France/Spain

[EscapingDeskJob26]

Hi all,

I've got 2 weeks each in France and Spain and wanted to know if my itinerary is too long/too short - and if I'm missing any great "gems". I prefer to mix up big cities with more "authentic" experiences.

I'm thinking that the most effective route is to travelling down from Paris to Bordeaux, down through Seville. Then making my way back up the south of Spain into France again.

France - Paris, Bordeaux, Cannes/Nice/Monaco, Avignon, Provence, Chamanoix

Spain - San Sebastian, Sevilla, Vallencia, Ibiza, Barcelona

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

thanks,
EscapingDeskJob_26

[BigRay]

I am sure you will have a great time with the places you have chosen, but here are a couple things I would consider:

In France, I would try to visit Annecy. I found it to be one of the most beautiful towns in Europe. It's not far from Chamonix, and it is well worth a visit.

In Spain, I would try to stop in Cordoba. The Mezquita is a truly wonderful sight. Also, if you are not in Ibiza during the summer, I would consider skipping it. There is plenty of nightlife in other parts of Spain. Also, from San Sebastian, it would be worthwhile to take a day trip to Bilbao to see the Guggenheim. I also love the coastal French Basque towns of Biarritz, St-Jean de Luz, and Hendaye, all within an hour of San Sebastian.

Enjoy your trip!
Ray

[Kim]

And I personally would skip Bordeaux. Wasn't a huge fan of it-there isn't anything there that you won't see in your other French cities.

Maybe lose Bordeaux and add the city bigray suggested? Just a thought.

With Cannes/Nice/Monaco, Nice is the cheapest place to find accommodation by far. I would have to say it's probably my least favorite of those 3, but it's worth it to stay there for the cheap accommodation and use it as a base. You can easily day trip to Cannes and Monaco/Monte Carlo in no time.

Besides Bordeaux, I really like your choices. I also think it's great that you aren't trying to spread yourself too thin and keeping it to 2 countries, very smart.

Kim

[BigRay]

Another thing I forgot to mention is that Cordoba is on the Madrid-Sevilla AVE (fast train) line and would be an easy stop on the way to Sevilla. The AVE train can get you to Cordoba in 1hr 45 min from Madrid.

Enjoy!
Ray

[EscapingDeskJob26]

Thanks Ray and Kim for the comments.

I'll be in ibiza in the early part of May - is it not worth my time - Ray?

Kim - the 4 weeks are just for france and spain. I've actually got 14 weeks that will include italy, hungary/prague, england, ireland, amsterdam - and i may add germany or austria.

Sheldon

[BigRay]

As far as Ibiza goes, May is probably a little too early to go there. If you are primarily interested in clubbing, Ibiza is a great place in the summer (June-Sep) but it is extremely expensive. Cover charges alone range from US$40-60! Also, you'd be hard-pressed to find any Spanish people there.

If you want to experience great Spanish nightlife at a fraction of the cost of Ibiza, I would recommend spending time in Madrid on a weekend. There are TONS of bars with dance floors all around the Puerta del Sol, and if you want the big club experience, I would recommend Kapital (near Metro Atocha), or Joy Eslava (near Metro Sol). Madrid is an incredible nightlife spot that doesn't stop.

In Barcelona, you could check out the variety of discos in the Maremagnum complex, the Olympic village area, or the Poble Espanol up near the Montjuc for good nightlife.

In San Sebastian, the local techno club is called Ku, near Monte Igueldo. There are also a couple discos on the beach I believe are named Bataplan and Rotonda, not to mention all the tapas bars and watering holes that are everywhere in the Parte Vieja.

With all these options, I think it would be safe to skip Ibiza in May. But if you are a hard core clubber and want to see the Mecca of the club scene, I guess there's no place like Ibiza. The clubs really are out of this world there, and I'm sure you would have a great time. Just don't underestimate the throbbing nightlife that is just about everywhere in Spain!

Have a great trip!
Ray

[EscapingDeskJob26]

dustoffmom said:

>>>>>>France - Paris, Bordeaux, Cannes/Nice/Monaco, Avignon, Provence, Chamanoix>>>>>

Is this your actual route? Or just listing of cities you want to go to? This exact route makes for a good bit of unnecessary back and forth. Avignon and Provance make more sense from Pris before Nice.

ging

Hi ging,

No that wasn't the exact route for France. I'm heading down to Spain, so I thought it'd be better do just do Paris, and then since I'm going to Italy as well, I thought it'd make sense to visit Nice, then the Chamonix region, before heading to Italy. What do you think? Is there a better suggestion?

sheldon

[Michele]

I agree 100% with Ray on the night life in Madrid, it never ends. I took the Ave from Madrid to Sevilla last summer, Córdoba is a wonderful city, I wouldn't think twice about stopping in on the way to Sevilla. We stopped for a short day trip to the Mezquita, (a must-see in my opinion) it is breathtaking. Another gem of Spain is the Alhambra in Granada. Equally as breathtaking as the Mezquita in its own way, but I would recommend a couple days to fully appreciate it.
Michele

[nitsansh]

I add my voice in favour of Cordoba and Granada. Alhambra IMO is one of Europe's greatest monuments - the best of Moorish architecture. Also the adjacent gardens - Generalife - are great. For the best view of Alhambra, go in late afternoon, just before sunset, up to the church courtyard on Albaisin hill opposite Alhambra.
If you go to Madrid, spare a day or two for day trips. Your first day trip should be Toledo and the 2nd could be Segovia, Avila or El Escorial.
Well... you'll find it hard to make all these in 2 weeks...

Your general route sounds reasonable - Paris, Bordeaux, San-Sebastian (also stop at Bilbao for a glance at Guggenheim museum), Madrid, Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada, Vallencia, Ibiza, Barcelona. Then Provence and Cote D'Azur in south of France en route to Italy. I don't see how you can fit Chamonix or Annecy in this itinerary if you travel towards Italy - it would require a long detour.

[raool]

I know it's not on backpackers'list of places to see but there's a lot of energy and stuff to do in the second biggest city in France and its most ancient one.
Just hanging out at the beach makes it a day...