A Place in France....

Old Oct 8th, 2008, 05:36 PM
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A Place in France....

Hi Fedorites - Not knowing a lot about the places in France I am asking for some help. My husband and I would like to visit France next year. We would like to rent an apartment for 3 - 4 weeks and make this our base. We would also like to be within walking distance from a railway station and food shops. We like to walk, swim, the mountains and the sea and find quaint villages.
To give you an example - we have just returned from 4 weeks in Switzerland and made our base in an apartment in Interlaken. We bought a Swiss Train Pass (train,bus and ferry) for 1 month. We were out and about every day on a train or walk and just about covered Switzerland. This was marvellous.

Can we do something like this in France. We like small villages and to get the feel of the people, food and wine. We are both retired but fit and healthy. I must say we do not want to hire a car. As we are retired, we can go at any time of year. Hope you can help us.











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Old Oct 8th, 2008, 05:45 PM
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No - France is considerably bigger than Switzerland and very diverse. You will be much better off renting a place for a week in 3 or 4 different places to really be able to see anything.

I would definitely do a week in Paris and one on the Cote d'Azur. Other options are Strasbourg, the Loire, Provence, the Dordogne. these places are too far apart to see as day trips. And IMHO , once outside of Paris you will do much better with a car for added flexibility.
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Old Oct 8th, 2008, 05:51 PM
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France is about the same size as Texas. It's a lot bigger than most people realize, and it offers an amazing diversity of scenery.

You might look into the area around Annecy -- turquoise-colored lake, snow-capped mountains, good rail connections, near the Swiss border, rushing streams, stone buildings and cottages, splendid hotels, fine restaurants, magnificent scenery, relatively few American tourists.
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Old Oct 9th, 2008, 03:56 PM
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Nytraveller - thank you for your thoughts. We are Aussies and have a long way to travel to Europe. We have plenty of time so do not have to fit in everything. We thought of just choosing one area and take our time in discovering this. My husband does not want to hire a car so we have to use public transport or hire a driver to do longer day trips. Of the choices you have given me, which place would you choose first and what time of year.
We do not want to travel at peak tourist time when we have a choice.


USNR - Thank you too - Annecy sounds nice - can you suggest a website for an apartment? We have a lot to learn but learning quite quickly.
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Old Oct 9th, 2008, 04:14 PM
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Here is a rail map which also serves as a handy map of the country:

http://downloads.raileurope.com/map_...pe/france.html
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Old Oct 9th, 2008, 04:57 PM
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RonZ,

Thank you very much - this is great. It gives us good feeling of the country.
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Old Oct 9th, 2008, 05:02 PM
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we loved Annecy, Rent the French film " Claire's Knee" to see the lake and town.
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Old Oct 9th, 2008, 07:44 PM
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What a wonderful idea! My first thought was to wonder whether you would split your trip between two weeks in one area and two in another. You also didn't mention whether you want to be in or near Paris for part of that time. I would certainly recommend saving a week for Paris -- I can't imagine being in France for a month and not going there!

As others have noted, you can't really "cover" France from one place the way you did Switzerland.

The area that first came to mind, given what you are interested in, is Provence. You can do some exploring within Provence without a car, although you might find you need a driver at some point.

Annecy is beautiful...I'm not sure I would spend a month just there, but it is lovely.

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Old Oct 9th, 2008, 08:02 PM
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When people think of the Riviera (Cote d'Azur) they often think only of the beaches, the Cannes film festival, etc. It's all that but it's an area easy to explore without a car as a good local train service runs along the coast stops frequently and connects with buses up to the hill towns.

So, a base in Nice, for example, would give you access to all that city has to offer plus easy connections to Cannes, Antibes, Monte Carlo, etc. by train and up to St. Paul de Vence, Vence, Vallauris, Grasse by bus. Worth doing some research but I'm relatively sure while you might miss a car at times, you could do a lot of exploring by train and bus.

If you like art, the has many museums focusing on Impressionists and post-Impressionists, many of whom spent time on the Riviera. There's also a great deal of Roman history.

An apartment in or near the old town in Nice might be an idea. As an example, Nice has an excellent Matisse museum (his house and an expanded gallery) as well as a lovely Chagall gallery.

This description sounds like a 50s travelogue but I would love to be able to rent a place there for a month, off season.
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Old Oct 9th, 2008, 09:02 PM
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You don't say what season next year but if it is early autumn Bretagne is stunning. Three years ago my husband and I rented a cottage in La Baule the first week of October and we had a few days where it was actually warm enough to go for a quick swim. We rented bikes because there is a good bike path network there and went to the salt flats in Guerande, along the ocean to Le Croisic and just along that gorgeously long beach (apparently France's longest according to the locals) in La Baule.
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Old Oct 9th, 2008, 10:52 PM
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Curlie
The area on the Med, near the Spanish border is quite nice and meets your needs. Have a look at this photo album.

http://pyreneesmediterraneanliving.com/

You can visit a lot of nice villages, ports, mountains, and close to Spain.

Plus, it stays warm most of the year.

Blackduff
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Old Oct 10th, 2008, 12:41 AM
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France is about 9 times (or 6 ? I forget but I think it's 9 times) as large as Switzerland, just for info. And France seems to be less well equipped with public transporation than Switzerland, sort of. But for a small country as Switzerland it's easier thing to do.

Did you stay in Interlaken the whole 4 weeks and did only day trips? The most remote areas such as Lugano in Ticino takes about 5 hours by train. Perhaps you did not get there but I'm sure you made the best use of the Swisspass.

