My husband and I will be traveling to Europe in mid-June. We fly into Paris & out of Barcelona. I’m trying to figure out what route we should take to Barcelona. I have the latest France guidebook, but Rick’s “priority list” is based on proximity to Paris, so that doesn’t really apply to our situation. My inclination was to drive down the western side of France so that we could stop in San Sebastian once we get to Spain (I’ve been there twice and loved it) but from what I’m seeing online and in the guidebook is making me wonder if another route would be more enjoyable.
We have 3-4 days to get from Paris to Barcelona so some of the stops would be overnight stops. I'd be interested in which places you'd recommend staying the night, also. I don’t plan to book hotels in advance for that stretch unless you advise differently!
I’m not sure yet if we’ll be traveling by train or by rental car; I hear the fees to drop off in another country are steep, so if we do the car, we’d probably drop off at our last stop in France and then take the train in Spain, or vice versa.
About us… we are a married couple in our 30s, on a moderate budget, not looking for a party scene but still up for a little adventure and spontaneity… we’re not afraid of much of anything and we love wine, food, and hanging out with locals! We love champagne, too, so I'm wondering if we go out of our way a bit and visit Reims.
Look forward to your thoughts, wise ones! :)