My wife and toddler (he will be 2.5 at the time of the trip) plan to go to Switzerland and then Spain next summer (late June-mid July). We've been to Switzerland before because my wife's parents live there (in Geneva) so I'm familiar with that area, but never with our son before. I've never been to Spain, but my wife used to spend many summers on Costa Bravo and she really loved everything about Spain and that is why we are going.

The itinerary at this point is 1 week in Switzerland and 2 weeks in Spain. I'm trying to decide transportation options right now (whether to take a train from Geneva or to get a rental car and drive). I'm also trying to figure out where in Spain to go. Since my wife has done Costa Bravo many times before, that is out of the picture. Our requirements would be a coastal town along the Spanish Mediterranean with personality and charm and topless sunbathing (my wife grew up with that so it's a requirement!). We prefer a sandy beach (not rocky like Costa Bravo) mainly for our son's comfort.

Right now I'm thinking the intinerary would be taking a train from Geneva to Barcelona and then touring Barcelona a few days and then going down to Costa Blanco. However, I need to know if there are any trains that will go down that way and which towns would fit our criteria. Looking at a map, I'd bet that there are trains to Valencia from Barcelona, but I've heard negative things about that city.

Any ideas would be appreciated. We're fairly seasoned travelers but are new to traveling with a child. From what I've read, it sounds like Spain is the most child-friendly country in Europe, so we're looking forward to that if it's true!

bkluvsNola
Driving from Geneva to the Spanish border is about 5 hours of drive. It's about 500 kms. But, there's a lot of great sites along that way. You should take a day or two on your drive.

Beaches start to be sandy from Sete almost all of the way to Collioure near the Spanish border. Of course, my local beach (Argeles sur Mer) is one of the best for cleanliness plus it's topless. Argeles sur Mer.

Check your maps for France and take a look at what could be visited from Geneva to Spain. Lots of nice places.

I always feel Spain's beaches are not as "topless" as the French coasts. There are a lot of nude beaches in France too.

Enjoy your visit to Europe.

Blackduff

I know there's lots of great stuff in France, but we've been to France before, and I want to save the French Riviera for when my son is older and can truly enjoy it.

This trip I really want to focus on Spain since I've never been there before. This is really a "scope trip" for me to see if I'll be interested in future trips to Spain. Both my wife and I love France, so I know we'll visit there again but like I said, I want my son to be able to enjoy French culture, which he won't be able to when he's 2.5. However, he'll be able to enjoy the beach, and from what I hear from my wife, she says the beaches in Spain are far better than France (in terms of sand and clearness of water), and me being a "Caribbean lover", that appeals to me.

We do need to insure that not only will toplessness be tolerated, but most if not all women should be participating so my wife feels comfortable.

bkluvsNola
First, mea culpa. It's six hours driving to the Spanish border from Geneva.

Here's a good look at the French Mediterranean beaches.

http://www.pyreneesmediterraneanliving.com

The beaches are equal or better than the Spanish beaches. I've lived both sides. What I like about the Spanish borders are the restaurants on the beach - 24 hrs per day - and the life is a bit different. But, the Spaniards are different too.

I'm not sure the exact train connections. From Geneva, it must connect with Lyon and then it can be followed to the Spanish border. You have to change trains into Spain and then it will continue to Barcelona. Afterward, I'm not sure. Here's a Spanish train company which gives the following intinerary.

http://horarios.renfe.es/hir/ingles.html

Wave when you pass next summer.

Blackduff

blackduff,

Thanks for your response. We'll probably be hitting the French Riviera in summer 2008 so your advice may come in handy then.

There is an overnight train service from Geneva to Barcelona that runs M-W-F except in Summer when it runs nightly (www.elipsos.com) No changes are required.

Have you considered flying on a budget airline? EasyJet flies daily Geneva-Barcelona.

Thanks Dukey.

Do you have any links about train service south of Barcelona? Or should we rent a car?

I'll definitely consider just flying from Geneva to Barcelona since the train ride is at night anyway and there won't be much to see. Still need to figure out what to do once I get to Barcelona...

I'm going to suggest you consider something different because Spain is hotter than a frying pan in late June-mid July.

Consider going to San Sebastian and traveling around the Atlantic coast of Spain, and into France or the Pyrenees if you like.

San Sebastian not only has a wonderful sandy beach but it has one of the most spectacular kiddie parks I've ever seen at the top of Monte Igueldo. In general, it's a beautiful pristine area, and I'm sure you can find some beaches to go topless, whether by custom or because of isolation.