I like the idea of Cathinjoetown to base yourself in Nice, for example. The public transportation is well done there and busses are rediculously cheap (€1 for a single ticket and €4 for a day ticket - For longer terms, there might be even more interesting offers) and those take you to various towns and villages far out of Nice. The trains are a bit more expensive but not much. If you feel like it, you can easily make a day trip to Italian Riviera b ytrain. If public transportation is important and you don't want to change your base, forget Annecy this time. No comparison to Nice. Getting out of town is a bit of pain (relatively compared to Nice).

I like the idea of staying at one place the whole time, that has a lots of advantages but do you consider also moving once at least ? e.g. 1 week in Paris and 3 weeks in, let's say, Nice, as maybe already suggested above? Maybe not your style? Questions of your priorities I suppose.
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Old Oct 10th, 2008, 12:47 AM
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I found this blog the other day and get interesting infos, about Nice transportations and others. Since I know myself Nice somewhat (been there at least once last few years and 3 times this year), I can tell the author of this blog gives good infos.

http://www.allaboutnice.com/buses_an...s_in_Nice.html
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Old Oct 10th, 2008, 03:54 AM
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Hi cu,

>Not knowing a lot about the places in France....<

Now's the time to get some guide/travel books.

Also look up France under "Destinations".

There are many places to visit, each with its own character.

Whatever you decide, I recommend at least one week in Paris.

I would be very happy with 1 month in a Paris apt.

The problem with seeking out quaint villages and towns is that they often have very limited bus and train service.

For example, if you were to stay in Beaune and wished to visit other towns in Burgundy, you might find only 2 morning trains and two evening trains.

Also, if you wanted to visit the various small towns in Alsace or the Dordogne, it would be quite difficult without a car and a lot of local knowledge.

Enjoy your planning.

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Old Oct 10th, 2008, 04:56 AM
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Train routes and schedules:

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en
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Old Oct 11th, 2008, 05:28 AM
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Think also about the area round Biarritz. You can get there by train; you have mountains on the doorstep and you have lots of lovely Basque villages
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Old Oct 11th, 2008, 08:47 PM
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First of all, thanks to everyone for their great ideas - we have a lot of work ahead. We have spent time in Paris a few years ago and thought we would give that a miss this time and see more of the countryside.

Barbara in FL - That is a good idea re breaking the time into 2 week lots. My husband loves to stay in the one place though - he does most of the food shopping and gets to know the shopkeepers in the village which he enjoys.

Kappa - To answer you question - we actually stayed in Interlaken for 3 weeks. There is so much to see there and the train system is wonderful. We could also include cable cars and mountain trains in our pass - we had to buy this before we left home. While in Interlaken we did have some long days - to Mont Blanc, Montreau and St Galan at the top of Switzerland. Sometimes we did not get back till 8 or 9 pm. After Interlaken we trained to St Moritz and caught the Bernina Express the next day to Lugano for 2 days, then trained again to Bellagio on Lake Como for 4 days. We had a hotel room on the lake's edge and this was magic. After this we went by train into Italy and did a 3 weeks self-guided (with walking notes) walk through Tuscany before we came home. It was a wonderful trip. We loved Italy.

Thanks again for everything - keep the ideas coming please.
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Old Oct 11th, 2008, 08:54 PM
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It's me again, Curlie.

I forgot to mention that we can go at any time of year - preferably in the less busy season, out of school holidays. This year we went in May/June and this was lovely - the weather was pleasant and not too hot for walking.
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Old Oct 13th, 2008, 07:27 PM
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Hi again. With Paris off the table, I guess my next question is what's more important to you, exploring the way you did in Switzerland, or finding a place to stay and digging in for a month? Each has its appeal, but I don't think you can do both, especially since you are limited in transportation options. If you want to get a taste of more than one region, moving at least once would be recommended. If the experience of being in one place for a month is very important, then you will not be able to have the type of experience you did in Switzerland. Having said that, I think Nice would be a good base, or maybe Arles. As several others have noted, Nice has a variety of transportation options; I think Arles has a number of train and bus connections as well that would let you explore the area and other cities in that region without needing a car. What about three weeks in one of those towns and then one somewhere else? France is so diverse in its scenery and its sights that it seems a shame to come so far and not see at least a glimpse of some other part of the country. But of course I'm projecting. Happy planning whatever you decide -- that's half the fun!
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Old Oct 15th, 2008, 05:42 AM
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If you want to spend 3-4 weeks in one place and if you want to rely on public transport you should go an area with a lot of attractions and good train connections.

My first choice would be the Cote d'Azur, either in May or in October. This is a region with excellent train connections which offers everything: breathtaking scenery, beaches, picturesque villages, hiking in the mountains, quaint old towns, museums, art, culture, nightlife, food..

I am aware that a few Fodorites will scream "no, not Cote d'Azur". But I am afraid that these people have yet to discover the true beauty of the region. Do not go there in high season, but in May or October you will enjoy perfect climate and, if you pick the right place to stay, even tranquility.

We had been to many other regions in France, but always in a car and in most regions, it was hard for us to imagine how to stay there a longer period of time without a car.

Maybe the Provence would be an option too - if public transport works well enough there. I think of the area Nimes-Avignon-Arles-St. Remy.

Alsace and Bourgogne are also nice and have public transport, but I would not stay there for three weeks. Maybe you can divide your time.

The French Alps are gorgeous, but, again, I cannot imagine spending there three weeks without a car.
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