melissah35

Hello,

I am taking my 85 year old mother on a 10 day trip to Spain and France the first week of November. She has some mobility issues so we will be driving quite a bit. We will be spending the first few days in Barcelona and then will plan to drive to Andorra and into France. We would love help with a suggested itinerary in France. We love beautiful countryside, villages, cute towns, wineries, and overall beautiful scenery. We'd like to get out and walk some and see some sights, too.

Also, do you think we need to book hotels in advance at that time or can we wing it and keep our options open?

Thanks in advance for any ideas you might have!

FTOttawa

Thinking one way rental from Spain into France? There will be a large drop-off fee. Even if you plan to drive back to Barcelona, using up another good part of a day, you will need to check the terms of your particular rental agency about leaving Spain.

Andorra in November will be quite chilly, as will the mountainous areas of France nearby. You’ll have to drive a further few hours into Languedoc to get to wineries.

How about the cute towns, villages, natural beauty and wineries of Catalonia? Whether you head for Girona, Tarragona, Valencia or the Costa Brava there will be lots to admire. Let us know if you are open to that.

Traveler_Nick

You're driving into the mountains in November? I'm hoping you have experience with cold weather driving. Make sure the car has snow tires.

The countryside won't be pretty. Likely great for some moody black and white photos

melissah35

Thank you for these great suggestions. Yes, I'm open to anything and everything!

melissah35

Thank, Nick for your suggestions. Do you think it will be icy the first week of November? I don't have experience driving in the snow so now I'm wondering if we should pick a different route?

Traveler_Nick

The higher up you go the higher the risk. Also ice is more of a problem overnight or early morning. But ice can hide under bridges or other shady areas.

The rule of thumb is every 100 metres of altitude you gain you'll lose 1 degree of temperature.

kja

I certainly would!

IMO, FTOttawa gave you some great suggestions in post # 2. As that post suggests, if you're willing to consider Catalunya, we can offer further ideas and options.

melissah35

Thank you, Nick!

melissah35

Thanks so much. I'm definitely willing to consider that area. I have typically enjoyed the scenery in France more than in Spain which is why I thought we would drive into France, but I haven't been to the Costa Brava area and I heard the scenery is quite different than other areas of Spain so yes I'm open to any and all ideas!

kja

I would strongly recommend that you get a copy of the Michelin Green Guide to Spain. I think it will prove invaluable to you!

Barcelona itself has a lot to offer.
As FTOttawa mentioned, you might look at Tarragona or Girona. Maybe Besalu, and if you are a fan of Dali, Figueres.
For wineriies, look at the cava region just outside Barcelona.

That should get you started!
It's wonderful that you'll be able to share this experience with your mother.

FTOttawa

We were delighted by the scenery around Girona (not to mention its food scene, yum) and blown away by the mountains south of Valencia, but it was a short trip. Paging the Spain experts! Perhaps start a new thread with the question, driving trip around Catalonia in November.

Our host in Ariège, just north of Andorra, assured us that summer was the time to be there. Not November.

bilboburgler

The area is lovely.
My advice would be
1) drop Andora (not a great visit anyway)
2) use the train in Spain. Stay In Girona,Perpignon and Narbonne
3) hire a car in France, go see the sea, the mountains and Carcassone
4) consider eating cassoulet

shelemm

The area around of Vernet les Bains, Villefranche de Conflent, Prades, Molitg les Bains, Gorge de Galamus, Cheateau de Peyrepertuse, St Paul de Fenouillet, and Maury (excellent vin doux naturel) is one of the most beautiful and dramatic landscapes in France.

However, any mountainous area could provide some mobility challenges.

FTOttawa

Bilboburgler suggests two good cities in France, and the region around them has attractions, as Shelemm notes. Am having second thoughts about Girona — the streets of its old town are undeniably steep.

So, good options exist. If you choose France, take the train to Perpignan and rent a car for exploring the area. Look up how much time the travel will consume. And, definitely skip Andorra.

melissah35

Thank you so much! I'm skipping Andora and will check out all of the other great suggestions!

Besalu

Hi! Personally, I would rule out Andorra because it doesn't have much to offer for such a visit. Not because the weather in November is horrible, but just because I don't think it's worth it.
On the other hand, after Barcelona, I would go to Girona. You can do Girona city and then a bit more inland: Banyoles, Besalú, Santa Pau.... The last years in November there is still a very pleasant temperature and if it has rained a little there is a variety of fungi that you will find in several restaurants (some of us Catalans go "fungi hunting" on weekends).
If you like vineyards, I would take advantage and go to some DO Empordà (for example La Vinyeta).
Then you can choose to leave the car in Figueres, take a train to the French city of your choice, and there rent another car. I think that this way you will get a better price.

Christina

I"ve done that but by train (Barcelona to France). I took the train to Perpignan. Perpignan is a decent size but not large, you could probably rent a car there ok. I really liked Narbonne, also, but I know it is fairly easy to take the train from Barcelona to Perpignan.

I''m not into villages that much, at least not for staying. But I think Ceret near Perpignan is considered a cute village.
https://www.beyond.fr/villages/ceret.html

I just don't know how exciting these places will be in November, that's the issue but given it is the south, probably not too cold.