Help plan a Mom-friendly trip from Paris to Barcelona!

Great ideas, all! I am very much obliged. This is why I love AskMeFi. Some responses to your ideas: Iteki - I was considering a detour to the Nice/Cannes area - I've been twice and love it. But I'm concerned it would eat into our time, since it's not really on the way. lapsangsouchong - will definitely look into Avignon and run it by my mother. Thank you. jetsilver - Sounds cool. Are you suggesting a TGV from Paris to Toulouse? shmoo - pardon my total ignorance, but are you saying the beach at Barcelona is both walkable and swimmable and pretty? That is fantastic news. And thanks for the thumbs up on the Hop On Hop Off (if that's what it's called in Barcelona). I'm thinking of doing that in Paris since I don't want to subject my mother to the endless stairs of the Paris metro, expansive and efficient though it is. I'm glad to hear it's a good option in Barcelona, too. And the cable car sounds terrific. slide - Do you know if Parc Guell is free? I'm guessing yes, but not certain on that. Also, my little mini Barcelona guidebook says it's a bit of a hassle to get there - did you find that?

Sorry, only just checked back here. Looking back, I think I booked the Barcelo through lastminute, but as a part of a package with flight included. It wasn't one of the Top Secrets, no. You should be able to find good prices for it though, we certainly got a good deal, and reading the reviews on Trip Advisor I think most people got fairly inexpensive rooms. If you do book there either put a note on the booking asking for a seaview room (if you haven't paid specifically for that) or ring them up after making the booking and ask. We paid the standard room price, and meant to ring them up to ask for a seaview room if they had one spare. We actually forgot, and only asked when we arrived at the front desk, but happily they must have had one free as they gave us one! If you do stay here, check the Trip Advisor reviews for tips on the near shopping centre, close restaurants, etc. The beach is absolutely walkable - parts of it have a promenade bit next to it, and you can easily walk it. I'd say its pretty - it's obviously quite touristy with beachside bars and cafes, and loungers etc so it's no 'unspoilt beauty' but it's beachy enough for me - golden sand and blue waters! We swam in September and the water was beautifully warm...if you're brave it might be swimmable in May!

Thanks, whatzit. You're right, I'm not eligible for Eurail but I could theoretically fudge it and have a pass sent to my mother's address (not sure about the rules on that, but I know people who've done it). On the other hand, I'll be eligible for Interail by then - I'm just not sure if it's worth it, especially since you still have to pay a sizeable fee for the night train on top of the cost of the pass (as far as I can tell from the Trenhotel site). By my estimates I wouldn't save any money with the pass. But do you have any experience with this?

ACC IN PARIS: I love the http://www.hotel-leveque.com/in Paris. My mom was the one who chose it, to begin with, but we are repeat visitors. It's old and charming, but remodeled enough to be comfortable and bright. The staff are friendly and speak English. Your room can be just above the fromagerie (what a smell to wake up to in the morning!), and the Rue Cler is a great place to be based as a visitor to Paris. GETTING HERE AND THERE: Airports are such grief, and trains are such a nice change of pace which we can't really use in the US. Take the train (city center to city center) and use it as a chance to kick back and watch the countryside. If you decide on the night train, get a place you can sleep. You may also benefit ($!) from being able to get a Eurail pass for those visiting from the US. Since you're already in France, you aren't eligible (iirc). (I guess I am the only one who enjoyed the Casa Batllo more than the other eponysterical Gaudi things - I loved the way the sea imagery had been built into the windows, walls, and everything else.)

Thanks again, everyone. I probably can't 'best answer' everyone but I'll try to sort out which of these great ideas work out the best for this trip. One more question for you, schmoo - when you booked the Barcelo hotel, was it listed as one of the Top Secrets on lastminute.com?

