My parents and I will be spending almost a week traveling through the south of France by car in the end of May. So far, I%26#39;ve got no real knowledge of France except good food and good wine, so I%26#39;m here for help.
We%26#39;ll be in Barcelona on May 24th and need to be in Madrid for May 29th. Meaning we have essentially 4 days. My parents are still very young and I%26#39;m in my early 20%26#39;s, so we%26#39;re up for nearly anything, but our French is very limited - I%26#39;ll be willing to give it a try with the phrasebook, though! We are very much into trying the different kinds of cuisine, seeing places a little off the traditional tourist route, and we would especially like to sample some of the fabulous wines in the region. This is not a trip on a shoestring, but if something is particularly expensive it should be worth the extra cost.
Thus, which towns should we visit? In which order? Any advice for hotels/B%26amp;B%26#39;s? What are the must-see vineyards? Fun outdoor activities (hiking, etc.)?
Thank you in advance!
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With only four days my suggestion would be that you restrict yourselves to the Languedoc-Rousillon area and the eastern Pyrenees. To get your planning started I would suggest you get a couple of guidebooks. The DK Eyewitness Guide to France will give you a good general overview and is well illustrated. The Michelin guide to the Languedoc-Rooussilon region will give you more detail and allow you to begin planning a logical itinerary. You will absolutlely need to have the Michelin guide as you explore the region so you might as well get it now. You will also need the Michelin maps to the Languedoc-Rousillon and Midi-Pyrénées regions in addition to the appropriate maps of Spain. Getting them now and familiarizing yourelves with the geography of the regions will be time well spent when you are actually on the ground.
A circuit might start by taking in the principal sights between Barcelona and the French border, then following the coast through Cadaqués into France, and along the Côte Vermeil to Collioure. From there the Cathar strongholds in the eastern Pyrenees are wonderful to explore and will take you into some splendid and rugged scenery. Perpignan is worth a visit. From there you could head west and explore more of the Pyrenees, or north and west towards Carcassonne and Albi and that region or north and east along the coast.
The route to Madrid would depend on which of these options you chose — either back along the coast and through Barcelona, through Andorra, or through or around the Pyrenees further west.
Just FYI it%26#39;s probably about a ten hour drive from almost anywhere in south-west France to Madrid with fairly minimal meal and fuel stops. I wouldn%26#39;t want to do it in one day, though it could be done.
Besides the maps I mentioned www.viamichelin.co will help with some basic route planning.
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Just a quick question, why not just stay in Spain? The Basque area is supposed to be incredible. The Costa Brava is also supposed to be lovely. And if you%26#39;re very into wines, there has been a lot of buzz over the spanish wines recently - see review in latest Wine Spectator over wines in nw spain! Two years ago, we spent a week in Collioure, France (which we loved and if you do foray into france, be sure to visit!) but we drove the coast road into Spain for a 1 day visit of the northern tip of the Costa Brava and Salvador Dali%26#39;s house (incredible!) on the coast and then his museum... my impression was very positive on that area and I recall thinking that it would be fun to spend more time!
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cajeta makes some excellent points indeed. With only 4-plus days starting from Barcelona and ending in Madrid there certainly is a lot to be said for confining yourselves to Spain on this trip.
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