Any Easy Way from Nice to Barcelona?

[Cruise Junky]

Has anyone made their way from Nice to Barcelona? they sure don't seem to make it easy. We're trying to get Nice in as a pre-cruise. On Easy Jet we'd have to go back to Paris, train seems to make three stops...and regular air looks ridiculous. Tx

[rogfam]

Check out Iberia, think they have a non stop.

[Cruise Junky]

Iberia does have a non-stop, but their one way fares suck. They want $1,400 for two people one way for a 1 1/2 hr flight. It drops to $370 for two doing return. I guess I could always book it return and then no show, but I hate to do that. I think we may end up flying from Canada into Nice first (lufthansa via Frankfurt) and then doing a couple of days in Paris and then flying down to Barcelona for the ship. It's not looking easy or cheap to get there from Nice.

[knfolsom]

Have you checked out the train? There are day and night schedules.

[Cruise Junky]

We'd have to switch trains twice. And it's more expensive and about twice the amount of time as flying to Paris and then to Barcelona.

[Hlitner]

Have you thought about renting a car. If you did the drive direct, it would only take about 6 hours. However, there are some interesting places along that route such as Arles, Nimes, and Perpignan (a pretty nice beach resort). This drive is not really difficult and would allow you to see some of the countryside of France and Spain. We have done a similar trip (opposite way) from San Sebastian to Avignon and loved the trip. If you could spare a few days you should be able to find some decent car rental deals through Autoeurope.com which is a USA based consolidator for Europcar.

 

Hank

[Cruise Junky]

Renting a car to be honest would be my first choice. I would love to make that drive. However... The cheapest I can find is a $350 drop fee on top of the rental cost because it's one way. I'm going to be keeping an eye out for a reduction in the drop fee, but am not hopeful.

[DocJim]

We’ve been looking for an easy way to do the same thing for almost six months. We love Nice and hoped to do our pre-cruise there also. Unfortunately Iberia has a monopoly on non-stops. I've given up and resigned myself to three nights in Barcelona, not a bad thing, just not Nice. - Jim

[Cruise Junky]

We’ve been looking for an easy way to do the same thing for almost six months. We love Nice and hoped to do our pre-cruise there also. Unfortunately Iberia has a monopoly on non-stops. I've given up and resigned myself to three nights in Barcelona, not a bad thing, just not Nice. - Jim

 

It's a pain isn't it? We'll still be able to do it, just in reverse to what we originally wanted. We'll fly into Nice from Canada and spend three nights, then fly to Paris and spend three nights and then into Barcelona. It just seems that Nice is so close to Barcelona you should be able to do it that way.

[Hlitner]

I hear you on the one-way drop fees. We have previously had some success by shopping around...but our rentals were generally for longer periods (almost always more than a week). If you haven't tried autoeurope, give them a call (they have a toll free number) and see if they can help....they have previously been very helpful when we picked up in France and dropped in Italy (not sure about Spain drops).

 

Hank

[Andym]

This may be usefull

 

http://www.whichbudget.com/

[bonnieg]

Driving is really the best way to do it. Maybe try www.argusrentals.com . They have very good rates and were recommended by Hlitner. We are using them for Messina. Their website doesn't offer an intercountry quote online, but you can call them. People have used them and had good experiences. A few years ago we drove from Lisbon to Marbella, Spain and used Avis. We were quoted with a drop off charge, but while in Lisbon we stopped of at their offices and asked if they had any cars to go back to Spain. They did and we were able to waive the drop off fee. I would just call every car rental you can and find the cheapest rate. Then while in Nice, walk into as many rental places as you can and ask if they have a car that needs to go back to Spain. You can always cancel the original reservation. You will most likely be successful.

Bonnie

[Hlitner]

Thought it a good time for philosophical comment. Driving in Europe is simply the best way to see the countries, just like in the states. Trains are great if you are trying to get from point A to B, but not always as comfortable or convenient, and they still limit your touring. Yes, the cost of driving can be expensive (it cost me $70 to fill my little Ford Escort in Italy), but its a lot of fun to stop whenever you see something of interest and explore little places that you would never see any other way. That Nice to Barcelona drive is really worth several days of time and its amazing what is along the route (I mentioned some places earlier). In recent years the hassles and wasted time of flying have made driving even a better option. We generally find that we can drive 3 or 400 miles in about the same time as flying...when you consider going to the airport, waiting for your flight (often late), waiting for luggage, and getting to your final destination. A 1 hour flight will often take over 4 hours. In Europe we can generally drive 80 -90 MPH on the major roads when in a hurry, or slow things down and enjoy the small back roads (the most fun and rewarding part of any drive). Ok... now I will get off my soapbox.

 

Hank

[Normandie-BCN]

One of the cheapest plane fares between Barcelona and Nice is with Virgin Express, vía Brussels or Geneva.