We are leaning towards Rhone but I have never been to Spain.
Reco’s in either place?
Figure 10 days for the wife’s 40th bday.
Recently did 5 or 6 days in Rhone, followed by 5 days in Barcelona. Both places were awesome. It really depends on what you’re looking for on this vacation re: where you should go. For wine, obviously the Rhone is the way to go (not much else to do there, though). For a more multi-faceted experience, you cannot go wrong in Barcelona.
As Brian indicated, very different experiences. The Rhone and Provence generally are lovely that time of year. Touring will take some driving around, and your experience (particularly if you stay on the Rhone) will be primarily rural.
Barcelona, by contrast, is very urban but a terrific place. La Boqueria, Gaudi, the Ramblas, great restaurants, etc. You can also take day trips up the Costa Brava and into the Catalunyan coutryside.
Ibiza is a lovely island, but (around Ibiza town) a bit frenetic (OK if you like topless beaches and discos). My wife and I were engaged on the other end of the Island at the Hacienda Na Xamena, a lovely hotel carved into cliffs over the Mediterraean http://www.hotelhacienda-ibiza.com/79_107_la_posidonia.html
If you are interested in the Balearic Islands, you may want to consider Mallorca as well. Bigger, a lot more laid back than Ibiza, with an beuitiful old capital (Palma), a terrific scenic coastal drive through Deia (a lovly area to stay in as well), and Port de Pollenca on the other side of the Island (older resorts with very nice beaches). If you end up there, you must drive Sa Colabra for the drive
Love them both equally. If it was me I would stay in south of France for 3 -4 days, drive south and take your time and end up in Barcelona and spend 3 days. Fly home from there.
Can’t go wrong with any decision you make, you will love it.
Have to disagree about not much else to do in the Rhone.
Lyons is a very old and interesting city, and a gastronomic center.
The Northern Rhone is beautiful, and there is the Vahlrona chocolate factory Tain l’hermitage. (and true, there isn’t much else besides wine in that 45 mile stretch).
Then due east of Orange is Vaison la Romanee, a Roman city (stop on the way to taste in Rasteau)
Southern Rhone has Avignon, and not far away is Arles , and St. Remy. Also Nimes (technically the next province west) has a fantastic Roman Coliseum. In fact, I think the Rhone is the most complete tourist area in France museums, roman ruins, medival ruins, villages, a very interesting city, great outdoor markets (St. Remy, Isle sur la Sorgue), great wine and food. My wife doesn’t drink much wine; she loves the Rhone.
You can take the TGV to Lyons, spend a couple days, rent a car and drive south. My preferred base is Villeneuve-les-Avignon – easier access to other towns andmore peaceful than Avignon but just across the river from it so you can dine or site-see there at your leisure.
I think Barcelona is a fun city, but if I hadn’t been to either, and know what I know, the Rhone hands down.
The area around Chateauneuf du Pape is beautiful and well worth the visit. That being said, Barcelona is beautiful, the restaurants wonderful, and the sites will keep you busy all day. It really depends if you want an international metropolitan experience or a quieter medieval/country environment. I haven’t been to Ibiza so I can’t really comment.
ok so we decided to do France.
Probably start in Paris and take the TGV to Lyon and spend 3 0r 4 days in Rhone, then off to St Tropez.
Any suggestions, comments, stuff to avoid?
Do we rent a car in Lyon, should that be “home base”
any thing is really welcome
Thanks in advance
Lyon is at the northern tip of the Rhone Valley, I would choose something in the middle or closer to the areas you like (ie Chateauneuf or Avignon for Southern Rhones). Or make your way slowly down the Valley to the coast and you should be fine. Just remember that unless you’re on the highway, those smaller roads can be real slow-going. And unlike Burgundy, towns aren’t always that close together.
No matter what you do, do NOT rent a car in Paris. Starting in Lyon and slowly working your way down the valley is a good idea. Wife and I recently did a similar tour, with CdP being our “highlight” destination; I now regret not spending a bit more time in N. Rhone, where there’s lots of beautiful scenery and loads of awesome wine.
Trip booked now for October. Flying into Paris and out of NICE, can do anything we like between the 2. Let the suggestions fly. The one thing the wife pointed out to me when I told her I was posting here is that we are New Yorkers to the bone, ditching the kids for a week to celebrate my wife’s 40th. So we are not going to be into staying any place that is SLEEPY.
If you had mentioned that before I would have said Barcelona all the way. The Rhône valley is mostly quiet (except in July when there are quite a few festivals), I think that’s one of the main draws to the area. But maybe I’m not understanding well what you mean by “sleepy”.
If we cant have a drink past 10pm I might go slightly insane
Drew,
October in France, outside of Paris, some parts of Lyon, and maybe a few other larger cities, is sleepy. If you want night-time activity in October in France, your best bet is to stay in Paris. My opinion is based on driving throughout France during October in each of the past 5 years. Barcelona, on the other hand, never sleeps.
In a hotel it shouldn’t be a problem. Otherwise buy a couple of good glasses on arrival, and grab some bottles of wine as you go along ![[whistle.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/87d24eb81ec6dc01d84f3d6c19fa9a357e90218e.gif "whistle"){kind=small}
ok, we are booked for alot of this trip but its flexible and I can change anything. Arriving Paris October 7th
Paris until Sunday train to Lyon
Lyon for 3 days train to Valance for Maison Pic (comments welcome)
Train to Avignon for remainder of week
weekend in Nice area
fly home Sunday.
Staying at many Relais & Chateau’s seemed nice and reasonably priced believe it or not.
suggestions?
suggestions for what?
Things to do, places to stay, places to eat.
You have a car in Nice?
We missed out on dining at Chevre d’Or in Eze (about 20 minute drive from Nice) but happily made the 30-minute drive to the town of Menton, right by the border with Italy, and had a terrific lunch at Le Mirazur. The view of Cote d’Azur with Mauro Colagreco’s excellent dishes was worth the hassle of looking for this restaurant last March.
http://www.maurocolagreco.com/restaurant-gastronomique/mirazur
Well, there’s enough information on WB about Paris to fill volumes of travel guides, so I’ll leave that alone.
While in Avignon, do you plan on visiting wineries in surrounding regions? I could give a couple CdP recs, if you are planning on making such visits.
In Avignon the Palais des Papes and gardens are a must-see, the ramparts and the bridge are also quite famous (the bridge being the subject of a famous nursery rhyme).
Nearby I would definitely recommend the Pont du Gard, especially at night because they are doing light shows on the bridge. There’s also a small museum and sometimes concerts (again, at night), and it’s a perfect spot for a picnic. I’d head there around 4pm and stay until 10-11pm.
Re: restaurants I went to L’Essentiel twice last year and found it excellent. Hopefully they are still as good as when I visited.
Also about 45 minutes south of Avignon are St Remy de Provence (famous for its street market, I think every wednesday, EXTREMELY busy in summer) and Les Baux de Provence (just an awesome little village and castle perched on a rock with a stunning view), home to the famous Oustau de Baumanière (never been there, though, and the restaurant seems to have mixed reviews despite being a 2-star Michelin restaurant).