Good layover between Paris and Barcelona?
 

After a week in Paris we are heading down to Barcelona for 4 nights. There are 6 of us (parents, two grown sons and 2 girlfriends) and I am trying to find to a relaxing spot between our 2 cities to get some downtime. I have done a little research on French basque region especially St. Jean de Luz since we have 2 surfers in the group. Worried that it is too far off the route from Paris to Barca. No car rental wanted. Any suggestions? Needs to have great food! Probably have 4 nights to spend between Paris and Barcelona. We've all been to Barcelona so 4 nights there is about right.

You have two options. The first would be to take the train to Biarritz, about 5-1/2 hours, spend whatever time you have (4 nights) and then take the train from Biarritz to Barcelona, about 9-1/2 hours. No car required.

The second option would be simply to take the train from Paris to Barcelona and enjoy the beach (no surfing).

Both options offer great food and wine.

Have you considered Toulouse? It's a very compact university city, with plenty to do and see for a few days.
There's a direct train from Paris to Toulouse, then there to Barcelona (or others that require a change at Narbonne). Di

If you want to include the possibility of surfing, the you have to go to the Atlantic coast and choose one of the areas along the Bay of Biscay. This area of Western France is way off the route to travel to Barcelona, but the Med coast has no real waves of any size.

Robert is right to point you towards Biarritz, where there are several beaches used by surfers, but if you decide to avoid the trek west Toulouse is a good bet (but nowhere near the coast of course). Alternatively you could consider Avignon, a great place for a few days with lots to see and do.

There are 2 daily trains from Irun (French/Spanish border close to Biarritz) to Barcelona:
Irun dp 7.10 and 15.51 - Barcelona ar 13.20 and 22.09.

If you go down to the Biarritz/Irun area, you should perhaps go the few extra miles to spectacular and beautiful San Sebastian, a surfers paradise and the culinary capital of Spain, if not all of Europe. Trains to Barcelona twice a day.
http://www.sansebastianturismo.com/en/

"Is San Sebastian the best place to eat in Europe?": http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandst...rink.shopping2
http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/20...-san-sebastian
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...aris-spot.html

Video presentation of Donostia/San Sebastian, European capital of culture 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCt5P74DkcY

Thanks for all the great suggestions. Looks like if we go to St. Jean, the train from Irun is the best way to access Barcelona. Thanks Kimhe for great San Seb links. We have stayed there twice in the last few years and want to explore another spot for this trip. I am a little worried about weather on Atlantic coast in May. We had a pretty wet few days in San Seb a few years ago. I'm searching for a duplication of our Masseria stay in Puglia last spring. A place to kick back for a few days in between Paris and Barcelona. Avignon is a possibility or something in the countryside around there.

except for the surfing Avignon and its area offers so so much even without a car and is smack on the TGV/AVE high-speed rail line between Paris and Barcelona

going via the west coast means adding an extra travel day into your plans and can't the grown sons and folks go their separate ways for a few days - both parties may find that nice (perhaps not).

Avignon, Arles, the Pont du Gard, fantastic Les Baux, St-Remy-de-Provence are all captivating places - one reason this is the number one tourist area in France I hear.

I would stick with a more direct route and avoid the long train ride from the Basque region. Arles is a beautiful small city with great Roman ruins (amphitheater etc.), food, sites and lots of charm and also can be used as a base to make day trips (Med. coast etc.). It's just under 5 hours by train from Barcelona, with a transfer in Nîmes. It will, however, require either one or two transfers if coming from Paris.

http://www.arlestourisme.com/home.html

>> little worried about weather on Atlantic coast in May<<

When we were in the Pay Basque (Sare) for 2 weeks in late June 2012, we had some rain too. Lots of clouds on other days. There was only 1 or 2 days when we had "beach" weather. One of my guide books says the Pays Basque gets more rain than Ireland. We thought St Jean de Luz was just OK - nothing special. Not even our favorite city in that Biarritz/Bayonne area. Wouldn't want to be there for 4 days in "iffy" weather without a car. Fabulous restaurants in the Pays Basque - but you'll need to use a car to get to our favorites.

Toulouse (along with Dijon) are our two favorite cities in France - after Paris. As di2315 stated - good train access from Paris & to Barcelona. Easy train access to Albi and Carcassonne. Albi is in our "top 5" medium-sized cities in France. Toulouse is where I would stay in May. Get the Michelin Green Guide for the Languedoc and follow the walking itineraries.

Stu Dudley

Thanks for everyone's input. I'm going to do some more research on Arles, Avignon and Toulouse.

I'm remembering that Spain has a group of hotels that are located in monasteries and castles. Vaguely remember researching one that was north of Barcelona. Anybody have a link or name?

Paradors??

Stu Dudley

Yes, thank you. I just googled and answered my own question.
http://www.paradores-spain.com

Have you ever stayed in one, Stu?

Yep - north of Barcelona at Parador du Cardona in Solsona. Very nice!!!

