Trip to Paris, Loire Valley, & Switzerland
Sep 13th, 2012, 05:35 AM
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Trip to Paris, Loire Valley, & Switzerland
We are planning a trip to France and would like to do a road trip between Paris, the Loire Valley, and also get over to Switzerland for a few days. We are looking at doing it in 8-9 days. Can you make suggestions on a good itinerary for a trip like that? I think we would like to end the trip with a couple days in Paris as that is where we will travel in and out of by plane.
Sep 13th, 2012, 08:02 AM
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As with most newbe posters, you want to go too many places in too short of a time. Your logistics aren't so good. Get out a map and look at distances. You almost can't get "there from here" with your trip choices.
Do the 8-9 days include any transportation, such as arrival or departures?
From my perspective, you could spend 8-9 months and still not know Paris.
Once you get to the Loire Valley, you will really need a car.
Do the 8-9 days include any transportation, such as arrival or departures?
From my perspective, you could spend 8-9 months and still not know Paris.
Once you get to the Loire Valley, you will really need a car.
Sep 13th, 2012, 08:26 AM
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I've done
Loire Valley
Bourges (fine old regional town)
Burgundy
Vezelay - UNESCO World Heritage Site that was once one of medieval Europe's most thriving pilgrimage site - now an untouched ancient town on a hill with the famous basilica that housed the holy relic (until the relic was exposed as a fake and the pilgrim trade drived up leaving Vezelay to slumber along undeveloped...
Dijon - nice larger city
Route des vin Bourgognae - marked road thru heart of Burgudny Wine District - via neat old wine towns like Nuits-Saints-Georges and larger ones like Beaun
then over to Switzerland - either to Geneva or up to Chamonix, France, one of the premier Alpine resorts and then a dramatic drive from there down to Martigny, Switzerland - close to either Zermatt or the fabulous Jungfrau Region, to me the absolute high point of Switzerland both figuratively and literally for the average traveler.
Loire Valley
Bourges (fine old regional town)
Burgundy
Vezelay - UNESCO World Heritage Site that was once one of medieval Europe's most thriving pilgrimage site - now an untouched ancient town on a hill with the famous basilica that housed the holy relic (until the relic was exposed as a fake and the pilgrim trade drived up leaving Vezelay to slumber along undeveloped...
Dijon - nice larger city
Route des vin Bourgognae - marked road thru heart of Burgudny Wine District - via neat old wine towns like Nuits-Saints-Georges and larger ones like Beaun
then over to Switzerland - either to Geneva or up to Chamonix, France, one of the premier Alpine resorts and then a dramatic drive from there down to Martigny, Switzerland - close to either Zermatt or the fabulous Jungfrau Region, to me the absolute high point of Switzerland both figuratively and literally for the average traveler.
Sep 13th, 2012, 08:33 AM
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Hi lia -
If you delete Switzerland, you have a reasonable trip.
You could spend your first few days in Paris. Then either rent a car in Paris (I have done this) or take the train to Tours and rent your car there (I have not done this).
Renting the car in say Montparnasse gives you an easy drive south toward the Loire Valley. We stopped in Chartres for the cathedral, a little shopping, and lunch. In the Loire valley we stayed at a smallish chateau just outside of Amboise called the Chateua du Pray. Loved it. Amboise itself is a nice town and very convenient.
With your time constraints, I would spend 2 days in the Loire Valley, not including the drive down there and back. Maybe 3 days.
Do some research and find the places that most appeal to you. Definitely see Chambord and Chenonceaux, but there are lots of other places, and what you will want to see depends on your interests. We liked Cheverny for the lived in atmosphere and the weird hunting dogs, and Villandry's beautiful formal gardens. If you enjoy Angevin history, then Fontevraud Abbey should be on your list. Just depends on you.
I will say that what you do not want to do is see 10 chateaux in 2 days.
Then back to Paris for a few more days before your flight.
If you delete Switzerland, you have a reasonable trip.
You could spend your first few days in Paris. Then either rent a car in Paris (I have done this) or take the train to Tours and rent your car there (I have not done this).
