This summer I took the trip I’d been planning for months: fifteen days from Paris to the French Riviera, then Barcelona and Mallorca. It started as a mother-daughter trip with my mom. In Barcelona we met up with friends, and then we all flew to Mallorca to celebrate my birthday.
The route
- Paris, 2 nights. Nonstop from LAX, then two easy, jet-lagged days near the Eiffel Tower.
- Nice and the Riviera, 5 nights. One direct train from Paris, then day trips to Villefranche, Monaco, and Cannes. Read the Riviera story →
- Barcelona, 4 nights. A short flight from Nice, and friends waiting at the other end. Read the Barcelona story →
- Mallorca, 3 nights. A 40-minute flight, a shared house, and my birthday boat day. Read the Mallorca story →
Five lessons I’d hand a friend
- Price the rail pass before you buy it. I used my Eurail pass for exactly one ride, Paris to Nice. It was a beautiful ride, but single tickets would have done the job.
- Budget airline fares are only the start. My Barcelona-to-Palma flight was $97, plus $45 in bag fees. Read the bag rules before you compare prices.
- Share a house when you travel with friends. Our Mallorca rental worked out to about $85 per person a night, less than many hotel rooms in July.
- Book the big nights early. Fireworks, boat days, and popular dinners fill up in summer.
- Leave room for slow days. Museum visits, beach days, fine dining, relaxing days seeing history. The mix is what made the trip.
Every checklist I used is on the Go Well pages, and the full itinerary is in my new book, Go Well. Want a trip like this one? Let’s plan it.