carlycat

I am planning a late september 2-3 week trip to either Languedoc or Dordogne combined with Catalonia and Barcelona. Trying to find the best & most time efficient way to do this and so would prefer not to fly in or out of Paris (have already been to Paris) My question is: which airport should we fly into? Montreal now has direct flights to Bordeaux-should we look at flights going here & fly home from Barcelona, or the reverse? Unfortunately there are no direct flights to Toulouse. what about Marseilles airport? Would love to hear from those who have done a similar trip........

Lexma90

We did a similar trip several years ago. We flew into Barcelona. After time there, spent one night in Figueres (primarily for the Dali museum), then headed into Languedoc for two nights. Sarlat was then our base for time in the Dordogne.

We ended our trip by dropping our rental car in Breve, then taking the train to Paris (even though we've been to Paris, we always like to return). As I recall, I did look into flying from Toulouse, but it didn't save us any money over flying out of Paris, and we wanted to go to Paris anyway.

I would say that if there are direct flights into Bordeaux, then fly into there. Assuming you'll be renting the car, check on the prices for drop charges when you're picking up and dropping in different countries. We ended up taking the train from Barcelona to just over the French border, picking up the rental car, then dropping it in France. That worked out very well for us.

StCirq

I would fly into Bordeaux and out of Barcelona, or vice versa. Marseilles is way off base for the trip you describe. You'll need a car in the Dordogne and Costa Brava, but you'll need two separate rentals to avoid huge drop-off fees.

stokebailey

We did it a few years ago by flying into Dublin and then connecting with Ryanair to Carcassonne. The airfare was cheaper. We could then pick up a rental car, tour the Old City there, then drive to Sete for the night. From there we drove north through Languedoc and into the Dordogne.

carlycat

thanks everyone for the helpful answers. I will start looking at prices for flights going to Bordeaux and coming back from Barcelona.

Images2

We've flown in and out of Barcelona for this area and drive a big loop. The airfare has been lower and the car rental is no problem this way. We're repeating this at the end of this year for a New Year's trip, but spending a bit more time in Spain for that trip before going to the Languedoc.

usernameistaken

I backpacked around Spain France and Italy in the fall of 2004 and here is what I did: from Barcelona, we took a combination of trains to Banyuls-sur-Mer (in languedoc) and hung out there for a few days. It is a French beach town where they make the famous dessert wine. From there, we caught an overnigh train from Nice.

It was extremely easy and affordable to take the train from Barcelona to Banyuls (about 3.5 hours)

mpprh

Worth thinking about Marseille airport if you want to visit Arles (uner 30 minutes away), Nimes, East Languedoc, Cotes d'Azur, Provence, Camargue etc.

Summer 2010 low cost flights to Languedoc :

Selected low cost direct air links (Summer 2010)

