kd5campbell

Help! My daughter is getting married this May in Capestang, We are thinking of flying into Paris the Sunday before the wedding (arriving early Monday morning). We would stay and see Paris for 4 days, then taking the train to wedding Thursday morning. We will be in Capestang, Thursday through Sunday, leaving Monday morning. What to do after? I would love go to French Alps area or Northeast France (Alsace, Strasbourg). We will have Monday-Saturday (flying out of Paris on Sunday). Where would you recommend we spend our time. I would like to limit long travel days (not being able to really see an area). Thank you for any recommendations!

Sassafrass

Actual trip: With wedding, time getting to wedding, time returning to Paris and possible time traveling to a different area, you are left with only six days for sightseeing and they are, unfortunately, not all together.

You do not have four days in Paris at the beginning. You arrive Monday morning (count on possible jet lag) and depart for the Wedding on Thursday morning. You would be in Paris for three nights. With a possible half day on Monday, that leaves only 2 full days (Tuesday and Wednesday) in Paris for sightseeing.

It will take a good bit of Thursday to get to the wedding site. You will be there 4 nights, 3 days.

On Monday, if you depart for a sightseeing area, wherever you go will take time. You need to be back in Paris the night before your flight, so part of Monday and part of Saturday will be eaten up by travel, leaving four full days for sightseeing after the wedding.

That is not being pessimistic. It is being realistic.

Have you been to Provence? Have you been to Paris? Perhaps you have, so do not care about either.
If you have not, personally, I would not try to squeeze anything else in, just go to Provence and the wedding area and visit Paris at the end. I would avoid two hotel stays in Paris, depart Paris immediately on arrival and head to Avignon or nearby, go to the wedding, and spend another day or so in the area before heading back to Paris for three or days.

Look at flying into MRS or another airport with international flights closer to the wedding.

If you feel you must include another area. I would look carefully at logistics and consider on arrival in Paris, going straight on to Strasbourg by train for a couple of days for the Alsace, then to the wedding on Thursday (not sure how best to do that though, but know it would take a day, which is why I would not be inclined to do it.) Stay Monday and Tuesday after the wedding in or near Avignon for Arles, Les Baux, etc., then train to Paris for at least three days before departure.

However, there are some experts on France that may be able to make suggestions for making an extra stop reasonable.

kerouac

Hoping that the formalities have been respected. One of the couple needs to be a resident of the town, for example.

shelemm

From Capestang, I would head to see the Cathars Castles, especially Peyrepertuse and descend the Gorge de Galamus. These are two of the most dramatic sites in France. Go to Maury and sample the vin doux naturel at the local cooperative, an exquisite wine. You will want to take some home with you. Perpignan is one of the twin capitals of Catalonia, and Collioure is a gorgeous Catalan village on the Mediterranean. Great architecture right on the water and a stunning sea walk.

You don't have too much more time than that since you should probable head back to Paris. But if you move quickly then maybe it's possible to head up the Pyrenees to Villefranche-le-Conflent and Vernet-les-Bains, two beautiful mountain villages.

bilboburgler

Much as I love the Alps and Alsace the idea of getting to Capestang and then leaving to cross the country is frankly crazy, you have so many lovely places to visit around there. You have the Pyranees, North Spain, Bordeaux, Provence, the Canal du Midi, Narbonne. I'd start by looking local before you tear across country somewhere else.

Michael

The Pyrénées can be as dramatic as the Alps

gooster

Congratulations.

I would agree, I would agree that staying more in that corner of France would be better --- whether Bordeaux and the Dordogne, Toulouse/Carcassone and the Pyrenees or western Provence. It is a great time of year for the countryside and lower elevations, but May is a bit of an in between time for the higher mountains of the Alps (before some hiking, after ski). If you are heading to France fairly deep in Occitanie, I'm assuming you may be back sometime. You can hit the other areas the next time.

kd5campbell

The groom is a French citizen. His father grew up in the area where the wedding will be.

kd5campbell

Thank you for all the suggestions on where to visit and what to see! I very much appreciate your time. I guess I will need to visit France again to see all its beauty!

kerouac

That's good, but I would hope that the groom or his family would have more pertinent replies to your questions than we random strangers.

kd5campbell

Agree! Hopefully, the random strangers are know the area and are sending good suggestions/vibes!

kerouac

Do not annoy the family if they suggest something. "Oh these people I don't know on a webiste suggested something totally different, and we think we'll go with that."

Larsay

A MUST SEE is the amazing Roman Pont du Gard