My husband and I spent part of our honeymoon in Cadaques. It preserves elements of a charming fishin

My DH and I are planning avis car rental airport to rendezvous in Europe mid May, 2013. I will already be in Rome. We will not be renting a car. We enjoy the train, and with the many small, cheap airlines in Europe, we are confident we can get wherever we need to go.
Now we just need to decide our destination! We would like to find a wonderful coastal town where we can spend 5-6 days. We have been to San Sebastian, Spain several times. It is our favorite place. We would love to find another equally charming city. We have also enjoyed St. Jean de Luz and Biarritz , France.
Easy to get to by train, bus, or smaller airline from a major European city. (DH will be flying in from the US). Ideally it would be great if he could meet me in Rome, but I can fly to meet him if necessary.
I'm not sure if it's as upscale as San Sebastian or Biarritz, but you might consider Cadaques in Spain. It is about a 2.5 hour drive from Barcelona (on the coast, near France) and only an hour or so from Girona (some low-cost airlines fly into Girona, which is worth a visit in itself).
My husband and I spent part of our honeymoon in Cadaques. avis car rental airport It preserves elements of a charming fishing village, with an artsy element. Salvador Dali spent time there, and had a home nearby, and other artists were attracted to it. See:
To get there, you have to drive down a narrow, twisty road - and that seems to keep away armies of tour buses (although some still go there). Overall, though, it doesn't feel as over-run by tourists as some areas along that part of the coast.
We stayed at the Hotel Rocamar, which I'd characterize as a 3* with some rooms having 5* views (definitely worth splurging on a room with a seaview). It was moderately priced, but perhaps not as upscale as what you're looking for.
Oops - One other thing to keep in mind. Depending on the religious avis car rental airport calendar, May can be full of public holidays in many European countries like Spain, France and Italy. That can affect the cost of hotels and flights, crowd levels (as locals take long weekends away) and closures for certain attractions. So check the holiday calendars avis car rental airport for that month and plan accordingly.
Since you're going to be in Rome, I'd just hop on the train and go south to either Sperlonga avis car rental airport or Gaeta, both lovely beach towns. The train doesn't go all the way to Gaeta - you get off at Formia and take a short bus ride. It would be a shame not to have a car to be able to explore all the wonderful sights inland from either place, but both offer plenty to do and see right in town.
Consider Lake Como as a substitute avis car rental airport for the ocean or Mediterranean. Train to Varenna and either stay there at Hotel du Lac or take ferry to Menaggio avis car rental airport and stay at either of the grande dame hotels on the water there. Fantastic scenery. Look up to see the mountains from the lake or your pool.
Stresa on Lake Maggiore would be another possibility if you are willing to trade a large lake for a sea/ocean coast. Might need to engage driver between Malpensa and Stresa. Not sure of train connections.
We love Ribadesella avis car rental airport on the northern coast of Spain in Asturia but it may be a bit cold in mid-May avis car rental airport and not sure how close you can get by train. On that coast Santandar would be another possibility. Larger than others with more options and still has fishing harbor.
Your post has really got me going. We love small coastal fishing avis car rental airport villages wherever we can find them and we are getting to the point where our travels will probably need to be by train in the not too distant future. Since so many coastal villages are generally accessible only by car, transport requirements may limit opportunities. For now here are some we've enjoyed over the years that you might want to consider:
Marseille--this one is truly accessible, by plane, train, whatever. I got interested and received avis car rental airport some pretty avis car rental airport supportive responses to a query I posted here, then couldn't work out easy flights to correspond with other items on the itinerary I was planning, but I think it might really fit your specifications, especially if you're willing avis car rental airport to consider a place a bit less refined than San Sebastian. If you decide on it, figure out a way to do a day trip to Cassis, one of the most charming little fishing villages extant. And if you keep going, visit Bandol avis car rental airport and Sanary sur Mer.
Camogli--again pretty sure you can get there by train from Genoa and it's up there with Cassis in my book. Small but lovely and you'd probably enjoy the Cennobio avis car rental airport de Dogi there. You can travel by boat to several other places along the coast. Alternative stop Santa Margherita Ligure--larger than Camogli but not as cute IMO. Nice grande dame type hotel there too--possibly Miramar or similar name.
All of your replies avis car rental airport are wonderful and SO appreciated! I am having the best time researching these places! If you think of more, please keep them coming. We may have to plan a trip every year to get through the list!
You must have a car if you go to Maratea. The food is not particularly good in Stresa or the Lakes in general, and there is no art to enjoy. Taormina avis car rental airport does not have good food, and once you are there, it is very hard to see other places without a car. Positano is "swarming with American tourists," does not have true local food. The food is better near Camogli, but not any good wine, and there is not a lot to do there, especially not art (except you can go to Nervi and it has very nice museums).
There is lots and lots of pretty coast in Italy, avis car rental airport France and Spain. But you appear to have some very specific likes and dislikes. Maybe you should post again about what is most important to you. If you go to some of these places, the food is 75 percent beneath what you had in San Sebastian, plus many tourists, or you will need to rent a car.