• Lisbon and Cape Roca, that is, the capital of Portugal and the westernmost cape of the Eurasian continent, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The poet Luis Camões, known to us mainly thanks to the film “Pokrovsky Gates,” said about Cape Roca that “this is the place where the land ends and the sea begins.”
• Madrid and Barcelona, ​​the capital of Spain and the capital of Catalonia, respectively, are a port city on the Mediterranean Sea, the largest industrial and commercial center, the city of the 1992 Olympics, glorified by Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe.

What to do beyond the regular program

• Leaving the car in the parking lot, go underground and take a ride on the Lisbon metro, where there are many interestingly arranged and decorated stations. An all-day pass costs just over 10 euros.
• Have lunch at the Mercado de Ribeira, a huge market in the center of Lisbon where you can find food for every taste.
• In Barcelona, ​​see not only the Sagrada Familia, but also visit the old train station Estacio de Franca. At least to appreciate its beauty. And find something Gaudian in it.
• On August 17 of this year, Barcelona's Rambla street turned into the site of a tragedy: terrorists killed 17 people and injured 100. Stand silently for one minute at the intersection with Plaza Catalunya.
• Climb to the snows of the Sierra Nevada to visit the southernmost European ski resort. So in one trip you can combine swimming in the sea and skiing or snowboarding. And this is in Spain, not in!

• You can rent a car directly at the airport even without prior reservation. But it’s better, of course, to study rentalcars.com and choose a car in advance. That is, determine its class. There is no point in choosing a make and model. Cunning distributors will give out what is available. And they will definitely try to transfer you to a more expensive car.

What you should know about

When traveling abroad, it is worth stocking up on an international driver's license, which can now be obtained through the MFC. But in reality, rental companies rarely require it. And the traffic police will stop you in an extraordinary case - if you drive backwards on the freeway, swerve on the road or rush headlong.

Before your trip, you need to study, at least in general terms, the traffic rules of the country where you are going. Did you know, for example, that in Spain it is illegal to drive bare-chested, wear flip-flops, or drink water while driving? By the way, don’t rush to rejoice when you return the car to a rental office - the fine may catch up with you at home, by mail. And you have to pay it if you want to come to the country again and get behind the wheel.

To avoid incurring additional costs when renting a car, carefully study the contract before signing it. Please note that there may be overlapping insurance policies. But full coverage is worth leaving in any case. To avoid paying for a navigator, which can cost as much as the car itself and which you simply cannot do without in a foreign country, download local maps to your smartphone or tablet at home. It is better to take a child seat, which is also very expensive to rent, from home. Or maybe buy it on the spot. To paraphrase Suvorov, the city is cunning. And also cars for rent.

• It is important to study not only the traffic rules, but also the parking rules in the countries where you are going. In short, parking spaces marked with blue markings are paid. There is a parking meter somewhere nearby. Stock up on coins. The machine may not accept banknotes or credit cards. Green or orange markings give priority to residents. Visitors will also have to pay for parking. Free parking is marked with white markings. Try to look for just such places. But in the center of Barcelona, ​​for example, there are none at all.
• It is faster to drive on toll roads (in Spain - A, AP, R or simply autopista) - straight and with a speed limit of 100–120 km/h. At payment points, occupy the lanes marked with coins, banknotes or bank cards, if you don't have a transponder. But there are always free alternatives to toll roads - N (autovia) roads. Naturally, you drive along them much more slowly, because there are many intersections and traffic lights and they are not straight, but winding. But the more interesting the journey becomes!

• Even though you have a car at your disposal, be prepared to walk a lot, including stairs. Attractions are usually concentrated in historical city centers, where if there are parking spaces, they are usually paid, and even those are occupied by locals. Use public transport. It is very well developed in both Portugal and Spain. By the way, it’s better to look at the famous Lisbon trams from the outside: they are crowded with tourists from morning until late evening. If you want to get to know the old trams better, go to Porto, 300 km from Lisbon, where the tram museum is located.
• If the car disappeared from the parking lot, it was most likely towed away. In this case, you will have to contact the municipal police. If you are just planning to evacuate, you may be able to negotiate payment of a fine on the spot or even get off with a warning. However, it is better not to take risks and carefully look at all the signs and read the information signs. If you don’t speak languages, you should use an online translator. Remember that the fines are large and it is inconvenient to pay them.

• Despite their geographical proximity, these countries are different and diverse. Even in Spain alone there are 17 regions whose residents pretend that they do not understand either the language of their neighbors or the principles of their life. Northerners scold lazy southerners, Westerners do not agree with those living in the East. The usual story.
• The borders between EU countries are practically invisible, and you can have breakfast in Portugal and dinner in Spain, or vice versa.
• The length of the coast of Portugal is 1793 km. And this country is five times smaller than neighboring Spain. If you only have a few days at your disposal, do not try to embrace the immensity and visit all the places indicated in the guidebooks. If you are in a hurry all the time, you will not have fun, much less be able to relax. Plan no more than three sites to visit each day, and devote the rest of the time to free walks. There will be something to see another time when you return.

One of best stores Portuguese wines - Garrafeira Nacional in Lisbon. It is located on the same street as the Santa Justa elevator, but a little higher, at number 18.

If we exclude “dust collectors”, from Spain I would advise bringing wine, olive oil and, of course, jamon - dried pork leg. Moreover, it is better to buy the simplest (unripe) and inexpensive jamon in a regular supermarket (for example, Mercadona), asking the seller to saw off the hoof to make it easier to put the delicacy in the suitcase. There, in the store, the jamon will be packed in several layers for transportation on the plane.

But if you are a connoisseur of beauty and love music, or want to give an unforgettable, expensive gift to a musician, buy a flamenco guitar made by one of the local craftsmen.

Where and what is

• Oh, I could write a poem on this topic. However, I will say it briefly. When preparing to travel to these countries, tune in to the local cuisine, with an abundance of fruits, vegetables, seafood and meat dishes. Choose those establishments where mostly locals sit. These are usually located away from tourist routes. Don’t be embarrassed if you are served a menu without pictures - you can ask the waiter to show the dish “live”. In any case, what you are served will be both edible and tasty. Don't disdain Spanish snacks - tapas. You can already eat a decent amount of them. But, of course, it’s still worth trying gazpacho soup, paella, and the ubiquitous pizza.

By the way, sometimes you may have to resort to fast food to reduce waits in restaurants and costs. And treat the children to ice cream. It is very tasty, especially in Lisbon. It’s also worth enjoying the famous Portuguese pastel basket cakes.

Where to live

As with food, everyone chooses according to their own taste and budget. If you are coming for a day or two, it is better to stay in a hotel; if you are coming for a couple of weeks, or even months, you should consider apartments that can be found on booking.com or (better) on airbnb.ru. But in this case, you will have to plan your routes so that you return to your place of residence every day or at least every other day.

Route for a trip to Andalusia: Malaga - Granada - Jaén - Cordoba - Seville

• Length: 750 km
• Travel time: days
• Points inspected: 20
• Spent (for two): 347 euros
• Gasoline: 55 euros
• Hotel: 72 euros
• Lunches and dinners: 150 euros
• Museums and other attractions: 20 euros
• Souvenirs: 50 euros

We flew to Madrid from St. Petersburg. Tickets for a direct flight with Iberia airline cost us only 7,800 rubles per person. We took it 3 weeks before departure. This is very good option, we were very lucky here.

In Madrid we had 3 full days. We stayed at the JQC Rooms hostel, in the heart of Madrid, a 3-minute walk from Puerto del Sol Square. For 35 euros per day we had at our disposal a double room with a small balcony, a refrigerator, a microwave and a fan. Showers and toilets were shared on the floor. Agree, very good.

In general, housing prices in Madrid were a pleasant surprise.
We arrived at 6 am, and check-in, as often happens, was only at 2 pm. Having contacted the hostel owners in advance, we found out that we could leave our suitcases at any time and calmly wait for check-in. That's what we did: we left our things and went for a walk.
In the first hours of our stay, Madrid shocked us. There was a lot of garbage all around, alcohol bottles, shoes stuck to the dirty asphalt, and there were a lot of absolutely inappropriate people around.
In the photo the main avenue of the city is Gran Via :)

Everything that was happening around hinted that the city had clearly had a good time at night. As we found out later, this chaos was the consequence of... a major annual gay pride parade :) However, this could be guessed by the rainbow flags hanging on every corner and male persons of clearly gay orientation walking arm in arm.

