lnicodemus

I will be in Paris for two weeks in the middle of April (straddling Easter). Since this is my first trip to France and who knows when I will return, I would like to take a one or two night excursion somewhere, probably by car. I was going to go to the caves, but it seems that they are replicas which dampened my enthusiasm. Is Provence a good choice, or is it too far? Any other suggestions? I was also thinking of Brugges. I would love ot hear any and all suggestions. Thank you so so much!

RoadCrazy

You could do a little of Provence, but if so I would take the TGV down to Avignon and pick the car up there in the interest of saving time and energy. Three days would be the minimum that would make this worthwhile, IMO.

Brugge/Bruges is in Belgium. If you go there, train would be by far the preferred mode of transportation.

For a car trip of two or three days from Paris, might I suggest either Normandy (Rouen, Mont St. Michel, Giverny, and/or the D-Day area) or the Loire Valley? These are relatively close to Paris, so you can start your touring without a lengthy highway drive to get there, and will give you a significant change of pace from Paris.

LaraM

I've been outlining a stay in Paris this coming June and have found the book, Daytrips France, by Earl Steinbricker to be very helpful. It outlines trips to take by car, bus or train all within travel distance of Paris. He gives the main sites of each city or village plus how long you can expect it will take you to get there. I now realize how much more of France I can see within only two hours of Paris!
He does have a section on Provence but it seems a bit far. For a car trip it's about 400 miles. You might think about driving around the Loire Valley or into Brittany for some different scenery.
Have fun!

ira

Hi I,

>...I was going to go to the caves, but it seems that they are replicas ...<

Lascaux II is a very well done, exact replica of Lascaux. They even keep the temp and RH at the same level as the cave.

There are still many caves that are not replicas.

It will take you about 5 hr to go from Paris to Montignac by TGV and car, so you will want about 5 days if you wish to visit the caves.

See my trip report for more details.
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34676645

Photos at http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&y=-pla2au

ira

PS,

You might want to consider 3 days visiting Dijon and vicinity or Strasbourg and vicinity.

RJD

With only 2 or 3 days, I would consider going north, to Giverny and Normandy. The drive is pleasant, not too taxing and the sights such as the Monet house and gardens, the invasion beaches and the coast line with its little villages are tres interesant. The food itself is worth the journey.