Driving from Barcelona to Carcasonne
 

Hi, We are driving round trip in July. On the way back we will take 2-3 days to travel along the Costa Brava. But from Barcelona to Carcasonne we would like to stop for one night in Spain along the way . We want to go inland somewhat, see the mountains, etc. We like "old stuff" (churches, monastery's, prehistoric sights) and PLT's (pretty little towns). We'd also be interested in some hiking and would love a scenic route. We are considering Montseny although I'd like to get a bit further along the way. Olot looks interesting perhaps. So, I am looking for suggestions on the best route (ie scenic, not major highway), interesting stops on the way and a place to stay that might be about half-way. Any ideas are appreciated.. P.S. I think its a bit out of the way, but would Andorra be worth the side-trip?

There is a fairly direct inland route from Barcelona to Carcassonne via Andorra. www.mappy.fr shows it as about a five-hour drive (when you plug in start and end destination, you have to indicate via Andorra or the directions given will be via autoroute along the coast).

I have not been down past Foix myself so can't comment on Andorra (mixed reviews) or the Spanish route, but on the French side you would be heading up through the Ariege and some interesting places, Foix and Limoux, for example.

Hi, thanks

For a bigger detour, go via Taüll to see its Romanesque churches and frescoes (the originals are actually in Barcelona). The last 8 pictures of this set might whet your appetite:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...7623190654780/

Renting from Avis in Barcelona (through Auto Europe), there was a short list of countries you could not drive the car into and Andorra was one of them. No idea why.

Michael, thank you for posting that link! My husband and I are considering a drive from Barcelona to the Dordogne and were hoping to maybe stop along the way. Taull is gorgeous!

Tracy

tcreath,

Saint Bertrand de Comminges would also be a worthwhile stop on the French side of the Pyrenees.

Hi, thank you all for your suggestions.