Self-Launched Mediterranean Coastal Journey: Barcelona to Tuscany

Arrive at Barcelona El Prat and take the Aerobús (€7.25, ~£6) or the R2 Nord train into the centre. Check into a hostel in the Eixample or Gràcia area so you're walking distance from the Gothic Quarter and the metro network. Use the evening for an easy orientation walk down Passeig de Gràcia, then a cheap dinner of pintxos or a menú del día in Gràcia. Sort out a T-casual 10-ride metro card (€12.55) — you'll use it tomorrow.

🚌Airport Aerobús or R2 Nord train, ~£6 each way

🛏Hostel dorm in Eixample or Gràcia (approx. £28/night)

• →Aerobús or R2 train transfer into the city
• →Evening orientation walk on Passeig de Gràcia
• →Buy a T-casual metro card

Pre-book a timed ticket for Casa Batlló via the official website or GetYourGuide (approx. €35/£30) and Parc Güell's monumental zone (€18/£15) for the same day — go early to Parc Güell via metro L3 to Vallcarca or Lesseps, then Casa Batlló in the afternoon. In between, walk La Rambla (briefly — the good food is off it), duck into the Gothic Quarter, and graze at Mercat de la Boqueria or the cheaper Mercat de Sant Antoni. Budget around £30 for entries booked online; skip the Casa Batlló rooftop upgrade if you're watching costs.

🚌Metro L3 on the T-casual card, ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm in Eixample or Gràcia (approx. £28/night)

• →Parc Güell (monumental zone entry)
• →Casa Batlló self-guided visit
• →Gothic Quarter wander
• →Mercat de la Boqueria food market
• →La Rambla stroll

Take a Renfe Avant or Media Distancia train from Barcelona Sants to Girona (about 1h–1h40, from €11/£9 booked ahead). Drop bags at a guesthouse in the old town, then walk the medieval core: the cathedral steps (the Game of Thrones stairway), the Jewish Quarter and its Museum of Jewish History (€6/£5), and the Arab Baths (€7/£6) — pick one of the two to keep costs down, as Collette offers. Late afternoon walk the city walls for free sunset views. Dinner: a menú in the Barri Vell, ~£15.

🚌Renfe Avant/Media Distancia, ~£9–12

🛏Guesthouse double/private room in Girona old town (approx. £35/night)

• →Renfe train Barcelona Sants to Girona
• →Museum of Jewish History or Arab Baths (choose one)
• →Girona Cathedral and Old Town walk
• →Free city walls sunset walk

Day trip by train from Girona to Figueres (25 min, ~€4) for the Dalí Theatre-Museum — book online in advance (€18/£15) and go at opening to beat the coach crowds. Afterwards, continue by bus or train to Palafrugell/Calella de Palafrugell and walk the Camí de Ronda coastal path between Calella and Llafranc (free, ~1h each way, beautiful coves for a swim). Sleep in a hostel or small pensión in Calella or Palafrugell.

🚌Regional train to Figueres (~£4) then bus to Palafrugell (~£3)

🛏Pensión or hostel in Calella de Palafrugell / Palafrugell (approx. £32/night)

• →Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres
• →Camí de Ronda coastal walk Calella–Llafranc
• →Swim stop at a Costa Brava cove

Slow day. Either laze on the beaches at Llafranc, Tamariu or Aiguablava, or take the local bus to the medieval hill town of Besalú (the optional excursion Collette offers) — the Romanesque bridge and old synagogue are free to wander, with a small church entry fee. Use the day to reset laundry, repack and check onward tickets for the French leg. Cheap seafood lunch at a beach bar, ~£12.

🚌Local bus or on foot, ~£4

🛏Pensión or hostel in Calella de Palafrugell / Palafrugell (approx. £32/night)

• →Beach time and swimming
• →Optional bus trip to Besalú medieval town
• →Plan and pre-book the cross-border transport to France

Take a bus to Girona or Figueres, then a regional train across the border via Portbou/Cerbère to Narbonne (allow 4–5h, roughly €30–40/£28 booked ahead). Store bags at the station or your guesthouse, then take the local bus or a 25-min cycle to Fontfroide Abbey. Entry is about €14/£12 self-guided (or book a guided visit through the abbey's own site); the abbey runs its own wine tastings — a glass-and-plate option is around €15–20, the self-launched version of Collette's wine pairing lunch. Evening in Narbonne's market halls (Les Halles) for a cheap plate of oysters and a glass of Corbières.