From To Carrier
Aarhus - Girona Ryanair
Agadir - Marseille Ryanair
Alghero - Girona Ryanair
Algiers - Barcelona Air Algerie
Algiers - Marseille Air Algerie
Algiers - Toulouse Air Algerie
Altenburg - Girona Ryanair
Amsterdam - Barcelona Transavia
Amsterdam - Barcelona Vueling
Amsterdam - Girona Transavia
Amsterdam - Montpellier Transavia
Amsterdam - Toulon Transavia
Ankara - Marseille Germanwings
Ankara - Barcelona SpanAir
Annaba - Marseille Air Algerie
Athens - Marseille Germanwings
Athens - Barcelona Aegean Air
Athens - Barcelona Vueling
Austrian cities - Barcelona Air Berlin
Basel-Mulhouse - Barcelona Easyjet
Basle - Barcelona SpanAir
Basle - Girona Ryanair
Batna - Marseille Air Algerie
Beauvais - Marseille Ryanair
Bejaia - Marseille Air Algerie
Belfast - Barcelona Aer Lingus
Belfast - Barcelona Easyjet
Belfast - Barcelona Thomas Cook Airlines
Belfast - Toulouse Thomas Cook Airlines
Belfast - Toulouse Jet2
Berlin - Barcelona Easyjet
Biarritz - Marseille Ryanair
Billund - Marseille Ryanair
Billund - Girona Ryanair
Birmingham - Avignon Flybe
Birmingham - Barcelona BMI baby
Birmingham - Girona Ryanair
Birmingham - Girona Thompson Airways
Birmingham - Perpignan Flybe
Birmingham - Toulouse Flybe
Bologna - Girona Ryanair
Bournemouth - Girona Ryanair
Bratislava - Girona Ryanair
Bremen - Girona Ryanair
Brest - Marseille Ryanair
Brest - Toulon Jetairfly
Brindisi - Girona Ryanair
Bristol - Barcelona Easyjet
Bristol - Beziers Ryanair
Bristol - Girona Ryanair
Bristol - Marseille Easyjet
Bristol - Toulouse Easyjet
Brno - Girona Smart Wings
Brussels - Barcelona Brussels Airlines
Brussels - Barcelona SpanAir
Brussels - Barcelona Vueling
Brussels - Girona Jetairfly
Brussels - Marseille Brussels Airlines
Brussels - Toulon Jetairfly
Brussels - Toulouse Brussels Airlines
Bucharest - Barcelona Vueling
Bucharest - Barcelona Blue Air
Bucharest - Barcelona Germanwings
Bucharest - Barcelona Wizzair
Budapest - Barcelona Vueling
Budapest - Barcelona Wizzair
Budapest - Marseille Germanwings
Cagliari - Marseille Ryanair
Cagliari - Girona Ryanair
Cairo - Barcelona SpanAir
Casablanca - Barcelona Air Arabia
Casablanca - Marseille Air Arabia
Casablanca - Montpellier Air Arabia
Casablanca - Barcelona Jet4you
Casablanca - Marseille Jet4you
Casablanca - Toulouse Jet4you
Charleroi - Carcassonne Ryanair
Charleroi - Girona Ryanair
Charleroi - Marseille Ryanair
Charleroi - Montpellier Ryanair
Charleroi - Nimes Ryanair
Charleroi - Perpignan Ryanair
Cluj-Napoca - Barcelona Wizzair
Constantine - Marseille Air Algerie
Copenhagen - Barcelona Air Berlin
Copenhagen - Barcelona SpanAir
Copenhagen - Barcelona Transavia
Copenhagen - Montpellier Cimber Air
Copenhagen - Montpellier Transavia
Cork - Barcelona Aer Lingus
Cork - Carcassonne Ryanair
Cracow - Barcelona Air Berlin
Doncaster - Barcelona Easyjet
Dortmund - Barcelona Easyjet
Dublin - Barcelona Aer Lingus
Dublin - Carcassonne Ryanair
Dublin - Girona Ryanair
Dublin - Marseille Aer Lingus
Dublin - Marseille Ryanair
Dublin - Rodez Ryanair
Dublin - Toulouse Aer Lingus
Dubrovnik - Barcelona Vueling
Dusseldorf - Barcelona SpanAir
Dusseldorf - Beziers Ryanair
Dusseldorf - Girona Ryanair
East Midlands - Barcelona BMI baby
East Midlands - Barcelona Easyjet
East Midlands - Carcassonne Ryanair
East Midlands - Girona Ryanair
Edinburgh - Girona Ryanair
