We have two weeks in France in May, arriving in Paris and departing from Nice. We are spending four days in Paris and then heading to Provence. My husband would like to drive and see the countryside. Is this worth the time and if so what is a good place to stay about halfway. We like places that have charm.

A little longer in Paris and then take the TGV to Provence?

I am going to vote for the TGV as well. Its just so pratical. Do your driving and country side seeing once you get to Avignon. There are many villages worth a drive from there. Of course there are things to see between Paris and Avignon but there are so many things to see that you could spend weeks making the trip. In France its best to focus on specific regions IMHO.

With only two weeks and going to Avignon is a must do for you, I would TGV. If you had more time, a leisurely drive..not autroute..is always great. Two weeks in Paris is certainly not too long either!!

Hi Vicky
We have made this ride many times and it is one of our favorites. The autoroute is a great road to drive and the countryside is beautiful. After leaving Paris, you drive through Burgundy with its quaint villages and chateaux.Next come the vineyards as far as the eye can see. Soon you have the Rhone river by your side and then, the start of Provence.

The ride takes about seven or eight hours and you can stop along the way or just drive it through. We often take a picnic and find a pretty place to stop. Be advised that the tolls are expensive, but I can't recall what they were..sorry. If you make the drive on a Sunday you have the added plus of almost no trucks on the road!!

Hi: How about leaving Paris, hopping on the A-6 (L'Autoroute du Soleil) for just about 1.5 hours, exiting at Auxerre. Head for Vezelay where you will find a beautiful Burgundian village perched high on a promontory overlooking pastures and some vineyards. Have lunch there then continue down the N-6 towards Beaune. The N-6 is the old road south out of Paree and takes you through farmland and vineyards. Very pretty. You can be in Beaune by 4-5 PM. Spend a night or 2, visit some of the world's greatest vineyards and eat traditional fare at any one of a number of pretty good restaurants. Get up the morning you resume your journey, get back on the A-6 (L'Auotroute) and you'll be in Avignon by mid-day.

It's a very nice drive. You can ask www.viamichelin.com for itineraries both with or without tolls. A very interesting stopover seen by exceedingly few foreign tourists is www.vulcania.fr -- an educational attraction devoted entirely to the study of volcanoes, which comprise the entire Massif Central region.

I've driven every segment of that route, and never thought it was an enjoyable or scenic drive. Only a few sections have something interesting to look at while you are going 140K an hr. On most of this route, the sun will be in your face, which makes it very tiresome. If you hit Lyon at the wrong time, it will be stop & go traffic. It was mostly stop when we were there this past Sept.

If you had 4 days to make this trip, then that would be a different story. It's a lot of very stressful driving, and I think that's way too much time to spend in the car seeing some not-so-scenic stuff (nuclear power plants, industry, etc) for just the reward of 2 or 3 short stops along the way.

We've spent 2 weeks in Burgundy, 2 weeks in Beaujolais, 2 weeks in the Ardeche (west of the freeway, south of Lyon), and have made several passes through the Verors section of the Alps. All of these places are along the freeway route from Paris to Provence. North of Lyon, there are a few possibilities for 1-2 hr excursions into Burgundy & Beaujolais - but that's going to consume a lot of time - which you don't have. South of Lyon, the most interesting stuff (IMO) is at least 1 hr off the freeway (until you get to Provence).

That freeway is very stressful, like I stated earlier. It's mostly 2 lanes, and you are supposed to stay in the right lane. You will constantly be pulling out of the right lane and passing trucks, and then checking in your rear view mirror to see if someone is 1 ft from your bumper trying to pass you.

W've take the TGV to/from Provence several times. I think you can actually see more pretty scenery from the train than from the freeway. This will certainly be true for the driver and anyone in the back seats.

Stu Dudley

On ballance I agree with Stu - the drive is not relaxing (especially if you are not used to French motorway driving) - train is painless - oh and Lyon is always stop start whenever you get there.

Another voice in total agreement with Stu. The TGV is an absolute pleasure and you see exactly the same countryside on the way down that you would from the autoroute (actually much better if you get a seat on the upper deck). Plus you can sleep, doze, read etc. Plus, once you count the tolls and gas, the TGV will most likely be cheaper. Plus, you can leave from central Paris, therefore avoided potentially bad traffic getting out of town - not to mention Lyon, which as Stu says can be a nightmare if you hit it at the wrong time of day.

If you had a few days to spare, and could take a leisurely drive through back roads in Burgundy, I'd say go for it. Otherwise, the TGV is a no brainer.

-Kevin

Totally agree with Stu. You couldn't pay me enough to make that drive again. It's not all that attractive and you can't really see much of anything while concentrating on the road anyway. If you want to "see the countryside" it's far more easily done from the comfort of a seat on the TGV.

absolutely agree with the train after missing the CDG turnoff last year and ending up in downtown Paris - luckily found the route out before getting into the big turnaround - Arc de Triomphe!!! year before dropped the car at Autoeurope and did the bullet from Avignon and what a pleasure!! see the country side when you have the time and not having to worry about other drivers!! you can get off the train right in Terminal 2 I think which is 15 minute walk or so to your gate home!

At 140 km/hr, all scenery takes on a certain sameness after a while, especially for the driver.

Clearly, there is no consensus on this subject. Toss a coin.

Maybe not consensus but certainly majority against.

Thank you all for the input! I love this site and appreciate all the generous help and advice. I will show it to my husband. We've been to Paris many times and just have to get a fix every time we're close so we don't need to spend too much time there. I've taken the TGV to Nice and thought it was a lovely trip. I was thinking of flying as it is cheaper if we don't drive.

My husband says it sounds like a no brainer after reading this; he wants to take the TGV. He doesn't want to go to another airport, so votes for the train. I'll go along with that since I've planned everything else and he hasn't done that trip yet. Thanks again all!

You can probably get a prem fare on the TGV--maybe $25. Flying would be a hassle--get to the airport, get from the airport, etc.

Glad to see you made the decision for TGV. It's a most enjoyable ride to Avignon. Driving thru Burgundy is wonderful - but only if you are staying there and driving around on the smaller roads at a leisurely pace!