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Single Woman Traveling - South of France/Coast of Spain/Barcelona OR Portugal?

Posted by (New York) on

Hello, trusty traveler friends!

I'm planning a much-needed vacation/trip this July and am really in the mood to go somewhere colorful, artistic (visually and musically) and close to water! I was thinking of starting in the south of France and moving along the coast to Spain, then finishing in Barcelona (or doing the opposite, and starting in Barcelona, moving east to the south of France). Destinations might include: Barcelona, Basque coast, Aix-en-Provence, Nice, Marseille. I would not have a car and be relying on public transportation and trains. I also would be traveling alone and am a woman in my late twenties.

Is this too much to bite off in one trip? Are there cities that are especially non-car dependent that I should just stick to instead? Also, I unfortunately have to think about safety as a young woman potentially traveling alone. Any parts of this trip that don't sound safe to you?

Last totally random question -- what about Portugal? Is that a better idea? I've heard it's definitely cheaper and also colorful and artistic.
Thank you for your thoughts!!

Posted by
27110 posts

How much time do you have?

I traveled through all the French and Spanish destinations you mentioned in 2016 or 2017; I haven't been to Portugal since the late 1980s. I'm not aware of any safety issues in those areas; pickpockets are rather prevalent along the Riviera and in Barcelona particularly, but they are non-violent as far as I know.

The spots you mentioned can be visited by train and/or bus, and sometimes faster than by car. The most challenging thing to do is to move between small towns that aren't on the same train or bus line. It takes a bit of luck to get to 3 or more small places in one day when you're depending on public transportation, but sometimes it works out. The coastal towns along the Riviera are easier than inland Provence, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't go to Provence; you just need to have reasonable expectations or perhaps take a one-day bus tour if you want to get to some tiny places that are otherwise inaccessible.

From a weather standpont, the Basque Country or maybe the north coast of Portugal is likely to be the most pleasant place to be in July, so I'd give serious consideration to including one of those two areas. However, it's not so easy to find good connecting flights into Bilbao or San Sebastian, and ground connections with Barcelona are a bit slow.

The same is true to a much greater degree of ground links between Portugal and Spain. A lot of people think it would be a great idea to see both Spain and Portugal during a single, short trip, but that's before they've investigated the train and bus schedules. If they're lucky, they discover how sticky the transportation will be before they've bought their transatlantic flight tickets.

Barcelona's temperature shouldn't be too high in July, but it can get humid, in which case it will feel pretty steamy. You definitely should book air-conditioned lodgings in all the places you mentioned except perhaps the Basque Country.

Posted by
119 posts

The itineraries you mention are all quite attractive. Portugal will be less expensive, and will cover all of your stated interests. I have traveled extensively in Portugal, and have found Rick's guide book to be quite useful. Given your interests, the Lisbon area would be a good choice.

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