We're travelling by car from Avignon and Barcelona. Its a longish trip that I want to break into two. I can budget up to two nights, so we could take a full day to explore the immediate area of this stop.
Where would be the best place to stop? Carcassonne? Coullioure? Or?
My original plan was Coullioure, but I am concerned about spending more than a few hours there.
Carcassonne!
My choice would be Girona, but it's not very far from Barcelona, so it doesn't help much with breaking up the drive. To me it's worth a two-night stay. You could also stop in Figueres to see the Dali Theatre-Museum and related jewelry collection, which is farther north than Girona. Together they are worth up to a half day. Figueres itself isn't an especially interesting town; I really wouldn't choose to stay there for two nights except to save on hotel costs. (Girona's pricier.) Figueres is about 3 hours' drive from Avignon, according to ViaMichelin.com.
I vote for Carcassone, too! Maybe one night in Carcassone and one night in Girona. Or Cadaques!
Assuming you have already visited the Pont du Gard, you can drive west from Avignon to Uzès to stop for 1-2 hours. Next, drive south toward Nîmes on the back roads where you pick up the autoroute, drive past Montpellier, past Sète (all interesting stops, but not enough time). Next decide if you want to relax and learn a little about a small art movement in Collioure, or explore and learn a lot about history. Carcassonne has the restored Cité, but there is also the lower town. Some people look down on Carcassonne, but recent scholarship shows the restoration is fairly accurate, and the Cité does go back to a prehistoric settlement.
Carcassonne and Collioure are good options to cut the trip in half.
Carcassonne will force you to take a detour and will add around 150 km to your whole Avignon-Barcelona trip.
But you can make a stopover in Carcassonne and the day you leave for Barcelona stop in Collioure which is also worth a visit (especially if you like anchovies)
Near Collioure there is Banyuls-sur-mer which is known to produce an aperitif wine "Banyuls"
Between Collioure and Barcelona there are about 2 hours drive.
You will therefore have time to have lunch in Collioure while eating anchovies after having an aperitif (the famous Banyuls) :)
Another "vote" for Montpellier, which is a great little city with a good vibe, quite underrated. Sète could be nice too, if you want the sea!
Carcassonne is not strictly on the way, and I do not particularly care for Collioure - sure, it is cute, but very much a "postcard" kind of place to me.
Yes, it is a great place but it's barely two hours from Avignon and is still six hours by car to Barcelona. Even if you do the back road trip via Uzès, they still have six hours after MPL.
I would stay in Collioure. We loved our three nights there after crossing the Pyrenees from the Basque regions on our way to Barcelona. Collioure has an artistic history,and a beautiful setting. Good dining. Why are you concerned about spending more than an hour there? Visit Carcasonne( we stayed there too) but stay in lovely Collioure.
Thank you everyone for your wonderful suggestions. Unfortunately they are not making this decision easier! In any case, I like the idea of moving slowly towards Carcassonne and spending two nights there. I do prefer poking around historical and commercial areas as opposed to relaxing by the sea.
Merci beaucoup à vous tous.
