Jujuba7

We will be two couples in our early twenties travelling by car from Barcelona to France and Italy and I'd like some insights on our itinerary. Wheter we should spend less or more time on some places and if there are any places that should be here and aren't. Anything would be helpful.

We will be going in August. We are pretty active and like to walk a lot, in this trip we are looking for a equilibrium between beach time and a more cultural time. We like museums to a extent. Also we are on a budget so we would like to spend as little as possible but still have a nice time.

We will leave Barcelona early and pass through Carcassone to check out the castle and head on to Genova where we will stay one full day. Next morning will be spent in Pisa and we will later drive on to Rome where we plan to stay for 3 full days. After that we will head on to Naples for a day and a half and then to the Amalfi Coast for 3 full days. We will then start our trip back passing through Siena and staying for a day. Then it is Nice for a day and a half and then back to Barcelona.

RonZ

Route planning here:

http://www.viamichelin.com/

And read this about driving in Italy. restrictions on driving in cities, where you can incur serious fines:

http://driventoit.blogspot.com.au/

You are looking at a lot of time on the road [day one at least 11 hours, according to michelin] plus fuel and tolls and challenges driving into cities and parking. I looked it up, and if you drove to Positano and back with no detours, that would amount to 3200 kms, so you are looking at more than that.

Trains connect most places you mention in Italy. Look up flights from BCN to NAP on skyscanner.com.

jamikins

You say you are in your early twenties. I believe there is a surcharge for young drivers under the age of 25 on car rentals. You may want to check that out to see the costs.

ribeirasacra

repatriation fee for the car is going to cost you money.
Do not forget a I.D.P for each driver.

Sassafrass

How many days on the ground do you have for this journey? How long in Barcelona? Have you been to Europe before?

Besides Carcasonne, and Nice, are you doing any sight seeing in southern France? If not, this is a terribly long trip with more time traveling than seeing or being someplace.

Where are you having beach time?

Rubicund

"repatriation fee for the car is going to cost you money."

The trip starts and finishes in Barcelona, so there won't be a fee. However, you need to tell the hire company where you're going as there may well be a fee for driving outside of Spain, or even a ban on taking the car to another country.

Jujuba7

I guess I forgot some important details. 2 of us are from Portugal and 2 from Barcelona, we are taking our own car and we will do some sightseeing in Barcelona before starting the journey. We have been to France before but only Paris and we have seen the northern part of Italy (Milan, Venice, Florence and Cinque Terre).

In Nice we are thinking of seeing Cannes, Antibes or Villefranche-su-mer for beach time and we will also do beach time in the Amalfi Coast.

We aren't really sure about the days yet, about fifteen days but it really depends on how much we will be spending.

traveller1959

Net driving time from Barcelona via Carcassonne to Genova is 10 hours, in case of congestions even more. And in August, congestions may occur, especially on weekends.

On the way back, do not base yourselves in Nice. It is a large town and the beach consists of large grey pebbles.

Better base yourselves in Antibes, where you find beautiful sandy coves, or in Juan-les-Pins with a wide sandy beach, but more a vacation-resort-for-families feeling. Travelwise, both places make good bases to check out the area.

But hurry up with booking your accomodation - August is peak season.

On the way back, drive the coastal road between Cannes and Saint Raphael via Theoule-sur-Mer, Antheor and Agay. It is incredibly scenic and will be a highlight of your road trip.