We are in Europe for 1 month. first 2 weeks of trip is all planned: Rome - Florence/Tuscany - Venice - Milan then Nice all by train. Now I would like to get from Nice to Barcelona and then from Barcelona to Granada. These are long distances that I would like to fly versus train as time will be limited because we are going to Gibraltar, then Morroco, Sevill and then flying out of Lisbon in 2nd 2 weeks. I need suggestions/recommendations for how to quickly and cheaply get from Nice to Barcelona, and from Barcelona to Granada.
Thanks
Posted by
SF Bay Area, CA, USA
508 posts
Try the airline Vueling (www.vueling.com). We just booked a one way ticket from Barcelona to Granada for 41 Euro. As for your Nice to Barcelona leg - they don't fly out of Nice and Easyjet doesn't fly Nice to Barcelona direct. There is also Ryanair, but I haven't used them and I don't think they fly out of Nice. You might have to get to another city and find a flight or take a connecting flight through Paris. If the traditional airlines are expensive try Easyjet - you can book 2 separate flights - Nice to Paris Orly and then Paris Orly to Barcelona. If you don't want to do a connecting flight, the next best option would be a night train since the trip is about 12 hours. Of course you could always cut out Nice and go somewhere else in Italy (Lake district, Cinque Terre), then fly Milan to Barcelona on Vueling.
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
As far as I know, only Iberia and Air France fly that route....meaning they charge an arm and a leg to fly Nice-Barcelona. Your other main alternative is the train, but connections to Spain are poor. You can take a four-hour journey via Marseille to Montpellier, then pick up one of the Spanish trains that go thru there to Barcelona. There is a bus run, but it's 13 hours, and either runs overnight, or ends up in Barcelona at 3 in the morning.
Posted by
Portland, OR, USA
2 posts
Corinne -- Consider taking a night train from Nice to Barcelona. You'll be surprised that the distance isn't quite as far as you think. Once in Barcelona, you'll be at a major international airport with connections virtually everywhere. My partner and I cobled together an itinerary last summer (2006), using Alitalia. Between that carrier's flakiness and a strike at the Barcelona airport, we very nearly didn't get past stage 3 of our 5-stage trip. You'll find the trains to be perfectly adequate for a night trip. :)
Best of luck!