We are planning a 10 day trip in early June, open jaw, arriving in Paris and departing from Barcelona. We will be on the ground 10 days. We will be in Paris for 5 nights, which leaves us 4 additional nights. Because we have been to Barcelona before, we will only be spending 2 nights in Barcelona so that our kids can see some of the sights. I'm looking for one additional town to visit for 2 nights between Paris and Barcelona. Though I would prefer it to be in Spain, I'm open to suggestions in France as well.
One thought was San Sebastian for two nights and then take a quick flight to Barcelona. I would really love any other suggestions, for something a little offbeat! Thanks!!
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
How are you travelling? Car or train?
Barcelona is not far from the French border. The shortest and usual route (the one the trains take) is to head south to the Mediterranean, along the coast and cross into Spain. By saying you want a Spanish town you are restricting yourself to ~5% of the trip. The only town I can think of is Gerona, and that is within day trip distance of Barcelona.
San Sebastian is on the opposite side of Spain, on the Atlantic coast.
If you want French towns: Dijon, Avignon and many more.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
Nimes in France neatly breaks the 6.5 train journey in 2. The kids will enjoy the Roman sights, and you can also check out nearby Avignon.
Posted by
Washington DC
28085 posts
It's not practical to insert the Basque Country between Paris and Barcelona for logistical reasons. I like Girona a lot, and the small-town feel (though it is a popular stop) will make it quite different from Paris and Barcelona.
I don't know how recently you've been to Barcelona. If it was some time ago, I think you'll find the city much busier and the lines at sights much more challenging than on your previous trip. A lot of the most popular sights pretty much require that you buy tickets in advance, assuming you don't want to spend an hour or more in line at sight after sight. Be sure you're going to have the time you need in the city.
Posted by
Hershey, PA
7 posts
We are also planning a June 2018 trip, starting and ending in Barcelona. Our primary destination is San Sebastian. We cannot wait, the food is said to be unrivaled! We are going to loop around the Pyrenees into France and also have a stopover in Carcasonne, covered in Rick's France guidebook.
One recommendation outside of Barcelona (if you will have a car) is a Parador in Cardona. It's a very small town/village but how often can you say you've stayed in a 9th century fortress? We just booked a triple room for $127, less than some other Paradors in Spain. Here's the website http://www.paradores-spain.com/spain/pcardona.html
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Thanks everyone for your replies!
My thought was that we would take the high speed train from Paris to San Sebastian (about 6 hours). 2 nights in San Sebastian. And then fly from San Sebastian to Barcelona, and spend 2 nights in Barcelona. A few of you thought this was not feasible, and I am wondering why?
Girona does look lovely, thanks for the suggestion (@acraven and one other commenter!). So perhaps it might make sense to spend all four nights in Barcelona, with a day or two of sightseeing and a couple of day trips to Girona, and maybe Montserrat?
Confusion abounds bc I want to see as much as possible and yet want to do justice to the places we visit!
Posted by
Washington DC
28085 posts
You're giving yourself one day and a few hours for the entire Basque Country and seeing nothing but San Sebastian. You'll have a similar amount of time for Barcelona by the time you deal with the airports. In the process you're giving up a full day of sightseeing time to spend it on a train and a plane. For me, that would be way too high a ratio of travel time to sightseeing time. You don't see more by moving that fast; you see less, because of all the time in transit.
It's very hard to do a quick trip to Barcelona because there are so many sights that require pre-purchased (often timed) tickets. In many cases you can't just show up somewhere and spend however much time you want to, then quickly run over to a nearby sight. If you try that, you may be standing in line for over an hour at Sight #2 while your time in the city dwindles.