In general, tolerant Europe in all its glory. Yes, we admit that it was a little awkward for us to walk around THIS kind of Madrid.

If we forget about these first hours, then on the whole the city made a positive impression. Around 10-11 am the streets were put in order, and all the heroes of the occasion went to bed.

Madrid finally appeared in all its glory.

Before checking in, we had time to thoroughly explore the center of Madrid: we visited Plaza Mayor, walked to the Royal Palace, and wandered through the colorful streets.

Madrid grabs you tightly and doesn’t want to let go. Despite the fact that there are not many interesting sights here and there is nothing special to do for a long time, walking around the city is very pleasant and interesting.

In 3 days we visited all the most famous sights of Madrid, except museums.

Royal Palace

Cibeles Palace

Retiro Park

And feeding the fish.

Mayor Square evening

Cable car

Botanical Garden

Almudena Palace

Spanish classics of the genre: paella and sangria

Spanish classics of the genre No. 2: tapas and sangria :)

Based on the results of our wanderings around Madrid, we have compiled, in our opinion, the optimal route around the city, which includes all the most interesting sights.

We said goodbye to Madrid, but did not say goodbye to Spain, because in 10 days Barcelona, ​​with which we were already very familiar, was waiting for us.

Lisbon

On the third day, a night bus to Lisbon was waiting for us. Night flights have one clear advantage - you don't have to overpay for an extra night in a hotel. Two problems are solved at once: accommodation and travel. The bus ticket cost 35 euros, FixBus airline. Departure is at 23:35, and at 6:55 local time we arrive in Lisbon at Oriente station (the difference with Madrid is 1 hour). For us, this was the longest journey by bus (8 hours), which flew by very quickly. Fortunately, FlixBus has very comfortable seats and we slept almost the entire way.

In Lisbon we booked the Summer Flowers Guest House for 60 euros per day. This is a little expensive for Lisbon, but in our case there was practically nothing to choose from. Our accommodation was essentially a mini-hostel, with 7 double rooms, 3 showers, 2 toilets and one kitchen with all the utensils. Everything is very clean, the toilets and showers were cleaned every day.

The guest house was located almost in the city center, 700 meters from Martim Moniz Square, near the Intendente metro station.
Once again we were convinced that having a kitchen, even a shared one, is a huge plus. The problem with breakfast is being solved (this is greatly lacking in a regular hostel, without a kitchen or breakfast included). And in general, if they are aimed at budget holiday, then you can prepare your own food, excluding meals in establishments - and this is a very large expense item.

We allocated 5 days to Lisbon and at first we were a little afraid that there would be nothing to do here for so long. But it turned out that there is something to see in Lisbon and the surrounding area. Yes, the programs for each day were not so intense, we allowed ourselves to sleep longer, and spent a couple of evenings at home, but we were not bored.

On the first day, we traditionally walked around the center, without any goals, to scout out the situation, so to speak.

We went to a restaurant where we had one of the most popular dishes of Portuguese cuisine for two - octopus.

We visited the Sao Pedro observation deck.

Commerce Square

Cathedral Lisbon

Lisbon architecture

The next day we went to one of the main attractions of Lisbon - St. George's Castle.

In this city there are observation decks on almost every corner, but the best is still here. In fact, the entire castle (or rather, all that remains of it) is one large observation deck :)

And peacocks walk among tourists here.

We then headed to Martim Moniz Square, where Tram 28, perhaps the most popular attraction in the Portuguese capital, begins. As expected, there was a rather large queue waiting for us near the stop. It moved for quite a long time, because everyone wanted to take seats, and there are no more than 20 of them on the tram. We stood for about 50 minutes and, as it seems to us, this is not the limit of possible expectations.

Tram 28 is, overall, a good attraction for tourists, but you shouldn’t expect any unusual emotions from this event.

It is much better to go this route on foot. Please note that the tram route is not a circular route and the final stop is outside the city center. Therefore, you will have to return back either again on the same tram (buying another ticket), or on foot, as we did, walking around the non-tourist areas of Lisbon.

Cascais

On the third day we went to Cascais - one of the most popular resorts in Portugal, washed by the Atlantic Ocean. Let us remember that our trip took place in July and therefore we could not miss the opportunity to swim in the ocean, although it was quite cool. The water temperature in the ocean in mid-July was +18.

From Lisbon to Cascais - 40 minutes by train.

Cascais is a small and very cozy town.

Lunch (or dinner?) in Cascais - fried sardinians.

In addition to several beaches, Cascais has one very popular natural attraction - the Devil's Throat (Boca do Inferno).

We also visited her, of course, and she took with her a check of port wine.

We devoted the fourth day to the Belem district, which is 6 km from the city center. Several interesting sights are concentrated here: the Monument to the Discoverers, the Belem Tower and the Jeronimos Monastery. The last two usually have long queues.

First we climbed the Monument to the Discoverers, which offers a magnificent view of the Tagus River, the 25th of April Bridge and Lisbon itself.

Then we spent about an hour to get to the Belem Tower. They decided not to go to Jeronimos.

But in vain. We will give you valuable advice: if you are saving time, you don’t have to go inside the Belem Tower. All its beauty can be appreciated from the outside; there is nothing interesting inside.

The observation deck located at the top is much inferior to the Discoverers Monument in all respects. But due to its great popularity, there are constantly queues at the Belem Tower, which take a lot of time.

The next day we climbed to another observation deck, located not far from our hostel.

Then we went down to Commerce Square. The final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup took place on this very day. A large screen was installed on Commerce Square, on which fans watched every match. A huge number of them gathered for the final, including Croatian and French, of whom, to our surprise, a huge number gathered in Lisbon. We decided not to pass by such a celebration and watched the entire match together with everyone else.

That day we had dinner at a “family” restaurant, as they are often called here. They are “family” because this restaurant is exclusively a family business. As a result, they are quite small (often 3-4 tables). Located in non-tourist areas. Most of the visitors are local residents. There is no permanent menu; it is written by hand every day and hung near the entrance. And this menu is presented with only a few dishes, for example, only fish or seafood. The cook is the husband, the waitress is the wife or daughter, and so on. So we went to a similar restaurant, wandering somewhere not far from the house. And we really liked it! First of all, it's very tasty. Secondly, it is much cheaper. For comparison: I ordered this Seabass the day before for 13 euros, on the embankment, not far from Commerce Square.

In a family restaurant (whose name we never found out) they brought me the same portion for 6 or 7 euros, with exactly the same presentation. We ordered two of these dishes and asked for wine in addition. They brought us a 0.5 liter jug ​​of white wine for only 3 euros. There are a lot of similar restaurants in Lisbon, you just need to pay attention.

A couple more observation decks in Lisbon.

We tried local alcoholic drink- ginju.

During the remaining time, we visited the modern area of ​​the city - Parque des Nations (the second name of the Expo 98 area), where we were able to see one important landmark of Lisbon - the Vasco da Gama Bridge, which was the longest in Europe (17.2 km) until the completion of the Crimean Bridge . In addition to the bridge, there are several other interesting attractions: the Vasco da Gama skyscraper tower, the Vasco da Gama Shopping Center, the Oceanarium and the Cable Car, the cabins of which offer excellent views of the aforementioned bridge and the Tagus River.

In short, there is a lot to do here, but we had very little time left and we did not stay here for long. It's a pity. Don't repeat our mistakes.

In the morning we went to Sintra. It is worth clarifying here that most tourists visit Sintra from Lisbon in one day. Having thoroughly studied the issue, we decided that the option of galloping around, hastily exploring local attractions was not suitable for us. As a result, we booked the Portuguese Hostel here for 2 nights 45 euros per day with breakfast included (albeit modest).

Our number

Common areas

Sintra, in a broad sense, is not just a satellite city of Lisbon.

It's pretty big national park, which includes the aforementioned Cascais. There are several incredibly beautiful castles and palaces, the famous Cape Roca, and several picturesque beaches on the Atlantic Ocean. As it turned out, even in two days you can’t see everything.

