Barcelona to Monaco
 

We need to get from Barcelona to Monaco to board a cruise ship. Without flying what are our options? Train? Driving? Private driver ( any recommendations?)
Thank you.

I would prefer driving, though the train is one option.

First of all, you need to see how much each one costs. For car rentals, make sure you take into consideration the dropoff fees.

If it's a car, I would probably drop the car off in Nice and take public transportation from there. To get a guesstimate on rail costs, use www.raleurope.com Remember that their prices are high, so this is just for comparison purposes.

The second thing to consider is how long do you have between Barcelona and your cruise?

The French are pretty good drivers, just as long as you stay to the right unless you're passing.

Go to www.viamichelin.com You will find the costs of driving, the tolls and the time. If you rent a car, try to get a diesel, as diesel prices are lower and the gas mileage is much better. Also remember that you will have a stick shift, unless you pay through the nose for an automatic.

That's a start.

Take the train across the border to France, and the cost of a car rental will be considerably reduced--no cross-border drop-off fees.

They are all options.
What is your selection criteria?

Flying: www.vueling.com, about €45, 1:20 to Nice then express bus from Nice airport to Monaco. Why without flying?
Train: www.voyages-sncf.com, more than 10hrs, ~€70 and more
Driving: www.google.com/maps, then a rental company of your choice, €1000+ with cross boarder drop off, 8hr+ driving.
Private driver: probably even more expensive than driving.

If you don't want to fly because of excess baggage fees do the math before making that final decision

A train isn't going to be of much help if you have to embark on that cruise ship by the usual late afternoon hour unless you get a very early train timing which may mean a night in a hotel in Nice/Monaco.

The road distance Barcelona-Monaco is 579 miles; you planning to do that in one day and still make the ship? Means a night in a hotel probably.

Thank you all for your suggestions. We will have two nights before our cruise. We were considering a train to Perpignan and then renting a car from there, so we would avoid drop off charges. Is that feasible? If we want to stay overnight in between- where would be the best town to stay in? We do not speak the language, will we have problems?