Hi, My wife and I are heading to Europe on Sept 21 for 28 days. We fly into Barcelona and going straight to Girona. (we've been to Barcelona a bunch so we're skipping it this time). So the plan originally was to spend a month in one place and just take weekend trips to other places. Then before we knew what happened we are heading to Costa Brava for maybe 5-7 days and then the Languedoc region and Provence for 10 days and then we fly home from Rome . ( we live in California). So we figure we will spend 10 days in italy. So my question is spend 5-7 days in Costa brava, 3-5 days in Languedoc and 5-7 days in Provence or another idea is to Spend a 5-7 days in Costa brava and then rent a place for 10 days in one town in Southern France Most likely Provence and then take trips to other areas like Languedoc etc. Right now we only have 4 nights booked, 2 in Girona and 2 in Cadeques. Should we stay in Montpellier or skip it and go straight to Provence. Which town should would you use as a home base in Provence? We are a mix of country/small village people and city. We love the vibe of people and being able to have a variety of things to see and do. Last year we went to France and we loved Bordeaux and it's cafe lifestyle but we also loved the Dordogne and the medieval stone villages. This is tough. If someone said jut get a place in Avignon and rent a car and trip around that would sound good to us. But we've never been to these places and are looking for some advice. As far as Italy we are thinking Verona and Possibly Marshe or Abruzzo before going to Rome. we've both been to Venice, Florence, Sienna, and Tuscany. thanks to anyone who can shed some light on this for us.
Posted by
Chicago
7811 posts
Get one of those guide books and go with the destinations that fit your interests or just wing it.
Posted by
Washington DC
27063 posts
I have never rented a car in Europe. Local trains and especially buses tend to be quite a bit slower, so I tend to be pessimistic about how far one can comfortably range from a base on a day trip. My uninformed opinion (though I spent 6+ weeks in that part of France last year) is that you may be able to find a location in Provence that will serve reasonably well for seeing other places in Provence, but it will probably not be convenient for seeing Languedoc. Take a look at estimated driving times on viamichelin.com, keeping in mind that they are optimistic. I think you'll find that two bases in Provence will be better for that region alone.
You might plan to drive slowly to Provence with 2 or 3 stops along the way. That would allow you to see a few small towns that are near the direct driving route without spending a lot of extra time in the car. However, it would mean one-night stops.
I'm not clear on where you intend to drop the car; the cross-border drop charge will probably be extremely painful if you don't pick up and drop off in the same country.
Posted by
7643 posts
We have traveled widely in the areas that you will visit. I would skip the Costa Brava, since you can go to the beach in California.
Some ideas for a place to use as a base in Provence are:
Arles
Avignon
Nice would likely be more expensive.
Make sure you visit St. Paul de Venice, Monaco, Nice, and more.
as for Italy, Verona is good for a day. We love Florence, from there you can visit Siena, Pisa, Lucca and many other places. Ravenna is worth a stop.
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
This sounds like a great trip! Tons of stuff to see and do.
Note that Provence is really to very different regions 3 hours apart: the Rhone Valley area plus Luberon, and the Cote d'Azure around Nice. Neither has really great beaches.
I think the Rhone are is the standout and worth at least a week. With a car I would not stay in Avignon, which is actually kind of a snooze. The smaller cities like Arles are good bets if you like something at night, but you can also stay in a smaller town like St Remy. Aix is charming and worth a visit, but is poorly situated and lacks much to see or do.
You probably know that there's a very stiff drop-off fee across international borders with auto rentals. Maybe you are leasing and other rules apply, but check it out. The roads between the Rhone and Italy are hilly and slow.
Best thing you can do for a great trip: Go out today and buy some guidebooks! Assuming your trip is this September, you don't have much time.
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Thanks to everyone who replied, Your input is very helpful. This is our trip so far.
Sept 22 arrive in Barcelona, get on tain to Girnoa stay two nights, Sept 24 - 25 take train to Figueras, rent a car and go to Cadeques, stay two nights, spend the next 2 days exploring the region. Sept 28 drop car off in Figueras and take train to Montpellier, Stay one or 2 nights, Sept 30, rent car and explore Languedoc. Oct 2, Take the same car to Provence and stay in Arles and/or Saint Remy, explore the region for a week. Oct 9, Drop car off in Nice and take train to Verona . Oct 8- Oct 17 expore italy. not sure where. Oct 17 go to Romewe leave from Rome on Oct 20th so we will get there a few days before so we can roam around Rome.