Having arrived in Sintra and checked into a hostel, we went to the bus that took tourists to the Pena Palace - perhaps the most popular attraction in Sintra. Everything, as always, was not so simple. There was a large queue at the stop, in which we had to stand for about 40 minutes. The road to the palace, which is a steep serpentine road, took another 15-20 minutes. And now, finally, we are there.

Pena is a huge complex that includes both the Palace itself and a large park with many interesting objects. The place is simply amazing. Perhaps one of the best we have seen in Europe.

Next to the Pena Palace there is another building - the Castle of the Moors. And, in principle, you can have time to see both objects if you start early in the morning.

On the second day we went to Cape Roca - the westernmost point of Eurasia.

Near Cape Roca there is Ursa Beach, which for some reason not all tourists know about. But it is considered one of the most beautiful beaches not only in Portugal, but throughout Europe.

The peculiarity of the beach is that a rather difficult rocky road, almost 2 km long, leads to it. The last section of the path, which runs through the gorge, is especially difficult. But, believe me, what you see is worth it!

The next day from Sintra we returned to Lisbon, only to go to Porto. There are no direct trains from Sintra to the “second capital” of Portugal. But we conveniently connected our route: from Sintra the train arrived at Oriente station - from there it departed for Porto. The journey to Porto takes 3 hours.

We stayed in Porto for 3 nights. Here we rented a small hostel, very similar in type to the one in Lisbon. It was called StayIN Oporto Musica Guest Apartment. It was one large spacious room (most likely an apartment) with 5 or 6 bedrooms with 3 or 4 toilets and showers, a kitchen and a living room. We practically never crossed paths with our roommates. They gave everything for this number 40 euros.

We found the check-in system very interesting, which completely eliminates personal commonalities with the owner. A day before check-in, we were sent an email with the full address + code for the front door + code for the mini-safe that hung inside, next to the room. This safe contained the key to the door, and money for the stay had to be put there. Not a check-in, but a whole quest :)

A rather intense program awaited us in Porto for 2.5 days.

Cruise under the bridges on the Douro River.

Port wine tasting in Vila Nova de Gaia.

A trip to the ocean on an old tram.

And, of course, numerous walks along the ancient streets, which here have a special flavor.

You can't go anywhere without sangria :)

Porto or Lisbon?

Porto, oddly enough, is not like Lisbon. Of course, sometimes common features are visible, in architecture, for example, but in general the cities are very different in spirit. Porto is smaller than Lisbon, it is more colorful and peaceful. Lisbon has the spirit of the country's capital, it is more lively, noisy and diverse. Porto is cheaper than Lisbon.

It’s very difficult to say which city you liked better. You shouldn’t choose between them, go to both at once, fortunately there are only 300 km between the cities :)

Portugal - what is it like?

Let us summarize the overall results of our trip to Portugal.

Portugal is a very unique country. It seemed to us that it was very similar to Spain, but no. General features visible only in the tongue and a little in the kitchen. We have traveled to Prague, Amsterdam, Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Paris, Riga, Munich, Rome, Montenegro and Croatia. We did not find anything similar in Portugal. If you think that you are tired of Europe and have seen everything there, then feel free to go to Portugal.

Portugal is not a tourist country. By European standards, of course. There are tourists here and even queues for popular attractions, suitable infrastructure is also available, and many locals speak English. But, having visited the two largest and most popular Portuguese cities among tourists, we did not notice such a stir. There is no feeling that everything is tied to tourists. There is no typical European “rip-off”. The Portuguese either do not know how or do not want to make money from tourists and surround themselves with them. Everywhere you can feel, first of all, the local spirit.

Portugal is not a beach holiday. A bunch of historical attractions and also the ocean nearby - a great opportunity to combine cultural program with a beach holiday. Many people may think so. But, in the case of Portugal, this is a misconception. It will not be possible to combine these two types of holiday as well as, for example, in Montenegro or Barcelona. As has been mentioned several times above, neither Porto nor Lisbon have an ocean or beaches. They are located a few kilometers from the city. The water in these waters warms up to +18+19 at best. The ocean is very often choppy and large (and cold!) waves are formed. In short, the ocean is more of an aesthetic spectacle. You can swim here, but it won’t give you the same pleasure as in the warm sea. Yes, there is also the Algarve province - the south of Portugal and the main resort area, which, unfortunately, we were not able to get to. Here the water is one or two degrees warmer. But it’s 250 km from Lisbon by bus or train... Perhaps by renting a car you’ll be able to competently combine all aspects of your holiday?:)

Barcelona

Our journey is not over yet. We flew from Porto with RyanAir to Barcelona. Tickets cost 35 euros per piece (I had to pay about 7 euros extra for each ticket for priority boarding, so as not to check my hand luggage in the luggage, since there was a laptop and other valuables).

In Barcelona, ​​for the first time, we seriously encountered the problem of housing. 3 weeks before the required dates there was nothing even close to suitable. No apartments, no hotels or hostels. Either Barcelona is so popular among tourists that the normal options here are sold out very quickly, or housing for recent years the price has gone up a lot. 2 years ago we managed to rent a double room with a private shower for about 50 euros per night. This time I had to take the option of living with the owner. That is, in the apartment the owner lived in one room, we lived in another, and a couple of tourists lived in the third. Accordingly, the toilet, bathroom and kitchen are for common use. And this option cost us 62 euros per day!

In other respects, the location of the apartment was very good. On Paral-lel Avenue, between the Port of Barcelona and Plaza España.
Since Barcelona was already well known to us, we did not have any global plans for it. In 2 days we wandered around our favorite places.

We went to the beach

We visited the Citadel Park, which we skipped last time.

Once again we were convinced that no matter how you look at it, Barcelona is one of the best cities in Europe (of those we have visited), which we want to return to again and again.

How much does our trip cost?

Surely many people are interested in the question. How much does a 15-day trip to Spain and Portugal cost?

We traveled together, so we will consider it that way.

Housing and travel costs (planes, trains, buses):

• Air tickets St. Petersburg - Madrid 108 euros x2
• Housing in Madrid 70 euros for 2 nights
• Bus Madrid - Lisbon 35 euros o x2
• Accommodation in Lisbon - 295 euros for 5 nights + 10 euro city tax
• Accommodation in Sintra - 90 euros for 2 nights
• Trains Lisbon - Porto 19 euros x2
• Accommodation in Porto - 120 euros for 3 nights
• Air tickets Porto - Barcelona 35 euros x2
• Accommodation in Barcelona 125 euros for 2 nights
• Air tickets Barcelona - Moscow 129 euros x2

In 15 days for city transport, food and other pleasures of life we spent about more 1000 euros.
Total 2360 euros. The euro exchange rate at that time fluctuated around 72-73 rubles per euro. Thus, total cost our trip was approximately 170,000 rubles.

Portugal is a country where there were no all these famous artists, sculptors, directors, musicians, writers... There is no need to run headlong through museums, monasteries, castles and cemeteries. There are generally only two cities in the whole country. And and...

To Portugal by car. Part 1: Moscow-Algarve

Auto tourism, Travel report to Germany; Spain, Lleida (Lleida); Spain, Toledo; Portugal, Algarve; France, Orange; Poland; Belarus

Portugal is a country where there were no all these famous artists, sculptors, directors, musicians, writers... There is no need to run headlong through museums, monasteries, castles and cemeteries. There are generally only two cities in the whole country. And that’s why you need to relax there!

Something like this, briefly and succinctly, my friend Vasya directed me to where the apartments had already been purchased, and where I was supposed to be in a couple of months. Of course, I wanted to be there for a reason, I got into the Boeing in Sharik, sucked in a glass and was already there. No. The big goal was to take a ride in a car, cross Europe diagonally, take a “selfie” at Cape Roca, look at and touch the ocean, and the rest will be as it turns out.

