Curiousaboutit

Hello to all once again. My husband and I are planning to get out frequent flyer airline tickets in three weeks. We hope to garner from your wonderful experiences how to fill out our drive. We initially plan 5 nights in Paris and find a gite in Nice for week. The rest of the sojourn could take us to Burgundy (Dijon + region), Lyon, and Provence.

Please offer routes, villages and not so touristy areas which hold fond memories for you. We enjoy driving small country roads, we eat every thing, and prefer not to be in big hotels.

We have celebrated our Anniversary three times in France yet never in this particular region. We look forward to learning from you if we have chosen to visit a charm filled swarth of France.

We look to you for guidance. Thank you very much.

cybertraveler

It looks like you have the beginnings of a great trip planned. My husband and I did a very similar trip last summer. We spent several nights in Paris, then took the train to Avignon, spent a night in St Remy (wish we'd stayed longer!), then stayed several nights at a wonderful bed and breakfast : Le Mas Perreal near St Saturnin les Apts, then finished up with several nights at Le Hameau in St Paul de Vence. We had a wonderful time everywhere, and especially enjoyed the south of France. There are so many scenic drives and quaint villages to explore. You are sure to have a fantastic time!

kenman

Five weeks -- I'm envious. That's a great route, and there are lots of amazing places to visit. Some faves: In Burgundy, we prefer the smaller villages to Dijon (which is great, but more city-like). Beaune is lovely, and there are a number of nice hotels -- La Poste and Le Cep were great stays. Also, the Chateau de Gilly (near Gevry Chambertin, I believe) is a really fascinating place to stay, with an amazing dining room and the best cheese cart on the planet. (Beware of ghosts, however. We never saw anything, but a friend had a very interesting experience there). In Lyon, the Coeur de Loges is lovely, and perfectly situated. Between Lyon and Provence, there's a place called La Treille Muscate that is really charming -- in a tiny little town on a hill, great food, nice setting. And, of course, Provence is a world unto itself. We're big fans of the Luberon, although it's obviously fairly touristed -- but there's a reason. Lots of lovely little places in Lourmarin, Gordes, LaCoste, Bonnieux, etc. La Bastide de Marie is a wonderful splurge. Enjoy!

kenman

Actually, in that amount of time, you might also consider popping up to the Alps (Chamonix or Megeve) or Annecy between the Burgundy and Lyon portions. The distances aren't far, and the rewards are great. And in June, heading to the cool mountains (maybe taking the funicular up to Aigele de Midi or Mer de Glace on Mont Blanc) or taking a dip in clear, cold, beautiful lake Annecy would be a nice break. Again, tons of great hotels, but faves are Hameau Albert I in Chamonix and Imperial Palais (with a room with a patio) in Annecy. Amazing!

nytraveler

For the Burgundy area be sure to visit Vezelay - a charming town with unique historic religious organiztions. We stayed in Avallon - at the Moulin des Ruats, which is an old mill sited on the edge of the French National Forest. Cute rooms and a fantastic restuaurant - people come out from Paris for the weekend just to have dinner there.

Curiousaboutit

Thank you for the introduction to our research for our Anniversary trip.
We hope to read about many more locations to create a more solid route.
We are concerned about the over the top touristic atmosphere of Nice. Will you please reassure us that that area can be "sweet and charming" to spend a week on the Mediterranean.
We are enthusiastic for more suggestions.
Thank you.
We wrote an e-mail to Stu Dudley last week; I think he is away for awhile...I hope he writes back soon. We have travelled his itineraries, met him for lunch in France, and look forward to his input too.

Curiousaboutit

Thank you cybertraveler, did you stay near Nice? If so please share that experience. Some how I get the feeling that location is saturated with tourists. Are there spots on the water you can suggest which are not high rises?

cybertraveler

Hi curiousaboutit,

We stayed in St Paul de Vence, which is only about 20 minutes from Nice. We stayed at Le Hameau, and I can't recommend it highly enough. It is in a lovely, peaceful and scenic location; we didn't spend as much time there as I would have liked, since we drove around the area to Monaco, Eze, Nice, and Antibes. It does make a lovely place to return to each evening, and we would walk up the hill for lovely dinners in St Paul de Vence.

St Paul de Vence is totally packed with tourists during the day, but in the evening it all quiets down and we loved our evenings there. We didn't stay in Nice, but we did visit to see the market and climb the hill for the view. It's very lovely, but I'd recommend staying out of town if you prefer to be away from the madding crowds.

Curiousaboutit

Thank you Cybertraveler, I just looked at (images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=aaplw&va=st+paul+de+venc e+map) and knew you understood our request. The hotel in which you stayed is charming! Did you note any similar villages on the Mediterranean Sea or is that asking for way too many tourists?

I actually jumped right in Yesterday and purchased our Euros for the trip; it was at the two year low. Now we need tickets and an itinerary...not much (ha ha).

We are hoping for more experiences and recommendations for our trip. We prefer to call and book the gites, hotels, and B&B directly months in advance.

Curiousaboutit

Hi ggreen, I read your suggestion to rattraveler and would like to know more about Nice and the beaches. Thank you