ShariB

I'm overwhelmed with beginning to plan for a two-week June 2009 trip to France. We're a couple in our mid-40s, who've travelled in Italy, Greece, Ireland and England, but never been to France. Hubby is an architect so we'll see every cathedral he can find. We both enjoy having time to wander neighborhoods/towns. I learned enough Greek to read road signs on Crete, but French intimidates me. I have bought a phrase book with CD, and will start that shortly.

Questions:
1) How do you suggest dividing our time? I'm thinking a week in Paris and maybe a week in Provence. Would someplace else be better for a first trip? No interest in WW II sites. Clusters of small towns to explore would be ideal. One or two home bases would be as much as we want to do. I don't like the one-night-in-each-city type trip.

2) Depending upon the suggested location/home base(s) for week two, should we rent a car or take a train? We haven't booked flights yet, so we could fly into CDG and out of some other city.

2) In Paris, I'm really enamored with staying on the Ile St-Louis and have looked at several apartments. Would a hotel be better suited because of the language barrier (assistance/suggestions from hotel staff)? Should newbies stay in a different arrondissement?

I'm sure I'll have more later, but could someone please help with these intial questions?

gplusg

Paris would be a good base in the North. You could do a couple of train day trips from there as well.

A good base in Provence would be Avignon or Arles with car day trips from there

GWT

knoxvillecouple

If you were able to fathom Greek road signs you should have no problem with French. We had high school French and took a refresher 4-class session at our university a few months before our trip last May. By the time we came home I was speaking Franglish with the best of them. And as long as you know and use a few words/phrases, you will be welcomed by most if not all.

Paris is great for your first week, and I think Ile St-Louis would be great. We stayed in May in the first (at an apartment in the Palais Royal), but I did consider the Ile St-Louis as well.

If your husband can get his fill of cathedrals in and around Paris, Provence would be fine for a second week. There are some churches of course, but they don't compare to those in Paris - they are charming, but not the archtectural marvels of Notre Dame, Ste. Chappelle, St. Sulpice, etc.

And yes, I'd suggest you get a car if you go to Provence. That will greatly simplify your wanderings in a beautiful part of the world. We got ours through Auto Europe (with the rental itself being a EuropCar auto).

When you have more questions feel free to post them. But you can also get a wealth of information simply by searching the site. There are a lot of Francophiles around here, virtually all of whom are happy to help.

Sam

knoxvillecouple

ShariB -

I meant to give you a link to photos of our trip (3 weeks, with a week each in Paris, Provence, and the Cote d'Azur). Go to:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/samandnancytravel

Sam

Michael

Since you never were in France, I would suggest that Normandy and the Loire valley or the Loire valley and Burgundy might be more appropriate than the Provence. The Provence would, in my opinion, contain reminders of Italy, whereas the other regions would not.

Generally I would suggest that you purchase the Michelin Green Guide to France, read about the different regions and make some educated choice on that basis.

twoflower

I too would second splitting the time between Paris and Avignon or Arles. There are some great cathedrals in Paris as a previous poster suggested (to which I would add St Denis), but some great ones in the outlying areas too: Amiens, Reims, Soissons, Noyons, Laon, Sens, Senlis... Obviously you can't do all of them and still do justice to Paris. If I had to narrow down to one, for sheer beauty, grace and ease of getting to by train, I would choose Chartres. Interesting town too - well worth a day trip.

zorrosf

My suggestions:

1. Try for an "open jaw" ticket, flying into Paris and back from Marseille, or vice versa.
2. St. Remy is a charming little town, close to Avignon, Arles, Gordes, Ile sur la Sorge, Les Baux, Rousillon and all the "perched villages" of the Luberon.
3. Use the TGV to travel between Paris and Provence. IMO, Provence sounds more like what you are looking for than the Loire Valley or Normandy, but you should do some internet research to find out for yourself.
4. You will definitely need a car in Provence, but can pick one up in Marseille and return it there too.

zeppole

Ile St Louis has at times been derided as an American colony because of all the Americans who -- when the dollar vs. the franc (yes, the franc!) was different -- bought up real estate there.

It is hard to find a more centrally located place to stay than Ile St Louis. You can walk to so many of the sites from there, and it is marvelously protected from a lot of the noise of Paris.

These people have lovely apartments on the Ile to rent, and provide English speaking concierge services. For a week's stay, it is sublime:

http://www.guestapartment.com/links.html


I wouldn't worry a great deal about needing English assistance in Paris. Among European capitals, Paris is the most readily understood by Americans, I think. Its restaurant culture, its transportation systems, etc. most closely resemble our urban habits.

I hope your trip will include the Basilica St Denis in Paris.

zeppole

PS ShariB, I know you didn't ask this, but have you any interest in combining Paris and Belgium (say, basing in Antwerpen)? That would be in lieu of Paris plus other parts of France. That's a car-free trip, if you were interested, although driving in France is a breeze.

goddesstogo

Hi ShariB,
I could barely bring myself to open your post, I'm so envious! We were newbies in France last year and I just loved it.

We were there for three weeks so our itinerary might not work for you but here's what we did:

Paris (1 week with a day trip to Versaille). We stayed at the Hotel Henri IV on Rue St. Jacques. Very nice little hotel, very good location, right across the Seine from Notre Dame.
Then we rented a car and visited:
- Auxerre (loved it! Hotel Le Parc des Marechaux was beautiful)
- Dijon (loved it too. Stayed at Coco's apartment, myhomeindijon -- excellent)
- Nice (stayed with a friend)
- Aix en Provence (went here by accident, long story. Can't remember the name of the hotel but it was on Rue Mirabeau and it was fine. Aix was my favourite place)
- St. Remy (stayed at Mas des Carrisins, very charming, good location, lovely town especially on market day)
- day trip to Avignon (not my favourite place, though others love it).

