Update on De Wet's France roadtrip
Apr 3rd, 2014, 08:55 PM
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Update on De Wet's France roadtrip
Hi all,
My Roadtrip is booked from Venice to Paris, Honfleur, Amboise up to Sarlat. I am uncertain about the following:
1. Travel from Sarlat to Gordes/St Remy via Carcassone or the ? more scenic route via Carjac, Figeac, Rodez, Millau and Montpellier.
2. Either way the above is too long for us to do in one day, and I am thinking of one stay-over along the way, thereby limiting travel to 3-4 hours per day. Where?
3. Should we stay in Gordes or St Remy? Will spend 7 days there.
4. From Gordes/St Remy we need to head north. Idea is to spend 4 days in village/town/city and then leave for Hagnau-am-Bodensee for the weekend and then drive to Zurich for flight back to South Africa. I considered Dijon, which is approx. 3 to 4 hours from Hagnau, but is that the best choice?
Your input and advice is appreciated.
Regards, de Wet.
My Roadtrip is booked from Venice to Paris, Honfleur, Amboise up to Sarlat. I am uncertain about the following:
1. Travel from Sarlat to Gordes/St Remy via Carcassone or the ? more scenic route via Carjac, Figeac, Rodez, Millau and Montpellier.
2. Either way the above is too long for us to do in one day, and I am thinking of one stay-over along the way, thereby limiting travel to 3-4 hours per day. Where?
3. Should we stay in Gordes or St Remy? Will spend 7 days there.
4. From Gordes/St Remy we need to head north. Idea is to spend 4 days in village/town/city and then leave for Hagnau-am-Bodensee for the weekend and then drive to Zurich for flight back to South Africa. I considered Dijon, which is approx. 3 to 4 hours from Hagnau, but is that the best choice?
Your input and advice is appreciated.
Regards, de Wet.
Apr 4th, 2014, 06:47 AM
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>>1. Travel from Sarlat to Gordes/St Remy via Carcassone or the ? more scenic route via Carjac, Figeac, Rodez, Millau and Montpellier.
2. Either way the above is too long for us to do in one day, and I am thinking of one stay-over along the way, thereby limiting travel to 3-4 hours per day. Where?<<
Plan on the Figeac/Montpellier route to take at least 2-3 days longer than the Carcassonne one if you want to limit your driving to 3-4 hrs per day. There is a lot to see taking the Figeac/Montpellier drive, so you'll want to stop at 6-8 different places for anywhere from a 1 to 2 1/2 hr visit. The Gorges du Tarn is a fascinating area to drive around in & observe. Rodez is not nearly as interesting as Figeac or Montpellier - so I would skip that. I think this is a 3 night trip. Did I send you my Languedoc itinerary??? It has info about driving this route & places to stop along the way.
Many people can do the Carcassonne route in 1 day with a 2 1/2 visit in Carcassonne to break up the drive - but an overnight in Carcassonne is fine. I wouldn't plan on more than 3 hrs "exploring" Carcassonne, however. It's pretty touristy - but interesting.
>>3. Should we stay in Gordes or St Remy? Will spend 7 days there.
I would stay in both if you have 7 days/7 nights. That will give you a nice contrast - village & countryside. Consider a hotel on the Route to Senanque - not in the village of Gordes.
>4. From Gordes/St Remy we need to head north. Idea is to spend 4 days in village/town/city and then leave for Hagnau-am-Bodensee for the weekend and then drive to Zurich for flight back to South Africa. I considered Dijon, which is approx. 3 to 4 hours from Hagnau, but is that the best choice?<<
Yep - stay in Beaune or Dijon. The Alps are a possibility also - but if you have recently driven the mountain route through the Languedoc - some straight roads might be welcome here. Lots of Chateaux in Burgundy. Save your ticket from the first chateau for a discount on the 2nd chateau, 3rd chateau, etc.
Stu Dudley
2. Either way the above is too long for us to do in one day, and I am thinking of one stay-over along the way, thereby limiting travel to 3-4 hours per day. Where?<<
Plan on the Figeac/Montpellier route to take at least 2-3 days longer than the Carcassonne one if you want to limit your driving to 3-4 hrs per day. There is a lot to see taking the Figeac/Montpellier drive, so you'll want to stop at 6-8 different places for anywhere from a 1 to 2 1/2 hr visit. The Gorges du Tarn is a fascinating area to drive around in & observe. Rodez is not nearly as interesting as Figeac or Montpellier - so I would skip that. I think this is a 3 night trip. Did I send you my Languedoc itinerary??? It has info about driving this route & places to stop along the way.
Many people can do the Carcassonne route in 1 day with a 2 1/2 visit in Carcassonne to break up the drive - but an overnight in Carcassonne is fine. I wouldn't plan on more than 3 hrs "exploring" Carcassonne, however. It's pretty touristy - but interesting.
>>3. Should we stay in Gordes or St Remy? Will spend 7 days there.
I would stay in both if you have 7 days/7 nights. That will give you a nice contrast - village & countryside. Consider a hotel on the Route to Senanque - not in the village of Gordes.
>4. From Gordes/St Remy we need to head north. Idea is to spend 4 days in village/town/city and then leave for Hagnau-am-Bodensee for the weekend and then drive to Zurich for flight back to South Africa. I considered Dijon, which is approx. 3 to 4 hours from Hagnau, but is that the best choice?<<
Yep - stay in Beaune or Dijon. The Alps are a possibility also - but if you have recently driven the mountain route through the Languedoc - some straight roads might be welcome here. Lots of Chateaux in Burgundy. Save your ticket from the first chateau for a discount on the 2nd chateau, 3rd chateau, etc.
Stu Dudley
Apr 4th, 2014, 08:16 AM
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If you limit your driving to 3-4 hours a day and take the scenic route, you'll need at least 2 stops between the Dordogne and Provence. There isn't really any point in doing that route if you're not going to stop in a fair number of beautiful spots and have a look around. If it were me, I'd probably spend one night in Rodez and another in Bouzigues, on the water just south of Montpellier.
Jul 2nd, 2014, 12:11 PM
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Bad experience with booking accommodation in Dijon. Made a booking via Booking.com in Dijon. Perfect apartment in centre. They now inform me it is not available due to "work". I assume they mean renovations. They offered alternatives at same price. One in centre of town but not as nice, the other (apparently) better than my booking but 15 min walk from town. Some images were sent to me, but limited.
Looked for other accommodation but at this late stage not much is available.
What to do? Accept the inevitable or sulk about it (joke).
Does anyone know about a nice apartment in Dijon, walking distance to centre, with outside area? Or perhaps alternative town/village in that area?
Looked for other accommodation but at this late stage not much is available.
What to do? Accept the inevitable or sulk about it (joke).
Does anyone know about a nice apartment in Dijon, walking distance to centre, with outside area? Or perhaps alternative town/village in that area?
Jul 2nd, 2014, 04:59 PM
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