Message: Hello. I have been looking through posts and have found the information here fantastic - thanks to all!

My husband and I ("30-somethings" who like to travel in "moderate luxury&quot will be taking a 6 day Mediterranean cruise out of Barcelona May 15-20, 2004 (we will spend one or two nights in Barcelona before the cruise and I have Maribel's Barcelona file which is incredible - thanks!). Following the cruise we are meeting friends for three or four days in the Bordeaux region of France (considering one of the Relais & Chateau properties near Saint-Emilion or Chateau Meyre?) and then we would like to take three or four days to travel by car back to Barcelona. This will be our first time in these regions.

So here are my questions...which route would you recommend for driving from Bordeaux to Barcelona:
- down the the west coast to San Sebastian and then across to Barcelona (will this take us through wine country in Spain?) OR
- southwest from Bordeaux to Perpignan and then south to Barcelona?

I'd be interested in your thoughts in terms of which route has the nicer places to visit; how long should we take on this drive; how much more is it to rent the car in France and return it in Spain; where should we consider staying overnight(s) en route; are there any "not to be missed" sights and/or restaurants along the way?

The only parts that are carved in stone are the cruise and Bordeaux - we are flexible for the rest of the trip (we could even fly out of Paris rather than Barcelona but we have seen Paris and Spain would be a new experience). Any other suggestions?

May 15th isn't very far away so I appreciate any advice you can offer! Thank you.

I'm sure others who know (and love) Spain better than I will offer different suggestions, but if it were my trip, I'd continue down the coast from Bordeaux, stopping Bayonne for an hour or two, Biarritz for an hour or two, and spend a night or two in St-Jean-de-Luz. Then I'd visit San Sebastian and Pamplona and cut across Spain to Barcelona (I'm no expert on this territory, so will leave it up to others).

For a totally different experience, I would hug the coast as far as Bayonne, then turn inland to the Pyrénnés, stopping at Tarbes and Pau and winding up on the coast at or near Céret and Collioure, then proceed down the Costa Brava.

I think I'd want about 10-12 days for either itinerary.

StCirq - Thank you for your reply!

I saw on another thread that you were offering up your Bordeaux file - is it still available?

Sure: e-mail me at [email protected] and I'll send it to you.

I would go over the central Pyrenees, stopping by Taüll on the Spanish side to visit the Romanesque churches and their incredible frescoes (the originals are in Barcelona, however). See St. Jean de Comminges on the French side. Perhaps stop overnight in Bagnères-de-Luchon, which is an old spa town. From there find a way to go over the Col de Tourmalet, and then visit the Cirque de Gavarnie. Coming back down to the valley, you can avoid Lourdes by going over the Col d'Aubisque to get to Pau.

If you are going all the way to San Sebastian on the Spanish side, make a stop at San Juan de la Peña.