.
Beverley,
The fall is a beautiful time of year for this trip. I have taken all the Tauck tours of the Iberian Peninsula except for the small ship cruise. I recall two rain events...a brief downpour in Porto and a brief drizzle on the outskirts of Lisbon. Of course, it is impossible these days to predict the weather. My best advice is to take a lightweight rain jacket with hood and preferably one with a zip-out liner. That is all you really need for outerwear.
The small group Spain and Portugal tour remains our favorite Tauck European land tour. I hope you go.
We will be on the Spain and Portugal tour leaving on Oct. 18th. It will be our second Tauck tour. It looks like a very busy, active tour with many beautiful places to see. Is the weather generally pretty nice at that time of the year? Looking forward to it!
MJRH - October is a beautiful time of year for this trip—certainly not hot or cold. You will be kept busy, but I would not characterize it as strenuous. The Moorish architecture in the south of Spain is beautiful in my opinion. There is so much history, especially of how the followers of the three major religions lived in harmony for centuries. And the food and wine!
Have a wonderful time and please consider posting a review afterwards.
Thanks to each of you who responded to my post - I found your replies very helpful.
I failed to mention that many walkways/paths and plazas in Lisbon have limestone set in beautiful patterns—stunning to look at but quite perilous to walk on when wet. To that end, it is imperative to have footwear with sturdy, hard, non-slip soles. Some of the limestone patterns are works of art in their own right and can also be quite dizzying if, like me, you suffer from vertigo at times. Ginger helps to counter that.
We took this trip this past May. Portugal and Spain are quite beautiful and it was a wonderful trip. It was the most strenuous trip we have taken with Tauck. Lots of walking on uneven surfaces and lots of up and down walking. The Alhambra and the Mezquita were well worth the walking not to mention all the wonderful places we saw.
I know walking during this trip involves a lot of stairs - for the most part, did the stairs on the daily tours have railings? I'd welcome suggestions for sneakers that you found good on the slippery surfaces. Is this trip more strenuous than Croatia to Venice land journey (both rated 3/3)?
We took this tour in 2015 and only remember one time in which we climbed stairs with no railings. I don't remember where in Spain that was. The tour directors and local guides have a knack of finding alternate routes for those with mobility or stamina concerns. I do recall at the Alhambra our tour director arranged for a cab back to the hotel for a few guests, including my husband, who did not want to walk back.
I have been to Venice and Croatia independently and briefly. My opinion is that walking in Spain and Portugal is easier. Someone else may offer a more comprehensive perspective, however.
I can't help with sneakers since I do not wear them. All of my touring shoes are leather ankle boots with hard soles.
Hope this helps.
Just to clarify: The Croatia land tour (Dubrovnik to Venice) is described as #2 pace and #3 activity.
Footwear: I recommend a pair of walking or hiking shoes with a good tread. There are a lot of options. I currently have Merrell hiking shoes and my husband has Eddie Bauer. In my opinion, sneakers such as Vans and Keds are not enough.
I recall needing to hold on to my partner a few places with no railings, I don’t remember where but it wasn’t frequent. I wore my Keen day hikers.
We will be taking this tour soon. Just wondering if we should be packing any dressy clothes - a dress for me or sports coat for my husband. Otherwise it seems like casual layering clothes, sweater and a rain jacket are best. And comfortable walking shoes with good support. Any suggestions?
I would strongly recommend a walking pole. The uneven cobblestones and stairs without railings are difficult.
The black pants/nice top thing was fine. More men without sport coats than with.
I agree with Choc…. lots and lots of walking, not many hand rails in most places. With that in mind it was a wonderful trip.
Just returned from a personal trip to spain. We did lots of walking. I used 2 pairs of good OC sneakers and I also used aspercreme
Lidocaine pain relief roll on liquid each day on the soles of my feet.
I had no problems with all the walking. Hope this helps.
We recently returned from the Spain and Portugal trip. We had a wonderful time! We enjoyed all the cities we stopped at and the amazing sights and culture. Our weather was great and our tour director, Patricia, was so knowledgeable about the history of the area and did a great job. We were glad we brought along our hiking shoes as these were essential to walking the hilly cities of Porto and Lisbon and on the beautiful cobblestones everywhere. I recommend this trip to anyone who enjoys history, stunning architecture and cultural experiences.