When you plan a trip by car, you always identify some milestones along the way and scroll through the route in your head. Got up at 4:30. Coffee. Teeth. Cigarette. Read the news in the toilet. Maybe some more coffee. Another cigarette. We sat down on the path. And here is the long-awaited moment - the key is in the lock, the headlights turn on, the engine starts. Moscow traffic lights that have not woken up are blinking yellow, and the taillights of random fellow travelers, no longer uncommon at the beginning of six in the morning, are reflected in the asphalt wet from the watering machines. MKAD. M1... The road is not boring. Provincial cities. Forests. Fields. Rivers and rivulets. Dnieper. In the Smolensk region the terrain changes, small hills begin. The eye has something to grab onto and time flies by. Belarus. Very high average speed, but it will be deadly boring and the minutes will drag on for hours. Fighting sleep. Border, Bug. Warsaw, Wisla. A big, cheap, nasty dinner. New day. Early rise. Another 500 sad kilometers across Poland and we cross the Oder. Germany! Sasha's ritual bockwurst at the first gas station and vigorous traffic all the way to the Rhine. We would like to quickly cross it in Mannheim-Ludwigshafen and enter France, but we will go south. We cross the Rhine in the south of the Black Forest. And now on the second day of the trip, France. If you're lucky, there'll be a nice dinner in Alsace. Day three. Again we get up before dawn. Rona. Cotes du Rhone. We drink wine. We roll through the Pyrenees and in a couple of days we look forward to meeting the ocean. This is roughly how it seemed. The realities turned out to be a little different. This is in the report.

Plan

A trip to Portugal became the third item in my summer road trip plan. In February, we were sitting in our kitchen with friends and wondering where we could go. A month earlier, Natasha refused to run to Campania with the wording “it’s a very long drive, we’ll get tired” and bought tickets to Naples. In this situation, I was ready to agree to the traditional (for me) Arkhangelsk region. But somehow it turned out that in half an hour we were convinced that Portugal was not so far away, that the budget was feasible and that I would have a vacation of 3.5 weeks, compared to the standard two.

The general understanding of vacation is to rent a house for 2 weeks in the beach and bathing region, the province of Algarve, indulge in laziness, fun and drunkenness, and in between, enrich yourself culturally with one-day outings somewhere. Mandatory points of the program were Lisbon, Sintra and Cape Roca, and optionally the Tomar Castle of the Templars.

From the very beginning we planned the southern coast of Portugal to the west of Faro; a month earlier Sasha went there on a business trip. But in the end the choice fell on southern part Western. And as subsequent experience showed, it was correct and expectations were 100% met. On a 250 km stretch of coastline, several zones can be distinguished:

Faro and further east. Swim in the ocean. Quite wealthy citizens come here to watch flamingos and other birds. When you've had enough of everything - great option rest perhaps. Specific and expensive.

Faro - Albufeira. Excellent beaches for swimming and sunbathing. Villas and golf courses nearby, usually included. Expensive.

Portimao and surrounding areas. The nature and weather are similar to the previous one, but there are a lot of people and they don’t give a shit. Gelendzhik.

Lagos. Quite a cultural place. Without the pathos of Faro-Albufeira. There is no wave. Heat (as on the entire south coast)

South of the West Coast. Great wave. The ocean is slightly colder than the southern coast. It’s not so hot that people don’t even have air conditioning in their houses. Not many people. And the price tag is good. A paradise, in general, a corner.

We booked a separate house with a pool in the area of ​​the village of Aljezur, a kilometer from the ocean. With machines and the 0.5 ppm rule, we were more than happy with this.

The family's trip to Italy went very well by train to Portugal. The road to the ocean for my wife and son was more than halved due to the flight Naples - Barcelona, ​​and I was guaranteed to have time to get there without hearing “Dad, will we be there soon?” True, we had to make a detour of several hundred kilometers. The shortest route in terms of distance lies through Hanover, Cologne, and Paris.

The total length of the one-way route is approximately 5,000 km. It is clear that in three days this is, in principle, insurmountable (we are not talking about shift taxiing without overnight stays). In four, of course, it is possible, but the connection in Barcelona on the way there and the reluctance to drive back determined our speed of travel - five days in each direction. In this mode, you will be able to take a short break, some day get up not at 5, but at 7 in the morning, and see the cities. Sasha took upon himself the development of the plan and the search for hotels.

In total, the road there: 2 long stretches Moscow-Warsaw and Warsaw-Belfort (Belfort, a small town in Alsace), on the third day buying wine in France and finishing in Bars, where I meet my family and, perhaps, some kind of walk around the city. Gaudi and all that stuff. The fourth day is a short drive to Toledo, a walk around the city. Fifth day - finish in Aljezur.

Return route: Aljezur-Salamanca in a relaxed mode, we spend some time exploring the city, Salamanca-Diguen (Degoin, a remote place in the heart of France) with the purchase of wine somewhere in Bordeaux. On the third day there is a short but quick drive to Nuremberg, with plans for “shopping”. Two last days Let's go home as quickly as possible. Overnight in Biala Podlaska to get to the border early and waste as little time as possible there.

We and our transport

We went to Portugal with two cars, two families. Me, my wife Natasha, son Anton. Sasha Nikolaev with his wife Tanya and son Sergei. This was our first trip together. Seryoga already has a license and they will change periodically, if necessary he can replace me. As it turned out, we had very appropriate equipment for traveling around Europe. If you ignore the German autobahn, the VW Touran 2.TDI 110 hp. was ideal in terms of all its characteristics: comfortable seating, spacious interior, spacious trunk, fairly economical diesel engine. My son’s bike fit into the trunk; only one of the seats had to be moved 5 cm. The back row remained free and you could even lie down. Sasha Skoda Superb Combi 1.8T 152 hp with the Koni suspension, of course, it was more beautiful in Germany, but because of Seryoga’s bike, I had to fold ⅓ of the seat, and for the money it consumed 20-25% more fuel. However, both Skoda and Turan pleased their owners with their efficiency.

There

A little late, at about 6:30 we left the Moscow Ring Road. We promptly drove to the last Russian gas station, where we also had a snack with household supplies. Seryoga moved next to me to disturb me from sleeping, and in the usual chatter, having fun reading about settlements that are funny to the Russian eye (Arekhavka, Alshanka, etc.), we quietly reached the last Belarusian gas station. Before Brest on the right there is “Belneftekhim”. According to the experience of knowledgeable people, the DT in this network is quite decent, they are daddy’s. Cayenne ate and did not get sick. The cost of fuel is only slightly, 10 percent, higher than ours.

Border. Boringly we pass Russian border guards, Polish customs officers and border guards. No one rummaged in the trunk, no one snatched sausage from his mouth, they only asked about cigarettes.

From the border we trudge through the population, staring at the life and structure of the lords. Everything is decorous, noble, with an eye on the Germans, but in the Polish manner. Between the villages and towns there is a decent smell of some kind of chemical manure. Maybe they add something to it, maybe the cows already crap like that from the feed, I don’t know, but it’s better to drive with the windows closed.

We got lost around Warsaw - all in repairs and detours. It probably took us an hour to cross it. As a result, we got to the Rest Hotel (29 euros for a double room without breakfast). A good place to spend the night. Its main advantage on the way to Europe is that there is only a highway ahead. All other Polish hemorrhoids were resolved on the first day. The food is not tasty, but it is cheap and plentiful, haha. Local beer (a little better than ours, very hard water) and zubrovka (excellent vodka) are on the menu.

Total for the day: 1,255 km from the Moscow Ring Road. Consumption ~5.8 liters per 100 km.

We get up early again, drink coffee and head out. The Polish Autobahn is fresh, newly built, smooth and fast. Limit 140 km/h. But it’s an incredibly boring landscape, it would be more fun even in Belarus. Because fuel in Poland is still somewhat cheaper than in Europe, we fill up the tanks before the Oder. We have a snack at the first German gas station with Bockwurst and go to the banya with its very dynamic traffic, requiring regular lane changes. The dream that came to Poznan disappeared as if by hand.

