gingergirl

I am just starting to plan a trip to France. Unfortunately, we have to go at the busiest tourist time, which is July 28-August 8. We plan to stay in the South of France area for about 4 nights. There will be 4 in our family. Any suggestions on how to start this? Hotels are okay, but would prefer bed/breakfasts,homes..maybe in a quaint village where we can do a couple of day trips to Nice,Cannes, Monaco, etc. Any websites out there to find these quaint places to stay...any help is really appreciated!

SpenceMiles

www.avignon-et-provence.com is helpful and if you click on the flag in the right hand corner, most will translate into english. the site allows you to choose either hotels or B&Bs.
www.silencehotel.com is also helpful for quaint hotels.

provencejim

You should seriously consider staying somewhere well away from the coast. That time of year is right at the start of the August vacations for the thundering herds of Parisians and others from the north of Europe. Think instead about staying inland - the Luberon or Les Alpilles - where you will find plenty of beautiful B&Bs - there will still be plenty of tourists, but it's somehwta more manageable than the coast.

cigalechanta

Go to www.provenceweb.com
punch in the part of Provence you want to stay then a list will come up with the kinds of accommadation,
ch d'hote for instance.
or whatever you want.
And if you can find, (maybe at Amazon) the rivages book on charming Provence

StCirq

OH boy! You're hitting the South of France (which by the way is an enormous region) right when every French person is also hitting it. Forget those "quaint" villages. Every hamlet with a café is going to be brimming over with Parisians on holiday. If you happen to be contemplating driving from Paris, or even using the autoroutes, or driving along the coast, be prepared for traffic of monstrous proportions.

For B&Bs, I like to use Alistair Sawday's "French Bed & Breakfasts" and Fodor's Rivage Series "Hotels and Country Inns of Character and Charm in France." Both books can be found at any good bookstore, or maybe in your public library.

Marianna

This is the Rivages website. I enjoy browsing through the books, but the website is a good way to start.

http://www.hotels-de-charme.com

Enjoy your trip!

gingergirl

Thanks for all the good information...the main reason for those dates are because with my two children being in high school and college, these are the only dates they are both out of school. They both want to see the French Riviera. Does anyone have any suggestions on where we might stay that won't be QUITE as congested but still be able to go to Nice, Cannes, Monaco. Or, should we try to stay inland for a few days, then travel by train through those towns on the way out of the country? Any help is welcomed! Thanks!

paula5

Im traveling to Nice the 3rd week in June, which won't be as crowded. I also can only travel certain times, I work Sept thru June-but Hotel Suisse seems to be a little farther out-near old nice and looks quite lovely. It is right on the water and has balconys. The rooms look rather large. Another poster did say trip adviser had some bad reviewes about the condition of their balconies though. Other than that review...looks good! Good Luck!

Underhill

What about the Côte d'Azur interests your children? In August it will just be one great mass of bodies going from one place to another on crowded roads. Perhaps you could suggest that they get a guidebook for the South of France and do some research into other areas that might be equally enjoyable. If it's time by the sea that's attractive, remind them that most of the beaches feature rocks and pebbles, not nice white sand.

You might think about staying up near Vence and going for a drive along the coast to Nice and Monaco.

baker

Heck, I'd stay right in the heart of it all. My husband teen son and I did just that and we had a ball; something for everyone. An ac'd hotel to get out of the heat, the beach, shopping, dining..I've stayed twice at the Hotel Splendid and highly recommend it. It's located a 2 min walk from the Film Festival buildings and the Croisette. There's a market nearby (Forville) and lots of restaurants and good shopping just outside the door. The rooms are spacious, they have kitchenettes and if you want breakfast included it was a buffet served on the terrace. One time we had a rental car for the week and drove the coast from St.Tropez to Monaco. Another time we took the local trains (banlieu) which run like subway cars. You are also near the train station and the bus depot for coastal buses. We also used Voyages Phoceens, an agency the hotel recommended for bus tours.

Michael

Last summer I found my B&amp;Bs through the Gites de France web site and were very happy with what we found. We were there in June. From what the hosts told me, you had better make your reservations <b>now</b>, which is my way of seconding StCirq's comments.

BevK

We stayed in the ultimate Bed and Breakfast in the south of France - Julia Child's house! It is now owned by Kathy Alex who runs a cooking school in her house called &quot;Cooking With Friends.&quot; It was the best vacation we've ever had - six days of cooking classes, trips to the Cannes market, Michelin starred restaurants, a cheese cave and much more, but still with our afternoons and evenings free. We did it with our family, three generations ranging from 22 to 70 and we still rave about it four years later.

Cat123

There is a (supposedly) cute and small B&amp;B in Vence called Colline de Vence which is recommended at Karen Brown's website. I think that they have suites or guest houses as well. You can find it on the net, I think, or through www.karenbrown.com

kevin_widrow

Whatever you do, avoid traveling on the first weekend of August. These are days classified &quot;Black&quot; by French bureaucrats in charge of classifying days - it basically means stay away from any kind of major road, especially on the coast. We made that mistake once... never again!

I'd echo Underhill's question: why the Riviera in particular? If it's to see and experience &quot;the scene&quot;, consider spending most of your time inland, and then just a day and overnight in St. Tropez or Nice, if that's where you fly out of....

Feel free to email if you have other specific questions.

Bon Chance et Bon Voyage.

Tulips

No matter how beautiful the Luberon is, I'm sure most teenagers would prefer St Tropez or Juan les Pins, even in the busiest time of the year. Yes, there will be lots of people, but there is also lots to see and do. From Juan you can easily do daytrips to Cannes, Nice or Monaco. St Tropez is much more difficult to reach.

gingergirl

Thanks everyone! All of you had very valid points...I'm so confused! I didn't know I could spend so much time on the internet looking up information..I'm researching all of your suggestions, and will probably ask more questions, ok?