Beach holiday without flying

[noflyholiday]

We really want a holiday.
AI, pools, lovely beach, warm but doesn't need to be super hot.

But I won't fly. It's not negotiable and I don't want to discuss it so if your suggestion is going to be take Valium or do a course, please don't. I know you mean well but it's not going to happen.

So where can we go that's not a silly driving distance if we get the ferry or eurotunnel to France.

What's northern Spain like? Am I going to get my AI beach holiday without driving for 3 days?

Get trains..... you don't need to drive at all.

I did a coach holiday to Salou as a teenager and it felt like half the holiday was travelling. I'd look for somewhere that doesn't take too long.

Train to the south of France is your answer

But northern Spain is lovely - plenty around bilbao/san Sebastian

Brittany is lovely, if you can ferry to St Malo or Le Havre.

Otherwise trains, eurostar to Paris and onwards by train to Nice/Cote d'Azur.

Get the Eurostar to Paris or Lille and there are loads of trains you can get all around Europe

Book a cruise ... ai, pools, sun and no flying :)

Train to south of France/northern Spain is doable

A popular place is IL de Re in France

Close enough to drive comfortably

Get a train or ferry to the mainland first

Or alternatively a ferry to Bilbao

Northern Spain is very picturesque. Pretty towns and servered well by trains. I don't think there are any all-inclusive type resorts there.

Would you consider a cruise? My friend goes all the time because not keen on flying, they leave from Southampton

Aquitaine is beautiful. Beaches, lakes, pines, villages etc. you won't get the AI experience of a resort hotel but it will be amazing.

Cruise.

Brittany weather is about the same as Cornwall…a bit hit or miss and absolutely no guarantee of sun as per Cornwall these days.

Normandy and Brittany are lovely, but not so hot as the south of France and Spain, of course. The Costa Verde in Northern Spain is also lovely countryside and interesting scenery, Salamanca is a beautiful, historical town to visit. You can get ferries from the south coast, Southampton/Portsmouth/Poole/Plymouth, I think, and it’s easier to drive there,the roads are better condition than the UK and usually much less crowded. Get a TAG for the autoroute tolls and you don’t have to worry about having correct money.

Cruise from Southampton - get the AI experience on the boat and visit various places (but prob not beaches)

Tossa De Mar? North of Barcelona nr Girona (Girona well worth a visit)

For this add two/three days either side roughly. That's the deal with ferry + train or driving.

Anyway, I think for AI the nearest is Costa Brava. So ferry to Bilbao, and either drive or take train to Barcelona area. Plenty of AI around Salou and thereabouts.

Northern Spain is stunning, however not much AI there I'd imagine, and the weather while not bad can be a lot cooler than you think.

Best bet is to google All Inclusive Spain and France and see what comes up and if it is within reach.

You can't beat the beaches in South of France. Super easy by Eurostar and train.
Costa Brava is gorgeous too and you'll find all inclusive hotels there. Easy to get the train from Paris.
I recommend the Man in Seat 61 website to help you plan your train journeys. You'll see you can get anywhere in Europe without flying.

This. We are going abroad this year and don't want the hassle of flying so going via Eurostar.

I'm not sure why I hadn't thought of the train straight through. 🤦‍♀️

Definitely don't want a cruise. I'd do it for another trip but partner isn't keen and we want a lazy beach holiday.

Train to the south of France will do you nicely and you'll be there in a day. Alternatively Brittany Ferries to northern Spain is a treat in and of itself but Santander is only 23 degrees currently so may not be warm enough. Perpignan on the other hand is 34 so may be a little bit too hot!

Have they got the Eurostar direct to the south of France back up and running yet? We got that down to Avignon a few years back and it was amazing. We packed a bottle of wine and some nice food and the 6.5 hours disappeared in a flash. It vanished with COVID and Brexit and not sure if it has returned?

No, annoyingly the direct trains still aren't running. But it's still really quick and easy if you change in Paris. Even easier if you can change in Lille.

Paris to Toulon is less than 4 hours