FranceCouple

My wife and I will be in Paris for 5 days the second week of July (July 12-16; will be there for quatorze juillet, and her birthday is the day after on July 15). I want to make this trip a 10-12 day trip, if possible. I'm trying to figure out where we can go for the other 5 or so days. Our options as of now are:

1) south of France (Nice and a few other places).
2) Barcelona/Ibiza
3) Italy (Milan? Rome?)

I realize this is a very open-ended question and really just depends on preference. I will say my wife loves the beach and just likes being by water in general. I'm starting to think taking the TGV from Paris to Barcelona (staying there 4 or so days) and maybe taking a flight to Ibiza for a day or so would be good.

Does anyone have any thoughts? Ever done anything similar? Am I missing something here? Is it, for example, more efficient to go to the south of France or Italy? Just want to make sure I'm not signing up for a treacherous trip, or missing something about that time of year (maybe it's not a good idea to go to Spain in July? etc.)?

Thanks in advance.

nytraveler

If it were me I would head for the Riviera.

You don;t mention your ages - but much of Ibiza is really party central for a very young group (late teens, early 20s) which may not be what you are looking for.

Sassafrass

San Sebastián, Spain should be perfect.

sandralist

In my experience, July can be one of the very hottest times of the year in Italy -- hotter than August -- and I think the same is true for Spain. So if you think a heat wave would be very hard on you, then think about cooler places.

San Sebastian and that entire coast of Spain would be an excellent suggestion. Beaches there tend to have cooler temps. Personally, I would check out whether the beaches of Belgium have any appeal.

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...eaches-secrets

sandralist

sorry for my omitted word: I meant to type that the "same is true for SOUTHERN Spain". If you like hot spells and warm water temps, they you won't mind the heat. If you like beaches for reasons other than daily swimming, you might want northern Spain (or Belgium).

FranceCouple

Thank you for the responses. To answer the age question, we are in our early 30s.

sandralist, taking the heat into account, it sounds like Barcelona and maybe San Sebastian should be okay. Or will Barcelona be very hot too? I see that the average temperature for Barcelona in July is 29C/84F, which is a bit hot, but is it sticky and humid? Or is it a dryer heat?

Looks like Ibiza is probably going to be too hot.

Odin

Ibiza is a beautiful island and because it is famous for clubs does not mean you should stay away. The beaches are better than those on the Riviera. You could also take a trip to the stunning beaches of Formentera.

traveller1959

If you have only five or six days it would be crazy to do more than one destination.

These are your options:

1) Taking the train to the Côte d'Azur and renting a car there. You will find spectacular scenery, some of Europe's most beautiful beaches, art, history, picturesque hilltop towns, everything you wish. Would by my personal favourite.

2) Taking the train (6:35) or flying to Barcelona. There you find a city beach, the city of Barcelona and some destinations for daytrips along the coast and into the countryside. Would be my second-best option.

3) Flying to Mallorca (rather than barren Ibiza). This island is big enough for fine beaches, beautiful towns, landscape etc. A typical vacation island for northern Europeans.

4) Flying to Rome and visiting this historical town with an occasional daytrip to a beach.

Climatewise, there is no much difference between these destinations. It is the Mediterranean, and it is summer. Expect sunshine and high temperatures, but low humidity. Therefore, we go to beach locations in summer to cool ourselves in the waves.

annhig

Assuming you are arriving and leaving from CDG, ideally you would first head to Nice on the TGV, then go back to Paris to finish your trip.

however that's probably not going to work with your existing plans, but I would still favour combining Paris with the Cote D'Azur as being the easiest option that will maximise your holiday time.

danon

Rome / Milano would not be my choice
Many lovely spots around Nice, but if you are looking for a different country..San Sebastian
is lovely, lively, great food, beautiful beaches, Bilbao not far...

katya3d

I vote for Cannes, with day trips from there to places like St. Paul de Vence.

For such a relatively short vacation, why push it?

katya3d

p.s. I booked a gorgeous 2-bedroom AIR CONDITIONED apartment close to everything in Cannes for slightly over $100 per night through AirBnB.
We are taking the train from Paris to Aix, then renting a car and bumming around Provence until we drive to Cannes, and bum around from there. You can go to several beautiful Provencal hill towns from there, take the ferry to the island where the Man in the Iron Mask was imprisoned, and take a day trip to Nice.

Bon voyage!