I am thinking of planning a European trip with something along the lines of the following itinerary: <BR> <BR>Paris <BR>Rome <BR>Venice <BR>Southern France <BR>Madrid/Barcelona (unsure which) <BR> <BR>Does anyone know if it is feasible to drive from Italy, through the southern part of France, to Spain? I am really at a loss of how to plan this and what the best forms of transportation are, so any help that anyone could offer would be greatly appreciated. <BR> <BR>Thanks so much. <BR> <BR>Jennifer

Jennifer, <BR>It's difficult to offer any comments without knowing the number of days involved in your planning; a week? two? three? a month? Need to know in order to give any suggestions that may be relevant. Come back and clarify

Wes, <BR> <BR>Thanks for responding. I will be in London for 2 days then on the continent for 15 days. <BR> <BR>Jennifer

Fodors <BR> <BR>I'm sure you can hire a car in Venice, drive as you say, and return the car in Spain. But I'm not sure why you'd want to. The reference library of a city near you may have the Thomas Cook European Timetable. From Venice to Perpignan they are hourly, to the Spanish frontier every two hours, to Barcelona hourly, and to Madrid every two or three hours. Expresses stop at cities and main towns, and local trains stop at many villages. An international rail ticket is valid two months, so you can hop on or off the trains at will. The basic second class fare from Venice to Barcelona as shown in January as 117 US dollars, but that figure may be higher than reality. You can check if you look at Nice to Venise and Nice to Barcelona on http://voyages.sncf.fr/hs_reservatio...tion&langue=GB <BR> <BR>Please write if I can help further. Welcome to Europe. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines, London <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Jennifer.. <BR> <BR>I would leave Spain out of your plans, as you would be taking a wide and cumbersome sidetrack, whether by road or rail, and the scenery between Barcelona and French Riviiera is'nt that great. <BR>As you are basically travelling quite long distances between the places of your choice I think you would find the trains much more comfortable and quicker than driving. <BR>I think your main decision is whether to visit Switzerland en route from Paris to Venice, ot go via Nice. Via Switzerland is far more spectacular and also a good deal shorter. <BR>What do you think of Paris, Switzerland, Venice and Rome as your exit airport? By doing this you will enjoy a lovely tour, and you won't be sidetracking or going round in circles.