We are renting a car in Barcelona, and will have already spent a week there. We have 7 days to travel through France to reach Milan. Suggestions and ideas are welcome. We have never been to the south of France. Not sure that we want the crowds we have heard about around Monaco and Nice, but ...
Thanks for any help.
Helen
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
Day 1
Barcelona to Cadaques via Girona or Figueres
Day 2
to Montpellier
Day 3
to Avignon via Nimes+Pont do Gard
Day 4
to Aix-en-Provence via St Remy+Arles
Day 5
to Cannes/Antibes/Nice
Day 6
to Genoa/Portofino
Day 7
To Milan via Bergamo or Pavia
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thank you for these suggestions. If we were to stay three nights in each of two places and make day trips ... where would you suggest?
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
The total journey is 1200km approx so my preference would be to progress a little further each day (200km or so). When you start doing 'day trips' from a base, you waste time (and gas, and tolls) with the journey back home each night. If you really wanted this I would suggest 3 stops of x2 nights each - Nimes/Avignon then Cannes/Nice then Genoa/Portofino.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32201 posts
helen,
Are you renting the car in Barcelona and dropping it in Milan? There are often substantial fees for renting in one country and dropping in another. Note that each driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit for driving in Italy (and apparently in Spain also, based on a recent post here). The IDP is used in conjunction with your home D.L. so you'll have to pack both.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Ken,
Thanks for this post. Yes, we are renting the car in Barcelona and dropping off at the airport in Milan. There was no other way, so we've factored in the cost. However, thanks for the reminder about the International Driver's License. Will work it immediately.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
If you're willing to take a couple of trains, it would usually be cheaper to pick up a car in Perpignan and drop it in Nice, just inside the French border on either side. Rick's Provence & French Riviera book has his most complete coverage of that region (but not of the Spanish border area).