Seeking suggestions for a pre-cruise week ending in Barcelona

[Zapped]

My wife & I are considering taking the transatlantic cruise on the Carnival Magic next year (Oct 28 - Nov 13 2011), which starts in Barcelona and ends in Galveston TX. We live in Austin TX and have never traveled in Europe, so we're considering adding a 7-10 day European vacation prior to embarking on the 16-day TA cruise.

 

We'd like to avoid spending a huge amount of time planning transportation, lodging, restaurants, and tourist stops, so we'd be interested in a package tour by land. We'd also consider a week-long cruise, either closed-loop to/from Barcelona or starting elsewhere but ending in Barcelona a day or so before our TA voyage would begin. Anything involving northern Italy, Switzerland, or southern France would be great. It's OK if this is a whirlwind "If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium" type of tour - we're just looking to get a taste of the area before kicking back for a relaxing Atlantic crossing.

 

Suggestions?