Jen and I are headed to France, via Spain, in May, and it’s time to start finalizing details.
Our trip is Spain and Champagne, essentially, flying into and out of Madrid.
We land in Madrid, and will likely stay in the north, San Sebastian and other coastal cities, for a couple days, probably taking the train around from town to town.
We’ll then head up to Champagne, so I’m wondering if we should look at the train (9-10 hour ride) or rent a car, as we’ll need a car in Champagne either way, I figure. However, I’m not sure you can rent a car in Spain and return in France.
Tentatively we’re thinking 2 days in Madrid, 2 in northern Spain, then Champagne for 4 days, flying back to Madrid for our return flight.
What’s the best way to get around? Regional flights? Train? Rent a car?
Sounds like you are trying to accomplish quite a lot and visit various not-so-close places in a short period of time. Perhaps you have some compelling reasons to hit all of these places. I would recommend focusing on one country alone. I’ve been to Paris 6 times as an adult and still have not gone to Versailles or Le Louvre. So so much to do.
I just came back from Madrid, Seville and Granada, a 9-day Southern tour that still left much to do. We flew in to Madrid, took the high speed to Seville and then rented a car to go to Granada, Sierra Nevada and back to Madrid. I love train and car as you get into the country. Amazing what you discover when you jump in a car and drive through rural Western Europe. Castles everywhere.
Depending on what you want to do in northern Spain, I’d be very cautious about relying on train as your only mode of transportation. On our last trip to Spain, we spend a week between San Sebastian and Rioja (base in Haro). We had a car, and I wouldn’t do without. If you want to do much exploring in those areas, car is way more convenient.
Is it possible to rent a car in Spain and return it in France? Or should we plan a big car trip back down to Spain, since we’re flying to/from Madrid? Might be easier to rent in Spain and return in Spain, but that’s a lot of driving.
I’d rent a car to go from Madrid to San Sebastian, return the car there when done, take an overnight train to Champagne, rent a car and return it there.
As far as your question about picking up in Spain and dropping off in France, one phone call will give you your answer.
That’s a lot of driving. We drove from Madrid to Valencia, then Valencia to Barca. I think that was about a combined 3.5-4 hours in itself. I couldn’t recommend driving longer than that, personally. I might pivot around the high speed train routes… i.e. we took the Avignon to Paris High speed- it is then a 45 minute train ride to Dijon from Paris (IIRC) Maybe Toulouse or Nimes has a high speed connection?
That’s a LOT of ground to cover. Why not do Northern Spain and then Southern France, unless you have a strong need to be in Champagne?
Otherwise, I’d fly Easyjet/Ryanair/Whatever to either Reims, Epernay or Paris, then rent a car locally. You WILL need a car if you plan to visit any producers outside of Reims/Epernay.
Have you checked out trains yet? I know there’s a new line through Bordeaux to Barcelona, but trains from Spain to France aren’t usually great. I’d fly to Paris I think then hire a car.
You can rent in one country and return in another but there may be an extra charge. I’ve done it with Italy and Switzerland and Belguim and France. I agree with others that say that is a lot to cram in for 8 days. I also think 4 days in Champagne region is overkill.
Just a little tip, Todd:
I have used EuropeCar quite a bit and like them. Fair prices, good cars, plus they sponsor a pro cycling team! Make sure either your credit card company or your insurance company covers rental car damage. About 50% of the time I rent a car over there, it gets damaged. Tight streets, tight parking, crazy driving, etc. I photographed the full perimeter of the car when I picked it up, with time-stamp, as it had some scratches that I did not want to “own”. When I returned the car, I had photographed the accident damage and the street where it occured. All of this stuff was essential to gettting my credit card to cover and my rental car company not holding me liable for the other issues with the car.
If you have an Amex card, enroll in Amex Premium Car Rental Protection, which provides up to $100,000 in primary insurance coverage for theft or damage to the rental. Costs $24.95 ($17.95 for California residents) for rental periods of up to 42 days. Not per day. Per rental. Some countries are excepted. Enrollment is free. Reserve and pay for the rental on your Amex card. I broke the windshield on a new Toyota Prius rented from Hertz via Auto Europe in Switzerland while driving in France and exchanged for a new car in Germany. Never saw a bill.
The main reason for the trip is to go to Champagne, so we certainly are focusing on that.
We will land in Madrid, so it would be nice to spend a couple days there, then explore a bit of northern Spain before heading to France. If we drove, it would be fun to stop in Bordeaux as it is on the way, but if it is too much driving, not worth it. If I took a train, could we stop in Bordeaux during the day for a couple tastings, then move on afterward?
We’re only planning for 2 tastings a day when in Champagne.
Stick to one country or another. We spent 12 days driving Madrid-Segovia-Salamanca-Ribera del Duero-Toledo-Madrid last year, and it was awesome. You can’t be driving too far in one day or you are wasting precious time.
We just got back from Paris and Champagne. Four days in Champagne is just a start.
Concentrate on one country. Or you lose time traveling.
I agree. yahoo answers says the fastest Madrid-Paris train is 12 hours. Of course, you might be able to take an overnight train, but last I knew they are pretty expensive. In my experience, it’s more practical to fly (longer distances like Madrid-Champagne) or take the train (shorter distances) then rent a care when you get there. Otherwise a lot of you time is spent driving, not so much fun. Either place has much more to see/do than you will have time for, so best to minimize the travel time.
I fully understand that more time in one area would be better, but we don’t have that much travel time, particularly the ability to take big trips like this, so we figure 10 full days is enough to cover two regions (2 1/2, as Madrid plus northern Spain, then Champagne). Might have to look into regional flights for Spain-Champagne