German motorways are an interesting topic. The first thing that catches your eye is that the roads are very busy. There are many reasons: lack of tolls, high population density (in the GeDeriy nothing yet, but further on there really are a lot), probably the largest number of cars per 1000 people. among European countries, and then it is still a country with an automotive history. But despite this, the entire motley army of motorists moves very quickly. Each road user is a cell of a single organism. All lane changes, acts of politeness or, conversely, rejection, are subordinated to a certain meaning and are designed to ensure high speed safe movement from point A to point B. I have learned the operation of several rules (they are also spelled out in our traffic rules, but they are only spelled out):

1. Overtaking can only be done on the left. The basis of the entire line of behavior on the road and the key to accident-free movement of traffic. As a consequence:
- The “don’t occupy the left lane”, which is familiar only from hearsay, works. Cars move in the right lane as far as possible. Overtook, moved to the right.
- You can’t even get ahead on the right. That is, if, while driving in the first row, you catch up with a rider in the second row, you must go to the third, overtake and return to the first. Yes, it’s inconvenient, yes, the person being overtaken is wrong or just lost in thought (which is the same thing), but you can’t disturb the order.
2. Do not force other road users to apply the brakes unless absolutely necessary. General rule, which helps maintain high average speed stream:
- The Germans always move to the second row in advance before entering their road from another ban. Even if there are two acceleration lanes.
- If you see that in the right lane the car you are going to overtake is in turn catching up with another car, move into the third row if possible. Well, etc., there are a lot of situations!
Guided by simple rules, Germans are polite and expect reciprocity. If, before repairing the bathhouse, in advance, as soon as traffic begins to form, you start to change lanes to the left (when repairing the lane in one direction, there is a narrowing from three to two lanes), they always let you through. An attempt to get into an already formed flow is nipped in the bud. The attitude towards boors, idiots and simply gaping people is approximately the same.

The canvas that is now used to pave roads also deserves special attention. Something very similar to concrete, quickly drains water and allows you to reduce interest costs by 10-15%! Compensated by increased speed. I couldn’t accelerate more than 190 km/h according to the speedometer. At the same time, my main rivals have always been Mercedes Sprinter minibuses :) This is the fastest car on the autobahn! Another fast one was the Porsche Panamera with Moscow license plates. He finally overtook us in Thuringia on the ninth road. We left the Moscow Ring Road at the same time :)

It would seem that when driving through Germany, you can’t help but stock up on beer. But no, it’s possible! Outside Nuremberg, we went to the town of Ansbach and did not find this German drink in two supermarkets. Those. there was Ottinger, Franciskaner and other rubbish, but there was no beer.

Some Taiwanese navigator with the function of receiving information about traffic jams in the FM band helped a lot. An absolutely necessary item. Before Heilbronn we went to Stuttgart, thus avoiding a large number of congestions on the 100-kilometer section to Karlsruhe.

It was already quite late when we arrived in Belfort in Premiere Classe Belfort (37 euros for a double room without breakfast). This is not a hotel, more like a cramped stall, but it is clean. Plus one thing - the price tag. There is no catering, so we had a sliced ​​dinner with beer, zubrovka and went to bed. Tomorrow it’s early to get up again, you need to be in Barcelona at 3-4 pm.

Total for the day: 1,434 km. Consumption ~6.1 liters per 100 km.

At 4:30 we got up, at 4:45 Sanya already asked when Seryoga and I would go down to the cars. We got ready very quickly and after dark we were already driving to the nearest gas station in the hope of at least drinking coffee and eating a croissant.

The roads are toll, there are few cars and we drive fast. In Leon we find ourselves in a small traffic jam. The French already allow deviations from German “concepts”, all this is a little reminiscent of their homeland. The “Route du Soleil” (“Road of the Sun”, along which the entire northern, densely populated Europe goes on vacation to the Mediterranean Sea) is quite crowded, but we successfully avoid the congestion and after Orange we leave the motorway to the Cotes du Rhone vineyards in the area Chateauneuf du Pape, a village in which one of the papal residences was supposed to be built during the so-called “Avignon captivity of the popes”).

Vineyards of Chateauneuf du Pape

We turn to the nearest “chateau”. We try 5, then 10, then 20 euros per bottle. Tasteless. Those. It's not tasty at all. The hostess says that this wine (which costs 20) needs to sit a little longer. No need. Orevoir, madam. We drive a couple of kilometers to the Domain de Saint Siffrein. The hostess is a southerner, chattier and much friendlier than the previous one. They have 20 hectares of vineyards, of which 15 are under the “premium” AOC Chateauneuf du Pape. Let's try. 10 is excellent, 19 is excellent. We shop for Moscow, plus we take a package of 10 liters for 37 euros in the hope that we will take another 10 somewhere in Languedoc.

Why did the neighbor's wine not be as good? Madame explained it as follows: farms specialize in various categories consumers. She, or rather her son, are adherents of the old school of winemaking, and the neighbors make wine for young people. There are also winemakers who focus on the American market and other horrors. It turns out that everything is so complicated. Madame happily told Tanya about her wine and answered all her questions.

Naturally, there is absolutely no wine here special treatment. Perhaps wine is even the basis of self-identification in France.

“Lunch without wine is like a day without the sun”

Finally we stopped at another chateau. The stone house looked more like a dilapidated barn. We were met by a couple of Labradors (although purebred dogs are more rare here than the norm, unlike Russia), then for about three minutes we called for at least someone. In response to our question “does he have inexpensive wine?” the owner, who appeared from the darkness of the closet, was sleepy and slightly hungover, and said that in HIS establishment the price tag starts from 40 euros. But everything is very nice. The bonus for spending 10 minutes was the view of him and his farm.

A visit to a winemaker is not only good for the wallet, but also quite exciting. Not only do you get the wine you like (!) at the lowest (!) price. You can still bargain, and for French speakers you can also babble in this beautiful language with the villagers. If you're lucky, you might meet a local grandfather or peasant who will take out a bucket and ask the owner to pour it straight from the barrel. Or look at the townspeople who came to replenish their supplies for the year ahead.

Let's move on. Time is running out, the plane from Naples takes off exactly on schedule, which means that we pass by 10 liters of wine. Closer to the border, smart young ladies in uniform set up speed cameras, and violators are received at the next payment point. And here is Barcelona. City visited huge number my friends, about which there are a lot of admirations left in the reviews, where there is Sograda Familia, some kind of Rambla, etc. But we approached from the other side and the first thing we encountered was a natural favela on the outskirts of Barca! We find a hotel and while the guys are checking in, I rush to the airport. The plane landed about an hour ago. It took no more than an hour to travel there and back, find the terminal, park and meet. Upon our return, a surprise awaited us all: the hotel where we planned to spend the night, Center Esplai Alberque, turned out to be a hostel with all that it implies. Dirt, poor air conditioning, uncomfortable beds, etc. We decided to leave the city. Sasha and Serega found a hotel in Lleida, Jardins del Segria (69 euros per family with a good breakfast). This is for the best; tomorrow there will be more time in Toledo.

The asshole from the Barcelona hostel could not immediately return the money (we paid at the reception before we saw the room) to the card. The return took about a month. And then, probably only because of letters with a promise to inform booking.com

We drove to Lleida along the free highway. Unlike France, you can drive in Spain on free roads, but in some places, for example to cross the Pyrenees, only toll roads or roads are available. settlements. On the road, we share our impressions of a month and a half and look at the landscapes outside the window. The hotel turned out to be quite decent, frequented by the local population. We relaxed a little, tomorrow the distance is a little more than 500 km, we don’t have to rush to get up. Rioja is still a very good wine.

Total for the day: ~1178 km. Consumption ~6.1 liters per 100 km.

The morning of the fourth day turned out to be gloomy. It started to rain. Small at first, then it intensified.

Outside the window there are very pleasant pictures up to Sigüenza, passes of ~1000 meters, then to Guadalajara a flat plateau with fields. All of Spain is quite high above sea level, and Madrid is generally the most “high-altitude” capital in Europe. Spain also has the cheapest fuel on the European part of our route. And if for diesel fuel the difference with France is not so great, then for gasoline it is ~15%. This is something to keep in mind when planning your trip. Below are photos taken while driving from the car:

We arrived in Toledo in the afternoon. The hotel is located in the very center of the so-called "historic city of Toledo", Hotel Conquista de Toledo (69 euros per family without breakfast). About 200-300 meters away, a little higher, opposite the alcazar, there is an underground parking lot. 20 euros per night, after all a UNESCO World Heritage Site :)

Having dropped off our things, we set off on an excursion. The city itself (historical city) is located on a decent hill and was at one time the capital of Castile until the king moved it to Madrid. Very for a long time was a defensive fortification. First the Visigoths defended themselves against the Visigoths, then the Moors against the Castilians, then the Castilians against the Moors, and finally Franco's supporters against the Republicans. On one side Toledo is surrounded by a fortress wall, on the other naturally protected by the Tagus River (the same Tagus, which in Lisbon will be called Tagus) and the abyss.