🚌Bus to Girona/Figueres plus regional train to Narbonne, ~£30; local bus/cycle to abbey ~£5

🛏Budget hotel or hostel in Narbonne centre (approx. £40/night)

• →Regional train across the Spanish–French border
• →Fontfroide Abbey self-guided or guided visit
• →Wine tasting at the abbey
• →Les Halles de Narbonne food market

Regional TER train from Narbonne to Marseille, then a short connection to Aix-en-Provence (about 3h total, €35–45/£32 if bought a few days ahead; check sncf-connect.com). Settle into a hostel or budget hotel near the Cours Mirabeau. Free afternoon: the old town fountains, the daily market at Place Richelme, Cézanne's studio (€7/£6 if you're keen) and a wander up to the Terrain des Peintres viewpoint for Mont Sainte-Victoire. Dinner from a traiteur or market stall, ~£12.

🚌SNCF TER regional trains, ~£32

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Aix-en-Provence (approx. £40/night)

• →TER train Narbonne–Marseille–Aix
• →Aix old town and Cours Mirabeau walk
• →Place Richelme market
• →Mont Sainte-Victoire viewpoint

Regional train from Aix to Marseille St-Charles then the local train to Cassis (about 1h15, ~€12/£11). Book a Calanques boat trip on arrival at the port (the 3-calanques cruise is roughly €28–35/£25–30; book via GetYourGuide in summer to avoid sell-outs). Walk the cliff path to Cap Canaille if you want the viewpoint for free. Back in Aix for dinner — a Provençal plat du jour for £15–18 rather than the tour's set dinner.

🚌Regional trains Aix–Marseille–Cassis return, ~£12

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Aix-en-Provence (approx. £40/night)

• →Train to Cassis via Marseille
• →Calanques National Park boat cruise
• →Cap Canaille cliff walk
• →Provençal dinner in Aix

Train from Aix to Cannes (via Marseille, ~2h, €25/£22). Leave bags at Cannes station lockers, then take the ferry from Cannes' Vieux Port to Île Saint-Honorat (return ferry ~€20/£18, bookable at the port or via the abbey's site). Visit Lérins Abbey, where the monks still make wine — a tasting is around €10–12. Continue by TER train to Nice in the evening (30 min, ~€8) and check into a hostel near the port or Libération. Note Nice accommodation is pricey in summer — book early.

🚌Trains Aix–Cannes–Nice plus ferry, ~£48

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel in Nice (approx. £45/night)

• →Train Aix–Cannes
• →Ferry to Île Saint-Honorat
• →Lérins Abbey visit and monk wine tasting
• →Evening TER train to Nice

Free walking day in Nice: the Promenade des Anglais, the Colline du Château for the best free view in the city, and the Cours Saleya market in the morning for socca and pissaladière (£8 lunch). Optional add-ons that replace Collette's tasting menu and perfumery workshop: a hands-on perfume workshop in Grasse (bookable direct with Galimard or Molinard, roughly €50–70, train Nice–Grasse ~€7 return), or a self-guided South of France food crawl through Vieux Nice for £25–30. Evening: swim at a free public beach plage before dinner.

🚌Tram, bus or on foot, ~£5 (optional Grasse train ~£7)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel in Nice (approx. £45/night)

• →Promenade des Anglais walk
• →Castle Hill viewpoint
• →Cours Saleya market
• →Optional Grasse perfumery workshop (Galimard/Molinard)
• →Vieux Nice food crawl

Morning TER train along the coast to Monaco (25 min, ~€4.50/£4). Catch the Changing of the Guard at the Prince's Palace (11:55 daily, free), visit the Cathedral of Monaco (free), and walk the Formula 1 circuit streets and the Casino square for free. Return to Nice for your bag, then take the regional train Nice–Ventimiglia–Savona/Arenzano (about 2h30–3h, roughly €20–25/£18–22 if split into Italian regional tickets). Check into a guesthouse in Arenzano on the Ligurian coast.