Stu Dudley

You might consider Marseille, it has more going on than Avignon, and is about midway on the train route. I do like Toulouse, also.

Fast train from Paris to Avignon is only a couple of hours, then about four hours from Avignon to Barcelona. Though no surfing, there are lots of beautiful places to see, wonderful food and wine. My personal favorite was Aigues Mortes because we stayed three nights and evening there was lovely.

IMO, Avignon would be a good choice IF you are willing to rent a car. Provence is fantastic - we've spent 20 weeks vacationing there. Outside of Paris, Provence & the Dordgone are our favorite regions in France. You can get to Arles, Nimes, & Aix easily by train - but these 3 cities and Avignon are all somewhat similar in "look & feel", IMO. I would want to get out in the countryside and explore the Luberon, the Cote du Rhone winegrowing region, Pont du Gard & Uzes, and even Aignes Mortes (though not one of our favorites). But you said you DID NOT want to rent a car.

Also, getting to Barcelona might take a long time unless you can get all 6 of you up & running & taxied/bused to the Avignon TGV station by 8:15 am, or walk to the central Avignon station by 8:15 (a train change needed). Later than 8:45 will consume the entire day and multiple trains will be involved. You can decide if you can get the "gang" moving at that time of the morning (the sun rises later in Provence than it does where I live in Calif).

I still vote for Toulouse. I think there is more stuff to do in Toulouse than in Avignon, and Albi and Carcassone will be something quite different.

Stu Dudley

>>But you said you DID NOT want to rent a car<< and you'll need a car to explore these places in 4 nights/3 1/2 days.

Stu Dudley

Thanks, Stu. We have rented a car and explored countryside in Provence and a little of the Dordogne. I was just looking for a place to plonk down for a few days in between lots of sightseeing in Paris and Barcelona. Something with a pool and great food onsite. Starting to think maybe we should just go onto Barcelona and maybe do something at tail end of trip in Spain. It's a little scary how things are already booking up for May. I reserved apartment in Paris a month or two ago and still didn't get exactly what I wanted.

Perhaps try to find something in Perpignan or near Collioure. The TGV from Paris to Barcelona goes through Perpignan.

Stu Dudley

Trains from Nimes (Provence) to Barcelona (3 1/2 hrs journey):
Nimes dp 9.05, 10.09, 15.49, 17.09
Tons of local trains from Avignon Ville to Nimes (30 min journey).

The timing is really bad for Avignon to Nimes to Barcelona.

Avignon to Nimes (weekday)
depart 8:40 arrive 9:10
depart 9:40 arrive 10:10

So the only morning connection that would work is the one that departs Avignon at 8:40 & catches the 10:09 to Barcelona.

The next TGV from Nimes to Barcelona departs at 15:49, which gets you to Barcelona at 19:42. The Sants station is not very close to any hotels we've stayed at in Barcelona. So you probably would not get to your hotel until 20:30 - which is later than I like to arrive in a city.

Stu Dudley

So the only morning train leaves Avignon TGV at 8.43 and arrives at Barcelona Sants at 12.31.
But why not stop at Arles for a few hrs, there is a lot to see in this town.
If you arrive at your Barcelona hotel at 20.30, you will still be too early for dinner.

>>If you arrive at your Barcelona hotel at 20.30, you will still be too early for dinner.<<

Yep. The earliest we could ever get a reservation in Barcelona last year was at 20:30. However, if I arrived at my hotel at 20:30, after a long day visiting a Provence city, then 5 hrs or so on a train or in a station - I would want to "freshen up" a bit before dinner. Six people "freshing up" might involve 1-2 hours. Like I pointed out earlier - I would not arrive in a large city (and one of the best "food" cities in Europe) anytime after about 18:00.

Stu Dudley

macdogmom

Earlier I mentioned Colloire as a good place for a 4 night/3 1/2 day stopover. We've visited it several times - most recently when we stayed about 30 mins away for 2 weeks in a gite near Ceret. It's a lovely port town with a good beach, interesting "old town", and many restaurants. It is quite popular. There are several hotels there with swimming pools & views of the port. This seems to be the best one:
http://www.relaisdestroismas.com/
The Hotel also has a Michelin 1 star restaurant, and is just steps away from another restaurant where I celebrated my birthday when we were there. It is easy to get to from Paris. Take the TGV that leaves at 10:07 and arrives in Perpignan at 15:08. You could take a taxi to the hotel from Perpignan, or hop in a train 30 mins later that arrives in Collioure at 16:06. The hotel is probably too far away from the train station to walk to, and I recall some uphill between the two. So a taxi might be necessary (confirm with hotel). Another hotel closer to the train station and the "old Town" & beach is:
http://en.hotel-casa-pairal.com/
It has a pool, but no view.

From Collioure you can take the train back to Perpigaan for a visit, or on to Barcelona. No-train-change trains also run to Narbonne which is an interesting city to visit (1 hr away).