The city has a large number of attractions. Hordes of tourists from all over the world follow clear routes: one minute you were in a crowd and suddenly you find yourself alone on the whole street. Many buildings look unnaturally fresh. All this together gives the feeling that there are no local residents in Toledo at all. But this is not true, they are:

We galloped across Europe and covered the entire city. Fortunately, there is an escalator, a gift from King Juan Carlos. Therefore it is absolutely free.

On the narrow streets of Toledo:

In April-May 2016 we were on vacation in Portugal. But, while planning the route, it became clear that going to Portugal is many times cheaper through Spain (that is, flying to Madrid, renting a car there and driving through half of Spain to Portugal). Renting a car at Madrid airport also turned out to be 3 times cheaper than renting it at the airport in Lisbon or Porto.
Thus, it was decided to go through Spain and at the same time visit Andalusia. We rent a car (click on the link): select the city, dates and requirements for the car and compare prices. Basic requirements that you should pay attention to: mileage included, where the car is provided (for example, right at the airport, or someone will meet you and take you to the office), what insurance is included, automatic or manual transmission, number of people seated, number doors. Everything else is highly variable, especially the make of the selected car. It will almost never correspond to what was ordered)))
And we look at the best tickets to Madrid using this wonderful calendar (of course, the prices are the most pleasant; by the way, the weather in Seville in January is very comfortable):

So, the main points of our route:

1. We arrive in Madrid. We immediately take a car and go to a hotel located along the route of our journey. This is not the first time we have stayed in the Getafe area. In general, there are decent hotels in this area at very economical prices. This time we stop at Holiday Inn Express Madrid-Getafe and for 50 euros/night we get a decent room with breakfast, free parking and a Carrefour hypermarket around the corner. By the way, there is also a good shopping center called Getafe The Style Outlets, where only locals live. We also buy something essential there, such as T-shirts or socks for every day, and definitely a SIM card in Orange with unlimited Internet throughout Spain and 2 GB in Europe (Mundo tariff).

Since this is Spain, it is necessary to purchase, firstly, baby supplies and food, and secondly, water and snacks. This is not the first time we have been traveling and we understand that with their siesta and real weekends (even hypermarkets are not open on Sunday and Monday or Saturday, it varies), it is easy to stay hungry.

2. We stop by Toledo. We have already been to this city and, to our misfortune, tried local marzipan and macaroons. And now we can’t eat them anywhere, anywhere in the world, except Toledo. So, of course, we stop by for some tasty treats.

Goodies are sold in the Old Town, in the Mazapan shop (link to Google maps). It’s also worth taking a walk in the Old Town - the Cathedral there is incredibly beautiful and of incredible size.

It is one of the largest in Spain. It houses many masterpieces - from paintings by El Greco, Caravaggio, Titian and other famous artists to outstanding examples of medieval jewelry.

3. Let's go to Cordoba and stay there for a couple of nights. We chose a hotel in the very center, from the windows of the room you could practically touch the walls of the Mezquita - Hotel Mezquita.

The hotel has simple rooms, but the lobby looks no more modest than the halls of the Hermitage or the Vatican Museum.

But along with the proximity to history - noisy celebrations under the windows until 3 am, the inability to get to the hotel (in a couple of places, and we were driving using Google navigator, we touched the walls of houses with both ears in a WV Polo car), it seems that we got into the camera and We are waiting for a fine. Accordingly, public paid expensive parking is a 10-15 minute walk from the hotel with suitcases.

Cordoba is an incredible city and we loved it. Here you must visit: the Mezquita, the Alcazar, the Roman Bridge (which has stood for 2100 years), the Old Town. We arrived on the eve of the Courtyard Festival, which takes place in May, so the whole city was charmingly decorated.

Not far from Cordoba (27 km) there is a very beautiful Spanish castle - Almodovar (Castillo de Almodovar del Rio). Follow the link for its location on Google Maps.

4. On the way to Seville we stop in a town Setenil de Las Bodegas. This is a town built in the mountains, or rather right in the rocks. There are several famous photos on the Internet where the roofs of houses are made of stones. That's where we went. The town is charming. It took us 2-3 hours to completely get around it (including the ascent and descent in the rocks). But, in principle, you can stay there for the night:

5. Rhonda- also passing through. Although it is worth staying overnight in this city. True, there are not a lot of budget hotels here. The city, hovering over an abyss in the mountains, was built at an altitude of 740 meters above sea level, and is very popular among tourists. The most famous and worthwhile attractions:

One of the oldest and largest bullfighting stadiums Plaza de Toros

Puente Nuevo- an 18th-century bridge 98 m high across the Guadalevin River, dividing the city into 2 parts, Old and New.

Arab baths (Baños Árabes)- a monument of the Moorish period in Ronda, which never belonged to the Moors. This is a Romanesque structure that imitated Arabic architecture.

6. Seville- here we stay for 2 days. Although the city is already large, touristy and even dirty. We check into the Pasarela Hotel across the street from the charming Plaza de España. Parking is free, breakfast is included. And on the square you can walk on warm Spanish evenings:

Also worth visiting in Seville:

Seville Cathedral and Alcazar. The famous Game of Thrones was filmed in the Alcázar de Sevilla. And on the dates of our stay in the city they just started showing new season. Twice we tried to get into the Alcazar gardens, but the queues were unbearable. I really regret that we didn’t get there:

Seville Cathedral- also among the largest in Europe. Here you can climb the bell tower (observation platform at an altitude of 114 meters):

A structure made of concrete and wood that stands out from its general surroundings, the Metropol Parasol ( Metropol Parasol) or Seville Mushrooms. At the bottom of this structure is a museum containing Roman and Moorish remains discovered during the construction of the site. And on the top (4th floor) there is a panoramic platform with a view of the whole of Seville:

Pilate's House (Casa de Pilatos)— the palace is a copy of the palace of Pontius Pilate. A very interesting place with a magnificent collection of Moorish mosaics in the interior. We spent probably 1.5 hours there:

7. Huelva) is a historical city almost on the very border with Portugal. It is notable for the fact that it was from here that Christopher Columbus went to America. This is where the Columbus Museum is located. (Muelle de las Carabelas) with a huge park, a monastery, and all kinds of entertainment. But on Mondays the museum is closed, we were only able to photograph the prototypes of the legendary sailing ships from afar. I was surprised how small they really are:

Well, that’s all, we’re driving across the long bridge into Portugal. The measured Spanish rhythm of life is replaced by a bustle similar to Russian. The roads are much worse, so there are tolls. Fuel is 25% more expensive than in Spain (30 euro cents). But supermarkets are almost always open and nutritional establishments are also open. This is the cry of the soul of a hungry independent tourist in Spain.

The south of Portugal is, first of all, incredibly beautiful beaches. We traveled the entire coast, and most of all we liked Portimão and Lagos for vacation. And by access to beautiful pictures, and by service in these cities

8. Portimao - we lived here for a couple of days and rode along the coast. There are many hotels and apartments along the beach. There are more interesting ones, but what is on booking.com is mediocre in terms of service (very reminiscent of Soviet sanatoriums), but at a reasonable price. We lived in an apartment on the first line, with windows overlooking the ocean, with parking for 5,000 rubles for two days. These sentences are most often spoken by Moldovans, or Russians, or Ukrainians. A lot of Russian speech. The locals are friendly and welcoming. And these are the pictures from the window:

The beaches are wide, the ocean is cool in May, but you can swim. There are a large number of sports grounds and, in principle, sports people. Again, very much in contrast to Spain, which is hooked on almost 24-hour fast food.

