the4aces

I will be in Paris for work in June. My wife will be joining me in Paris after my first week. We will then be taking a 10 day vacation. I have already made arrangements for us to return to the US departing Barcelona.

Any ideas on a travel itinerary? Anything we shouldn't miss?

Neither of us have been in this region of Europe before.

Thanks!

Tchiowa

Wing it. But a 10 day Eurrail pass. Get up in the morning and decide "Hmmm, I think we'll go to Amsterdam". Jump on the train and go. You see an ad that about Berlin or Paris or Lisbon. Decide then. Jump on the train and go. Get a hotel at the train station.

lhrsfo

The problem with these questions is that nobody knows what the OP likes. 10 days is no time at all, so there are really only two alternatives in my book. The first is to split the time between Paris and Barcelona and fly between the two. I would probably do 6 days in Paris and 4 in Barcelona, reflecting the amount to do in each place, but YMMV. If the OP is interested in cities and culture, he would at least be able to scratch the surface of both places.

The alternative is to minimize the "city break" aspect of it, by perhaps taking in the Louvre, the Tour d'Eiffel and Notre Dame in one day, then picking up a car and driving to south and taking a pick of the Dordogne, Bordeaux, Biarritz and the Pyrenees before continuing on to Barcelona for one full day of sightseeing before departure.

Both itineraries will provide lots of interest but press different buttons. I'd probably go with the road trip but that would be on the basis I would have plenty of time to get to know Paris on another occasion (as I have had), and I still have a really soft spot for Sarlat and the Dordogne.

the4aces

I like the city break idea. What smaller cities should we visit on the way to Barcelona? What is the best way to travel (train vs car?)

Ryan

84fiero

If you're thinking of the train, this will give you an idea of the route and if you want to stopover along the way somewhere:

http://www.seat61.com/Paris-to-Barce...m#.VIOW2THF-So

Is there some overlap between when your wife joins you in Paris and your actual vacation start time (i.e., any time in the evening or a weekend to see some of Paris together)? Personally I'd not try to do too much, and find a couple of focus areas as lhrsfo suggests.

Barcelona is one area of Spain I haven't been to yet, so I'm not of much help in recommendations for that area.

HMPS

Get to Barcelona. Find a " last minute cruises" 7 days, will hit at least five Med. ports. Can score it for around $800 PP

PTY1K

I think that Carcassonne is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It is on the way to Barcelona.

the4aces

Cruise is a good idea.

I found 2 that will work with the timing.

Cruise is one good option.

Now what would you do for a land tour if I were to do that?

I like the Carossonne idea. Any other city suggestions?

Ryan

PTY1K

If you are not averse to flying, you could probably reach most places in Europe for a reasonable price - Paris-XXX-BCN. My suggestions would be Berlin, Venice, Dubrovnik, Istanbul (maybe a bit far), Lisbon.

PTY1K

Toulouse is on the overland route too and is pretty cool.

rrgg

If you haven't been to Paris or Barcelona, you could easily spend 5 in each (or maybe 6/4), but it depends on what you like. If it's too much time you can make day trips to Versaille, Monserrat, Sitges or something.

ajGoes

Some years ago I accompanied my aging parents on a very pleasant, leisurely drive from Paris to Barcelona. We spent one night in the skiing and health resort town of Le Mont Dore, and one in the small French Catalonian village of Tautavel. My father is a paleontologist (the purpose of the trip was for him to present a paper at a colloquium in Barcelona), and Tautavel is the site of an important Homo Erectus discovery of little interest to most of us but not-to-be-missed for him.

The drive was memorable more as a peek into a less-traveled region than for grand experiences, but it left me with a desire to explore the Pyrenees which I hope to fulfill someday.

You should be aware that international one-way car rentals are generally prohibitively expensive in Europe. If you decide to make this a road trip, you'll probably want to give up the car while still in France and take a train for the last bit of the trip.

Hmm, another place we stopped on the last day of this trip was Figueres, Spain, where we visited the indescribable Téatro-Muséo Dalì. At this monument to the monstrous ego and phenomenal creative talent of Salvador Dalì, I learned that the artist was his own greatest creation.

lowside67

I will second that recommendation - we did a quick day trip to Figueres from our 2 weeks in Barcelona in 2013 and it was a fantastic experience. We are not really "art people" but the works of Salvadore Dali are so out there and incredible that they are really worth seeing.

These are some of my photos from Figueres:
http://www.uhlmann.ca/figueres/

In Barcelona, while it is very touristy, you must visit the Sagreda Familia, one of Antoni Gaudi's most incredible designs. I also have some photos and a full blog post from my time in Barcelona that may be of some interest to you (mostly geared towards food):
http://www.uhlmann.ca/barcelona/

-Mark

Ocn Vw 1K

As the OP is focused on European travel, please follow the thread as it moves to the Europe forum. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

Dicky Dee

can you train to turkey or do you have to fly?