Hello.
We are thinking about going to Paris and Barcelona over Thanksgiving. I am not sure if it is better to start in Barcelona or in Paris. We want to drive from one to another and see places on the way. What would you suggest? Travel time:
Arrival: November 16.
Departure: November 25th or 26th.
Thanks in advance.
Elina
Before you go any further, look into the price of picking up a rental car in Paris and dropping it in Barcelona, and then look at the price of picking up a rental car in Barcelona and dropping it in Paris. Look at Kayak, Gemut, Kemwel, and AutoEurope.
When you see this, you will probably want to rethink your plan. The starting and ending cities aren't the problem, it's that cars rented in one country and returned in another have a surcharge. On this Forum, I've seen reports ranging from €50 to €600 (not a typo - six hundred euros).
If you don't want to pay this fee, you'll have to come up with a different plan, such as taking a train across the border, or flying from one to another, or limiting yourself to one country. With only ten days, you'll find plenty to do in either country.
Ditto!
One of the most practical solutions, in order to avoid high cross-border dropping fees and still enjoy driving a car in both countries, is to rent in Barcelona and drop either in Puigcerdà or in Portbou (depending on your route), then take a short hop on the train across the border, and rent there another car once in France. I personally would do the coastal route, not only the Catalan part (the one starting in Barcelona) is superb (Costa Brava), but the French part is also equally appealing (Côte Vermeille and Côte d'Améthyste)
Yet I do agree with Harold in that with "only" ten days I would stick to one country... there's plenty to do and see -if you plan your route carefully. If you decide to stick to the Catalan part, have some reading here:
With only 9 (or 10) nights to play with, I wouldn't muck around getting cars in 2 countries. Stick to the trains.
••38mins from Barcelona to Girona (2 nights) - visit Figueres.
••2hr 46mins from Girona to Nimes (3 nights) - visit Arles & Avignon.
••1hr 24mins from Nimes to Lyon (2 nights).
••1hr 39mins from Lyon to Dijon (2 nights) - visit Beaune.
••1hr 35mins from Dijon to Paris.
Too short a time. You do not need a car in Barcelona or Paris, from there, I would pick a spot or two, then rent a car for a day to explore the area. Many, including myself, have thought doing a road trip would be great, but unless you have an excess amount of time, you still just drive from one location to another served by a train, but have to deal with the expense of a car, parking, and potential speed violations. If you pick an area you would like to explore, train there, then spend 3 days and explore that area by renting a car for a day maybe two if it makes sense.
Yes, you have to factor in time & costs with a car for ...
•pick up
•drop off
•navigating
•parking
•tolls
•fuel stops
Thank you, everyone. I completely disregarded the fees for dropping off a car in a different country.
I appreciate your input.
Elina
