lauraallais

Hi there. My husband and I are beginning to plan a trip to France in May 2008. I would love any feedback on our tentative plan.

A little background – we will be 29 (me) and 35 (him), and we live in Northern California. I have been to France a few times, with most of the time spent in Paris and a few days in Nice. He has never been. We don’t need to hit all the tourist attractions (I really don’t care to go back to the Louvre, etc.), but we are looking for a fun and unique experience. We will have to hit some of the Paris “must-sees” because he has never been. We like food, wine, taking walks/hikes, looking through shops and galleries, markets, soaking in ambience, meeting new people… Really, just having fun together, because if all goes according to plan, we hope that this will be our last vacation before we start a family. We don’t need major nightlife, but a few evenings of hearing live music, hanging out at café, etc. would be nice.

Here is the plan so far:

Timeframe: May 17th through May 30th (I checked – we will be avoiding the May holidays)
Day 1: In transit
Day 2: Arrive Paris. We are considering staying in a vacation apartment rental. I like the look of one called “Home in Montmartre” at sharingourhomes.com. I am also kind of interested in the b&b options from “Meeting the French.” Does anyone know anything about them?
Days 3-5: In Paris. St. Chapelle, Notre Dame, Musee D’Orsay, Versailles, wandering around, eating, shopping, etc.
Day 6: TGV from Paris to Aix-en-Provence. Pick up rental car at Aix train station. I am leaning toward the b&b Les Clos des Freres Gris for accommodations.
Days 7 & 8: Explore Aix area (suggestions?)
Day 9: Drive to somewhere on French or Italian Riviera (between Nice and Genoa). I would like to stay somewhere less urban than Nice. I am considering Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (Hotel le duex freres). Any feedback there? Any other suggestions?
Day 10: Lounge around/explore beach/town.
Day 11: Drive (via Italy) to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. My husband really wants to experience the Alps. I have stayed in Gryon, Switzerland before and loved it, but we’d like to be somewhere close to Geneva (airport). There are three chalet options I am considering – Chalet La Sache, Chalet La Lune and Maison Jaune. I have confirmed that Chalet La Sache and Maison Jaune offer nightly b&b options.
Days 12 & 13: Hike, lounge around chalet, explore Chamonix.
Day 14: Drive to Geneva airport, fly home.

Thanks so much in advance for your feedback and advice.

Laura

lauraallais

Did I do something wrong with this post? I notice that other posts receive replies very quickly. I'm afraid mine is getting buried. Any feedback on my plan?

Thanks much.

annhig

hi, laura,

please don't develop a complex - some threads get lots of hits, others very few, and not much rhyme or reason to it, often.

I think your mistake has probably been being too sensible - your route and planning look great and you haven't made the mistake of trying to cram in too much, so nothing to flame you for!

Basically, you've done too good a job already!

you could try asking some more specifics, about accommodation, etc. and see if that gets a better response.

regards, ann

TuckH

You did nothing wrong...

You'll want to check on the drop off charges for the rental car. Geneva airport is of course in Switzerland; I think there might be a way to return it "in France" (same country of registry) as you're right on the border.

Do you intend to reach Chamonix by way of Aosta and Courmayeur? A better way IMO, is on the French side through Briançon, over the Col du Galibier, through Annecy to Chamonix.

For the Mediterranean area, I'd suggest you explore the Calanques near Cassis, then a stop at St-Tropez before heading northward through the Var (around Fayence).

lauraallais

Yay! I got feedback. Thank you both.

I believe we can drop off the car on the French side of the Geneva airport. I will look into it further.

Anyone have experience with this?

TuckH - I came up with the Italy route because that was recommended by Google maps and Michelin as the best way to get from the Nice area to Chamonix. The Cassis area looks lovely, and I will research it a bit more. I originally picked something farther East because those towns looked like they offered more of a terraced hilly village atmosphere - something that appeals to me. Any thoughts there?

Also, if anyone has stayed in any of the accomodations I've mentioned above, I'd love feedback.

Thanks again.

Michael

Change day 11. If your husband wants to experience the Alps, you should take the roads closest to the Italian border going from Nice to Briançon to Chamonix. But that will take at least two days (I did it in two days 40 years ago) and would be best done in three days. You will be going over 5 or 6 high mountain passes, each one with a different character.

suze1

We're also planning a trip to Paris and the Provence and the Riviera. I looked up the reviews on Les Deux Freres on Trip Advisor, they all say that it's very noisy and that there's an echo because of the location. They said they couldn't sleep at night. Just thought you might want to know that before you book.

lauraallais

Thanks Suze1. Did you come across a different place in the region that looked better?

lauraallais

Thanks Michael. While my husband may want to experience the alps, it won't be at the expense of me having to be riding in the car as we drive through mountains for 2-3 days

We live close to Lake Tahoe in California and get lots of opportunities to drive through mountains - thought I know the Sierras are different from the Alps.

I would much prefer to get to one pretty alpine location, stay in a nice chalet, drink wine on a scenic deck, take walks and enjoy the mountain atmosphere.

The pictures on from the web sites of the chalets I'm considering make it seem that I would be able to find this at those places. Please take a look: antjamski.com is one and maison-jaune.com is the other. Any thoughts?

TuckH

The French Riviera is crowded and upscale - not a good idea IMO. Also too far east.

On your way north, you'll find pretty villages in the Var - Fayence, Seillans, Mons, Bargème, etc.

Further on, look for Barcelonnette. If time permits, check out the Queyras region and St-Véran, the highest village in the Alps.

Annecy is a picturesque town; so is Yvoire, once you approach Lake Geneva.

This is NOT a one-day trip BTW.

For days 7 & 8, try to get at least one day into the Luberon area for your 'terraced hilly village atmosphere', namely any one or more of the following: Gordes, Joucas, Roussillon, Bonnieux, Lacoste, Saignon, etc.

lauraallais

I've been thinking about this over the weekend. Here's my latest thought:
4 nights Paris
TGV to Aix, drive to St-Tropez
2 nights St-Tropez
Drive to Aix
3 nights Aix
Drive up from Aix to Chamonix (through France) Stop at Annecy on the way.
3 nights Chamonix
Fly home from Geneva

Would this work better?
Thanks everyone. You have been very helpful.

rhkkmk

all that and versailles in one day....i don't think so....

look at villefranche sur mer near to nice...

lauraallais

all that and versailles in one day....i don't think so....

look at villefranche sur mer near to nice...


khkkmk,
Thank you for the feedback. Others who responded to this post thought the pace was good. What part do you think is undoable?

I actually was seriously considering villefranche sur mer, but I switched to St-Tropez because it is closer to Aix. Plus, I was warned away from going up to Chamonix via Italy, and that's the way Michelin pointed me from villefranche sur mer.

I thought I was actually simplifying things

suze1

Your itinerary is a lot like what I'm planning, 4 days in Paris, take the TGV to Avignon, rent a car, 4 days in Bonnieux, then go to Hotel Welcome in Villefranche-sur-mer or Clair Logis in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat for 4 nights. Both of those places sound nice.

I did all the mileage on Via Michelin,from Bonnieux to Villifranche-sur-Mer ist 260KM or 161 miles, not bad.