I posted a few weeks ago and have since checked out and eliminated the train option. Our friends are 80 and don't want the hassle of loading luggage on a train. We'll be staying/driving in the Dordogne so i thought we could drive to Toulouse (about 2+ hours away) and fly to Barcelona. Ya, if you want to first fly to Paris and pay $750 for a one way ticket.
There is a flight out of Lyon to Barcelona but thats a five hour drive from the Dordogne and an overnight b/c the flight leaves in the morning.
For an instant I saw a low fare on Expedia on a nonstop flight Bordeaux to Barcelona ( Air Europa). By the time I called our friends, it vanished, not to be seen since. The trip isn't until late September. Any other suggestions besides keep checking Kayak, Expedia,etc.?

Check out www.whichbudget.com

There are airports in Périgueux, Brive, Bergerac, even Sarlat - probably a long shot, but have you checked flights out of there?

Check this site:

http://www.whichbudget.com/

Sept 23 Bordeaux - Barcelona via Geneva for 50 Pounds

14:20 - 20:05 with a 3 hour Geneva layover

Not all of EasyJets flight require the overnight in Lyon.

Brussels Airline will get you there, same day, from Toulouse connecting through , well - Brussels, for about $167 US on most days in September

Getting bags onto trains is not hard these days. What you said makes me wonder if you have a small enough amount of luggage to come in under the stringent restrictions of the cheaper European airlines?

If they are trouble on a train, then chances are they will be too much for the plane, and that can cost you both arms and legs.

Have you googled the Barcelona airport and looked up the arrivals as listed for a day or two? That will soon show you if any planes come in directly from any airports near where you will be.

Can you please tell me about these stringent baggage limits?? Usually, each one of us travels with a carry on (I have camera gear I don't want to check) bag/backback and a suitcase (24 or 26&quot to be checked. What kinds of charges are imposed?
It sounds like it will take an entire day to get from Bordeaux area to Barcelona whether by plane or train. Yes? How would you rate the hassle factor of plane vs train? Are there plenty of porter at the smaller train stations? I'd had time when I could get help with luggage on to a train and other times when no help was in sight.

Can't answer regarding baggage limits, but porters are nonexistent for the most part at train stations.

Regarding the hassle factor, I've always found trains to be less hassle for inter-Europe travel, but I travel with a lot less luggage than you do.

Why don't you drive to Barcelona? It's about 4 hours 30 minutes from Toulouse on the autoroutes. Assuming you were starting in the Dordogne, add another two hours. You could break the trip up overnight on the Med or if you get an early start, stop for a long lunch somewhere.

Back to trains, there are trolleys at many train stations (but you can't count on them) and if you will all be together, one stronger person should get on the train and the other folks hand bags up in sort of a relay. That might work.

About airlines, the baggage limits (weight, size and amount) vary with the airline but they are stringent and enforced--the web sites give all the details.

Husband just told me that the 4 hr 30 minute route is straight down from Toulouse. The Med route would be via Carcassonnne to Perpignon and Girona, then Barcelona.

Robbietravels sez ",,,Can you please tell me about these stringent baggage limits??..."

The airline websites state explicitly what the individual airlines' measurements and weights and quantities are that they accept, and what it costs if you go over.

They are very different from those of the regular airlines in the US where people take more onto a plane in carry-on alone than you are entitled to check and carry on in Europe on many airlines.

Go to each airline website. Use google for conversions where needed, cm to inches, grams/kg to pounds.

Unless Robbie is planning to return to France after visiting Barcelona, driving there isn't going to solve his problem. The drop-off fee for leaving a car in a country other than the one you picked it up in is almost always a few hundred dollars, at least.

Then probably not a good idea to drive but those flight options mentioned were really adding up tickets x four people so I thought worth a shot.

I don't have time to do the math but roughly what are drop-off charges if in a different country from rental origin? I don't think I've done it since an Austria to Geneva drive maybe 20 years ago and I can't remember.

$500, last time I inquired in 2007. But it probably varies depending on the countries and distances involved.

EasyJet has a 17:50 flight from Paris CDG to Barcelona and advertises flights as low as ₤40 one way. You could drive up to CDG in one day and take the flight, although that will be tiring for the elderly.

I'm considering the various options posted and really appreciate the suggestions. Yes, car drop off charges are prohibitive. I'm the youngest of our group at 63, 5'1" weighing 105 so I can't do heavy lifting. One website showed baggage allowance as "1 hold bag". Does that mean 1 bag that goes in the cargo hold (checked luggage) or 1 cabin bag that you hand hold? I can't find anywhere on the sites that explain it; I'm just not used to flightspeak.

".. One website showed baggage allowance as "1 hold bag". Does that mean 1 bag that goes in the cargo hold (checked luggage) or 1 cabin bag that you hand hold? I can't find anywhere on the sites that explain it;..."

Can't help you if you don't give the full quote and the source.