We left the car in Avignon and took the train back to Paris for one more day before going home.

I can't wait to read your plans as you make them!

Underhill

Given your husband's love of cathedrals, spend some time in Burgundy--there you will find Vézelay, important both historically and architecturally; Autun, a magnificent cathedral with carvings by Ghiselbertus; the ancient abbey of Fontenay...I could go on and on. While there are some interesting churches in Provence, they simply don't compare with those in Burgundy and, for another area, Normandy.

Normandy: the superb cathedral of Rouen and a number of smaller ones; the Abbey Road, with working abbeys (the church at Bec Helouin is amazing); ruins like Jumiège; and the "double" wooden church of Ste-Catherine at Honfleur. In Caen are the venerable Abbaye des Hommes and Abbaye des Dames, the latter realy beautiful.

Then, of course, there is Chartres, perhaps the finest of them all.

Michael

To whet your appetites:

http://tinyurl.com/5zbg7d

ira

Hi S,

> I'm thinking a week in Paris and maybe a week in Provence.

Sounds good to me.

DH will probably want to take a day to visit Chartres.

>should we rent a car or take a train?

Take the train to your Provence location and rent a car.

You might want to fly home from Lyon.

Enjoy your visit.

oakglen

Since this is your first visit to France, I would forget about the car and Provence. Take the train to Lyon for maybe 3 or 4 days and take guided bus tours to Chartres, Versailles, Rouen etc. Without language skills, stay at hotels. Many Paris hotels offer Cathedral views and are near other landmarks. Finally, read Polly Platt's books, they are funny, informative and will give you the 5 magic words.

zeppole

I can't disagree more with the above advice. There are very few areas of France that are not used to encountering hordes of English-speaking visitors, and places like small-quaint-Provence in particular are geared toward tourist services. Bed and breakfast are usually run by enterprising English-speaking individuals who take a great deal more interest in their guests than do hotels. If you want to rent an apartment, it will be plain on the website if the owners are English-speaking and nearby.

French roads are safe and straightforward, and well-signed.

A guided bus tour will miss many sights of exceptional interest (because they aren't the middle-brow must sees), will deprive the travelers of the joy of individual discovery and as often as not will end up steering you into mediocre restaurants and knick-knack shops.

StuDudley

I couldn't disagree with oakglen any more either. After a week in Paris - I would want to visit someplace that is completly different than Paris and someplace that is not a large city (Lyon is the second largest city in France - tied with Marseille).

Either Provence or the Dordogne would be my choises. Provence is easier to get to, so with the 3 hr TGV getting you there from Paris, and Marseille or Nice airports close by for your return - I think it's a perfect choice. There is an abundance of small cute villages there, but not many cathedrals like you'll find in Paris, Chartres, Rouen, etc. In Provence, I would not stay in Avignon - I strongly recommend staying in a small village & experiencing village life. We love the Luberon (Gordes, Roussillon, Bonnieux, etc), but St Remy would work fine also.

I have a 27 page itinerary for visiting Provence & Cote d'Azur. I've sent it to over 1,000 people on this forum & aol too. e-mail me at [email protected] if you want a copy.

Stu Dudley

hmmm

Ile St. Louis is a terrific place to stay. It is convenient to many of the sites tourists wish to visit (e.g., Notre Dame, St. Chappelle, Concergerie, and a string of world class and worthy museums such as the Louvre, the D'Orsay, the Picasso, and on...) and upscale without being over the top.

The main east-west metro line is a very short walk to the north [if you are in good health virtually everything worth seeing in Paris may be reached in a short amble from that metro line]. The buildings are pretty and many have historical significance. The western end is quiet.

We are planning a trip there for our family next year and will likely stay on the island. Won't go in summer, though.

You will have little trouble communicating in english in Paris, especially in areas frequented by tourists or young people.

Enjoy your trip.

mamc

I think a week in Paris and a week in Provence sounds wonderful. Provence was the first province we visited when we started our France traveling and it remains our favorite. Avignon is a great home base but you may also want to spend some time in a smaller town such as St. Remy or Arles. Take the train from Paris to Avignon and rent a car there. We divided our time between Avignon and Les Baux and were able to drive to all of the locations from those places. If you are traveling in June, stay at a place with a swimming pool - it is pure pleasure to return from a day of exploring and have a leisurely swim before venturing out for dinner.
Don't worry for a minute about the language. We have never had a problem anywhere in France and, though I wish it were otherwise, my French is rudimentary at best.
A hotel is more helpful than an apartment, especially on your first trip to Paris. The staff is normally very helpful with reservations and directions, etc. When you go the second time, and you will, you will probably feel sufficiently at home in the city to be comfortable in an apartment. I think the Ile de Saint-Louis is a charming area to stay. And definitely visit Chartres on a day trip from Paris.
We are going in September - Paris and the Dordogne - and I can't wait! You will have a wonderful time.
Let us hear from you as you firm up your plans.

ShariB

Thank you so much for all of your suggestions! I have more research to do on Provence, but then I'll be back with more questions!

Leely2

Just to throw in another opinion...

Did not read the whole thread but yes, you won't have a problem not speaking much French, although do try to learn a few courtesies. We have stayed on Ile Saint Louis, we rented from guestapartment.com. They were excellent in every way, although certainly not inexpensive.

I was briefly in Provence, enjoyed it thoroughly, thought it was very nice, etc., but it didn't wow me as parts of Italy had. Then I visited the Dordogne and the Lot. Now I think France has captured my heart!!! By the way, I am in my 30s, an urban-dwelling woman with a fairly strong interest in history, architecture and art (in that order, probably, if I have to choose).

Have a wonderful trip.