Oh, forgot to mention. I spent a week in Paris a couple of years ago, and while I am sure I could find a way to occupy my time there, I am looking for somewhere new.

OK. For starters, what is SJPDP?

St. Jean Pied de Porte, which is where I need to end up. (I really should learn to proofread better )

You would have no problem finding plenty to do there.
Mont St. Michel is sort of "out there" for that short time.
could you rent a car for a tour of Normandy?
You could go to the Loire for a few days from Paris.
Stay in Paris and do day trips, and then go to Bordeaux, IF you can't find enough to do in Paris.

Why not go to the Dordogne? Take the train to Brive and pick up a car there.

Or, TGV to Toulouse, spend two nights, maybe Pau and on to St. Jean. If you are doing the camino for religious reasons, there's always Lourdes. It will probably be mobbed at Easter so timing would important.

From Bordeaux you could take a few days to spend time along the coast in Biarritz, Bayonne, St Jean de Luz, approaching St Jean from that direction.

No "e' on the end of St-Jean-Pied-de-Port.

I'd go to Belgium, but how much money do you have? If not much, how about Marseille or thereabouts? At least there is some chance it won't be cold and wet there. Avignon might be very nice to explore, and then you'd have fairly easy transportation connections to SJPdP.

If you get a car, you might be interested in our short tour of the Atlantic coast and Basque country south of Bordeaux:

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/trip-report-bordeaux-aquitaine-midi-dordogne-paris-june-2011.cfm

Take a train to La Rochelle and from there explore and go out to Ile de Ré. You'll be halfway to SJPDP and have some wonderful territory to explore. Or go to Bayonne or Biarritz.

It makes NO sense to me to go east to Marseilles or Avignon. Why do that, when you have the entire Atlantic coast to explore and much easier train connections to get you where you actually want to go?

One does not kill days in France. One lives them to the fullest.

Bravo Kerouac !!

...in France or anywhere else.

Here is what I would perhaps do:

- Arrive at CDG and imm ediatly take the TGV to Montpellier & visit. Stay 2 nights.

- Take the TGV to Toulouse, and stay 2 nights.

Here is what I would do:

- Land at CDG and immediately take the TGV to Montpellier & stay 2 nights. It's a 4 hr train trip to Montpellier - no train changes

- Take the TGV to Toulouse & stay 2 nights. Train leaves at 10 & arrives at 12:15 - no train changes.

- Take the TGV to Bordeaux & stay 1 night. Many departures - 2 hr trip.

- Take the train (1 train change) to St Jean PdP. Train leaves at 7:47 & arrives at 12:07

Note that the Bordeaux train station is not in an area where I would stay - so you might have to get a hotel closer to the city center. Train departure is early the next morning.

All these train schedules are for a Friday - so check the schedules for your specific days. The train from Toulouse to St Jean is slow & has many changes.

Toulouse is one of my "top 5" cities in France - and Montpellier is close behind. We were in Bayonne, Biarritz, and St Jean this past June (for the second or more time - each) and I prefer the cities I recommended above instead of Bayonne or Biarritz - especially in early April.

Stu Dudley

For March, I'd much rather be in Montpellier (or Marseilles or any place south). If I didn't care about weather, I'd go to Belgium. Or Amsterdam. Or London. But not on a tight budget.

I was going to say the same thing as Kerouac, One doesn't kill days in Paris. Give them to me, there's so much to see, to explore, to taste, to be amazed, to be entertained, to decide, to discover to enjoy. "Paris is a poem pressed into service as a city."

Thanks folks for all your replies. You have certainly given me some options to think about.

I won't be renting a car, which does limit my options a little bit. Also, Belgium and London are going in the wrong direction, so probably not the best fit for the time I have.

Sorry for my poorly chosen wording in posing the question.

Another vote for savoring (not killing) some time In Toulouse. And maybe a day in, or day trip to, Albi. Enjoy!

glenmd,

Go to wherever appeals to you in late March but bear in mind that direction matters less than connection -- meaning, some places have excellent fast transportation connections that can ultimately get you to St Jean Pied de Port, and others closer on a map and less kms in distance can turn out to mean a lot of complicated or uncomfortable transport in Spring (as apparently you had already discovered when you started this thread). Budget is usually a consideration as well (but not always).

Another vote for savoring (not killing) some time In Toulouse. And maybe a day in, or day trip to, Albi. Enjoy!

Toulouse could be used as a base for various day trips via public transportation: Albi, Moissac with its abbey church, Montauban and its 17th cent. Place Nationale and the musée Ingres, and of course Carcassonne.

I walked the Camino in Sept 2011 - wonderful experience. Look after your feet and don't push yourself for the first two weeks, after that you will be flying!

I flew from the UK to Toulouse for a night there, then took a train to St Jean, (just the one change in Bayonne) so would certainly suggest visiting Toulouse.

StuDudley's suggestions are good, though consider Lyon, then Le Puy (which forms part of the Camino in France http://www.csj.org.uk/route-le-puy.htm ), then Toulouse???

Glenmd, you had me at "Sorry for my..."

Hope you have a wonderful, well-planned trip~

Another vote for Le Puy which is also a pilgrimage town -- quite interesting and very friendly. Doesn't see a whole lot of tourists other than pigrims.

We also liked St. Jean de Luz on the coast, a pretty little seaside town that should be quite peaceful at that time of the year. Maybe a good place to relax before tackling the trail.

I envy you walking the Camino -- have a wonderful adventure!

OK, for the record, I settled on 4 nights in Toulouse and 2 in Bordeaux.

Thanks for the assistance and especially for the good wishes. The Camino is the point of this trip, and so very different from my usual vacations. Usually I have everything planned out in some detail, but the only plan I have after stepping out the door of the albergue in St Jean Pied de Port is to arrive in Santiago de Compostela. It might take 4 weeks, it might take 6 (or even 7), I will see as I go.

You do realize that you've done it again, right? You've "settled" for Toulouse and Bordeaux. Poor guy.

I hope you enjoy your experience of the Camino, no matter how long it takes, and I hope you enjoy your time in Toulouse and Bordeaux, too.

BTW, I had a delightful meal in Toulouse at Le 19 back in 2011. Don't know if it's still worth considering.

Last year ('12) we had a great meal at Christain Constant's Bibent on the main square in Toulouse. We've had some nice dinners at Emile too. Best meal was near the airport at L'Amphitryon.

Stu Dudley

kja,

lol. I said settled on (as in, made a decision), not settled for (which indeed would imply accepting a less than ideal choice, and would probably lead to Kerouac meeting me at the airport to prevent my entering the country.)