slogdog

<# Thanks to all who posted on my original# # message. But I thought I might get some # #more suggestions if I posted differently.#>



My wife and I are planning our own Tour de France next summer. It will be both our first time there. We will have 12 days to explore the whole country, and I want to see it all! or as much as possible. More than hitting all the cathedrals, chateaux, champagne/wine houses we are interested in just soaking in all of France via the back roads and not so much on the expressway, and then try to find a particular region to go back to.

Here are my thoughts on an itinerary.
Day 1:Arrive a.m. Paris Stay the day and night,
Day 2: Drive to Reims one day/night there,
Day 3: Metz or Nancy
Day 4: Strasbourg or Colmar
Day 5: Dijon/Lyon
Day 6: Dignes Les Bain
Day 7: Provance-Alpes-Cote d'Azure PAC
Day 8: Biaaritz
Day 9: Bourdeax
Day 10: Tours/Blois
Day 11-12: Paris

Is thid do-able? or should I concentrate on two-3 specific regions. Here is what I Must see:
Paris: Louvre, Notre Dame.
In the Country: Chatres, Chambourd, Usse,

Other than that I am open, I just want as I said before to experience all that I can in France, I love it so much. No place has ever pulled me to it so much as France has.

Thanks for you help.
Sean

Underhill

This sounds like the Tour d'Exhaustion! Have you factored in travel time from one region to another? Otherwise all you're going to see is the road as you zip along from one place to the next, but that would be the real Tour de France and perhaps that's what you want to emulate. Keep in mind that the tour participants travel by train and air part of the way.

For instance: one day for Provence, the Alps (presumably French alps?), and the Côte d'Azur--not possible! Provence is a huge region, and it will take a full day to drive from east to west with perhaps 2 short stops along the way.

With 12 days, you could spend time in Paris and two other regions and have a chance to explore all three just a bit.

Underhill

There's a duplicate thread by the same poster.

jules4je7

I think you should divide your trip into a half-day per city, then you could see twice as much as you already have listed. I mean, why bother spending a whole day somewhere?

Seriously -- The only thing you'll be soaking in on a schedule like that is the fumes of the car in front of you as you drive crazily from place to place.

I'd suggest re-thinking your plans or tripling the amount of time you have.

Jules

crefloors

My first and last response is: you can't be serious..can you?

Christina

Do you realize how big France is? How can you even think about spending one day in Provence and then one day (the very next) in Biarritz? On Day five, you plan to tour both Lyon and Dijon?

Maybe check a map, perhaps you think these places are within 50 miles of each other, especially since you plan to travel on the backroads and not use expressways.

Travelnut

Rather than take anyone's word, please go to www.mappy.com or www.viamichelin.com and enter your itinerary. This will put a practical face on your trip expectations.

p.s. "soaking" implies stillness, at rest, absorbing...not driving, moving, changing
p.p.s. the fun of having France 'pull you in' is to come back numerous times

Catbert

I think we need to give Sean some credit for the second part of his question:

<i>Or should I concentrate on two-3 specific regions.</i>

Yes, concentrate on two (or three) areas; Paris for several days, the Loire Valley for a few days and maybe Lyon and the Rhone area. You'll get a nice blend of cities and countryside.

adeben

I'm obviously not as kind as most of the posters above: I think this is the dumbest schedule I've ever seen posted.

amwosu

****We will have 12 days to explore the whole country, and I want to see it all!***

I know it's tempting to think that way but you will be making a big mistake with this type of attitude and itinerary.

Focus on just a couple places if you want to really see France. What you have planned will only move you about the entire country without actually seeing anything! Being on a highway in France ain't much different than being on a highway in Indiana from my observations (well, except the barns are older).

Underhill

Sean,

You say you want to see Chartres, Chambord, and Usse, but you don't have the Loire Valley in your itinerary. If you were to spend four days in the Ile de France (including Paris) that would knock off the specifics on your list, and the remaining eight days could be spent elsewhere.

Catbert

Tours and Blois (day 10) are the Loire Valley.

Underhill

But they're not where Chambord and Usse are!