Hello,
I'm beginning to plan a trip for next summer with our family. This will be my third time to Europe (drove through central France with a rental car last time...amazing), but this time we are bringing our children ages 9 and 12. We are very active and really love everything (history, architecture, food/wine, hiking and adventure). I'm seeking advice as I'm thinking about Barcelona and then going into southern France. I'm interested in the caves and kayaking a bit as well as food/wine and Provence (not so big on huge crowds...love the smaller villages mostly but do appreciate the cities for a bit). Any tips on kid friendly things would be great as well. I'm hoping to have three weeks. I'm still at my itinerary stage. Spain is new to me, so I was thinking stay north and keep it simple then Sarlat etc. Any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone!
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
How about this as a rough plan ...
4 nights in Barcelona
4 nights in Costa Brava
4 nights in Provence
1 night in Carcassonne
4 nights in Dordogne
2 nights in Bordeaux (or Biarritz)
2 nights in Paris (assuming you’ve been already)
Posted by
OP
10 posts
Thank you djp_syd....I will dive into these locations deeper and see if I can pull it off! Yes we’ve been to Paris...love it;)
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
Expanding ...
•Fly in to Barcelona - 4 nights
•Train to Girona & pick up car
•4 nights in Costa Brava - 2 in each of Llafranc & Cadaques
•Drive to Figueres & drop off car
•Train to Nimes/Arles (Provence) - 4 nights
•Visit Avignon, St Remy, Les Baux
•Pick up car in Nimes/Arles & drive to Carcassonne - 1 night
•Drive to Sarlat (Dordogne) - 4 nights
•Drive to Bordeaux/Biarritz - 2 nights
•Return car in Bordeaux/Biarritz
•Train to Paris - 2 nights
•Fly home from Paris
Posted by
Washington DC
27120 posts
Girona itself is a very cool city with a walkable wall.
I think a car may be needed for Les Baux. St.-Remy has no train service, but it can be easily visited by bus from Arles. I don't know how well that would work if you were staying in Nimes.
Poke around online for outdoor-market schedules in Provence and try to hit at least one or two as you move around.
I don't know the Dordogne, but the other places on the potential itinerary can be quite hot in the summer, so be sure all your lodgings are air-conditioned.
Posted by
OP
10 posts
Thank you to all for input! I greatly appreciate your time and advice!
Posted by
11159 posts
North of Costa Brava, in France, Collioure is a charming seaside town. Has art history, a castle, good dining.
Posted by
Seattle
41 posts
I would recommend two towns in France in the Tech River Valley, which is beautiful. The town of Ceret is charming. Lovely architecture and old bridges. We rented an apartment there for a week using it as a base. Large enough to have good restaurants. Market day, while crowded, is incredible, and I have seen a lot of markets. An interesting, attractive, smaller village is Prats de Morllo la Prest. We stumbled upon a local fair while we were there in May. There are many other interesting, lightly touristed small villages in the area. Fun to just take a drive along the river and explore. I imagine there are water related activities on the river, but that was not something we checked into. If you want a town on the coast, I agree with the previous poster that Collioure is nice, but lots of people. We visited Collioure as a easy day trip from Ceret. It is easy and quick to take the train from Barcelona (wonderful city) to Perpignan on the French coast, pick up a rental car at the train station, and drive to Ceret...about half an hour. Wherever you end up, you are going to have such a fun trip!