Overnighter to Barcelona - kids want to go to Spain, are we mad?
 

Hello everyone, we will be spending a month in (mostly) France in July - the second to last week near Millau and the last week in the Pyrenees (Gripp) this week largely to catch up with Le Tour. We will be accompanied by adult children and friends, some of whom have never been OS at all and are keen to include Spain in our itinerary.

Thanks to isabel's post I have started reading about Cadaques and the Costa Brava regions and the kids are pushing for Barcelona.

Both of our bases are booked, (weekly rentals), but I think a day trip is out of the question even for us Aussies used to long distance driving!

So, my question is........If we were to consider maybe forgoing our rental for a night, from which base (Millau or Gripp) would you do this trip and most importantly, where would you overnight?

My husband is a keen photographer, the rest of us just looking for a "taste of Spain."

Thanks.

We have different travel styles than you - we've never done a weekly rental anywhere - so I'm coming from a different perspective on your travel plans.

I would most definitely make time on a month-long trip to spend time in Barcelona or thereabouts, but I would commit 3 or 4 days, not just an overnight. And if only some of your group wants to do that, then they can, and the part of the group that doesn't want to, can stay in Millau and Gripp. Barcelona is a long drive from both locations, as you pointed out, but google maps shows the drive as being about an hour shorter from Millau. You might also check on taking the train to and from your Spanish destination.

We haven't been in Spain much, just Barcelona, Girona and Figueres, so I can't give any advice on Cadaques or the Costa Brava. But Barcelona was wonderful: interesting food and culture, and great art (Guadi, Picasso, Dali, Miro).

There is no way you can spend just one night or two in Barcelona..lol. We have done four pre-cruises and each time find something different..Thanks to Percy on this board we have found a great guide and an affordable hotel that is on La Rambla and if your going with kids.. they have a 24 hour buffet.. If you need more info, we have just come back.. [email protected]

Thanks for such quick replies..... it seems like we ARE mad!

Lexma90, I did consider the train but for us part of the journey would be stopping off along the coast from time to time as we see fit so decided on the drive.
I had originally kind of envisaged taking the better part of a day to wander along the coast and then realised that we would be nearly at Barcelona by then, so the idea of Barcelona 'crept in!'
So, what if I stretched to 2 nights and then we would have one full day in B before driving back? Worth it or should we stick to exploring where we will be? Should we just do a few shorter trips over the border from the Pyrenees when we are in Gripp?
Spain just seems so tantalisingly close!

Any topic that begins "Are we doing too much?" or "Are we mad?" the answer is yes and then I read the entire post.

Thanks for that extremely helpful comment.

Millau to Barcelona is a 4 h 30 drive. Gripp to Barcelona is
5 h 30, plus it will be July, i.e. lots of traffic.
There is no way you can go to Barcelona for the day AND wander along the coast along the way. I would do short trips to Spain from Gripp or take 3 days to go to Barcelona.

I was in Barcelona a couple of months ago and just loved it. I would recommend a trip there if at all possible.

From Gripp you can very easily do day trips to Spain, but the driving time to Barcelona pretty much precludes a day trip.

I love to do weekly rentals. We've had such good deals on most of ours that we've often justified keeping the rental but taking off for an overnight somewhere else. You could get a small taste of Barcelona if you were to do that from Millau.

I live about 90 minutes from Gripp and while it's fun to take visitors to our closest border town (Bossost) for lunch to say you've "been to Spain" comparing it to Barcelona would be like comparing a US-Mexico border town to Mexico City. Although, to be fair to Bossost, it's a pretty little town and there's no queue to get across the border--it's open.

Hi Cathinjoetown, that's exactly the sort of info that is very useful. Would San Sebastian be a better/reasonable option?

San Sebastian would be much, MUCH more interesting than Bossost. It's about a 2.5 hour drive from Gripp.

Remember it will be high season but if you get on the road early and avoid Saturdays and Sundays, the traffic wouldn't be too bad.

Are you familiar with www.mappy.fr? Great online resource. Also Michelin web site is quite good.

Best tapas I've found in Spain was in San Sebastian !

Cross border train journeys are tortuous - the TGV isn't finished and there are border delays. Equally, a car is a problem in Barcelona.

Two nights in Barcelona could allow 1 full day and 2 half days ?

I stay in this hotel : http://www.chicandbasic.com/eng/hotel_born_barcelona It is quiet, close to Las Ramblas and has a public car park nearby. The neighbourhood has some good restaurants.



Peter

You're getting some very good information here. I like the San Sebastian from Gripp idea. I also think Barcelona is "worth it" if you do 2 nights, but Barcelona is Barcelona--itself a fabulous destination--up there with Paris in my experience. However, I would not consider it representative of quintessential Spain as a country like, say, Seville.

The temptation to hop over to another country that seems "nearby" for a night is never worth the hassle. Go to Barcelona if you wish, but don't do it for a night. It will almost certainly be far more of a chore than a pleasure.