Hi,

The girlfriend and I arrive in Barcelona on November 26. Going to do a day there (Want this to be more of a rural trip) then take a train the next day to Girona, where we'll stay overnight and rent a car (I hear Girona is great!).

This is where the trip opens up. I'd like to drive into France and explore some of Midi, Auvergne, Limousin, and Languedoc-Roussilion before cutting back into Spain and seeing places like Torla and Rupit before returning the car in Girona.

I've scoured the Lonely Planet books on both countries and there are just so many places to see in the areas we're interested in. So I was hoping you good folks could tell us what we shouldn't miss (Toulouse and Carcassone?) We definitely want some beaux villages thrown in, as well

Thanks!

Cirque de Gavarnie is awesome!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirque_de_Gavarnie

Forget the Auvergne and the Limousin, you'll have enough to see in the Midi-Pyrenees and the Languedoc-Roussillon.

For the <i>plus beaux villages</i>, consult this list: http://www.les-plus-beaux-villages-de-france.org/en

I am not sure that the Cirque de Gavarnie is doable in early December. It depends as to when the snows arrive. The same applies to all the high Pyrenees area such as the Col du Tourmalet. But the road from Prades to La Tour de Carol probably presents no problems.

Browsing through these photos you might get some ideas of what to see (get out a map):

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...955097003/show

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...877915948/show

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...717915043/show

You have a mere 10 days and you've already listed 5 entire areas you wish to visit. Not going to happen. You need to cut way back.

Yes missed the date- all in all under for winter sports not a great location to tour - the Gavarnie area or any higher up places.

You might consult the <i>Michelin Green Guides</i> for these areas. As StCirq said, your plan is too ambitious.

I trust you saw the answers to your last post?
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rivingrecs.cfm

You'll be touring in late November-early December, when the days are short, so you need to plan carefully. I would stick with the Languedoc-Roussilion area (about-france.com/regions/languedoc.htm). There is more then enough to occupy your time.

my wife and I, along with another couple, drove from Barcelona to San Sebastian last April. We did 4 days in Barcelona, stopped in Cadaques on our way to Collioure, spent the night in Collioure. Drove west, hit a Cathar castle, hit Carcasonne on our way through (didn't go inside the walls) and spent the night in Luz-Saint-Sauveur. Woke up, drove up to Gavarnie (too fogged in, didn't see anything), stopped in Biarritz for lunch before arriving in San Sebastian.

What I would've done different, either spent the night in Cadaques or an extra night in Collioure. Both cities were amazing. Unfortunately, Luz-Saint-Sauver was a ghost town as we just missed the festivities as the ski season just shut down. Although the area was beautiful and the fresh mountain air and rushing river was refreshing, we may have rather stayed somewhere else, maybe straight through to Biarritz. San Sebastian was amazing. Spent the night in Bilbao before flying out. Also a cool town.

Taken those considerations to heart and scaled back quite a bit. No longer doing Auvergne and Limousin. Now we won't be going north of Toulouse (it's too far and we want to limit car time).

So, we'll be doing a few in Taull/Arties/Vielha/ before crossing into Ariege and staying at an Airbnb there for a few nights. Then a day in Toulouse and that's when the trip opens up.

We could stop quickly in Carcassonne and then stay for a night or two hopping between Eus, Mosset, and Villefranche-de-Conflent. Maybe work Castelnou in. Is Carcassonne worth it or is it a tourist trap these days?

OR

Instead of that jaunt, we could use Besalu as a base and explore Figueres and Girona. Which is more worthwhile?

I know that's a tough question, and that this probably seems like "a lot," but we both only have about 10 days vacation at our jobs (damn the US!) so we have to cram, to a degree. Don't have the liberty of 5 days to explore Toulouse...

<<Is Carcassonne worth it or is it a tourist trap these days?>>

I never know how to answer these kinds of questions. What do you know about it? Are you a fan of Viollet-le-Duc or a detractor? Do you even know who he was and what Carcassonne was before he got there? Do you just want to see the largest walled fortified city in Europe or is there something else that attracts you? What do you mean by "tourist trap?" There is a reason why loads and loads of people go to Carcassonne, lots of reasons, in fact. If you just want to tick something off a list and don't have any knowledge of or interest in its history, you'd be better off testing cassoulets in Castelnaudary.

"then stay for a night or two hopping between Eus, Mosset, and Villefranche-de-Conflent. Maybe work Castelnou in.".
What do you plan to do in this area? It will be very quiet in November.
Castelnou is near Perpignan and the castle can be visited in one hour at most.

"we could use Besalu as a base and explore Figueres and Girona. Which is more worthwhile?"
Besalu is a very small place, Figueres hasn't much to offer except for the Dali mueseum and Girona on the contrary is very lively.

I ask because Lonely Planet mentions that Lourdes, while nice and important, is also gaudy and overly commercialized, in areas, these days. It offers a similar refrain about Carcassonne.

You could not find two more disparate places than Lourdes and Carcassonne. Honestly, I don't think you understand where you are going and what is the significance of what you might visit. It all seems so haphazard. What are your interests in this part of the world, and why?

heres my thread from our trip. lots of good recommendations in it:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...n-564422-2.cfm