My family and I (2 adults, 2 teenagers) will be in Barcelona for a week in early July for work. From there we had hoped to travel by car through southern France and on to explore northern Italy, flying home from Florence (2 weeks after leaving Barcelona). I realize a car rental is not an option for the duration and at this point I am considering flying direct from Barcelona to Florence and renting a car, thus skipping France altogether. However, we'd like to include France, but want to do things economically. We are interested in seeing the "countryside" as well as the sights in Florence. Some of us are not fans of large cities, so we want to mix it up a bit with less populated areas. I've looked at rail passes, and they don't seem a good option for us. Any advice is helpful!
Posted by
Washington DC
27136 posts
I think your idea of flying from Barcelona to Florence (or Pisa, or Milan) is a good one. If you want to see just a bit of France, you aren't that far away in Barcelona. As a result of responding to a different thread yesterday, I know that the reportedly-picturesque coastal town of Collioure is about a 2-1/2 hour drive. I believe Collioure is quite small, so a day-trip wouldn't be a crazy idea. There would be the hassle of renting a car in Barcelona for a day, though. And you'd be driving right past the wonderful Girona, but you specifically mentioned France. You might be able to add some rural driving around Collioure. I'm not familiar with that area at all, so I can't supply specifics.
Alternatively, you might plan a 2- or 3-day loop drive before flying to Italy, coming back from Collioure via a more western route through Ceret (France) - Ripoll (pretty old town) - Olot - Besalu (fortified bridge) OR Ripoll - Vic - Alguafredda. Both of those routes have a lot of green (scenic) sections on the ViaMichelin map I've linked to.
The areas around Florence and Bologna have a huge number of smaller cities and towns for you to enjoy. I can't resist mentioning Ravenna (over near the Adriatic Coast) because it has a lovely historic district that feels sort of intimate, 6 or 7 sites with glorious medieval mosaics, and surprisingly few tourists, given its attractions. If you want to spend time in Florence itself, I'd wait to pick up the car until I was ready to visit the countryside, because the car would be a burden in the city (also true in Bologna).
Edited to add: In case you're not familiar with it, Skyscanner is a good place to check out your flight options.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8150 posts
Try Vueling.com
Posted by
OP
Minnesota
20 posts
Thank you, these suggestions are very helpful!
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
If you were giving up on car rental because of price, then the other option to consider is to keep it within France - picking up the car at Perpignan and dropping it in Nice. And/or rent one just for the Italian part of the trip. Best rates are by the week.
Posted by
OP
Minnesota
20 posts
Thanks! We've decided a 3 day road trip through NE Spain and a bit of France makes the most sense for us.
Posted by
Los Angeles
1825 posts
Fly between Barcelona and Florence. If you have been researching you know that there are no direct flights from Southern France to Florence and trains require at least three transfers and 10+ hours. The drive time is 12+ hours even though it looks so close on the map. Save the time for Chianti and Tuscany.