Personally I think you would be better off flying than with long train trips with a toddler. I would look to fly to Bilbao.

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguid...an_vacations-i

Why Spain if she's been thre so many times? Why not Greece?

Nessundorma has got it right!

Nessundorma has got it right. Why do so many equate Spanish beaches with those on the Mediterranean, when the very best of the best are on the north coast from SS along to the west?

Harzer

If you still want to go down the Med coast, EasyJet flies twice daily from Geneva to Barcelona (the main airport at El Prat). Currently June fare ranges from 35 to 125 CHF, plus 19 CHF tax. With a 3-year old, I wouldn't drive all the way, unless you are touring. Also there is a tricky question of turning in your Swiss rental car in Spain, with a huge drop-off fee.
There are regular trains, both regional and intercity, south from Barcelona to Valencia and beyond into Andalusia. But what I advise is renting a car in Barcelona and drive. The road is good, you can stop off at will and there are several interesting places, such as Montserrat, Tarragona, monastery at Problet, Ebro delta (nature reserve) and, into Valencia province, Peñiscola. Beaches and resorts along this stretch of the coast (Costa del Azahar) are nothing like the concrete jungle in Lloret or Benidorm, but with villas, low-lying development and are popular with Spaniards. In June/July, there's a huge choice of self-catering accommodation with pool and playground, ideal for a young family, from 350 euro/week up, often offered by British expats (so no language problems).

nessundorma,

I think the Atlantic Ocean temperatures would be a little too cold for us. We live in the Gulf South right now, and are used to warm water. For instance, if our swimming pool water is below 80 degrees, we find it too cool to swim! So, the warm beaches (and warm water) of Costa Blanco or Costa del Sol appear more to us. The heat doesn't bother us as we are used to 100+ degrees and high humidity. I don't think it gets hotter than that in Barcelona...

WallyKringen,

My wife has been to Greece before as well. She had concerns about the ruggedness of the area being a safety issue for our son and also health care if problems happened.

You are right that the beaches are nice but they are rocky!

Alec,

Thanks, your advice has been most helpful.

Right now I'm thinking we'll take a train from Geneva to Barcelona, but a day train not an evening one so we can see the countryside along the way.

We'll get a rental car in Barcelona and then head on down the coast. I was thinking of heading down to Tarragonia, but some reviews mentioned that it's better to head further South to get good beaches. Could you recommend a town between Barcelona and Valencia that could serve as our base throughout the trip? It needs to be a beautiful seaside town with character, great beaches, good food, and good for a toddler. Thanks.

Well, we've already booked our plane flights to Europe for this, from June 28th to July 21st.

Our base will be Geneva. We'll be spending a week in a cabin in Verbier, Switzerland from June 30th until July 7th. We'll fly to Barcelona, and stay there from July 9th until July 12th, and then we'll take the train down to Salou and stay at the beach in Salou from July 12th until July 16th. We'll spend July 17th to July 21st in the Geneva area.

Thanks everyone for their advice. It definitely helped.

"I'm not sure the exact train connections. From Geneva, it must connect with Lyon and then it can be followed to the Spanish border. You have to change trains into Spain and then it will continue to Barcelona".

I am surprised that the urban legend of having to change trains at the Spanish border is alive and well and on its way to the forum....
There are direct 2 trains (Talgo and Mare Nostrum) from Montpellier to Barcelona and you don't have to change at the border.
There is also a train which leaves Geneva at 12.11pm, arrives Montpellier at 4.35 pm, connection to Barcelona at 5.03 pm, arrival Barcelona Sants at 9.45 pm

Hello, this is Merce from barcelona. If you're still in time to change your plans I strongly recommend NOT going to Salou. It's full of drunk tourists in summer. Not very comfortable if they stare at you while being topless at the beach. It's only attractive is the huge amount of nasty hotels.

If you really want to have a nice stay, try Sitges, it's such a friendly city with personality and charm. You'll obviously find tourists there and it has a famous nightlife, but it's a beautiful village which you'll surelly love.

Other nice places with sandy beaches along the Costa Daurada (from Barcelona to Delta de l'Ebre) are Vilanova i la Geltru or Cambrils. But no doubt Sitges is the best in the whole region.

I hope my comment is helpful and that you finally don't go to salou.

Enjoy your trip!