These areas are more expensive, but there are many delicious restaurants here. Russian speakers serve again. It’s almost like being at home, only the portions of the dishes are such that you couldn’t eat them alone:

9. We walk around Lagos and neighboring beaches. Clean, tidy city:

Beaches nearby:

10. Then we go to Lisbon - the city that everyone falls in love with. The Old Town is interesting here, where you can walk for hours, zigzagging around each block on foot. There are a lot of tourists here. There are many hotels to suit every taste, color and budget. We lived right next to the 25th of April Bridge - in this area parking is easier and it is easier to travel further to the north of Portugal.

Lisbon is worth staying for 3-4 days. We didn't visit much. We just walked around the city, despite the rain.

With children, you should definitely visit the Lisbon Aquarium in the Parc des Nations. There are also a lot of excellent reviews about the Lisbon Zoo, but we didn’t have time to go there.

11. Let's go to Sintra. This city is also a must visit. It is also a must to stay there for 2-3 days. Our mistake - we were passing through.

On the way to Cape Roca we pass very windy beaches and real Atlantic dunes:

Cape Rock - significant place- the westernmost point of Europe. But from the picture, in our easternmost Russian places it’s exactly the same, only the transport and souvenir infrastructure is worse.

We hung out for 2-3 hours in Massona Monteiro's Quinta da Regaleira palace park. An interesting palace in the neo-Gothic style, a Catholic chapel and a huge park with fountains, grottoes, and lakes were built here. All sorts of riddles and Masonic symbols are scattered throughout the park.

I now have the famous photo of the well. Here you need to go through the grotto and climb through this well from “Hell to Heaven”. But for some reason, Russian guides lead Russians from top to bottom, interfering with the oncoming flow:

The famous Pena Palace, which we didn’t have time to visit because we took a walk in the Masonic Park:

Also worth a visit Moors Castle Castelo dos Mouros, built in the 9th century.

12. Let's go to Aveiro), where we stop for the night. And in the morning we walk around a very interesting city with mosaic houses:

This is the Portuguese Venice, where you can also ride gondolas. But after lunch, because in the morning there is no water in the canals.

The place to stay is the excellent Hotel Aveiro Palace with views of the canal and gondolas and a wonderful interior in a cozy English style:

When staying in Aveiro, you can’t help but stop in Praia da Costa Nova- this is a place with these cute striped houses. Initially, fishermen painted their houses this way. Later this corporate identity was supported by all the houses of the town:

And we are leaving Portugal. Few? Yes. But it’s enough to get to know the country.

What I collected about Portugal, but was not able to visit, I am attaching links to Google maps to make it easier to include these points in your routes:

- Évora - the city is interesting for its architecture. Here is the Cathedral catholic cathedral, and preserved columns of the Roman temple. There is also a Chapel of Bones, the interior walls of which are covered with human bones and skulls. In principle, you can route from Madrid to Lisbon through Évora.

Towns Estoril And Cascais-located 25 km from Lisbon. The party scene doesn't stop here: nice sandy beaches, cafes, restaurants (there are Michelin-starred ones), casinos, shopping. We drove past them. Nice towns. This is the Portuguese Riviera - many wealthy Europeans have villas and mansions here.

Also not far from Sintra (30 km) and simply a must visit - the city of Mafra and Mafra National Palace. This is a monastery, the largest palace and altar of the Portuguese kings. Next to the palace there is a nature reserve and a royal garden. They are also worth a visit.

Ericeira International Nature Reserve with the ten best beaches for this sport. They say Ericeira is second only to Malibu.

Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitoria ( Mosteiro da Batalha listen)) is a Dominican monastery in Gothic style, listed World Heritage UNESCO.

The village of Monsanto - where residents have been living in houses built in boulders for the last centuries. The walls or roofs are made of stones. About the same as in Setenil in Spain. We really wanted to capture this point on our route. But they didn’t fit into the standard two-week vacation.

- Porto- does not require my description. Many people say that this city is much more interesting than Lisbon. I think we will definitely get there again.

- or stone house, which is present in all ratings of the most unusual houses. It was built from two boulders in 1974. It is located in the north of Portugal, you need to go there specifically, because there is nothing interesting nearby. The house is two-story, with stone furniture inside. The residents abandoned it because the idea of ​​living in solitude did not justify itself - curious tourists were constantly breaking into the house.

And we cross the border with Spain, running into a queue at a gas station with fuel 25% cheaper. And to closed cafes and shops. There's nowhere to even buy coffee. Eh, Portugal relaxed.

13. We arrive at Salamanca. This is the highest capital of the Spanish provinces, located at an altitude of 1128 meters above sea level. It is surrounded by a fortress wall, erected in the 11th-14th centuries on the site of Roman and Arab fortifications. The length of the wall is 2.5 km. And inside the Old Town with the Cathedral, churches, cozy restaurants and cafes

15. Let's go to Madrid, spend the night and fly home the next day. This time we rented a hotel in the city center. And they realized that this was stupidity. Questionable service, dirty rooms, parties and noise under the windows all night, expensive parking (35 euros per day, barely found for 18 euros) a 10-minute walk with suitcases and a stroller from the hotel. I don't like Madrid. We are already old for him and are not ready to party like young people do. For us, this is exclusively the starting or ending point of our route.

In total, the entire route was 2365 km, 13 days of travel, visited 22 cities and plunged into 2 such different countries.

I think we will combine the north of Portugal (from Porto and everything north) with a trip to the north of Spain. Also worth a separate trip is Andalusia: Malaga, Cadiz, Granada and Almeria, with a visit to Gibraltar and possibly a trip to Morocco by ferry. By the way, do you know that in Morocco there is spanish cities? The EU territory in Africa is Melilla and Ceuta. I really want to visit.

Lots of links about Spain

The initially planned trip to the south of the Iberian Peninsula gradually turned into an expedition to Moorish castles, because... Alcazar, or alcazaba (Arabic palace, fortress) is the main attraction and historical center of most large cities in southern Spain and Portugal.

It all started in the capital of Andalusia, Seville. We rented a car and drove west towards Portugal. We made our first stop in a cute town with a cheerful name, Huelva, which is pronounced “Huelva”.

After crossing the border with Portugal, which could only be guessed by the flashing sign, we headed to the Portuguese city of Faro, where we discovered a lot of interesting things. The town is located on the very shore Atlantic Ocean, and the coast in this place is dotted with many uninhabited islands. If you climb the bell tower of the cathedral, you can enjoy amazing views of the coast and ocean. Walking down the street, you often come across tangerine trees with yellowing fruits on them, which leads to complete delight and the realization that you have found yourself in a completely different world.

In general, when entering Portugal, you immediately notice that people speak English very willingly and well, even in small towns. This is especially funny for Africans, due to their unique accent and constant jokes.

Having heard a lot about the Via Verde system, which is being actively implemented in Portugal, after crossing the border we went to the tourist center. Via Verde is an automatic road payment system that debits money from a special card installed in the transmitter. The transmitter must be rented and installed under the windshield of the car. Fortunately, in the southern part of Portugal, as of September 2011, this system was duplicated everywhere by the usual, manual payment system, so it was necessary to rent a transmitter only for driving on roads in the vicinity of Porto, which were not included in our route. However, on the A22 road, along which we entered Portugal, there are already Via Verde gates, which are not duplicated by “manual” gates. They are not working yet, but they will be turned on in the coming months.

The sunset in Faro was beautiful, but it reminded us that we still have almost 300 kilometers to Lisbon, and the day is already running out. Fortunately, Portugal is in a different time zone, and we have one extra hour.

Lisbon

At night we left the car in the hotel parking lot, but in the morning we decided to save money and went to look for free public parking. We just lost time. All parking is for locals only, as indicated by the corresponding signs under the “P” signs and stickers on the windshields of parked cars.

Returning empty-handed to the hotel's paid parking lot, we left the car and went to the center of Lisbon by metro. After Barcelona, ​​you immediately notice a different level of service in the subway. As soon as we approached the machine, a metro employee appeared in front of us and offered to help, explaining in detail, peppering his story with jokes, how everything works here. But everything doesn’t work quite normally: for the first time, in addition to travel, you need to pay the cost of the card, and then, instead of buying new tickets, you will only need to “top up” this card. Very convenient and environmentally friendly, and a souvenir for tourists.