Edinburgh - Barcelona GermanWings
Edinburgh - Marseille Ryanair
Edinburgh - Toulouse Jet2
Eindhoven - Girona Ryanair
Eindhoven - Marseille Ryanair
Exeter - Avignon Flybe
Faro - Marseille Ryanair
Fes - Girona Ryanair
Fez - Marseille Ryanair
Frankfurt - Barcelona SpanAir
Frankfurt Hahn - Girona Ryanair
Frankfurt Hahn - Montpellier Ryanair
Gatwick - Toulouse Thomas Cook Airlines
Gatwick - Barcelona Easyjet
Gatwick - Girona Ryanair
Gatwick - Girona Thompson Airways
Gatwick - Marseille BA
Gatwick - Marseille Easyjet
Gatwick - Montpellier Easyjet
Gatwick - Toulouse Easyjet
Gdansk - Barcelona Wizzair
Gdansk - Girona Ryanair
Geneva - Toulouse Easyjet
Geneva - Barcelona SpanAir
Geneva - Barcelona Easyjet
Geneva - Marseille Flybaboo
Geneva - Toulouse Flybaboo
German cities - Toulouse Germanwings
German cities - Barcelona Air Berlin
German cities - Barcelona Germanwings
German cities - Marseille Germanwings
Gothenborg - Barcelona Air Berlin
Gothenborg - Girona Ryanair
Gothenborg - Marseille Ryanair
Gran Canaria - Girona Ryanair
Granada - Girona Ryanair
Hamburg - Girona Ryanair
Heathrow - Barcelona BA
Heathrow - Toulouse BA
Helsinki - Barcelona Air Berlin
Helsinki - Barcelona Blue1
Ibiza - Girona Ryanair
Ibiza - Barcelona BA
Istanbul - Marseille Germanwings
Istanbul - Barcelona SpanAir
Italian cities - Barcelona Air Berlin
Italian cities - Marseille Germanwings
Italian cities - Barcelona Meridiana
Italian cities - Barcelona Vueling
Jerez - Barcelona BA
Karlsruhe Baden - Girona Ryanair
Katowice - Barcelona Wizzair
Kaunas - Girona Ryanair
Lanzarote - Girona Ryanair
Leeds Bradford - Montpellier Ryanair
Leeds Bradford - Avignon Jet2
Leeds Bradford - Barcelona Jet2
Lanzarote - Girona Ryanair
Leeds Bradford - Carcassonne Ryanair
Leeds Bradford - Toulouse Jet2
Leeds Bradford - Girona Ryanair
Lille - Girona Ryanair
Lille - Marseille Ryanair
Lisbon - Barcelona SpanAir
Lisbon - Barcelona Vueling
Liverpool - Barcelona Easyjet
Liverpool - Carcassonne Ryanair
Liverpool - Girona Ryanair
Liverpool - Nimes Ryanair
Ljubjnana - Barcelona Vueling
London City - Barcelona BA
Luton - Barcelona Avro
Luton - Montpellier Easyjet
Luton - Barcelona Easyjet
Luton - Beziers Ryanair
Luton - Girona Ryanair
Luton - Nimes Ryanair
Luxor - Barcelona SpanAir
Lyon - Barcelona Easyjet
Lyon - Toulouse Easyjet
Madrid - Girona Ryanair
Madrid - Marseille Ryanair
Madrid - Montpellier Iberia
Madrid - Toulouse Easyjet
Majorca - Girona Ryanair
Majorca - Barcelona Germanwings
Malaga - Girona Ryanair
Malaga - Marseille Ryanair
Malta - Barcelona Air Malta
Malta - Barcelona Vueling
Malta - Girona Ryanair
Malta - Marseille Air Malta
Malta - Marseille Ryanair
Malta - Toulouse Air Malta
Manchester - Avignon Flybe
Manchester - Barcelona Avro
Manchester - Barcelona Monarch
Manchester - Barcelona Thomas Cook Airlines
Manchester - Girona Thompson Airways
Manchester - Perpignan BMI baby
Manchester - Toulouse Thomas Cook Airlines
Manchester - Toulouse BMI baby
Marakesh - Barcelona Vueling
Marakesh - Girona Ryanair
Marakesh - Marseille Ryanair
Mastricht - Girona Ryanair
Memmingen - Girona Ryanair
Milan - Marseille Flybaboo
Milan - Barcelona SpanAir
Milan - Barcelona Easyjet
Milan - Girona Ryanair
Moscow - Barcelona Vueling
Moscow - Barcelona Germanwings
Munich - Barcelona SpanAir
Nador - Barcelona Jet4you
