LeeRitchie

With all of the passionate and experienced francophile travellers in this forum, I've become curious about your personal favorite place/region in France.

And I would specifically request you to consider this in the context of a place/region to visit vs. to live in.

Think of it this way....if there was one place/region that you would send a loved one to....and that individual only had 5 days to spend in France (outside of Paris)...... and would never return to France again.....where would you send them and why?

Let's assume that they (this individual) share the same interests that you do

nytraveler

I would be hard pressed to decide between the Loire and Strasbourg.

The former is quintissential France - and represents a huge part of French history - as well as giving the chance to stay in achateau, eat in lot of great places, visit small towns and wineries etc.

Strasbourg is very un-French France- but I think it's important to get a perspective on one of the many parts that are less typically French. The city itself is fascinating - as is Colmar and a drive down the Route du Vin.

Surfergirl

Cote d'Azur. Because it's completely the opposite of Paris, imo. Paris is more like a working journey, because there's so many sights, museums, and you have to be fast-paced. Just like the way the Parisiens speak: quickly with all their words strung together. Cote d'Azur, on the other hand, is a completely different feel -- relaxed, wake up late, stroll, lounge, feel good and pampered, especially when it's warm and you're on the beach. And the French, as one heads south, speak slower, with more of a southern dialect, with the words more separated than their northern counterparts. Don't have to concentrate too much to understand what is being said.

sheila

Brittany- two cultures, ancient stones, fabulous beaches, lovely food. MIGHT be a problem with the weather

Cowboy1968

Weather is indeed an important factor. Many regions are especially attractive during certain times of the year, like Provence during lavender season, or Alsace in fall when the vines get harvested. The Cote d'Azur is probably not the best idea in August when it's packed with tourists.

Do you already know what time of the year you can travel?

jo_ann

Sheila: Brittany is the key area I've still not gotten to and it bothers me constantly!! It's my must do!
I've loved Normandy - again, very different from Paris. The contrast between the WW2 landing sites, which are amazing to see, and the Bayeux Tapestry: created in the early 1100's, and makes you realize that war is war, with all the same logistics and after-effects, no matter what century or who the combatants are. The Caen Peace Museum: amazing. The whole are: Stunning. Very agricultural (love the cows!), great great food: apples, calvados, cheeses, etc. Lovely.
The Dordogne is simply amazing also - gorgeous scenery along the rivers, hilly and feels remote, take in the prehistory caves with the drawings from 20,000 years ago (!), and relish the castles around every bend that are left over from the Hundred Years War (which lasted about 3x that long?) - again, the food! (helps if you love foie gras, I think)
And the Loire area is wonderful, and very very accessible from Paris - our favorite personally is the town of Chinon, which makes a greate and easy spot for wandering the other castles and towns. But, so close to Paris, that the people themselves I think are more citified, perhaps.
Love Provence, but personally, if this might be the "only" trip, it wouldn't be my recommendation.
Hope that helps - and I really must find time to fit Brittany in for us!!

avalon

Well, Sheila already told you about Brittany! We also like Northern France, the WWI battlefields and Lille. Lovely little towns and Lille is a great museum city

Luisah

It's a tough question for me; I've enjoyed every area I've visited in France outside of Paris: Normandy, Provence and the Cote d'Azur. I have not been to Brittany, but I think I would like it.

I think if I had to pick one though, I guess it would be Provence because there is such a wide range of history, architecture and types of cities, lovely small towns and interesting larger cities like coastal Marseille,
Spanish flavored Arles and elegant Aix. And then there is the Camarague, the land of black bulls and white horses. It's all good.

StuDudley

Tie for first:
Provence during Lavender season
Dordogne during the fall

Then (in order of preference):
- Northern Brittany
- Cote d'Azur - including the Nice Hinterland & inland Var
- Languedoc-Roussillon - it's is pretty large & you can't stay in 1 spot & see it all
- Alsace - but it gets a little repetative after about 1 week
- Burgundy - especially Dijon, Auxerre, & Beaune. Nice Chateaux to visit
- Auvergne - lots of private Chateaux to visit
- Beaujolais - pretty countryside & lots of Chateaux
- Pays Basque & the Pyrenees
- Lake Annecy region
- Franche Comte
- Normandy - too much of it was distroyed in WWII
- Loire - countryside is not that interesting. The Chateaux are fabulous.

Stu Dudley

annhig

personally, I love the Loire, but I do see what Stu means about the countryside.

I'm not fussed about Brittany - too mush like home [Cornwall]!

Annecy is lovely, as are the alps.

I'm still waiting to get to the cote d'azur, but I don't remember being blown away by the scenery in Provence.

StuDudley

Favorite Cities and Villages in France

What we like:
We are building architecture buffs – old architecture – not new. We also like to see lots of pedestrian-only streets, outdoor markets, non-touristy shops, & outdoor cafes. We typically don’t go to many museums, so cities get “no points” for having museums. Also, churches don’t give a city extra points. When ordering these cities, we did not consider the “setting” of a city, like the beach at Nice or the lake at Annecy.

Cities with a population greater than 85,000

1. Paris
2. Dijon
3. Toulouse
4. Rennes
5. Strasbourg
6. Avignon
7. Aix-en-Provence
8. Rouen
9. Montpellier
10. Lyon
11. Nice
12. Nancy
13. Bescancon
14. Bordeaux
15. Nantes
16. Marseille
17. Perpignan
18. Tours

Cities with a population greater than 10,000 but less than 85,000
1. Sarlat
2. Colmar
3. Beaune
4. Auxerre
5. Chambery
6. Vannes
7. Annecy
8. Troyes
9. Albi
10. La Rochelle
11. Figeac
12. Perigueux
13. Arles
14. Bourges
15. Dinan
16. St Malo
17. Quimper

Stu Dudley

cocofromdijon

Go Dijon go! \/ Stu I hope I'll meet Dijon best fan someday!

BikerScott

I'm evenly split between Burgundy and the Perigord (despite it being Little Britain) - both are what I think of when I imagine France - green, wine, castles, villages, friendly people...we've been back to both regions twice now and have loved the time we've spent in each...

We've also visited the Alsace, Brittany, Provence...

Stu's list of cities is pretty much a mirror of ours I think

glaciermeadows

I agree with Biker Scott. I was just in Burgundy in April and had a great time, But I enjoyed the Perigord even more. I did not even visit Paris this last trip. Stayed in a gite on both trips. Brittany is unique and the Loire is lovely, but so many great little villages and unique sites. Prehistoric cave paintings, great religous sites, medeval gold,cave chapels and market days every day of the week. I really liked the topagraphy.

glaciermeadows

I agree with Biker Scott. I was just in Burgundy in April and had a great time, But I enjoyed the Perigord even more. I did not even visit Paris this last trip. Stayed in a gite on both trips. Brittany is unique and the Loire is lovely, but so many great little villages and unique sites. Prehistoric cave paintings,

StCirq

It will come as no surprise when I cast my vote for the Périgord.