Renting the car in say Montparnasse gives you an easy drive south toward the Loire Valley. We stopped in Chartres for the cathedral, a little shopping, and lunch. In the Loire valley we stayed at a smallish chateau just outside of Amboise called the Chateua du Pray. Loved it. Amboise itself is a nice town and very convenient.
With your time constraints, I would spend 2 days in the Loire Valley, not including the drive down there and back. Maybe 3 days.
Do some research and find the places that most appeal to you. Definitely see Chambord and Chenonceaux, but there are lots of other places, and what you will want to see depends on your interests. We liked Cheverny for the lived in atmosphere and the weird hunting dogs, and Villandry's beautiful formal gardens. If you enjoy Angevin history, then Fontevraud Abbey should be on your list. Just depends on you.
I will say that what you do not want to do is see 10 chateaux in 2 days.
Then back to Paris for a few more days before your flight.
Sep 13th, 2012, 10:38 AM
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Doing 3 places in the limited time you have just won't work. Agree to either do the Loire as a day trip from Paris ( a long day but it will give you the flavor and avoid renting a car) or stay there 2 or 3 nights.
If you want to spend a couple of days in the Loire you really need to rent a car since most of the chateaux are in the deep countryside or the tiniest of villages - often with no train service and a bus once or twice a day.
If you want to spend a couple of days in the Loire you really need to rent a car since most of the chateaux are in the deep countryside or the tiniest of villages - often with no train service and a bus once or twice a day.
Sep 13th, 2012, 02:27 PM
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a road trip between Paris, the Loire Valley, and also get over to Switzerland for a few days. We are looking at doing it in 8-9 days>
For 8-9 days I think that is a wonderful plan - most folks tire of the Loire Valley - not nearly the most scenic nor bucolic part of France by a long shot - after a few days of touring sometimes boring interiors of countless chateaus.
But meandering via Burgudny to Switzerland is really nice and in say 6 days it can be leisurely. IMO you do not have to stay a week in every little place you stop - Americans do not do that at home so why do so many Americans recommend that in say Europe? This is a leisurely motoring trip - do check on drop off rates for dumping the car in Switzerland and perhaps plan on driving back into France to return it.
For 8-9 days I think that is a wonderful plan - most folks tire of the Loire Valley - not nearly the most scenic nor bucolic part of France by a long shot - after a few days of touring sometimes boring interiors of countless chateaus.
But meandering via Burgudny to Switzerland is really nice and in say 6 days it can be leisurely. IMO you do not have to stay a week in every little place you stop - Americans do not do that at home so why do so many Americans recommend that in say Europe? This is a leisurely motoring trip - do check on drop off rates for dumping the car in Switzerland and perhaps plan on driving back into France to return it.
Sep 13th, 2012, 02:31 PM
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My brother-in-law and his wife are on their way home from a very similar trip (starting and ending in Zurich). They arrived and spent the first night in Zurich so they could rest a bit, then got in their car and drove to Paris. I'm not sure where they stayed or how long they were there. From Paris they did some French countryside, and ended up in Luzern for their last 2-3 days. It was their first trip to Europe, and they were having a wonderful time when we talked with them on the phone.
So, I'd have to say, YES it is do-able in that amount of time.
So, I'd have to say, YES it is do-able in that amount of time.
Sep 13th, 2012, 02:33 PM
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Flying in and out of Paris wastes one of your very few days. Much better to fly into Paris and out of wherever you will end up.
IMHO if you have never been to Pars it needs at least 5 days -with 3 in the Loire - that is your trip. You can do Switz instead - but in a total of 8 or 9 days NOT all three.
Unless I am misreading you and you have 8 or 9 days to travel after you have spend however long in Paris - rather than 8 or 9 all together.
And don;t agree about not going places for several days. When I am going to a city for the first time I always spend 4 or 5 days there - more if it's really major. After you've been several times fewer days makes sense - but IMHO a first trip to NY or DC or Boston or SF should be at lest 4 or 5 days.
IMHO if you have never been to Pars it needs at least 5 days -with 3 in the Loire - that is your trip. You can do Switz instead - but in a total of 8 or 9 days NOT all three.
Unless I am misreading you and you have 8 or 9 days to travel after you have spend however long in Paris - rather than 8 or 9 all together.