Nador - Marseille Ryanair
Nantes - Marseille Ryanair
Newcastle - Barcelona Easyjet
Newcastle - Girona Ryanair
Newcastle - Girona Thompson Airways
Nice - Barcelona Vueling
Oran - Marseille Air Algerie
Oran - Toulouse Air Algerie
Oslo - Barcelona Air Berlin
Oslo - Barcelona SpanAir
Oslo - Marseille Air Mediterranee
Oslo - Marseille Ryanair
Oslo - Toulouse Air Mediterranee
Oslo Rygge - Girona Ryanair
Oslo Torp - Girona Ryanair
Paris Beauvais - Girona Ryanair
Paris CDG - Toulouse Easyjet
Paris Orly - Barcelona Easyjet
Paris Orly - Toulouse Easyjet
Paris - Barcelona Air Berlin
Paris - Barcelona Vueling
Paris CDG - Barcelona Easyjet
Perugia - Girona Ryanair
Pescara - Girona Ryanair
Pisa - Girona Ryanair
Poitiers - Girona Ryanair
Porto - Barcelona SpanAir
Porto - Carcassonne Ryanair
Porto - Girona Ryanair
Porto - Marseille Ryanair
Portuguese cities - Barcelona Air Berlin
Poznan - Girona Ryanair
Prague - Barcelona Vueling
Prague - Barcelona Wizzair
Prague - Barcelona Germanwings
Prague - Barcelona Smart Wings
Prague - Girona Smart Wings
Prestwick - Carcassonne Ryanair
Prestwick - Girona Ryanair
Reykjavik - Barcelona Iceland Express
Riga - Barcelona SpanAir
Riga - Barcelona Air Baltic
Rome - Girona Ryanair
Rotterdam - Barcelona Transavia
Rotterdam - Girona Transavia
Russian cities - Barcelona Air Berlin
Sarajevo - Barcelona Germanwings
Seville - Girona Ryanair
Shannon - Marseille Air Mediterranee
Shannon - Toulouse Air Mediterranee
Skopje - Barcelona Germanwings
Sophia - Barcelona Air Berlin
Sophia - Barcelona Wizzair
Southampton - Avignon Flybe
Southampton - Perpignan Flybe
Spanish cities - Barcelona Air Berlin
Spanish cities - Barcelona Vueling
Split - Marseille Germanwings
Split - Barcelona Germanwings
St Petersburg - Barcelona Vueling
Stansted - Barcelona Air Berlin
Stansted - Barcelona Easyjet
Stansted - Barcelona Germanwings
Stansted - Carcassonne Ryanair
Stansted - Girona Ryanair
Stansted - Marseille Germanwings
Stansted - Marseille Ryanair
Stansted - Perpignan Ryanair
Stansted - Rodez Ryanair
Stansted - Toulon Ryanair
Stockholm - Barcelona SpanAir
Stockholm - Barcelona Air Berlin
Stockholm - Marseille Germanwings
Stockholm - Beziers Ryanair
Stockholm - Marseille Ryanair
Stockholm Skavsta - Girona Ryanair
Stockholm Vasteras - Girona Ryanair
Stuggart - Barcelona SpanAir
Swiss cities - Barcelona Air Berlin
Sylt - Barcelona Air Baltic
Tallin - Barcelona SpanAir
Tallinn - Barcelona Estonian Air
Tallinn - Marseille Estonian Air
Tallinn - Toulouse Estonian Air
Tangier - Barcelona Jet4you
Tangier - Marseille Ryanair
Tel Aviv - Barcelona Air Berlin
Tenerife - Girona Ryanair
Thessalonika - Marseille Germanwings
Thessaloniki - Barcelona Aegean Air
Timisoara - Barcelona Wizzair
Tirana - Marseille Germanwings
Tours - Marseille Ryanair
Trapani - Girona Ryanair
Turin - Girona Ryanair
Venice - Girona Ryanair
Vienna - Barcelona Vueling
Vienna - Barcelona SpanAir
Vienna - Barcelona Germanwings
Vienna - Marseille Germanwings
Vilnius - Barcelona Estonian Air
Vilnius - Marseille Estonian Air
Vilnius - Toulouse Estonian Air
Warsaw - Barcelona Wizzair
Warsaw - Barcelona SpanAir
Wroclaw - Girona Ryanair
Zadar - Barcelona Germanwings
Zagreb - Barcelona Germanwings
Zurich - Barcelona SpanAir
Zurich - Barcelona Germanwings
Zurich - Marseille Germanwings



Peter