KEY POINTS:
Lonely Planet experts answer your questions:
My partner and I are spending two months in Europe from mid-August to mid-October. We plan to fly from London to Bordeaux, pick up a Eurolease vehicle, then spend about four days in France before going to Spain. We have 33 days to spend in Spain, ending in Madrid, from where we fly to Morocco. We like travelling back roads, staying as much as possible off motorways, but we do want to see major attractions like the Alhambra. Can you suggest an itinerary for us?
- Howard Jack
Spain's obvious highlights are Segovia, Toledo, Cuenca, Granada, Ronda, Seville, Cadiz, Trujillo, Valencia and Barcelona, but you'll discover your own favourites as you make your way around.
From Bordeaux, your route from France could take in Lourdes as you head south to cross the border over the Pyrenees, either via Bagneres-de-Luchon (N30) or St-Lary-Soulan (D118/D173). You could also follow the French coast south, crossing the border via the coastal towns of Biarritz, Irun and San Sebastian. You'd be in Basque territory here, with elegant San Sebastian one of the region's major highlights.
From here, Spain is your oyster. You'll want to drop into the Museo Guggenheim at Bilbao, followed by Burgos with its fabulous cathedral, then you'll need to make a choice: either take the highway across country to Zaragoza, down to the Mediterranean coast for Barcelona, Sitges, Tarragona and Valencia; or head west along quieter roads to Valladolid, Salamanca and Leon to Santiago de Compostela. From there, you could follow your nose south to reach Merida in Extremadura, followed by Seville, Granada and Andalusia's many other highlights.
Some useful websites have self-drive suggestions, particularly Spanish Fiestas (www.spanish-fiestas.com/self-drive-spain), All Travel Spain (www.alltravelspain.com) and Michelin (www.viamichelin.es) for route directions. For details of Spain's driving regulations, look at www.driving.drive-alive.co.uk/driving-in-spain.htmand www.idealspain.com/pages/Information/DrivingSpain.htm.
Family friendly
We are a family of four (children aged 2 and 6) travelling to Rarotonga next month for a week. Any suggestions for family fun activities, perhaps nature-oriented? We would like to go whale-watching but, according to guides, we can't during June.
- The Miernik family
Humpback whales visit the Cook Islands every year from July to October on their way to the colder waters of Antarctica so unfortunately you will be a bit early to see them. If you're travelling at the end of June you might be lucky though.
Failing that, Rarotonga has plenty of other activities for you and your family to enjoy. One of the most popular pastimes is snorkelling. Rarotonga and Aitutaki offer world-class snorkelling and diving inside the coral reef.
The lagoons are teeming with tropical fish and marine life. Outside the reef are sea turtles, moray eels and reef sharks. While this might be unsuitable for your little one, there's no reason your 6-year-old can't enjoy a snorkel in the protected lagoon. Many hotels and resorts hire snorkelling gear.
Cycling is another popular activity. You can hire bikes just about everywhere, and seats for toddlers are readily available.
Another way to get close to nature is to do some walking and hiking. Rarotonga is crisscrossed with mountain tracks and valley walks.
For something more sedate, there's always the practically unbroken beach that stretches around the island. There are also a couple of horse-riding outfits, though your children might be too young for this.
Of course, nothing can beat a gentle lagoon cruise or a glass-bottom boat tour. One of the highlights is a visit to Aitutaki. The lagoon is large, warm, brilliantly blue and full of bright, tropical fish, giant clams and living coral.
These cruises often include snorkelling if you want, plus a barbecue lunch. If you want to explore the lagoon under your own steam, hire a kayak or two and take off into the big blue.
A children's activity centre called Kids 'n Action is near the airport on Rarotonga. Your hotel might also have activity programmes for kids on the resort grounds.
Lonely Planet experts are available to answer questions from readers. Email them to: travelinfo@lonelyplanet.co.nz. They may not answer all questions and cannot correspond directly with readers or give advice outside the column.