And don;t agree about not going places for several days. When I am going to a city for the first time I always spend 4 or 5 days there - more if it's really major. After you've been several times fewer days makes sense - but IMHO a first trip to NY or DC or Boston or SF should be at lest 4 or 5 days.
Sep 14th, 2012, 10:25 AM
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My understanding was that the OP has 8-9 days for Paris, the Loire Valley, and Switzerland. All 3 in 8-9 days.
But if the intent is to start in Paris and spend 8-9 days doing a leisurely drive from the Loire Valley to Switzerland, then that's reasonable.
But if the intent is to start in Paris and spend 8-9 days doing a leisurely drive from the Loire Valley to Switzerland, then that's reasonable.
Sep 14th, 2012, 10:34 AM
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I read it as 8-9 days for all three places, too. Not possible or reasonable, even if you limit your time in the Loire, which I would. Switzerland is the outlier here, so I'd drop it. You could spend 5 days in Paris, 2 in the Loire, and a day for, say, Chartres and Giverny...or Versailles.
Sep 19th, 2012, 07:08 PM
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>most folks tire of the Loire Valley - not nearly the most scenic nor bucolic part of France by a long shot -<
>even if you limit your time in the Loire, which I would.<
>I'd drop the Loire, myself,<
I couldn't have said it better. We did a 7 day bike trip in the Loire Valley a few months ago. It was a guided tour (the guides were tremendous) that featured the best of the lodging and eating establishments in the region. We didn't just trust the tour operator, we checked out lodging and restaurants through professional and on-line reviewers, and all were rated at the tops in the region. Horrifyingly expensive, but would have been worth it had the food and/or service been good. After 2 days we were thinking about getting on a plane and going home and were very happy when our time in the region was over.
We found the food in Loire Valley to range from below average to inedible. I actually got up and left one highly recommended restaurant (of course I paid for the inedible meal before departing) to try to find something edible, ended up in a divy pizza joint that was better than the "good" restaurant I left but still pretty bad. My advice to anyone visiting the region is to take lots of granola bars and buy cheese and bread at the local shops.
The scenery is nice but pretty much the same day after day. The chateaux are interesting but after a couple of them that's quite enough.
The service in even very upscale hotels and restaurants ranged from okay to outrageously bad. We now replay some of the scenes with friends we were traveling with and laugh hysterically. Wasn't too funny at the time.
When we mentioned to our daughter (who lived in Paris for 6 years, has a Masters Degree from L'Ecole Polytechnique, speaks fluent French, has a French husband, and has travelled extensively throughout the country) that we had a less-than -ideal trip to France this year she asked, "Oh, where did you go?" When we told her Loire Valley there was a long pause. "I wish you had told me that's where you were going. I would have suggested you go somewhere else."
We love France, but Loire Valley is not representative of the rest of the country IMO. Go somewhere else.
>even if you limit your time in the Loire, which I would.<
>I'd drop the Loire, myself,<
I couldn't have said it better. We did a 7 day bike trip in the Loire Valley a few months ago. It was a guided tour (the guides were tremendous) that featured the best of the lodging and eating establishments in the region. We didn't just trust the tour operator, we checked out lodging and restaurants through professional and on-line reviewers, and all were rated at the tops in the region. Horrifyingly expensive, but would have been worth it had the food and/or service been good. After 2 days we were thinking about getting on a plane and going home and were very happy when our time in the region was over.
We found the food in Loire Valley to range from below average to inedible. I actually got up and left one highly recommended restaurant (of course I paid for the inedible meal before departing) to try to find something edible, ended up in a divy pizza joint that was better than the "good" restaurant I left but still pretty bad. My advice to anyone visiting the region is to take lots of granola bars and buy cheese and bread at the local shops.
The scenery is nice but pretty much the same day after day. The chateaux are interesting but after a couple of them that's quite enough.
The service in even very upscale hotels and restaurants ranged from okay to outrageously bad. We now replay some of the scenes with friends we were traveling with and laugh hysterically. Wasn't too funny at the time.