If you buy the art card in Barcelona you get to skip the lines and go right to the front. I was there last summer and this was very helpful. Barcelona is about Modernism so I suggest the Modernism walking tour. It's not overwhelming and is a good intro to the main sites/city, then you can decide to do more, or less. (BTW all the walking tours I did were very good.) The tourist office in front of El Cortes Ingles, it's underground, is great. I would not miss Casa Mila, The Picasso museum, Palau de la Musica or the Boqueria market. The Rick Steves book is good/helpful for Barcelona. The textile museum cafe by the Picasso museum is a nice spot to eat/have a drink. If you go inside one Gaudi site I would do Casa Mila. They have a very good audio tour explaining his work and models of all the major works too, showing how they were built and his ideology. The apartment is beautiful and you get a sense of being transported to a different time/place. The views from the rooftop are great and the sculptural elements are just brilliant. The metro is easy, like in Paris. I walked, took the public bus, and the metro. Also, a crossover bag/purse is helpful as everyone will tell you to watch your bag and/or wear it in front. I did the TGV to Avignon a couple of years ago and it was a quick ride from Paris. Avignon is lovely too.

Paris (Austerlitz)-Toulouse on TGV is a nice ride but make sure to reserve ahead. If you have not been to Toulouse yourself then you might want to stay there overnight. I love that city. The Toulouse - La Tour de Carol ride is a TER which I find charming in their own way, but they stop quite a bit. It's an advantage when there is scenery.

The beach in Barcelona's certainly walkable and pretty, but in May I'd consider it too cold for more than dipping your feet in (or at least it was last May). Seconding the suggestion not to bother with the inside of Sagrada Família. Don't miss the outside, though. If you you get there and there's miraculously no crowd, then maybe consider it, but otherwise it's sorta meh. For other Gaudi stuff in Barcelona, Casa Batlló was nice. Good audio tour and the line wasn't ridiculous, and there's a lot more interesting detail than there was inside Sagrada Família without being too museum-y. The tourist bus is very nice, definitely take that. It's an easy way to find things you might like to see more of. And yes on the cable car, it's great. I'm a huge fan of Tarragona. It's a cheap train ride an hour southwest of Barcelona. Fantastic Roman ruins to walk around, and it's much quieter than Barcelona is. Excellent day trip for when you're tired of all the crowds and noise in Barcelona. The beaches are lovely and much less crowded than the Barcelona beaches, but it's a bit of a hike to get to them -- you might not want to bother since it'll probably be too cold for much swimming. The archaeology museum's free, so if you want to stop in to watch the 15-minute movie there's no real downside, and it's really a cute movie. The Plaça de la Font's a perfect place for an outdoor meal. (My mother visited me while I was staying in Barcelona. Tarragona was her favorite part, though this may have something to do with my having been so enthusiastic about it that I visited every weekend I was there.) Seconding the Trenhotel suggestion, too. Memorable, convenient, and cost-effective (transportation and lodgings for a night in one ticket!) It felt like being in an old movie. So much fun (and a good night's sleep, too.)

The beach in Barcelona is both walkable and swimmable and moderately pretty (not amazing by any means) - I know this very well as it was the first topless beach I, a young american-rasied male, had come across and I spent a good amount of time strolling and swimming. I was there in the summer - no idea what the weather on the beach is like now - I was in Nice in December once and it wasn't really swimmable. Parc Guell is definitely a trek - but worth it. Just such a unique place. I haven't been there since 2003 so I'd rely on Snoogles review of the current status. I'd also recommend going inside the Sagrada Familia. Go on a weekday and get there early; I (again back in 2003) didn't have too long a wait. I liked walking the walkways up in the air between the towers and looking at the incredible detail on the exterior close up. Finally, I'll also add the Picasso museum. I love musuems, though I realize your mom doesn't. But everyone know Picasso and the way the museum lays out his various periods and has a good selection of works from each, including Picasso's take on Velasquez's Las Meninas along with the studies for it. Really a good museum to go through quickly even for someone who normally doesn't care for museums. Sort of like the musee rodin in Paris. One thing to at least consider, as air travel can be pretty cheap in Europe - is flying from Paris to somewhere more south in Spain and going up to Barcelona by train. I'd agree that it's not worth trying to do too much, though.