Hiring a Car in Spain and Portugal

It is well known that most tourists prefer to visit Portugal and Spain as they usually have beautiful medieval palaces, cathedrals, gardens, monuments, beaches and other exotic places to visit.

To get a good feeling for Spain and Portugal, it is good to drive around; you can easily hire a car for this. You can begin your tour in Madrid; Spain where the famous Prado Art Museum is located. You definitely will enjoy seeing the large Royal Palace and the Botanical Gardens. As you drive around the streets you will see many attractive fountains.

From Madrid you can head towards Portugal in your hired car. Along the way you will see a lots of olive trees which is also the case when you drive in within Portugal. In Trujillo, Spain you can go for a sightseeing visit. On a hill are the remnants of an old castle that was built by the Moors on an older Roman site.

Driving further west is Caceres. This walled city was once a colony of the Romans; it was later taken over by the Moors, and was finally owned by the Christians. Medieval parts of the city still stand and the visit here can possibly be one of the highlights of your tour. Caceres is characterized by narrow streets that are a defining part of medieval cities. Along the streets you will see people dressed in period costumes. When the Sun goes down you can spend the night in a parador (hotel) this is a building that has been converted from a 16th century palace and can be very romantic.

As you are heading south of Caceres to Merida in your hired car, you will see a Roman aqueduct. Further west, that is to Cascais, Portugal. Cascais is located to the west of Lisbon on the coast. It is a charming place with quality restaurants, interesting shops full of local products and quality centers. You definitely will enjoy the food and wine, the local restaurants have a nice ambience. Nearby is the beautiful Boca de Inferno, where surging action from the breaking waves has cut a hole in the beautiful cliffs.

On the northern side of Cascais is Sintra. It has a very attractive village which has fabulous ruins and palaces that make it distinct. The castle that stands there was built about 700 AD by the Moors. As you ascend high on the hill above the Moorish castle you will have a bird’s eye view of the magnificent Pena Castle. The castle was originally occupied by Queen Amelia in the early 1900s. Taking a tour of the castle, you will notice that it has been maintained well just like it was during the days when the Queen lived there.

Guincho is a tourist attraction centre. It is located a little west of Cascais. There is the combination of the rugged coastline and the breaking waves, this creates a beautiful view.

From the airport in either Spain or Portugal you can get hire a car. There are many ample parking spots in both Portugal and Spain. Tour guides understand English thus they will assist you if needed.