You have time for another area but perhaps not Provence. Provence is best seen with a car. You might try another region closer to Paris such as Normandy or the Loire Valley. We have had cars for both of these places but a couple of days could be done without a car.

Or, you could stay in Paris and take day trips such as Versailles, Giverny (Monet's gardens are spectacular in June) and Chartres, a small village west of Paris with a spectacular cathedral and easily reached by train. I think that is what I would do as Paris has so much to see that 4 days really isn't too much.

Villages would require a car to get to them and most likely will not provide liveliness. Villages are quiet and some don't have any shops.

For 24 year olds a city environment is best. You could spend a couple of days in Nice where you have good access to public transportation (trains/buses) that would enable you to get out of the city to surrounding towns.

If you do choose Nice I would start there and fly from Paris to Nice and then either fly back to Paris or take the train to Paris. You will already be at the airport when you arrive in Paris and I find that the first day I do very little sightseeing, especially after an overseas flight. You might as well continue to your farthest destination and work your way back to Paris to be near the airport at the end of the trip. I think you'll save some time that way. And you won't break up your time in Paris, leaving and returning.

If you decide to take the train back to Paris you can consider the night train and sleep on the train which I think is fun; especially at 24 years old you'll love it. Take lots of drinking water since water on trains is not potable. If you take the day train pack a great picnic lunch with wine and picnic on the train. Lots of people do this and the food you'll find in Nice will be much better than train food.

<< Is it even worth going for 2.5 Days? >>

Yes it is. You'll see a completely different part of France and I love the south.

June 6 - Versailles - I would leave the Versailles date loose as you'll want to visit on a clear (not rainy) day to wander the gardens and see Marie Antoinette's hamlet which is about a kilometer from the Palace.

An apartment in Paris is a good idea since it will give you room to spread out and you can keep snacks/breakfast foods which will help with expenses. In Nice try for a hotel in the charming old city.

Bon voyage!

Nice is nice. We are planning a couple weeks in Paris with day trips. We have seen a lot of France on a bus trip. You might enjoy my writeup from our France trip a few years ago on www.rimerson.com

Rob

I would skip VErsailles and either have another day in Paris--or in your alternate universe. OR keep the Versailles day "loose" and do it if you want once you are "in the groove" of Paris
You have time for your Provence trip--I agree you need to rent a car, but it should be a great add on.
Another possibility would be to rent a car on arrival at CDG and do Normandy. Wonderful seaside towns, the DDay beaches, and great countryside with good food and cheeses.
YOur first decision to cut down to "two" places is SO smart.

6 nights in Paris for your first visit is plenty, if you are organized. I would go to Rome. If you purchase the early special priced ticket, it is 35 Euros each way on the train. Only up to 120 days in advance.

Check http://paris.en.craigslist.fr/sub/ for sublets for the week in Paris.

Use air miles. Fly into Paris...fly home from Rome.

Thanks for the replies they are great.

I will definitely discuss this with my friend. I did not think about visiting Normandy and I don't know that much about the Loire Valley but will add these as options. While Nice seems lovely open jaws there are more expensive than a roundtrip flight and it seems like a long train ride.

My friend is pretty determined to see Versaille which we can do on any day. Maybe another 1/2 daytrip to Giverny to see the gardens?

It seems like the smartest idea would be to Arrive and immediately take the train out from the airport into the country then return to Paris to finish our trip and fly out again.

For those who have visited Provence, is it easier to navigate from Avignon or Aix-en Provence, on a few threads I saw that St-Remy? was a lovely place to stay. Also are the lavender fields in bloom this early?

Really appreciating the advice and wishing I had more time to visit all these places.

No, the lavender fields won't be at their best in June. You'll need a car for Provence to see villages, and Avignon is easier than Aix, IMO, and has more possibilities for getting around the Bouche-du-Rhône area, including St-Rémy.

Are you sure an open-jaw ticket is more expensive than flying into and out of Paris and spending money on the TGV to get to Provence? Are you looking at two one-way tickets instead of a "multi-city" ticket? A lot of people make that mistake.

