Hello, I am researching ways of travel for sightseeing for 8 to 9 days from Barcelona to Genoa. Then I plan on sightseeing Italy for 2 to 3 more weeks. Would renting a car be very expensive? Can one jump off and on the train or is there a bus? I would love to see the Provence region, and continue on to the Cote d' Azur and French Riviera then to Italy....Any info is much appreciated....places to stay, eat and see. I would love to rent a camper van if it possible, if too expensive then I would like to travel by train or bus as long as I can get off and on at my leisure. Thanks,
Janea
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17438 posts
You can use one of the user-friendly and comprehensive train websites like bahn.de or rail.ch to figure out the trains and where they stop. Put in Barcelona for the start and someplace along the coast of France for the finish. I used Nice-Ville and got several routes, one of which (using faster trains via Figueres) goes more inland, and then to the coast at Nice, and others on slower local trains that appear to stay closer to the coaast. If the link comes through here is one example from the Swiss rail site: http://fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/query.exe/en?seqnr=1&ident=ax.011171206.1344453973&OK#focus Use the "show intermediate stops" to see all the places the trains stop (places where you could get off). Or this one which uses faster train and fewer stops in Spain, but goes via Avignon and Aix and then to the coast at Marseilles: http://fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/query.exe/en?seqnr=1&ident=ax.011171206.1344453973&OK#focus
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33847 posts
Cote d'Azur has poor train services, you'd better have a car there I disagree. There are good airconditioned double decker trains which stop at most villages and towns from Cannes to Ventimiglia. Most stops are within sight of the beach, and the views out of the windows, especially from the upper deck, towards the sea are wonderful. I regularly stay in Monaco, and sometimes Nice, and a car, while great for the inland villages, is a bit of a pain along the coast. I either take the train to the Cote d'Azur or drive my car and then take the train.
Posted by
Tilburg, Netherlands
2829 posts
You could consider a car lease in case you plan retaining a car in Italy as well. The fees Renault Drive or their Citroen competitors charge for picking up or dropping off cars outside France are much lower than the hefty fee a one-way Spain-Italy rental will likely charge. There is no such "get on and off at my leisure" travel there. You could, theoretically, buy tickets as you wish going on, at the last moment, but that quickly adds up many €€. Cote d'Azur has poor train services, you'd better have a car there. Campers are too expensive to rent in Europe, and many cities do not allow you to park them. I'd rather rent a car and shop around for cheaper roadside hotels and plan my trip around them.