dreamingtraveler

Hello all! I am spending my summer May-August as an Au Pair (like a live in nanny) near Paris, France. I plan to explore lots of this region during my stay there.

At the end of the summer, I would like to take some personal time to explore the south of france and possibly Barcelona. Basically, I will have minimum 1 week, maximum 2 weeks (have to get back to Canada before school starts!) to spend in this area. I am not at the stage where I am booking anything yet (haven't even booked flights yet); I am more researching my options and deciding what I would like to see.

I would love any advice on South of France (I think I would like to see Nice, Cannes & Montpellier) and then possibly hop over to Barcelona for a few nights. How much should I budget for this part of my trip?

*Also - would it make more sense to fly into Paris, but out of Barcelona? Or would I be better to do a return from Paris, and just take the train from Barcelona back to Paris for my flight?

Thanks so much!!! (I am obviously new at this whole traveling solo/Europe thing...)

jpie

I think if you only have 2 weeks I would skip Nice and Cannes. For one thing it is kind of pricey and out of the way for the other places you want to visit. And I think at your age you will have more fun in younger feeling university cities like Montpellier and Toulouse for example-although if it will still be August then students are likely to be elsewhere.

If the air ticket price is the same I would definitely do an open jaw ticket into Paris and home from Barcelona-you could also consider flying home from Madrid and take the train from Barcelona to Madrid since international flights from Barcelona might be more expensive.

Another thing to check on would be to use the low coast budget airlines for part of your trip-very popular with students theses days. Just be careful with a couple of things-sometimes they use airports that aren't too easy to get to so it can add up to take a pricey taxi to get to those places, and also most of them are pretty sticky about luggage-you can hit of big fees for luggage.

Here is a site that shows you the various carriers and where they fly: www.whichbudget.com/

Sounds like fun!!

SeeDee

I would not rule out the Cote d'Azur as a place to visit.
Staying in somewhere like Cannes or Antibes is going to be expensive but somewhere near to Nice like Beaulieu-sur-Mer can provide you with a great base to explore the area.
The rail service provides regular trains in either direction - under an hour to Menton, east bound and Cannes west.

Buses also provide an excellent service, mainly radiating out of Nice. Fares can be as low as little over a Euro on some routes.

Apart from the beaches, there are also some fine coastal walks (Cap Ferrat for one) and the local buses can get you to some lovely towns like Eze, Vence and St Paul de Vence.

jpie

I think it depends both on budget and how much time you want spend where. You will be close to the sea in Barcelona as well.

Another option might be to make a weekend trip down to Nice while you are working during the summer if the family gives you 2 days off in a row for instance. It is about 5 1/2 hours from Paris by train but maybe you just spend a night and see if you want to go back to explore more at the end of the summer

dreamingtraveler

Thanks so much for all your advice.

I will definitely look into using the budget airlines, I'm finding train travel is not exactly cheap in Europe, so it may help to do some by air.

I also have worries about Cannes area being too expensive...I think it may depend on how much I can actually budget for this week and see if I can logistically fit it in.

dfourh

>>>>I also have worries about Cannes area being too expensive..

Just stay in Nice (or Antibes if you can get a decent rate). Cannes is a short daytrip from Nice. Nice has lots to offer, even on the cheap. Cannes does not have that much to offer, no matter how you look at it.

jpie

Yes I agree with dfourth there-Nice is nicer than cannes I think. Also if you haven't checked out www.hostelworld.com, you should look at places there. there is a hostel called

Villa Saint Exupery Gardens
22 Avenue Gravier, Nice, France

It was voted the best hostel in France-and they have dorm room beds starting around $25. I would think at your age in particular hostels would be a great way to travel, economize and meet people.

dreamingtraveler

Thank you! Now that you mention it, I did some more research and it does seem that many place are accessible from Nice for cheap by bus. That seems like my best option.

Thanks so much for that hostel rec, it looks amazing!

sanderskn

Definitely go to Nice! I did Paris, Barcelona, and Nice once and it was great.

cigalechanta

Cannes a waste of time. I think spending time in Provence
would be my choice but I do like Nice.

cigalechanta

P.S. Montpellier is a student town, Better to see Aix-en-Provence, another student town but it is beautiful.

clarkgriswold

The Casa Gracia in Barcelona is a wonderful hostel.

cigalechanta

sorry realizing my posts are against my beliefs that you should go wherever you thought or dreamed you should