🚌TER Nice–Monaco return (~£9) plus regional trains to Arenzano (~£20)

🛏Guesthouse or B&B in Arenzano (approx. £38/night)

• →Changing of the Guard at Prince's Palace
• →Monaco Cathedral
• →F1 circuit and Casino square walk
• →Regional train Monaco–Nice–Arenzano

Morning stroll on Arenzano's seaside promenade (free), then a regional train to Santa Margherita Ligure (about 45–60 min, ~€6/£5). From Santa Margherita, either take the public bus 82 to Portofino (~€3, 15 min) or walk the scenic coastal path over the headland (about 1h15, free and gorgeous). Wander Portofino's harbour, swim at Paraggi, then head back. Base yourself in Santa Margherita or Rapallo rather than doubling back to Arenzano — it saves a train leg and puts you closer to tomorrow's route.

🚌Regional train plus local bus, ~£10

🛏Guesthouse in Santa Margherita Ligure or Rapallo (approx. £40/night)

• →Arenzano promenade walk
• →Regional train to Santa Margherita Ligure
• →Bus 82 or coastal path to Portofino
• →Swim at Paraggi bay

Train from Santa Margherita to Carrara-Avenza (change at La Spezia or Sarzana, about 1h30, ~€12/£11). Book the 4x4 quarry tour directly with a local operator in Carrara (e.g. a CAI-guided or operator-run off-road tour of the Fantiscritti quarries, roughly €35–50/£30–45 via GetYourGuide or the local cooperative) — the self-launched equivalent of Collette's off-road marble journey. Afterwards, walk into Carrara town for a lardo di Colonnata tasting (£10). Late afternoon train Carrara to Florence (about 1h30, €15–20) and bus or train onward to a Chianti base such as Greve, Castellina or Certaldo.

🚌Regional trains Santa Margherita–Carrara–Florence, ~£28

🛏Agriturismo or countryside guesthouse in Chianti (approx. £42/night)

• →4x4 Carrara marble quarry tour
• →Colonnata lardo tasting
• →Train to Florence and into the Chianti hills

Bus or train into Florence for the day. The Duomo exterior and Brunelleschi's dome, Ghiberti's 'Gates of Paradise' at the Baptistery, Piazza della Signoria with Palazzo Vecchio, and Piazza Santa Croce are all free to see from outside. Pre-book the Uffizi or Accademia online (roughly €20–25/£18–22) if you want inside, and consider a pay-what-you-want or £15 small-group walking tour via GetYourGuide instead of Collette's included guide. Climb Piazzale Michelangelo for sunset. Back to Chianti for dinner at the agriturismo (£15).

🚌Regional train or bus into Florence return, ~£8

🛏Agriturismo or countryside guesthouse in Chianti (approx. £42/night)

• →Duomo and Baptistery exterior walk
• →Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio
• →Piazza Santa Croce
• →Optional small-group walking tour or Uffizi/Accademia ticket
• →Piazzale Michelangelo sunset

Book a truffle hunt with a local trifolau and trained dogs directly through a small operator or GetYourGuide (roughly €75–110/£65–95 including a tasting lunch — book a week or two ahead, as these fill up). Afterwards, bus or taxi to San Gimignano for the towers, the Collegiata and a gelato (the world-champion gelateria is a well-known stop). Farewell dinner of Tuscan specialities in the countryside, ~£20, with a glass of Vernaccia. Check bus times back — rural services stop early.

🚌Local bus or shared taxi, ~£8

🛏Agriturismo or countryside guesthouse in Chianti (approx. £42/night)

• →Truffle hunt with trained dogs and tasting lunch
• →San Gimignano medieval towers walk
• →Tuscan farewell dinner with Vernaccia

Bus to Florence, then the tram T2 from the city to Florence airport (€1.70) or a train onward to Rome, Pisa or Bologna if you're extending. Reconfirm your flight, and consider buying a bus ticket the day before — Sunday and early-morning services in Chianti are sparse. Trip ends.

🚌Chianti bus to Florence plus T2 tram, ~£6

🛏Not included — departure day

• →Transfer to Florence airport or onward station
• →Onward travel planning