Suggestions for travel
 

We will be in Marsielle, France around July 5.What other places would you recommend we can cover during a 2 week vacation before July 5?

We have been to Italy multiple times but never been to Spain.

Suggestions greatly appreciated

You can drive or fly to Barcelona, take a few days exploring the Pyrenees, from the west to the east, and then return to Marsielle.

Nice is a great base for the south of France.

What is your port of arrival in Europe? That might make a difference in choice.

In France, there is the Dordogne and the Provence, both of which could be done as a touring vacation by car. For car rentals, try autoeurope.com or kemwel.com. If you are comfortable with the idea, have your credit card carry the CDW, which I assume is possible given your login name. It means that you will be charged for any repairs and you would file a claim with the credit card company; all transactions regarding the rental must be done on that credit card.

You could also "do" the Pyrenees, going back and forth between France and Spain. If you rent the car in France--maybe Bordeaux or Bayonne, there would be no charge (depending on the rental company) for a one way rental with a drop-off elsewhere in France.

Nice is an ancient and wonderful city that can serve as the basis of a number of day trips along the coast and back into the hills to see the charming small hill towns as well as a number of small fascinating museums.

Monaco is good for one day if you want to watch the uber rich at play and do the James Bond number in the casino. But the whole country is the size of Central Park so not a lot to do. And the casino is nothing like Las Vegas: limited hours, entrance fees, proper attire required and no low limit games.

We also enjoyed Nice. It would be handy to have a car for a little more freedom in exploring the area. In two weeks you can head west to Avignon and Aix, and explore the hill towns in the area as well. On the way back you can stop in Monaco. This would make a nice "loop" on your way to Marseille.

Perhaps drive through the mighty Pyrenees to San Sebastian by the sea close to the French border. Belle Epoque San Sebastian is the food capital of Spain if not all of Europe, has got some of the finest city beaches on the continent and is European Capital of Culture 2016.
http://www.euskoguide.com/places-bas...stian-tourism/
http://tourism.euskadi.eus/en/top10/...aa30-12376/en/

Recently voted #1 food city in the world by Conde Nast Traveler:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/conde-...b_7071094.html

http://www.vogue.com/872964/eating-i...bastian-spain/

I never get more than two weeks, you could easily fly into Barcelona, spend maybe 4-5 days there, then go up to France and spend the rest of the time making your way to Marseille.

I like the Toulouse area of SW France and it's easy to get to Toulouse from Barcelona by train, then you could take the train from Toulouse to Marseille if you don't want a car.

I will agree with the alternative of flying to Barcelona and then making the way up to Toulouse through la Cerdanya. You will be able to enjoy the beautiful city of Barcelona (the sea, the Gaudi monuments and restaurants)and the amazing mountains, little towns and landscapes of the Pyrenees. You can stay in Barcelona for a couple of days (better in apartments, is more enjoyable experience and comfortable than a hotel, try with Apartments bcn, they never disappoint: www.apartmentsbcn.com) and take the hop on hop off bus to catch more at once or sign up for a day tour with Viator or for a tasting experience or a wine experience with Explore Catalunya. Barcelona has a lot to offer!