Ashley926

My husband and I are traveling to France and Spain in November for 10 days and I've never been to Paris so we'd like to fly into Paris and then make our way down to Barcelona and fly back to Paris from Barcelona via Ryan Air. Any recommendations on where to go in between France and Spain and how to get around? (never been! Do you think it's too little time to do all of this? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

StCirq

Why not fly into Paris and out of Spain? There's little sense in going all the way back to Paris just to fly home. Get open-jaw tickets.

You could get around by car or train. Up to you.

As to where to go, there are literally thousands of possibilities, so start by getting a good map and a few guidebooks and figuring out what regions appeal most to you.

danon

Vueling flies between Paris and Barcelona
Ryan Air does not ( bus for an hour)

ira

Hey Ash,

There is no need to backtrack. Fly into Barcelona and out of Paris. (Save the best for last).

You want at least 5 nights in Paris.

You could split the rest of the time between Barcelona and San Sebastian or Barcelona and Biarritz, (51E on Easy Jet)

danon

getting from Barcelona to SS takes over 6 hours by train or
flight to Bilbao and bus to SS.
NOVEMBER hardly seems a good time for SS or Biarritz !

Better spend time in Barcelona and take day trips ( if you must). There is lot to do and see in Barcelona .

Ashley926

Had never heard of open jaw tickets so thank you! I think we will go that route.

Any tips on driving from Bordeaux to Paris or do you recommend sticking with trains?

Appreciate the help!

StCirq

Don't drive from Bordeaux to Paris unless you want to enjoy a few nights along the way in places like Ile de Ré and La Rochelle...but you really don't have time for that anyway, and November's not the time to do it.

It's a long, boring ride. You can hop on the TGV in Bordeaux and be in Paris in 3 hours. If you purchase PREM tickets online in advance the cost can be as little as 19 euro.

Why Bordeaux, anyway?

mamcalice

Not sure how Bordeaux entered the Paris-Barcelona picture. And not sure you have time for Bordeaux. With only 10 days, I would fly to Barcelona, spend 4 days and fly to Paris for 6 days. Fly home from Paris. The open-jaw flight is shown on the reservation sites as "Multicity".

annhig

what mamcalice said.

you COULD have a a very nice driving trip starting in Barcelona and ending in Paris, but only if you didn't want to spend time in either Barcelona and Paris, AND if you were travelling in Spring or summer.

in November, stick to the two main cities and leave the touring to another time.

Ashley926

Wanted to visit the wine region, which was the reason for Bordeaux, but not necessary. I know November isn't the prime time in terms of super nice weather, but we're game for the fall and it's the time we have to go! Thank you for all your input...Any cities you think would be a must in the south of France before we head back to Paris would be great to hear. Thanks all!

StCirq

The wine region at that time of year will consist of barren, soggy fields. The châteaux will likely be closed to visitors. Not a good plan.

Why not just Barcelona and Paris? There's more than enough to keep you busy in those two cities.

Ashley926

That may be what we do...thanks for the input. Just trying to find a few other interesting cities to visit since we most likely won't be coming back for a while.

danon

You can take one or two day trips to see smaller towns.
From Barcelona, Girona
From Paris....Ruen or numerous others

denisea

You might consider a day trip to Reims...for the cathedral and perhaps a champagne tasting at Veuve Clicquot, Mumm or other Reims based champagne house. The train is less than hour from Paris. You will have to check if they are open in November for tours and tastings.

You will not run out of things to do in Paris! Enjoy. We will be there over Thanksgiving week...can't wait.

annhig

If the weather's good, you can drive round St. Emilllion/Bordeaux area calling in at the various chateaux - some open, some don't but you can probably find enough to fill a day or so. local tourist offices will help I'm sure.

or you could go for the rioja area around Logrono - being that bit further south, it might be warmer.

but if you are starting in Barcelona, and ending in Paris, and wanting to drive in between, you will face high drop-off fees if you want to take a car across the border [and not bring it back again to return it of course!].

you could rent a car each side, of course - a bit complicated, but not impossible.