A friend and I are spending 9 days in France in mid-April. We're spending 6 days in Paris and would like to spend the other 3 days elsewhere in France (via car or train). We've both been to the Cote d'Azur and I've been to Champagne, but otherwise we're open to anything. Of course, we're interested in good food, wine tasting and beautiful scenery (isn't that all of France though?) I'd like to focus on one area so that we can get there and explore. I appreciate any suggestions, as right now every part of France looks good to me! Thanks.

Burgundy would do nicely, and you can take the TGV from Paris to Dijon to begin, picking a car up there. There's much to see in the region (Autun, Beaune, the vineyards and wineries), and of course Burgundian cuisine is some of the best in France. The scenery is first rate: rolling hills, green woods, pretty villages. Since you're interested in wine-tasting, the area of the Côte d'Or and Côte de Nuit will please you very much.

In three days you can cover the area between Dijon and Beaune nicely, although of course not in any depth.

Everyone should at some time visit the Loire valley to see the beautiful chateaus. A convenient place to stay is Amboise which, unlike Tours, has its'own chateau plus the Clos de Luce and not nearly the traffic jams. We stayed in the very nice vieux Manoir, run by Americans...http://www.le-vieux-manoir.com/ It was selected by Fodors as one of France's most memorable hotels last year. Another wonderful place south of Tours with a splendid restaurant is Domaine de la Tortiniere...http://www.tortiniere.com/ in Montbazon. Have fun, we have visited this area about 4 times as there is more to see than we could cover in a couple of trips.

Thanks for both of these - very helpful. One other area we keep hearing about is Dordogne. Does anyone know if its feasible to visit with only three days? If so, what are the highlights? And would you recommend it before the Loire Valley or Burgandy? One last question - in terms of weather in mid-April, are we better off heading further South? Provence perhaps? Thanks much!

The Dordogne IS beautiful, but it can't be done in 3 days. No matter how you go, it takes the better part of a day to get there and the better part of a day to get back,leaving you with the equivalent of 1.5 days to spend there. There is enough to do and see there to keep you enthralled for several weeks - one day would be sinful. Anyway, there are too many logistics involved to make it worthwhile for such a short time.

I would go further south (than Burgundy), to Provence. Beautiful scenery, wonderful food and wonderful local wines. TGV to Avignon, pick up a car so you can zip all over and see lovely places, (stay someplace smallish like St Remy) and then take the TGV back to Paris. You can probably drive all the way down and back, but the train is faster and really neat.

Provence would be lovely, but a half a day would be lost in travel each way--Paris to Avignon or Aix is about 2-1/2 hours. IMO, it wouldn't be worth it for only 3 days' total time.

I'll put in a word for Normandy. We stayed in Bayeux. Saw the tapestry, museums, cathedrals etc in town. Then, spent 1.5 days touring the beaches, battlesites, cemetaries, etc. It was a wonderful few days. Really depends on your interests - all areas of France are unique and have their positives and negatives. Normandy/Bayeux are not far from Paris and easily reached via train.

I'd vote for the Loire Valley, based on proximity to Paris, easy train connections, and your interest in wine tasting. I'd take a train there, then rent a car. My father and his wife stayed at a very nice inn on an island in the Indre River last spring while we were in Paris. He's on a business trip in England right now (returning Sunday the 21st), but I can get the name of the place they stayed if you'd like.

Have a great trip. From a '79 'Hoo.

April weather in France is iffy, even in Provence, which can easily be quite chilly. Don't make your decision about where to go on that basis--it might be unseasonably warm in the north and freezing in the south.

One word about Normandy: it's lovely, but opportunities for wine-tasting are limited. However, if you're interested in hard cider and Calvados you'll have a ball.

Based on your time constraints, I would just stay in Paris and do day trips. You could, on a day trip, easily do the chateaux in Blois or Fontainbleau if you want chateaux without moving your hotel. They are easily accessible by train from Paris.

You only have 9 days and running around here and there is very exhausting.

If you really want to spend 3 days, outside of Paris, I would recommend a trip to Mt. St. Michel. You could stop in Bayeux and see the tapestry (really an embroidery) and then swing by some of the D-Day sites.

You will need to rent a car, but could go back to CDG airport and rent one there when you are ready to avoid the hassle of driving out of Paris. There is no need for a car in Paris.

I would then plan to return to France and concentrate on one of the other regions. I have been to France a number of times and have yet to do the Cote d'Azur or the Dordogne (but they are on the list). I just don't think it is worth your while to spend time running down to the south unless you have already seen the areas closer to Paris. Packing and unpacking can be a drag.

Whatever you do, have fun, and come back and tell us about it so we can enjoy your trip.

The name of the inn where my father and his wife stayed in April 2003 is "Les Moulins des Vontes". It is on an island in the Indre River, about a 20 minute drive from Tours. It was about 110 euros/night. It was listed in the Karen Brown guidebook and at www.karenbrown.com. They really liked it, and found it to be a good location to explore the Loire River area around Tours. Phone 02 47 26 45 77, fax 02 47 26 45 35.

I think Burgunday would be a good idea, also, but with the TGV, you can go to Avignon just as easily as many other places, and have about as much time. I don't think that's a bad idea. You can get there probably quicker than going to Mont St-Michel. I have done day trips that were about that time one-way on the train, such as to Auxerre (not quite, but a little over two hours). It's really more like 2:45 by TGV to Avignon, though, but you can easily get there by 11 am.

I don't think you can exactly have plenty of time to explore anywhere and really focus on it with that little time and needing travel. I think you should just pick the area you want (Burgundy, Loire or Provence), as the time in getting there isn't going to vary enough to matter. I am thinking of not really exploring all of Provence, of course, and not even necessarily renting a car. But you could see Avignon and Arles and maybe a little something else.

If you've been to Paris before, I think it makes sense to want to spend part of that time somewhere else.

Thanks to all for your suggestions. This is the first time I've posted a question and it's been great. What a wealth of travel knowledge there is out there - it's great we've got this forum to share it. I'll post a trip report when I return. Happy Travels!