Please sign in to post.
Holiday Sale! Save 20% Storewide!

Nice to Barcelona Itinerary

Posted by (Podunk, Utah) on

For your scrutiny...

Day 1 Depart US (overnight on plane)

Day 2 Arrive Nice @1125 (o/n Nice)
• Train to Antibes (leave luggage at Nice train station)
• Picasso Museum
• Evening stroll on Promenade des Anglais

Day 3 Nice (o/n Nice)
• Chagall Museum
• Matisse Museum
• Russian Cathedral

Day 4 Rick’s Cote D'Azur Bus Tour (o/n Nice)
• Menton
• Monaco

Day 5 Inland Riviera to Lacoste (o/n Lacoste)
• Pick up rental car
• Foundation Maeght
• Louramarin (dinner)

Day 6 Luberon (o/n Lacoste)
• Gordes market
• L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
• Fontaine de Vaucluse

Day 7 Côtes du Rhône (o/n Lacoste)
• Suzette
• Le Col de la Chaine
• Crestet
• Vaison la Romaine
• Gigandes
• Seguret

Day 8 Lacoste to Nimes (o/n Nimes)
• St. Remy
• Arles - Fondation Van Gogh and/or Musée de l'Arles Antique
• Evening stroll in Nimes

Day 9 Roman Provence (o/n Nimes)
• Orange
• Pont du Gard
• Uzes

Day 10 Aveyron (o/n Belcastel)
• Rodez : Musée Fenaille

Day 11 Lot River Valley to the Dordogne (o/n St Cyprien)
• Grotte du Pech Merle (reservation @11h15; 1h tour)
• La roque-Gageac and/or Beynac
• Chateau de Castelnaud

Day 12 Valley of the Vézère (o/n Albi)
• Musée national de Préhistoire
• Grotte de Font de Gaume (reservation @13h00)
• Cahors

Day 13 Albi to Carcassone (o/n Carcassone)
• Musée Toulouse-Lautrec
• Sainte-Cécile cathedral
• Evening stroll in La Cité

Day 14 Languedoc to Cataluña (o/n Cadaqués)
• Lunch in Collioure
• Slow drive along coastal road to Cadaqués

Day 15 Relax with no agenda (o/n Cadaqués)
• Salvador Dalí House

Day 16 Cadaqués to Barcelona (o/n Barcelona)
• Figueres – Dalí Theatre-Museum

Day 17 Old City (o/n Barcelona)
• Rick’s Ramblas Ramble
• Palau Güell
• Picasso Museum

Day 18 Modernisme (o/n Barcelona)
• Rick’s Eixample Walk
• Sagrada Família
• Park Güell

Day 19 Depart Barcelona @:11:40am

Posted by
9110 posts

It's a lot of dashing about. And a lot of art museums.

Antibes and back on the arrival afternoon is going to be rough. There's also a Picasso museum in Barcelona.

If you'd pick up the car a day earlier, you could easily drive the Menton / Monaco loop faster than the bus could probably make it. But, Monaco is not a cheap place to park.

All the events for days 6, 7, 8, 9, and 12 might not be possible.

Getting the car in France and dumping it in Spain is going to empty your wallet.

You'll need an IDP for Spain.

Posted by
2085 posts

The Picasso Museum in Barcelona is highly to recommend and if you like architecture then visit Mies van der Rohe's German Paviljon there too. Have a chat with the man behind the ticketdesk as he known's where to talk about.

Posted by
16895 posts

It looks like you've done your homework and will see a lot of great destinations! I do like Barcelona's Picasso Museum, better than the one in Paris, but am not a Dali fan. You won't know until you try it. It's certainly possible to max out on larger museums, but all of these are pretty small, so I don't think you will.

Posted by
1022 posts

Include Eze and Trophee des Alpes at La Turbie in the Nice itinerary. Lacoste-Lourmarin is a twisty road and means doubling back on your trip. Visit Lourmarin on the way to Lacoste. A number of good restaurants are within a 10-15 minute drive from Lacoste. L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue pales in comparison to the perched villages imo so see Roussillon, Bonnieux and the others instead.

Spend the night in the Dentelles area rather than returning to Lacoste. Les Florets is a good hotel outside Gigondas. Then do day 9 itinerary on the way to Nimes. Try to fit in a drive through the Camargue and Aigues-Mortes which is completely authentic unlike Carcassone.

Posted by
149 posts

Thanks everyone! As always, great input.

We'll pick up the rental a day early and drive to Monaco and Menton. I'm a self-appointed aquarium aficionado (i.e., snob) and grew up watching Jacques Cousteau so Monaco is a must. Any suggestions for parking? The only other destination there would be the Jardin Exotique. I'd walk past the casino but wouldn't go inside for anything more than a peek.

The itinerary is flexible enough that days 6, 7, 8, 9, and 12 can be scaled back as needed. Some villages may be more of a drive by.

Lee, you mentioned restaurants near Lacoste. Could you provide more detail? Any good places for breakfast in Lacoste?

This topic has been automatically closed due to a period of inactivity.