We are flying to Madrid in early March and are thinking of taking a driving tour, maybe to Barcelona and southern France. How much time should we plan to stay to see the area without being rushed? Any route advice? We haven't booked dates yet.
Would we be better to skip France and concentrate on Spain? We are in our 60's, are open to anything, and have seen Paris etc. Our first time in Spain.
Posted by
LaGrange, Ga, USA
1178 posts
I would say 3 - 4 days in Madrid to not be rushed. Then the AVE train to Barcelona, 2 1/2 hours rather than driving. You do NOT want to drive in Madrid or Barcelona, believe me!! If you want to go on to France, get a car in Barcelona. Caux France, The Stone House B&B is outstanding...small, very small village, outstanding B&B. Montepelier is nice, and Marsielle, but would not spend much time there. Better still, stay in Spain and really see all that is there day trips from Madrid on AVE or stay overnight which is better in the smaller places
Posted by
OP
St. Cloud, MN, United States
25 posts
Thanks, if we forget France, would it be better to travel to Barcelona as you say, rent a car and work our way down the coast to Grenada etc. and back to Madrid? Would a few weeks be a good amount of time?
Posted by
Tulsa, OK
355 posts
It sounds like you might a good amount of time to spend - so plans would definitely depend on that. I love southern France but would suggest skipping France, especially if you want to see some of southern Spain. I spent two weeks just in Andalucia and Madrid. If you are flying into Madrid, you could spend several days there then take the train to Sevilla, stay a few days, pick up a car and drive to Granada - going through the white hill towns on the way. You could then fly back to Madrid to come home. Spain is much bigger than you might think. If you want to do Madrid, Barcelona plus southern Spain, I think three weeks would be needed to really do them all justice.
I'm headed to Spain next week for third time and don't feel I have scratched the surface...
Posted by
FL USA
1520 posts
I would focus on Spain this trip. Recommend taking the AVE to Barcelona (wonderful fast ez to use transport). Invest your time into Barcelona and take day trips, subway/train, around the area. Barcelona is a big lush wine offering plenty to absorb. Do not rent a car to drive to Granada, way too far a distance. Take a deep dive in RS books on SPain and his videos on Spain and you will find ample reason to limit your trip and still be rewarded with amazing experiences.