My boyfriend and I are looking to spend about 4 weeks traveling through France at the end of May/month of June. Nothing is booked yet, we are just making preliminary plans to see if this is feasible for us. We would like to try and do it as cheaply as possible, and so we have decided that most of our accomodations will be couchsurfing (where we can get it) and any other cheap hostels/B&Bs/anything you folks suggest!

We would be flying out of Toronto (Canada) and into Paris. We have been to Paris before, so we won't be spending too much time there. Maybe 2-3 days to hit some sights we didn't go to last time.

Most of all we would like this to be a LEISURELY trip... we have no need to rush about from place to place; we want to take our time, stay relaxed, and really soak in each place. Main focuses :
- Architecture (castles!)
- French life (little towns, markets, shops, etc)
- SOME museums (we're not huge on that, but would appreciate a few must-sees)
- SOME vineyards (love wine, but not huge wine-affictionadoes, so would only like to stop at the occasional vineyard)

What we would like to fit in :
- Versailles
- Mont Saint Michel
- Loire Valley (where should we go specifically?)

I have heard of bike tours for Loire Valley, which sound fantastic, but we're not interested in paying thousands for a planned tour. How would we go about doing this on our own, is bike rental easy in this area?

As for transportation, is train the best bet? I have looked into car rentals (short-term lease) but this does seem to be on the more expensive side. Thoughts?

And what kind of budget (flight not included) could one expect from a trip like this, keeping in mind trying to make it cheap!

Thanks so much!

Hi Karayay,

I have been all over France and each region has something different to offer. The Loire valley is gorgeous and full of castles. Burgundy region is famous for wine, Provence down south is similar to Italy, Alsace is like Germany, Normandy of course is famous for the D-Day battle. Dordogne region is my favorite, the towns of Sarlat and Beynac should not be missed. Versailles is a nice day trip from Paris. I also loved Roeun, Honfleur and Giverny. Mont St. Michel is in the Brittany region and worth a visit. If you are into History, the museum in Caen is amazing.

I'm in the process of planning an 18 day trip (16 days on the ground and 2 travel days) to France in Sept/Oct with my husband and I can give you some of the info re: budget and plans that I'm working with. Keep in mind I'm not looking for a leisurely trip (I don't do "relaxed" travel unless you stick me on a beach somewhere) and I've been to France twice before: once for 12 days in Paris/Northern France and once for 8 days in Paris.

Overall, our budget is $8500 and we're flying out of Ottawa. Flights for $1800, Hotels at an average of $150 per day, Food/Wine at $150 per day, Rental car (including gas) for $800, Entrance fees/Museum passes $500 and miscellaneous (parking, etc) for $500. Obviously you can stay cheaper and eat cheaper, but this budget is a worst case scenario for us (two 30somethings) to travel comfortably.

I would recommend a rental car for that length of time, as that's what I've done in the past with great success. We're getting a rental car through www.autoeurope.ca for $475 (all inclusive insurance included) with unlimited miles for 9 days (won't need it for the remaining 7 days in Paris). We're picking it up at CDG and returning it there as well.

I feel strongly that any Canadian traveling to France must pay homage at both Vimy Ridge and Juno Beach, so that's what we'll be doing (though I've been to both before). Other than that, we'll spend a few days in the Champagne region, a few days in the Loire, a few days in Lyon and a few days in Normandy before returning to Paris.

Since you'll be there for a significant period of time, check out the France travel websites and see what events/festivals will be on while you're there. Something might appeal to you and sway you to a location you might have otherwise skipped.

Good luck with your trip planning! If you want more detailed info or suggestions, let me know. I'm a bit OCD when it comes to trip planning and itineraries.

bike hire is easy, I'd google (on google maps) "location velo" and then I'd haggle like crazy over prices by email. Last time I did this I paid 60 euro for a week for a good basic bike, but it would be normal to pay 10 per day.

Some guidance here on best principles
http://www.mybikeguide.co.uk/ this site does not cover the Loire because the site http://www.cycling-loire.com/ does such a good job on general info.

Do also look at "Le Loir" just to the north of "La Loire" which is even quieter and very comfortable.

Thank you Brendonb, I will look into those areas. Do you have any suggestions on train travel throughout France? I have looked into the Eurail due to their youth discount (we are both 22), but that doesn't seem to be our best option as we are not looking into traveling to another country.

I had a question about the sleeping trains (couchettes, wagons-lit). Are these trains slower than the TGV? It seemed like the sleeping trains would be a great way to save some money on accomodations, as we could just sleep on our way to the next destination. But if we will only be on the train for 1~2 hours each stretch, that plan wouldn't make much sense.

You do not want a rail pass in France, and you definitely don't want to deal with Rail Europe. If you are francophone, use www.voyages-sncf.com; if you arren't, use www.capitainetrain.com. The cheapest tickets will be available starting 3 months out from your dates of travel.

I can't imagine a situation where anyone would be on a sleeper train for only 1-2 hours. Wouldn't you just opt to take a day train instead? And keep in mind that many people find it close to impossible to get any sleep on an overnight train, especially one with frequent stops.

Thank you all for your posts!

The suggestion to check out festivals/events is a good idea. I didn't think of that! Thank you lizard soccer. Your budget is a bit more expensive than what we are aiming for but as you said you are looking to go comfortably. I think we're prepared to give up some comfort in order to do this cheaply as we can. We'll also be avidly hunting for fare deals so fingers crossed something comes up!

Bilboburgler, thanks for the bike links! It's good to hear bike rental will be relatively inexpensive.

StCirq, regarding the sleeping train, I meant that if I was only on a train for 1-2hours, i wouldn't be doing a sleeper train due to the short time travel. It is good to know that they aren't very restful, though.

I'm not well aware of time-distances for the train. I read Paris-Nice is about 5.5 hours for train. That leads me to assume I'd only be on the train 1~2 hours if I traveled the country bit by bit. Obviously time would depend on where I am travelling.

I will visit the SNCF website as I am francophone. Thank you for the links!

The Paris-Nice train runs for 2/3 of the way on the TGV (very fast train) tracks. Regular trains would take longer to cover the same, or part of the, distance.

I had really good experiences travelling by bus in most of Europe, so maybe look into that. They tend to be the cheapest option, especially in terms of long term journeys. Also they usually offer a youth discount.
In terms of places to visit Mont St. Michel is a must. Honestly I was a little underwhelmed with Versailles--when I visited you didn't really get much chance to see the rooms, they sort of just ushered you through without letting you stop for too long. I was much more impressed with the Loire valley chateaux where you could spend as much time as you wanted exploring the grounds and the buildings themselves; that said it's still cool to say you've been to Versailles. My favorite part of Paris is Montmartres--the artsiest of all of the arrondisements. If you get the chance to visit the Normandy area don't miss out on drinking the cider, it's fantastic. Tours is a very nice city if you're interested in seeing a big city that isn't Paris.

bike hire can be expensive, I've seen Americans fooled into 35 Euro a day, so take care

Re: sleeper trains -- I actually love them, as long as I am actually going to spend the NIGHT on them. I find the rhythm of most trains soporific and comforting, and I'm not one who awakens easily (ah, there lies the rub!), so the stops en route rarely bother me at all. That said, a sleeper train is only a "money saver" if it lets you sleep overnight while on the way to somewhere else. As you note, a two-hour trip on ANY train isn't really a trip on a "sleeper."

If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to get a copies of the Rough Guide and/or the Lonely Planet. IME, investing in a good guidebook or two is worth every penny! You can probably also access them for free at your local library. You will find answers to questions you never even knew to ask!

Enjoy!