beat the brochure
to our newsletter and be the first to know about the BEST TRAVEL DEALS!
Spain or Portugal: Where should you head this summer?
Some months ago we pitted Barcelona against Madrid in a travel battle that sent shockwaves around the world (in our minds). But what would happen if we pitted countries against one another ? What would happen, say, if we pitted Portugal against Spain in a battle of supremacy for the best summer holiday destination? Who comes out on top?
Attractions
Spain has plenty of must sees. Cities such as Barcelona, Madrid and Seville ooze attractions like the La Sagrada Familia, the Royal Palace, Las Ramblas and much more. Plus, its coasts are literally littered with fantastic beaches and package holiday resorts which attract millions of tourists throughout the year, every year. The Costa Blanca and Costa Brava are teeming with tourists, taking advantage of sandy beaches, water sports and warm seas.
Portugal on the other hand can more then hold its own on the beach front. The Algarve is renowned throughout the world for its fabulous holiday opportunities and there are not many places that can come close to what it has to offer. The capital Lisbon is often overlooked by visitors but those who have visited know that it really is one of Europe’s most beautiful cities.
Food
The Spanish love their food and they have successfully exported some of their more famous dishes overseas. Paella and tapas are probably the most well-known, although those found in other countries do not come close to the original Spanish versions!
Portugal’s cuisine is largely based around fresh fish and vegetables and has been covered by us previously on a previous blog
Weather
Both countries, being so close to each other, enjoy similar weather conditions so there is not much to separate them here! Cheap Portugal holidays and trips to Spain during the spring, summer and autumn months are almost guaranteed sunshine!
Random Fact Battle
Spain has, apparently, the highest number of bars, restaurants and coffee shops in the European Union, making it the perfect place for holiday-makers to find somewhere to relax after a hard days sunbathing.
Unlike in Spain, it is illegal to kill a bull in Portuguese bullfighting, making it slightly more appealing to those of you who would consider going to a bullfighting event.
And the Winner is…
Both are fantastic destinations with something to offer everyone, but it is hard to look beyond Spain. For decades it has lead the way in European tourism thanks to its seaside resorts and fantastic cities. If you want a cheap holidays to Spain, you really are spoilt for choice as to where to go!
Comments
Powered by Facebook Comments
About Ricky Durrance
Ricky is a keen traveller and writer who shares a passion for both. Ricky has travelled extensively, visiting various countries in Europe and South East Asia along with Australia, New Zealand and the USA. Ricky is a resident blogger for travel specialists Beat the Brochure, and in his spare time enjoys playing football and following Chelsea FC. Google Visit his Google + page for more information.
About Bethaney - Flashpacker Family says:
May 22, 2012 at 7:06 am
Great post. I’ve wanted to go to Barcelona for the longest time. Should have visited while I was living in the UK but go overly distracted by all the cheap flights to Italy!
Portugal sounds wonderful. I’ve heard some really good things about Portugal from other bloggers.
How do they differ cost-wise?
About Ricky Durrance says:
May 22, 2012 at 9:16 am
Thanks! Yes Barcelona is on my hit list too. Cost wise both are pretty similar, so it is really is a case of just deciding which one you would rather visit – or you could always do both!
About Someday I'll Be There - Mina says:
May 23, 2012 at 1:22 pm
I’ve been to Spain twice…I think I’d go for Portugal for a change
and still there is a lot to see/do in portugal! (given time and money, I’d visit both countries all together 
).
About Ricky Durrance says:
May 23, 2012 at 1:39 pm
Visiting both together would be my ideal situation too!
About Nuno says:
May 23, 2012 at 6:05 pm
Sorry to disagree, but in Portugal they do not dase their diat just around fish and vegetables, and to be honest when you say about attractions there several differebnt areas in Portugal with fantastic sight seeing oportunitties, (Marvao, Castelo de Vide, Figueira da foz, Porto and Nazare just to name a few). I’m a bit dissapointed with this blog, because as it seems you did dedicated your time to research Spain but not Portugal. I’ve been to both countries and i have to say that both a wonderfull places to spend a holiday, but please the next time try to be a bit more accurate on descriptions.
About Ricky Durrance says:
May 24, 2012 at 9:12 am
I appreciate your comments Nuno. I think what you say about Portugal’s attractions and cuisine though highlights a view that sometimes Portugal does not get the recognition it deserves. Spain’s attractions and cities are so well known that most people, in the UK at least, know much more about Spain than Portugal. It is almost as if Spain, being so close, is a hindrance to Portugal and sometimes can get overlooked by tourists – would you agree?
About Nuno says:
May 24, 2012 at 4:54 pm
I do Agree with that remark, my point here is that like everywhere else, in most of the cases the tourist is afraid to leave the beaten track and explore what else that country or region has to offer, which is a shame and a pity. My wife and I have been in different parts of the world and we always try to explore and thanks to that we have found some incredible palces that are not even mentioned in most of the holiday guides. A country or a region is not just the beach and the pool, in every place of the world there is so much more to see.
About Ricky Durrance says:
May 24, 2012 at 5:08 pm
I agree Nuno, sometimes it can be good to get away from everyone else and explore parts of a country which many others do not get to see.
About BeatTheBrochure (@beatthebrochure) (@beatthebrochure) says:
June 30, 2012 at 6:10 pm
Spain or Portugal: Where should you head this summer? http://t.co/O0yUVCml #spain
About Izy Berry says:
July 24, 2012 at 8:13 am
Awesome post! it’s really well thought out. At the moment I’m living in Spain and was almost considering dropping Portugal off my travel l ist, but I’m looking to head there in two or so weeks and I can’t WAIT! I’ve only heard great things. Spain is a wonderful place to travel and I’m nto surprised they have the most restaurants – they really love their food.