mjnx

Husband, myself (both 52 yo) & 22 yo daughter traveling to Paris late May to meet up with 20 yo daughter (finishing a study abroad program.) We've been to Paris before, and I have been to the Loire Valley area. Any suggestions for approx. 7-8 days in France, excluding Paris/Versailles/Normandy/Loire, starting from Paris? The Parisian student-daughter wants to hit Marseilles/Nice/Cannes area, and the rest of us are up for just about anything.

We are into moderate am't of history/churches/museums/chateaus/castles, like wine & good food, scenic drives, charming towns/markets, the must-see sites for first timers, and a little shopping.

Best chateaus/castles outside of Loire V. area? If we concentrate on eastern France, would it be wise to pick 2-3 towns to stay in, each for 2-3 days, to use as base camp? Which towns?
-Thank you!

Michael

I don't know about the best, but one of the highest concentration of chateaux is in the Dordogne which is supposed to have one for every day of the year. If the 20 year-old wants the Côte d'Azur, why not include the Provence? Otherwise, the Dordogne might be just as good a choice.

jpie

Based on being late May-it would be a lovely time to explore a bit of Cote d'Azur-Nice Cannes and be sure to explore the hill towns like St Paul de Vence and Ezes. Then maybe you could meander over to parts of Provence if you haven't been there. Will you rent a car-that would make a big difference in where I might advise going.

Judy

I think the Cote d'Azur might be quite crowded end of May depending on your dates. The Grand Prix of Monaco and the Cannes Film Festival are both end of May. A few days there since your daughter is the only person in your party with a preference combined with the rest of the week in Provence might be very nice.
You could fly into Paris and out of Marseille.

mjnx

Yes, we will have a car. Would like to include Provence...have NOT been there...or anywhere else in France exceptaris/Versailles/Loire/Normandy. Regarding chateaux/castles: isn't Dordogne a bit west? What would be closer if we want to stay more eastern edge of France?
Thank you! (I'm going to check now on the Grand Prix and Cannes Film Fest dates.)

Michael

Why the eastern edge of France? The Dordogne is almost directly south of Paris, and not as far as the Côte d'Azur, but farther from the eastern edge of France.

StCirq

You won't get castle country even remotely equal to that in the Dordogne if you stick to the east. Based on what you've stated are your interests, the Dordogne is perfect.

mjnx

Was working my way down from Paris to Marseille/Cannes/Nice area for younger daughter, but may have to re-think that, as flts home from that area are very $$$, or backtrack to Paris
-Thanks for your input.

Michael

From a previous trip report:

"Musée des Arts et Métiers: The Sunday brunch, all you can eat, costs 15€ per person including juices, bottled water and coffee, but excluding wine. It is quite nice, with a variety of salads, cold cuts and pastries."

The science museum in La Villette might be of interest, and perhaps also the music museum on the other side of the same park.

Michael

Oops. Wrong thread. My apologies.

enlehman76

Take a flight to Nice and then rent a car and stay in Monaco. From Monaco, you can take the highway to Cannes and then make your way back to Monaco on the corniches. This can be done in one day. Hubby and I did not make it to St Tropez, but you could drive there for a day as well. If Monaco is too far for you, I would stay in Cannes and do one day of driving to Monaco and then one day to St Tropez. Can't comment on staying in St. Tropez as we did not make it there but heard is very nice. By the way....Nice is NOT nice...it was the biggest disapointment of all the cities we visited along the coast. Enjoy!

enlehman76

Just read your post about flights...we flew from Paris to Nice and then flew back to the USA from Paris. We took an early morning flight from Nice to Paris. It made for longer travel time but was not that bad. Only problem is that the flight from Nice to Paris was late and we missed our flight from Paris to USA...so be prepared for something like that happening. Was not too big of a deal as we got re-routed an a little later flight. Be sure to give yourself enough time to get from Nice to Paris before your flight back to the US if that is what you do.

StuDudley

I think the most "efficient" area with the most "bang-for-the buck" is Provence & Cote d'Azur for 7-8 days - especially if someone in your group wants to visit the Cote. We've spent about 85 weeks vacationing in France, and the areas we've returned to the most often are Provence, Cote d'Azur, & the Dordogne (omitting Paris - that's a seperate "topic").

Land at CDG, and take the TGV to Avignon. Spend 4 days in St Remy or the Luberon an get a flavor of Provence. Then off to the Cote d'Azur for 4 days. Nice is our favorite city. Normally, I recommend at least a 7-10 days in each area, but with 20 YO daughters, I think they would prefer to be "on the go".

My wife & I have vacationed for 16 weeks in Provence & 16 weeks on the Cote. I developed a 27 page itinerary that describes our favorite cities, villages, scenic drives, markets, etc. E-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach a copy to the reply e-mail.

Stu Dudley

StuDudley

Oops - I thought I recognized your name - I checked my "old" e-mail, and I sent you a copy of my itinerary earlier today. I get several requests for my various itineraries each day - sorry for the "plug" for something you already requested.

Stu Dudley

mjnx

Would it make sense to go from Paris, to Champagne region (would like to tour a cellar) and then to Provence (St Remy) and then Cote d' Azur? ? Would driving make sense at any point, and is it easy to get a car outside of Paris?
Thank you

StuDudley

You really don't have many days available - just stick to 2 destinations - Provence & Cote d'Azur would be my choices. Adding Champagne would probably consume at least 2 full days of your 7-8 days - leaving 5-6 for Provence & Cote d'Azur - which really isn't enough time to visit both regions. The Provence Cote du Rhone winegrowing area (Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas, etc) has lots of places where you can tour a winery - Beaucastel gives an excellent English tour (reserve ahead).

I mentioned "efficient" in my first post because you can get from Paris to Avignon in 2 3/4 hrs by TGV (many departures daily). You could fly back to Paris from Nice.

I've rented cars in probably 30 different locations outside of Paris. The Avignon TGV station has several rental offices and an excellent supply of cars. You could rent a car in Avignon, use it to tour Provence, drive to Nice, return the car at the train station, and explore the Cote by train, bus, or just stay in Nice.

Stu Dudley

mjnx

Thank you for yet another informative response!

mjnx

Will Cannes and Nice area be crazy in late May?
The Film Fest is 5/12-5/23, and we would be in that area a bit later, approx. 5/29.