elizrg

My husband and I are using our miles to travel to Paris & Spain over the Xmas/New Year holidays to visit our son who will be studying for a semester in Paris. We want to start out by spending a few days in Paris the week before Xmas, and then the three of us will have about a week to travel to Spain. Here are my (many) questions:
1. Because we’re using miles, the only flight we could get was to Madrid, where we’ll have 8 hours until our connection to Paris. I’ve checked whichbudget.com for inexpensive flights, but they all leave later than our connection. Any other suggestions for ways to get to Paris more quickly?
2. What’s the best way to get back to Barcelona from Paris? Flight? Do trains run on Xmas day?
3. What’s the weather like in Barcelona & Madrid that time of year?
4. Our flight home will leave from Madrid, so we thought a basic Barcelona-Madrid itinerary would make sense – even though we would love to go further south. Any suggestions for interesting places that wouldn’t be too far out of the way from Barcelona-Madrid? If we do decide to go south, what’s the best (quickest) way to travel – train, car?
5. Any suggestions for a great New Year’s? – we’ll probably be in Madrid at that point, but can be flexible for something special!
6. Any general hotel or sightseeing suggestions are most welcome.

Thanks in advance for your help!
Liz

lincasanova

check out www.vueling.com for low cost one way flights from paris-barcelona, barcelona -sevilla, madrid-paris.

weather .. cold.
may snow.
except if you are lucky in sevilla. but it gets cold there, too.

www.talonotels.com and www.bancotel.com, www.gtahotels.com for hotels in spain.

a bit risky trying to get a differnt flgiht to paris not connected to your orginal ticket. anything could disrupt the continuation of trip (weather, delays) and you would not be protected with re-booking flights. and those would be very bad dates to have to BUY new tickets.

there is an overnight train from paris to barcelona (might be called pau casals)with sleeper cars that is very reasonable if booked in advance (about 60 euros/person).

you can high speed train from sevilla to madrid.

what a wonderful trip to plan to see your son.
makes it all the more fun .

Intrepid1

Besides Vueling, EasyJet also flies the Barcelona-Paris route www.easyjet.com/en

I've done this trip by rail but it would be an overnight trip and if you can meet the checked luggage restrictions I would definitely recommend flying.

You might also check the Iberia webiste...if you book early enough you can possible get a relatively cheap fare between Barcelona and Paris.

Be aware that Ryanair ALSO serves these two BUT Ryanair flies into nearby Girona and not into BCN itself.

I would also check Iberia for a possible cheap fare Madrid-Paris.

You can also get cheap fares from BCN to Seville on Iberia if you book far enough out and that includes one-way fares. Train to and from Madrid-Seville takes 2.5 hours

NEDSIRELAND

elizrg writes: "... Because we’re using miles, the only flight we could get was to Madrid, where we’ll have 8 hours until our connection to Paris."

I think an 8-hour layover in Madrid for a flight to Paris is unreasonable, unless you happen to be using FF Miles for that segment also. Check SpanAir, Air Europa, Vueling and even Iberia.

"What’s the best way to get back to Barcelona from Paris? Flight? Do trains run on Xmas day?"

A discount Air Carrier. Yes, Trains do run on Christmas day.

You can fly Vueling Barcelona-Sevilla. There's an overnight all-preferente Hotel train that departs Barcelona around 22:45 and arrives Sevilla at 08:20. It may be a problem for a threesome; when I took it the compartments just had two bunks.

"Our flight home will leave from Madrid, so we thought a basic Barcelona-Madrid itinerary would make sense – even though we would love to go further south. Any suggestions for interesting places that wouldn’t be too far out of the way from Barcelona-Madrid? If we do decide to go south, what’s the best (quickest) way to travel – train, car?"

Madrid-Sevilla on AVE (or Talgo 200) takes 2.5 hours. AVE Guarantees that but Talgo-200 doesn't. I have never gotten a late-arrival refund from AVE. There's Hourly service on AVE.

"Any suggestions for a great New Year’s? – we’ll probably be in Madrid at that point, but can be flexible for something special!"

Buy a bunch of grapes: 12 for each of you. Assemble at Puerta del Sol before midnight, then eat a grape each time the clock chimes for the midnight hour.

lincasanova

last time i was looking at sleepers on teh paris-barcelona route there were cabins for four also.