If you are taking the TGV to Provence, you need to book online 3 months out from your travel dates to get the best prices (PREM tickets - deeply discounted but nonrefundable and nonexchangeable).

>>For those who have visited Provence, is it easier to navigate from Avignon or Aix-en Provence<<<

We've spent 18 weeks vacationing in Provence. Aix is not centrally located, IMO. Avignon is central, but there is lots of pretty ugly urban sprawl that might "tarnish" your image of Provence if when you head out & return from day trips.


>>on a few threads I saw that St-Remy? was a lovely place to stay.<<

IMO, there are more "lovely" village than St Remy (Uzes, Bonnieux, and Arles for example). But St Remy is popular with tourists because it is centrally located, easy to get in & out by car, has lots of cafes, restaurants, and shops to keep the visitor busy. It would be a good choice. I also like the Luberon (Gordes, Roussillon, Bonnieux, etc).

>>Also are the lavender fields in bloom this early?<

Nope - you are 3-4 weeks too early.

If you arrive in Paris on June 4 and depart on June 12 - that gives you only 7 1/2 good days in France. I would fly into CDG and immediately take the 3 hr TGV to the Avignon TGV station, rent a car, drive 30-40 mins to St Remy & stay there for half your nights. Take the TGV back to Paris and stay there for your remaining time. I would not plan a trip to Giverny - unless you are HUGE Monet fans. With only 3-4 nights in Paris - that's a lot of wasted travel time to get to Giverny, IMO. Also, plan on going to Versailles last (bet you'll choose not to leave Paris).

Do you have my 27 page Provence & Cote d'Azur itinerary?? I've sent it to over 3,000 people on Fodors. If you would like a copy, e-mail me at StuDudley@aol.com & I'll attach one the reply e-mail.

Stu Dudley

It's been a while since I've been to Avignon, Aix, and St-Remy but I would not call these towns lively although they are pretty. With only 2.5 days to explore this area you would definitely need to rent a car to get around.

Have you looked at low cost airlines for fares to Provence rather than the train?

I agree that there are many more lovely places than St-Rémy in Provence, but if you're a novice exploring the area, it meets all the basic criteria. I like Stu's plan.

>>Have you looked at low cost airlines for fares to Provence rather than the train?<<

When we go to Provence, we never fly from CDG to Marseille (closest "real" airport). The TGV takes 3 hrs from CDG to the Avignon TGV station - which is much closer to St Remy than the Marseille airport (plus you don't have to wait for your bags on the TGV). I also find the train to be very relaxing after a transatlantic flight. I don't want to get into another airplane.

On the return to Paris, it is a 2 3/4 hr trip from Avignon to the "center" of Paris. CDG & Orly have the baggage claim, security, & transportation into Paris issues.

Prem fares on the TGV are usually around 40Es.

Stu Dudley

With only 20 days I think I would spend them in Paris and plan some day trips from Paris. Do a search on this forum for Paris day trip and you can get more ideas.

I would also recommend an apartment if you can arrange it.

Sorry, ....With only 11 days....

If coming from North America, you can easily fly into either Nice or Marseille. A plane change will be required, probably at Charles de Gaulle depending on your airline, but it will cost you very little extra over deplaning in CdG for Paris, and you save the TGV fare. A night at your arrival city, then two nights in Avignon, easily reached by train and full of history. Then the TGV to Paris which is so fast that you will have a half-day in the big city after the train arrives. Then home from Paris, which is what open-jaws or multi-city tickets allow -- and, to repeat, for very little more than flying to and from the same airport.

First, I think you should definitely do open jaws flights. You can fly directly from the US to either Paris or Nice - and vice versa. (If you have to make a plane change to do this IMHO it's probably better to do this in the US than in europe - CDG is not a fun place.) If you look at multi-destination flights you will see that the cost is't any higher and it will save you a day of your very limited time.

If it were me I would fly into Paris - since you won't have to deal with a car right away. You can then take the TGV south and pick up a car there to explore a small part of Provence - and then fly home from Nice.