Drive through Provence from Geneva to Barcelona
 

Hi all,

I will be driving from Geneva to Barcelona in late September with my husband (we are in our 20s), and I would like to spend a few days in Provence along the way. I plan on spending about 3 nights in Provence. I know very little about the area and am having difficulty figuring out where to stop and how many nights to spend at each place (or whether to just make one stop along the way). We would like to take in beautiful scenery and experience wine country, but we are hoping to do it on a tight budget (hotels/B&Bs for $100/night if possible). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Amanda

Sorry, to give a bit more information, I'm thinking of spending two nights in St. Remy, doing day trips from there, and then one night in Cassis. Would you recommend I stay in one place all three nights? If so, where? Any B&B recommendations?

Thanks,
Amanda

What route are you planning to take from Geneva to Provence?

Last year, we drove from St Remy to Annecy, and we stopped overnight south of Grenoble. But the drive can be done in one day on the autoroutes.

I generally prefer staying longer in one place than hotel-hopping, so personally I'd stay in St Remy for all three nights. We stayed at Le Mas des Tourterelles, http://www.masdestourterelles.com/english.htm

Rather than driving to Barcelona, it would probably be cheaper to pick the car up on the French side of the Geneva airport and return it Narbonne or Perpignan, then take the train to Spain. There is usually a hefty fee for dropping a rental car in another country.

Thank you very much for your advice. I just learned earlier today about the hefty drop fee, so we will be doing exactly what you suggest - picking up the car on the French side of Geneva then taking the train to Barcelona. Do you suggest taking the train from Montpellier?

I don't have a planned route yet to Provence. I don't know that I will want to make any stops along the way to St. Remy the first day, since I'll have just taken a 12 hour overnight flight and may be tired. Luckily, my husband will already be in Geneva so he can be in charge of driving. In addition, I think we may try to spend all 3 nights in St. Remy and I will look into the hotel you recommend.

Thanks!

You can take the train from whichever location is most convenient -- Avignon, Nimes, etc.; figure out where you want to go sightseeing and then decide where to drop the car. It doesn't make any sense to spend the time driving to the train station in Montpellier or Narbonne unless something in that area interests you. There is plenty to see around St Remy -- the Pont du Gard, Avignon, Les Baux, Uzes, Arles, etc. I hope you will be in St Remy for the Wednesday market.