ghumakad

My friends and I are planning on going to Barcelona at the end of April. We are 3 couples with a kid each (all under the age of 2!). We plan on renting cars, and are looking to explore a bit of France as well for about a week.

I'm looking for suggestions for a good base in SW France. I found a gite an hour from Montpellier, close to Pezenas. Is it a good central point or are there other good areas to set base camp (Albi? Nimes? Toulouse?)
Also, could you recommend websites where I could find good gites in the area. Also names of websites pertaining to apt. rentals in barcelona would be great!

thanks

blackduff

Don't drive so fast or you'll be missing a lot of nice places. Between Barcelona and the French border has Girona, which is quite nice to visit. Figueras is nice too and Rosas is worth a visit.

If you North towards France from Rosas, you'll enter France in Cebere. Keep driving until you get Banyuls Sur Mer. This is a very nice village. Following this village you have Porte Vendres, which is a very nice fishing port. A couple of kilometers and you'll arrive at Collioure. This is beautiful. Take some time there.

A bit after Collioure you'll arrive at Argeles Sur Mer. This is a good place for camping and if you want some beach time, you're going to like this place. It's a large, clean sandy coast.

Keeping from Argeles, you'll visit St.Cyprien, Canet, and a whole package of smaller villages. It keeps going towards the East.

Places which you might visit would be Carcassone. It's a bit touristic but nice. Sete pleases me, since it looks very Mediterranean. Montpelier is more City than village.

The most point I wrote is Collioure. Don't miss this village.

Blackduff obviously I live around this area

abbydog

Speaking of Girona, Fodor's has a nice little article about it at www.fodors.com/wire/archives/001089.cfm

paskee

Check out a fabulous town called Olonzac. There is a gite there called "Le Grand Castel" which you can find by going to www.vrbo.com/78664.

ghumakad

thank you for your replies. holiday planning on hold for now, as ticket prices from the US are exorbitant during end apr! we may end up changing destinations and going where we can get some better fares!

this is my first time on the fodors forum, and I think you guys are awesome!