I'll be driving with my husband from Barcelona to Avignon in late July. We'll have spent about 5 days in Barcelona, and want to take a leisurely drive to our next destination near Avignon.

Seems like about a 5-6 hour drive between the two...we'd like to stay near the coast. Any suggestions for where to stay overnight about half way, or any nice little towns along that route to have lunch and wander around? Thanks!

hi, piccolascimmia,

wil you be in a hire car? if so, beware high drop-off fees between countries.

also, in July, that area wil be very busy. we went to Collioures in September on a whim and it was "complet". we ended up staying near Perpignan, which we loved.

if you want to stay by the coast, I would strongly advise booking.

regards, ann

As Ann says, there is a high fee for picking up a rental car in one country and dropping it off in another. You might find it cheaper to rent two cars. Drop the first one in Figueras, take the train to Perpignan, and pick up another car there.

Thanks for the replies, we will be spending a week near Avignon, then making the drive back to Barcelona for our flight back home. We were going to consider taking a train back and forth, but between the complexity of the schedule/stops and the price, the price of renting a car and the freedom it allows was about the same price.

And yes...I'd like to pick a spot now to spend the night so I can book in advance. I know the summertime isn't the time to just pop in. I just don't know where to start looking for a place to stop overnight.

Thanks for all the tips!

If you are driving this route you will be on a freeway that is far away from the coast.

Some recommendations for stops in between:

- Cadaques and Cap Creus - the most beautiful stretch of coastline between Barcelona and Avignon. It is a detour from the freeway, but very rewarding in terms of scenery, architecture, history and art (you may visit Salvador Dali's house in Cadaques).

- Ceret in the Pyrenees (on the French side). Also a detour. Ceret is a charming town and you may drive up into the mountains from there.

- Sète. It is a fishing town with a traditional fishing port. A good place to enjoy an al fresco lunch or dinner.

Traveller1959, that's exactly the kind of info I'm looking for. I don't mind adding some time to the drive, as long as I know where to focus that time Off to research those areas!

And annhig - thanks for the info on Collioures and Perpignan, they're now on the list too.

Would love more suggestions - thanks everyone!

Please forgive me piccolascimmia for interrupting but I want to do the same thing in June--drive from Barcelona to Provence. I was wondering if you will be picking up your car in Barcelona City. I hear that it's quite the challenge driving out of Barcelona with traffic problems and difficult roundabouts. Where will you be picking up your car?

Hi, sorry for the late reply. I have booked my car, but booked it from the airport. I will end up reevaluating that decision, though, once I figure out how to get from the TBD hotel to the airport, or if I'll just rent from the city center. Also, I'm not sure if there's a cost difference to balance out the cost to get out to the airport. We'll see!

Are you going to stay in Avignon ?

Nope, we're staying closer to Coustellet, I just used Avignon as a general area/marker for the conversation

Collioure is a gorgeous town just north of the Spanish border on the coast. It will be very crowded in July, but worth a stop nonetheless. I would also stop in Bouziques and have oysters on the beach. And Montpellier, and then Aigues-Mortes.

St. Cirq;
As per your suggestion we will be spending two nights at Casa Pairal in Collioure. I can't wait!!!!!!! (1st week in June)
MarieV

Oooo, you will enjoy the Casa Pairal and Collioure! Be sure to sample the Banyuls wine (I find it absolutely loathesome, but it certainly is unique!).

There may be nicer places to go instead of staying along the coast.

If you lived as far inland as I do and already in the remote mountains you might crave the coast and the sea, too. Also, that is my only time on the coast on my way down to Spain, all the rest is inland. And... I would rather not have seeds of doubt planted on my lovely itinerary.

True. I grew up on a coastline (Gulf of Mexico) and have never craved such things.

But have you considered going over the Viaduc de Millau?
http://henribot31.unblog.fr/files/2007/05/viaduc2.jpg

Hello there....we are a family of 5 and planning a similar trip in late July. One week in Barcelona, then five days base camp in Provence with some "day tripping" around the south of France area and later drive back to Barcelona to catch our flight. I've seen some sites that caution against this type of trip, but the only reason given so far is the cost. One site (http://en.allexperts.com/q/France-14...uth-France.htm) even advised flying at a cost of $700 per person instead of driving!!! Something doesn't seem to add up. Am I missing something? Is there a hidden cost I am not calculating? There's the cost of the rental (about $500) plus the cost of gas. We're doing a two way rental (pick up and drop off in Barcelona) I don't get it, so any insights you can offer, including "don't sweat it" would be appreciated. Many thanks in advance.

As it stands, we decided to go further than expected and stay in Nimes so we can do all the roman ruins there. We'll likely stop for lunch along the coast somewhere on the way from Barcelona to Nimes. If anyone has a restaurant/city recommendation beyond those above, I'd love to hear it.

And MissZ...that's what I'm doing too...the flights were way too expensive, and renting a car is also less than booking train tickets. The only thing I haven't researched yet is if I need to book the additional rental car insurance (my US car insurance policy doesn't cover me abroad).

Hello, picco! I know it's been a while but I am planning a similar trip for this September, only reverse. We will be traveling from Avignon to Barcelona, hoping to make it in one day. Is that reasonable? And do you think a train/car combo is the way to go or should we drive? Thanks for advice based on experience