Stu Dudley

Thanks Stu. I'm going to check out the Collioure hotel. Someone on Chowhound also recommended that town. Also thinking about Arles as possibility for long weekend stop, maybe stay at L'Hotel Particulier and let 20somethings hang at pool and we explore town. Or I will try to find something cheaper, but with pool.

Weather in May can be "iffy" for hanging out at pools. We spent our first two weeks this year in Nice. For the first couple of days it was a tad cool for any beach time. We didn't even go into Old Nice for dinner because we wanted to dine outside & it wasn't warm enough to do so. About the last 1 1/2 weeks it was fine. I got in several days of beach time. Many times it was cool & not "beach weather" in Provence in early June (since '99 we've going to France every year for 5 weeks in June/July). When we were near Collioure for 2 weeks in early June, there were very few (if any) beach days. There were a few "hearty souls" on the beach - but not us. On a prior trip to Collioure, it was shoulder-to-shoulder sunbathers on the beach - but I believe that was in late June - maybe even July. In mid/late July of '12 we met an internet friend at her beach house in Canet-Plage - just 10K or so north of Collioure. It was warm & sunny - but quite windy. Not many people on the beach because of the wind. We didn't even have lunch outside at her home because of the wind.

Don't "bet" on days at the pool in May - you may not get any. But there are plenty of other things to do around Arles & Collioure to keep you occupied if you don't get your "pool time". However, Arles & Collioure themselves won't take more than one day to thoroughly explore, IMO. Just make sure you research bus & train connections to other sites, if you don't want to rent a car(s).

Stu Dudley

Well, thanks to all your help I decided on Arles for 3 nights and got the last 3 rooms at the Hotel du Cloitre for our dates. Will get TGV tickets to Avignon and then perhaps proceed in a taxi to Arles. Next, locking down our apartment in Barcelona. Thanks again.

Perhaps I missed something, but there isn't any reason you can't buy a train ticket from Paris to Arles. YOu don't have to stop in AVignon and then get a taxi to Arles. You will need to transfer trains at AVignon or Nimes, though, but you still don't need to take a taxi.

And as for the rumors that if you arrive at 8:30 pm at a Barcelona hotel, you will still be too early for dinner -- not true. I've been there a couple times for about 5 days each and had no trouble sitting down to dinner between 8-9 pm. I don't go to high end restaurants or make reservations, but I'm not talking street food, but regular small restaurants or bistros. I stay in the Eixemple area. Maybe if you only go to expensive restaurants that would be the case.

For example, I like both La Tramoia and Tonorio (I thin they have the same owner), and they are open most of the time as they also serve tapas and have a bar. So that just flows into dinner, but you have no problem going in at 8:30 and ordering off the dinner menu there. THis is that restaurant group's website http://www.cacheirorestaurants.com/r...barcelona/home

I guess this is Tramoia's website and they say you can order dinner from 7:30 pm.
http://www.restalo.es/restaurante-la-tramoia

That's unusual (7:30), but many are open at 8 pm. I've dined in a couple on carrer d'Aribau, and they open at 8.

Hotel du cloitre: nice 15-20 min walk from the railway station.

Thanks, Christina. I had not really researched trains yet and just got off capitane site and there seems to be a non stop TGV from Paris to Arles leaving mid day and getting around 4. That looks great and will get those tickets when available. Also checked Barcelona train and it looks like we can get a 9am transferring in Nimes that will get us into Barca around 1:30pm. That's great since we are renting an apartment and probably couldn't get into any earlier.

Thanks neckervd. The walk will be good for us after sitting for 4 hours...

"it looks like we can get a 9am transferring in Nimes that will get us into Barca around 1:30pm"

There is no european town called Barca. I suppose you mean Barcelona. In this case, you could find the trains in the official timetable:
Arles dp 8.18 - Nimes 8.40/9.05 - Barcelona Sants ar 12.31 (see my post above).
Direct trains to Arles leave Paris at 15.41 and 17.19; they stop at Valence, Montelimar and Avignon Ville

There are some direct trains from Paris to Arles, but they are not nonstop. They will have several stops, not that it matters much, but that adds in a little time for the stops. YOu won't have to transfer, but they do stop.

Perhaps I missed something, but there isn't any reason you can't buy a train ticket from Paris to Arles. YOu don't have to stop in AVignon and then get a taxi to Arles.>

If you want to leave earlier you can take a TGV to Avignon TGV and then take the shuttles that meet trains and whisk folks to Arles - very easy. I'd take whatever is the cheapest and most convenient.

Going crazy here. The train I found last month that went from Paris to Arles without any change of train seems to have disappeared. I've checked Captaine site and SCNF and can't seem to find it. Our trip is on May 22 and I checked earlier dates and it has seemed to disappear. It's still true that you can't buy tickets more than 3 months out, correct?

Never mind, I was looking too far out. Hopefully it will appear on schedule for the dates I need 3 months before our travel date.

Direct Paris - Arles TGV on Friday May 22nd:
Paris L dp 15.27, 17.41
Some of the other 20 connections with 1 train change are faster, however