We would love to see Croatia too but only if we zip through costa brava and the Langedoc region and end up with more time on the back end. The big questions in our minds right now is: it it worth checking out Languedoc or skip it and go to Provence? and will be kicking ourselves if we spend a bunch of time in Languedoc and miss Croatia.
A big part of this trip is that we want to live in Europe for 6 months out of the year. We love Spain and France and italy, So this trip is is searching for somewhere we can spend half our lives. We live in Southern California now and we love the Mediterranean climate, We love water, Lakes, rivers and beaches but beaches can be a drive. From what we read, Italy is not an easy place to semi retie in, Visa red tape and tax stuff, so we are leaning towards Spain and France. A lot of blogs talk about valencia Spain but it seems kind of big.
We dont want to live in a giant city like Barcelona but we do want to be within 20-30 minutes from a city the size of Bordeuax or San Sebastian or Montpellier. We would probably want to live just outside in the country and walking distance to a small town or village.
Posted by
Barcelona (Catalonia)
2940 posts
For heaven's sake... you're arriving at Barcelona during LA MERCÈ and you're immediately leaving elsewhere???? You deserve to be hanged my friend, LOL!.
Just in case this makes you to "reconsider":
LA MERCÈ
La Mercè is one of the biggest festivals in Europe -nearly 1.8 million locals and tourists alike participated in la Mercè events in 2017- and attending La Mercè means experiencing Barcelona in its most entertaining state. The city feels like one endless street festival at this end-of-summer bash that provides non-stop entertainment for four days, from exhibitions to concerts to displays of Catalan heritage and traditions to fireworks and everything in between... more than 600 events spread throughout the squares, streets, museums, and parks. Note however that Barcelona is a big cosmopolitan city quite used to host many big events at the same time during the year so neither Les Festes de la Mercè nor any other event ever 'clogs' the city life. While certain streets/sites at certain times might attract large crowds and might affect traffic for a while, elsewhere life goes on and businesses, museums, attractions, shops, etc function as usual.
There is no booking to be done, no tickets whatsoever... the events at La Mercè are all free.
The Origins of this “Festa Major” (or Major Festival)
Barcelona’s principal festival is dedicated to its co-patron saint, the Virgin of Mercy. Nostra Senyora de la Mercè is given credit for ridding this Mediterranean city of locusts in 1687 and, then, when she was appointed commander in chief of Barcelona’s military during invasion of Catalonia by the Spanish and French troops during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1714, when the fortunes of this small nation turned around overnight. Between La Mercè 2013 and 2014, Barcelona remembered 300 years since the milestone event of the city’s modern history. Each day of the festival is commemorated with its own parade filled with mythical characters, dancing giants and traditional drumming. While La Mercè has been an institution in Barcelona since the Middle Ages, it wasn’t until 1871 that it became an official city holiday.
Giants, Devils, and Human Towers
Each day of the festival is commemorated with its own parade filled with mythical characters, dancing giants and traditional drumming. No Barcelona festival would be complete without fire runners (correfocs) and human castles rising ten stories high (castellers). I promise that you’ll curse yourself if you forget your camera. There's a photogenic spectacle around every corner, from folk dancing (sardana) to parades of giant papier-mâché characters (gegants). While La Mercè has a long history, some of its most prominent components are just over a century old. The best way to think of this is that Les Festes de la Mercè combines the best of what you might see at any spectacular festival. The best thing about this festival is that all of the street events are free, as well as a multitude of museums that open their doors and provide free visits, so it’s a perfect place to bring a group of friends or a large family. Worth mentioning the final fireworks on the last night, the impressive Pyromusical de la Mercè, celebrated at Avinguda Maria Cristina, in the west of the city.
.. part 1 ..
Posted by
Barcelona (Catalonia)
2940 posts
A Reflection of Barcelona
Barcelona, capital of the small nation of Catalonia, is an artistic and robust stage for experiencing design, food, and life, but this particular festival will have you wondering why you've never moved here. La Mercè is a reflection of the enterprising, creative, and inventive Catalan culture which is in a constant state of evolution. But, Barcelona doesn't do it alone as she invites a guest city each year (in 2015 Buenos Aires, 2016 Paris, 2017 Reykjavík and this year Lisbon) to bring their favourite dance and street theatre companies to this festival of festivals. Because Europe already woke up some decades ago to the fact that Barcelona isn't just a paradise in August, you'll see an increasingly international flavour of who comes to visit this festival each year.
A brief peek into the festival
IMPORTANT: the dates vary each year, but the rule of thumb is Thu to Sun. Check schedules a few weeks in advance at the official website for the program: http://lameva.barcelona.cat/merce/en
So... do you still want to land and leave?
Enjoy!