France, Benelux, AND Spain?

Ten days with a car will allow you to go from Paris to Barcelona at a relatively leisurely pace. I am not particularly familiar with western France (with the exception of Brittany), but I would recommend Britanny, the Loire Valley, the Bordelais region and downwards towards Barcelona via (say) Toulouse or Carcassonne.

This will enable you to sample excellent ciders in Brittany, castles in the Loire Valley and the Cathare region (southwest), wine in the Bordelais (and a visit to Bordeaux which I hear is a beautifully preserved 18th-century city), and there is a rich variety of different regional cuisines along the way.

Ian's plan is good, and responsive to your request. But I would steer you inland to the many old castles that line the beautiful Dordogne River valley, and urge you to budget some of your time for that and neighboring regions.

The wine isn't a patch on Bordeaux's, so if you really want to visit famous vineyards maybe Ian's plan is best. (But check out the famous "black wine" of Cahors.) Still it's a spectacular place with lots to see and do and eat. I'd personally spend time there over the Loire valley, even, if I had a choice.

Early September is a great time for this trip. You can leave your car off in Perpignan, right by the train station.

I would have thought that Brittany was a bit too far west to take in on that trip. If you are dropping down south through Belgium there is the Somme area (if WW1 history interests you) and Rheims/Epernay of course. There is then all sorts of stuff before you get to the coast (carefully avoiding Disney!) -- and don't miss the new Millau bridge.

Roger Bruton

http://www.fermedecandeloup.fr

Now we're getting started... thanks all!

So Ian has us whisking past Mont San Michel (anyone ever done an overnight there?)

And Roger has us sipping champagne ^_^ (is there a cave tour of special note?)

Adam's suggestion of the Dordogne seems a natural segue toward the south (anyone ever gone through the area without pre-reserved accommodations?)

My wife is fascinated with the spruced-up Amphitheater at Nimes (any other must see antiquity attractions?)

So I guess the painful question is...

Which one should we leave out?

Bill -- The whole of the Champagne region is loaded with champagne producers who will happily let you sample their wares. Drop into any of them that look open. However, Moët & Chandon are probably the biggest and best when it comes to tours and instructional visits. You'll leave there feeling like an expert! It's also the home of Dom Perignon.

Roger Bruton

http://www.fermedecandeloup.fr

If you are renting a car in Paris, the Champagne region will take you eastwards rather than west. However 10 days is sufficient time to do all sorts of things, the autoroute system is very good and by car you can pretty much reach any part of France from any other in 12 hours at the most.

Also you can reach Barcelona via the southeastern route if you wish. It's the mountain range of the Massif Central that lies in the very middle of the southern half of France that means that any southern route must be either via one side or the other (you can drive right through it but it would take a long time).

Further to my above post and regarding antiquity-related sites - if you go to Barcelona via the southeastern route (Rhone Valley), you can visit Roman sites at Lyon, Orange, Carpentras, Vaison-la-Romaine, Arles, Avignon, Nimes, and of course the Pont du Gard. These places all have Roman monuments (bridges, amphitheatres etc., many of which in excellent condition) and museums and are not out of your way when going towards Barcelona.