So, we are in the center of Lisbon. The peculiarity of this city is contrast, which does not violate harmony and comfort. From the Baixa-Chado station you go down to the sea along narrow parallel-perpendicular streets to the huge Commerce Square, which is somewhat reminiscent of the Palace Square of St. Petersburg, only here you are on the very shore of the sea, and the square seems endless, merging with the surface of the water. You walk just a short distance along the embankment and you find yourself in the oldest district of Lisbon, Alfama, with its crooked alleys along which small old trams with one headlight travel. You hide from the heat in the long dark galleries of the Cathedral.

Over a glass of port in a summer cafe, you enjoy the view of the shabby houses surrounding you. You climb up to the fortress of St. George, at the foot of which street musicians play and dance. Then - down again, to Figueira Square. There, students staged a protest, dressed in black suits (poor guys, in such heat!), and lay down right in the square. As soon as you turn from this square, you find yourself in a creepy slum quarter, where local residents leaning out of their doors look at you with displeasure, and you can’t turn anywhere, the street is as long as a tunnel.

And when evening falls, you settle down in one of the restaurants on the cozy pedestrian street Rua das Portas, sipping port while waiting for fried cod.

Port

And a few more words about this wine. By age, port wine is usually divided into two types: regular and ten-year-old (contrast, in Portuguese). That’s what they say on the menu: 10 anos (10 years). So, a glass of regular port costs about 3 euros, and a ten-year-old one costs 4.50. I recommend the second option, because... this is something extraordinary. I'm not a strong wine drinker, but Portuguese port is great.

Sintra

The next day we went to Sintra. I also wanted to make it to the nearby Cape Roca, but it didn’t work out because... there is a lot of interesting things to do in Sintra, and these interesting things are located at a decent distance from each other. The fact is that it was in Sintra that at one time the rich and successful Portuguese built their country palaces, and since the area here is mountainous, castles and palaces were built, as usual, each on its own hill. So, we started with the traditional castle of the Moors, which is a long closed wall winding along the top of a hill from which it opens beautiful view to the surrounding castles and the Atlantic Ocean.

Having walked around the wall and getting pretty sweaty, we turned our attention to Pena Castle, which was second on our list to visit, and realized that we would still have to sweat a lot: Pena Castle, bathed in the hot Portuguese sun, stood on a neighboring, even higher hill. Fortunately, the road to it went through the forest, and was much better than that one rocky path that led to the castle of the Moors. So we soon found ourselves in a palace, which, with its brightness and diversity, stood out against the background of other castles. And it’s no coincidence, because it was built by the king, and not just like that, but for love pleasures!

When we, slightly staggering from fatigue, descended into the city, it was already evening. However, despite our hungry faces, the waiter of the first restaurant we came across just threw up his hands and said that the kitchen was closed until seven in the evening (meaning siesta). To which we, having gathered our remaining strength, wandered to the car, deciding to eat along the way.

Merida

Setting a course for Merida, we reached the Spanish border after dark. And since, along with the new time zone, another hour was added to the time, we ended up at the hotel around midnight.

In the morning, Merida was waiting for us - a small cozy town that was during the Roman Empire major center, as evidenced by numerous ruins. There is also a Moorish castle here - the Alcazaba fortress. That's where we started. Inside the wall, only ruins remained of the fortifications, and therefore a small garden with olive and lemon trees, filled with the aroma of blooming roses, turned out to be very useful here.

Having looked at the longest Roman bridge in the world stretching into the distance, a beautiful view of which opens from the wall of the Alcazaba, we moved to the city center. I liked the Roman theater and amphitheater here - they are well preserved and in some places restored, so there is a certain effect as if you had really stepped back in time. In general, the Roman character of Merida is conducive to a leisurely walk around the city, so, of course, one day is not enough to fully enjoy this beautiful city.

In the evening we arrived on the outskirts of Madrid, and in the morning we took the metro and went for a walk around the Spanish capital. A significant part of the walk was spent in the Prado Museum, and from the views of Madrid we liked the landscape opening from the Parque de la Montaña hill.

Bull tail

When you visit Spain, you should definitely try a typical dish - stewed ox tail (Rabo de Toro or, in English, Oxtail). In Madrid it is served in many restaurants, so we ordered this dish for dinner. We took one for two, because... This delicacy is very nutritious, in addition to being incredibly tasty.

Toledo

The next morning we went to Toledo, a small town that was once a major medieval center. Ancient part The city stands on a hill and is surrounded by a wall, representing a unique island of old medieval Spain. Walking along the narrow winding streets of Toledo, we managed to get lost several times, but we felt the real atmosphere of this city, which is felt precisely in the remote deserted streets, and not at all in the central squares filled with tourists.

In the evening we drove to Granada, and soon crossed the border of the autonomous region of Andalusia. The road is being actively repaired in this section, and we had to slow down every now and then. It was already getting dark when we reached the mountains, and the road turned into a serpentine road where, due to constant restrictions and radars, we had to slow down, despite the protest of local drivers who flashed their headlights and honked on the descents. Having passed the mountains, the road became wider, which allowed us to move faster. At some point, signs in Arabic began to appear on the road, and there was a feeling that we had accidentally driven into Asia. Apparently, Arab settlements have been preserved here since the time of the Moors. Interesting.

For similar reasoning we reached Granada. It was already late at night, but despite the late hour, a good-natured hotel employee gave us free tea and told us about the sights of the city, generously supplying his story with unique facial expressions.

The last day of our road trip turned out to be the most eventful. First of all, we went to look for the former central residence of the Moors, the Alhambra, which is a fortress surrounded by a huge park. Finding her turned out to be difficult, because... the block through which we climbed the hill turned out to be a labyrinth of narrow pedestrian streets, stairs and tiny houses.

We were unable to get directly into the palace; tickets literally ran out in front of our noses (it was two o’clock in the afternoon). As far as we managed to find out, it is also impossible to buy a ticket in advance, that is, the only chance to get into the palace is to come here early in the morning. “Okay,” we thought. Even without the palace there is a lot of interesting things here. Having walked around the Alhambra to our heart's content, we moved on.

Cordoba

When we arrived in Cordoba, it was already evening. However, we managed to get to the Mezquita, the main Catholic cathedral of the city, in the past - one of the largest mosques in the world. What struck me most was the interior of the temple. There is something here that cannot be explained. The majestic Moorish colonnade with gloomy pendant lamps gives way to the lush, bright, almost airy decoration of the central, Catholic part. Islam and Christianity peacefully coexist in one building, creating a strong contrast, but also complementing each other. This is the most amazing place I visited in Spain.

Our acquaintance with Seville turned out to be rather superficial. We were not able to visit either the Alcazar or the Cathedral, because... At the beginning of the trip, we arrived in the city in the evening, and on the last day of the trip we had very little time, and we would not have had time to stand in a huge line. Nevertheless, the capital of Andalusia made a very warm impression on us. This is a cozy and, unlike Madrid and Barcelona, ​​calm city, conducive to leisurely walks. And there is also amazingly delicious paella!

Paella

We ate this dish in Spain almost every day, because... this is the most delicious and healthy and, moreover, an absolutely typical work of Spanish culinary art. It is prepared almost everywhere. Paella is a pan stew of rice, vegetables and seafood, sometimes with the addition of meat. It is served in the same pan in which it was cooked, and usually one paella serves two people. The shrimp and mussels here are simply incomparable, and cannot be compared with frozen food from the supermarket. And, of course, dry red wine goes perfectly with paella.

Results

Finally, I would like to talk about some of the features of traveling in Spain and Portugal. Firstly, I recommend that you first make a list of places you want to visit and find out how they get tickets. It is difficult to get into many objects due to queues; in addition, during the day most museums are closed for siesta.

Before traveling by car in Portugal, you should find out more about the local road toll system. If in September 2011 the Via Verde transmitter was needed only in the Porto area, then in the future the coverage area of ​​​​this system may expand significantly.

Roads in Portugal are not cheap, we got a little more than 5 euros per 100 km, in Spain (south and center of the country) - less than 0.5 euros per 100 km. True, the quality of roads in Portugal is a little better.

As for parking, we did not visit the center of Lisbon and Madrid, but in other cities it was quite possible to find a free parking space.

So traveling by car in Spain and Portugal is a fascinating and most economical way to visit on your own most interesting places, of which there are a great many here!

Happy travels, friends!