geojenn

Hey Fodorites,

I need a little help with a South of France itinerary. I am going to France for 2 and a half weeks at the begingig of May. I already have 10 nights at the beginning booked at a apartment in the Marais District of Paris. I need to figure out what to do with the last week.

fThe idea is to spend a few nights in 2 or 3 places in the South of France, and do day trips by car. The emphasis is leisurely exploration and to not cramp too much in. I am especially interested in any beautiful historical town or city, markets, gardens, architecture, geological formations ( I am a Geologist), and beautiful easy hikes (we don't want to bring gear besides hiking boots). The one must do for this region is a spa town with a great hammam that is not too expensive. Our budget is flexible, we like to stay in one really amazing hotel in one town, and a reasonable one in the other. Although we love art, museums are not a huge draw for us, we would rather explore the beautiful towns and history that inspired it. Museums are for rainy days.

Thanks a lot! Happy Travelling!

Jenn

StCirq

The south of France is enormous. Are you thinking of Provence? Côte d'Azur? Languedoc-Roussillon? Dordogne? Pyrénées? Pays Basque?

PalenQ

Sarlat-la-Canada is at the epicenter of caves including caves hewn into rocky cliffs along rivers. A place for spa style is Vichy, indeed one of the primo spa/thermal resorts in Europe - well known for its Vichy water.

Sarlat is a great base for the Dordogne with several old 'bastides' - ancient towns whose rectangular grids hark back to their Roman origins that cap hills over looking the river.

The Gouffre de Padriac is a huge cave system that is one of the most famous in Europe - could hit on way east of Sarlat.

cigalechanta

If you decide on Provence, it's a wealth of what you want to see. There are two famous Provencal gardens in Provence. One in Bonnieux, Jardin de La Louve, the other in villeneuve-lez-Avignon. There are many Roman ruins through out This wonderful area, a good guide should help you. The beautiful architecture is everywhere as are the markets. You can find on line, the markets days in each village and town.

Pvoyageuse

In the eastern Pyrenees near Perpignan :
Several Hot water springs and spas among which http://www.thalasseo.com/molitg-les-...ci=X43&c.re=lr

Caves : www.3grottes.com/index2.html
http://www.fontrabiouse.fr/

Hoodoos : http://www.ille-sur-tet.com/le_touri...ues/orgues.htm

2 Vauban fortresses (Unesco WOrld Heritage) in Villefranche de Conflent and Mont-Louis :
http://mont-louis.net/
http://www.villefranchedeconflent.com/

Cathinjoetown

Geo,

Per St Cirq, you need to narrow your focus then look at some of the suggestions for various regions or departments.

A week will go so quickly, I would choose 2 bases at most, preferably one, particularly if travel days from Paris and back are part of your 7 days.

geojenn

Excellent tips. We are looking at booking a thalasseo spa in the Pyrenees. I'm just going to sit on it for a few days.

I completely agree with you guys about not trying to do too much. I think we are going to pick one more location in Provence that is near historical sites and in a beautiful country setting. Perhaps Provence?

Although I am dying to explore the caves, my boyfriend has a very low tolerance for thing geology related. I talked him into exploring the caves in Western Australia in December. The caves of france can wait for another trip.

StCirq

The caves of France that most people first think of aren't really all that geology-related. They are the chromatic caves, so much more works of art than rock formations. But I wouldn't have suggested the Dordogne for this trip anyway, based on what you said you were interested in.

You might want to take a look at the Cabro d'Or thallasotherapy spa in Les Baux-de-Provence.