Southeast French coast in 10 days

What I consider must-sees might not be at all important to you. That's where a guide book comes in handy. I have only used Rick's "France" book, but others here have reported that the "Provence and the French Riviera" book is a lot more detailed. I'm not sure it covers the area way down near the Spanish border, however.

That's actually a lot of space to cover in ten days, given how many lovely spots you'll find along the way. I think you'll need to decide whether you want to blitz through, spending just 1/2 day, or less, in most places or prefer to pick a few spots and spend more time there. There are small towns that are mostly for wandering around, then there are places with significant sights that take time to see. If you happen to like art, especially modern art, you could spend all ten days inside art museums.

Do you plan to rent a car? If so, you'll do best to pick up the car on the French side of the border to avoid a very painful international drop charge.

I think that Andrew makes a good point, just across the border, between Spain and Provence, is the region of Languedoc, which is, in my opinion, as equally beautiful and historic as Provence, but with noticeably less crowds. As a Roman history buff, I also second Andrew's recommendation for Nîmes.

Here are some other potential sites in Languedoc I found enjoyable:

Perpignan: City with a significant Catalan influence which is evident in its medieval core. At the center of the city is a large Medieval Royal Palace of the Kings of Majorca.

Narbonnaise en Méditerranée Natural Park: Diverse protected landscape with good hiking trails through beaches, lagoons, and vineyards.

Abbaye de Fontfroide: Wine-producing (AOC Corbières) former Cistercian monastery with historic vaulted cloisters, a nice restaurant, and regular concerts.

Narbonne: A city with deep historical roots from the Roman and early Medieval times, the highlight being the Archbishop's Palace.

Béziers: A city that was a major flash-point during the Albigensian Crusade. Its historical center, built on a hilltop, is a great place for a stroll. Some of the sites include a lovely cathedral (with a sinister past), great squares, a vast esplanade, and picturesque streets.

Montpellier: A university town with an interesting contrast of new and old. With elegant buildings, grand mansions, and stately boulevards.

It's a lot of territory to cover in 10 days, and many people spend a huge amount of time in these places. You will likely only be able to see the highlights. The advantage is that the main tourist season will have passed, and you won't be facing the crowds. The downside is that in the smaller destinations, some places may have closed for the season. Please get a RS and then ask back when you have detailed requests -- are you most interested in ruins, museums, nature, shopping, dining, wine, etc.

Along the Cote d'Azur also consider seeing Eze, St. Paul de Vence, Villefranche-sur-mer and Cap Ferrat (and the Villa Ephrussi).

If I had the same 10 days from Barcelona and wanted to go up to France, I'd focus first on the Costa Brava. See some of the coast then Girona and Figueres (maybe those are in your tour?). After that I'd focus on Languedoc area. You can either stay near the coast or go into the mountains. I'd certainly want to see Coullioure and Narbonne along the coast.

After that you could continue toward Sete, Montpellier, Nimes and maybe Arles. I really don't think you have time to go further than that or continue toward the Riviera. If you tried, you wouldn't have time to see much of anything. Provence has an arid feel, it can get quite hot in summer and can be incredibly windy (particularly in the Spring).

Another option is to go away from the coast toward castle ruins, forests and mountains. My favorite was Chateau Foix but there are lots of choices of castles built circa 1300 to defend the area from Aragon. I liked Carcassonne but only visited after dark. My base was a campground walking distance from the old city. The city is never closed but the tourist shops close. At night it's very evocative. My favorites north of Carcassonne are Cordes-sur-Ciel (wasn't crowded in June), Najac and Pech Merle cave. The area is as beautiful as Burgundy but much less crowded.