wileyadams

my family (approx. 10 people)is planning on a two week visit to Europe in late summer 2014...our intent was to find 2-3 "hubs" to operate out of since the nightly bag drag thing is a non-starter.
previously we have centered our French travel using Fountainbleu south of Paris as a base and are seeking something like that in southern France with options to go into Northern Spain...one member did a business trip to Toulouse and said the middle canal and Carcassone were really appealing.
The current thinking is something that lets us do Basque country and some really good sites in Northern Spain...any suggestions of French sites and northern Spain "must see" stops would be appreciated
Another "hub" has been suggested to be the Black forest or Bavaria...but we are open to doing something else where
do we need to go thru an agency or do you think we can do this ourselves

thanx for any help

SusannahT

The Salzburg area in Austria is beautiful.

So too is the Dordogne in France.

Sure you can arrange this yourself - much more fun

Michael

Fontainebleau is not a good base if you intend to visit Paris, and especially if you want to do outings to places like Versaille, Giverny or Chartres. Stay in Paris if possible.

You need to look at guidebooks. They will give you the "must sees" for the areas you are thinking of.

You have to seriously worry about transportation. Places like the Dordogne are deficient in efficient public transportation. A car is a necessity.

lydiasheridan

Go onto your iPad ( buy one if necessary) loads of free apps.

Spain has plenty to do in 2 weeks. You could do the Basque Country then continue to Santiago de Compostella. If you like ancient monasteries etc.

You could base your self in Madrid, lots to do & see, then take a train or bus to Toledo, Segovia, Avila

You could always stay in an apartment / villa in Sth France & do daily trips to all the pretty towns nearby.

A week in Tuscany would be a dream

Have fun , do your own planning lots of fun.


We about to do 5 weeks in Spain plus 4 days in Barcelona & 4 days in Ibiza



You can do it your self, what about hiring a van or 2 cars.

madamtrashheap

If you're considering the France/Spain option, then you could consider:
Carcassonne - (as you've noted), the town itself is interesting food and history-wise and isn't that far from Barcelona, Figures and even Andorra if you're inclined.
Toulouse - might be a bit far for some northern parts of Spain, but certainly would serve well as one of the hubs for exploring more of France.
Bayonne - if you wanted to stay in France but still be able to access the coast and Basque area of Spain then this might work.
San Sebastian - if you're going to explore more of Spain/Basque area then why not do it from a hub like this.


If you go for the Germany/Austria option, look at a hub like Munich, Salzburg, Innsbruck or even somewhere deeper in the Tirol/Tyrol if you're into outdoor activities, hiking, biking, rafting, etc. Train transport around these areas is convenient so you might not even need a car(s) depending on your plans. You could then use another hub like somewhere in the Black Forest to explore that region with a car.

Once you work out the region, you will easily be able to make the bookings yourself (accom., transport - car or train). Choosing the region is the hard part as there are so many options - all of them good!

Something to consider is the timing of your trip - late Summer, ie August. Anywhere around the coasts will be busy, many Europeans take their holidays at this time too, so booking well ahead is a good idea and be prepared for increased prices in some areas as it's high season.

wileyadams

thanx for all the tips....i am going to do some research into San Sebastian, Bayonne & Basque country...that resonates with me as well as hiring the vans versus paying to go by bus or something else that will be a bag drag