When we mentioned to our daughter (who lived in Paris for 6 years, has a Masters Degree from L'Ecole Polytechnique, speaks fluent French, has a French husband, and has travelled extensively throughout the country) that we had a less-than -ideal trip to France this year she asked, "Oh, where did you go?" When we told her Loire Valley there was a long pause. "I wish you had told me that's where you were going. I would have suggested you go somewhere else."
We love France, but Loire Valley is not representative of the rest of the country IMO. Go somewhere else.
Sep 19th, 2012, 07:24 PM
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In May we spent 5 nights in Paris, rented a car and spent three nights at a great manoir house in Amboise. It was a perfect vacation. No, we didn't see everything in Paris , but it was a great taste. We will go back. The three nights in the Loire were enough for a first visit - toured three chateaus and drove around the countryside.
Sep 20th, 2012, 04:31 AM
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Have to say that we had a very different experience than KimSanJose in the Loire Valley. We spent 3 nights there this past summer with our daughter & her French fiance, & we had a wonderful trip. All of our meals were delicious, and we had great service, too. I wonder if going on a guided tour is why they had such horrible food? We chose the restaurants we wanted to go to based on menus and our future SIL's opinions. A tour operator did not choose the restaurants for us, so that could be the problem. anyways, we loved all the meals we had.
We also like the two hotels we stayed in, one in Blois & one in Chinon. They were reasonably priced & service was fine. BTW, we don't stay in high-end places.
We saw 3 chateaus, which I agree is enough. More than that & you probably get bored & don't appreciate them. We also stopped in tiny, quaint, pretty villages. Our future SIL had a list of the 100 prettiest villages in France, so he knew where to go.
We also like the two hotels we stayed in, one in Blois & one in Chinon. They were reasonably priced & service was fine. BTW, we don't stay in high-end places.
We saw 3 chateaus, which I agree is enough. More than that & you probably get bored & don't appreciate them. We also stopped in tiny, quaint, pretty villages. Our future SIL had a list of the 100 prettiest villages in France, so he knew where to go.
Sep 20th, 2012, 06:22 AM
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My advice is now original, but I suggest you to find a good private guide who will lead you in you Paris travel. This person will make you trip a much more interesting and easy! We've found a good guy here, http://www.private-guides.com/guide-...-861/index.php, Marcus O'Konell.
Sep 20th, 2012, 09:29 AM
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How many chateaux you want to see depends on your interests. We spent 6 days in the Loire - staying at a private chateaux near Chinon, saw a bunch of chateaux, as well as other sights, and had good meas throughout. Again - not on a tour so we picked places based on our reading and the recos of our hosts and other guests at the chateau.
Agree this may not be the most exciting part of France - depending on what you want to see/do, But I definitely wouldn't avoid it.
Agree this may not be the most exciting part of France - depending on what you want to see/do, But I definitely wouldn't avoid it.
Sep 20th, 2012, 09:34 AM
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My opinion about dropping the Loire wasn't because I think it has no merit or interest to anyone, just that within this particular schedule, something has to go, that's all. And personally, I would not consider the Loire valley one of the things of most importance to me during a vacation, I'd rather see Switzerland. So I would prefer a vacation of Paris and Switzerland to Paris and the Loire, that's all. It's just a personal choice based on interests. I'm not really that interested in big old stone houses for rich people, for example. I don't mind touring one now and again but would not focus a long trip on seeing lots of them.
Sep 20th, 2012, 09:58 AM
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Hi, I just did my first trip to Europe relying on lots of good advice from helpful people on this forum. Thought I'd chime in.
If you only have 9 days, one good option might be to fly in to CDG and spend 4 days in Paris, one day for travel from Paris to the Berner Oberland area and spend 3 days there (stayed in Murren), then a day (or two) in Lucerne...and finally fly back from ZRH. I just did something similar and really enjoyed it, didn't feel rushed at all, very doable. Hope that helps.
If you only have 9 days, one good option might be to fly in to CDG and spend 4 days in Paris, one day for travel from Paris to the Berner Oberland area and spend 3 days there (stayed in Murren), then a day (or two) in Lucerne...and finally fly back from ZRH. I just did something similar and really enjoyed it, didn't feel rushed at all, very doable. Hope that helps.
