I will be spending three days in the south of France after my time in Barcelona. I would like a small village with lots of natural beauty. We want to be able to hike and picnic during the day, and drink wine or go to a small pub at night. We would like to be able to take a train from Barcelona and hope to spend as little time as possible traveling.
Please recommend where you would go and why.
The curveball is hiking. I think for almost anyplace withing striking distance of Barcelona you'd need a car, not to get to village x but to get out into the countryside for some hiking.
If that does not phase you I suggest taking a train to Perpignan, renting a car, and backtracking 15 minutes to Collioure. This is a very pretty village on the coast with a small beach and several food options. Much too small in itself for a 3-day stay, but ought to work as a base with a car. The foothills of the Pyrenees are at hand, and you are in French Catalonia. If you get bored, Perpignan.
We used Collioure as a base and there are hiking areas around the town in the hills with the vinyards in the area.The beach is nice and is a protected bay.
Mike
Collioure is a picturesque town and I enjoyed day tripping there. Be aware that the beaches (that I saw anyway) are rocks rather than sand. There are some very pretty sandy beaches just a little north if that is a priority to you. I believe Collioure has a train station.
The region of Herault might be a good option for you! It's just a few hours from Barcelona and meets many of your criteria. The wine here is great with many small family owned wineries (Abbaye de Valmagne!). There are lots of small villages to choose from. We enjoy the town of Pezenas (great restaurants and artisan shops) although there are plenty of other places you could choose - we just happen to love their weekly market. The nearby Cevennes are beautiful for hiking and swimming in the beautiful gorges or you could hike along the Canal du Midi with it's shady plane trees.
Although you can easily take a train into the area you can't rely on public transport once you are there...you really should consider renting a car with the limited amount of time you have. This will be true of most of the parts of southern France that are within easy reach of Spain.
Cassis is a bit further from Spain, but it's a lovely small town. I thoroughly enjoyed both Cassis and Collioure.
We took the 2 hr. 20 min. train from Barcelona to Collioure (with a change in Perpignan) this summer. Collioure's train station is an easy, short walk to town. We spent 3 lovely nights in Collioure and enjoyed every minute. Lots of good hiking trails and nice restaurants. There is also a great outdoor market on Sundays.
We will definitely rent a car if we need to. I just want to hear as many beautiful options as possible so tht I know where to begin my research. I must say, this is a wonderful site with great contributors. Your expertise is appreciated!
