Dorianne

My husband and I will be travelling to Morocco, Spain and the French Riviera this fall. We are in our early 30s and enjoy night life, great food, shopping and the beach. We iniitially wanted to travel in November, but have realized that the weather may not be ideal in all 3 places during that time (we would like to experience warm to a little hot/ minimal rain). We want to fly from NYC to Barcelona and stay there for a few days, then take the train to the French Riviera - stay there for a few days then take the train back to Spain, fly to Morocco from Spain and go back home to NYC from Morocco. This seemed to be the least expensive route.

Few Questions:
1. Is that travel plan the most efficient/ cost effective?
2. Would September/ October be better months to travel to all 3 destinations for warm weather?
3. What are some cities within each country (Morocco, Spain and France) that we MUST visit?

Thanks so much in advance for all your advice!

Pvoyageuse

Couldn't you fly open jaw? land in Barcelona and fly out of Nice? Train travel from Barcelona to the Riviera and back is not very convenient (several changes) and you'll lose 2 days. You could find a cheap flight to Morocco from Spain and fly from Morocco to Nice.

bilboburgler

is there no cheap flight to Marrakesh from Southern France? There are flights into Lyon and Gerona

http://marrakech.airport-authority.com/flights

Marrakesh is the one with Rabat close behind and then some of the smaller ones to the south of Marrakesh. You need to look at the Africa forum for this bit

Goldens

I would certainly recommend Marrakesh and Easyjet flies there from Spain and also from Lyon, France. Africa Forum will give you advice on places in Morocco.

You don't say how long you have for the trip but Pvoyageuse is correct in that travel between Barcelona and Riviera is not very convenient.

Did you choose the Riviera and Barcelona primarily for beaches? September/October really isn't prime beach weather in those places. The exception would be if you went in early September. I don't know if you have been to these places before but I wouldn't concentrate on beaches.
You could fly into Barcelona for a few days and take the train to Madrid. Madrid is definitely worth a visit. Fly from there to Morocco. Where you go in Morocco depends on how much time you have for your trip. (Marrakech is a wonderful place with great food and places to stay.)

Unless you really wanted to go to the Riviera I would save it for another trip in the summer.

Goldens

I should add- or save Spain for another trip if you want to really see the Riviera. It all depends on how much time you have. That going back/forth between Barcelona and Riviera just isn't very convenient. Every time you take a flight it takes at least half a day of your vacation.

But definitely see the places that you want to see. There are also some beautiful walks/hikes along the Riviera. The earlier in the fall you can go the better.

Dorianne

I have 15 days worth of travel time for the entire trip. I agree that I may need to save the Riviera for another time. I will focus only on Morocco and Spain.. thanks so much!!

thursdaysd

I would fly into Nice and home from Morocco - check Casablanca as well as Marrakesh for flights. But it will take 8:21 hours and two changes for the train from Nice to Barcelona. You certainly don't want to do that twice.

neckervd

15 days would be fine for a somewhat decent visit of either Morocco or French Provence, but not for both.
For y visit of all the gems of Spain (beaches included, although a bit chilly in October), you would need more time.
Check
https://www.jetairfly.com/ (Marseille, Nice, Toulouse)
http://www.air-mediterranee.fr/ (Marseille, Toulouse)
http://www.airarabia.com/home (Montpellier)
http://www.ryanair.com/ (Marseille, Nimes)
for flights between Southern France and Morocco.
There are also ferries from Sete to Nador and Tanger.