We plan to pick up a rental car at the airport in Paris and travel to the D-Day landing beaches first. We will probably spend two days in that area and then spend the balance of our time (10 days) exploring. If you had to pick between the Loire Valley or Provence, which would you choose? I am not sure we have time to do both justice and return to Paris for our flight back home. We have been to Paris and have taken the TGV from Nice to Paris so all we have seen of the country side was from the train.

Try the Loire Valley followed by the wine country of Burgundy. In Burgundy your only 4.5 hours out of Paris.

Hi Robert - got your email, will reply more both here and there, later.<BR><BR>anyway - my vote, Loire Valley. You could also fit in some of Brittany pretty easily too. in ten days, trying to go from one end of France to the other could be rather trying, in a car...<BR><BR>have fun!<BR><BR>Beth<BR><BR>ps. I am from DC, not Vancouver. sorry, wrong one I guess...

I think that the question might hinge in part on whether you would rather visit:<BR><BR>regions of France which have a lot of "famous" sights, and as a corollary, are more accommodating to people from many parts of the world - - this can be best if you are less comfortable communicating with people who speak French only, and if you are still in the beginning stages of learning about French culture and history<BR><BR>or maybe you prefer a gastronomic excursion, in search of fantastic and "classic" French cuisine; of course, alternatively, maybe you would like to sample some of the variety France has to offer: the cuisines of the Dordogne/Perigord, Provence, Savoy and Alsace are very close to eating in four different countries.<BR><BR>are you seeking geographic variety? want to get out of doors, and out of vehicles altogether, to see the terrain of France...<BR><BR>or want to discover parts of France that guidebooks often don't discuss (or maybe not the ones you've browsed through so far).<BR><BR>These are four different styles that would all fit under "exploring". Any of them sound like you?<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

Without knowing any more of your interests, I vote for Provence. Other options are the Dordogne or Massif Central. I prefer all over the Loire because of the scenery they have is fantastic in comparison to the Loire.<BR><BR>It is quite a drive but worth it, I feel.

Before you get very far down the road in your rental car, make sure it does not have a worn out engine. French drivers are maniacs; you need the power to stay out of trouble. At the D-day beaches don't miss Pointe du Hoc which was a German heavy gun emplacement taken by our Rangers scaling the cliffs. They have left all the craters and blasted pill boxes intact. I went to Provence from the D-day beaches by way of secondary hyways via Le Mans, Tours, Chateauroux, Montlucon to Clermont Ferrand and then by superhyway through the Massif Central. Next time I will stick with the secondaries in spite of the fact they are slower and the road frequently gets you lost in the city centers. With the jet lag it is tough to cover great distances starting at 11:00 AM French time and then finding a room (sans reservation) before they are all taken. And the travel offices close for lunch from 12:00 to 3:00. Food on the road is scarce and slow unless you want to make a pure diet of 'frites' (French Fries, the national food) so carry a cooler of sorts. On my next trip I may travel the route of Robert Louis Stevenson in the Massif Central (his short book, 'Travels with a Donkey') for which there are a couple of helpful web sites.

Rex, thanks for your input, you gave us much to think about. Given that we really never seen the famous sites and we don't speak the language I think we will start there. We have been to Paris twice and the French Riveria once and taken the TGV from Nice to Paris so our only exposure to the countryside was from the train window. It seems you are very familiar with France and so we would be interested in your opinion of what town we might choose as a central location from which to explore the Loire Valley. If you have a recommendation as to a hotel, B &amp; B or whatever, that would be helpful. Since we have about 10 days after leaving Normandie, what would you think of splitting that time between Loire and Burgundy or some other region?

Hi Robert, <BR><BR>For the Loire - I think Blois or Chinon would be nice bases. Neither are as big as Tours (not that Tours is all that huge either) but in Blois you would have easy access to the chateaux on the eastern part of the Loire Valley - Chinon is further west. And it is a pretty drive between the two - take the smaller roads of course. lots of wineries too.<BR><BR>If you were in Bayeux first, you could just continue on and see Mont St. Michel, visits areas of Brittany which interest you, swing down to visit the areas in the Loire which interest you, and as you'd be traveling west to east at that point - you'd be making your slow way back to Paris. <BR><BR>By the time you got to Blois you'd be about 2 hours or so from Paris, if memory serves...

First of all. forget about language problems. Neither my wife nor I speak any appreciable amount of French. We did make an effort to learn basic words and phrases (as we always do when we travel) and got along just fine, even in remote areas. It is surprising what a smile, some basic politeness, even humility, will do for an attempt at communication. We have had only one determined French Person refuse to acknowledge our attempts to communicate in our travels in France. This was an elderly lady, who when we asked if she spoke English (in French, of course), drew up her full five feet of height and in her severest repose (that reserved, I am sure, for naughty school children) looked at us disdainfully over her nose and asked (in French of course) "do YOU speak French"? We smiled and withdrew as gracefully as we could. We should have known better.<BR><BR>You could of course drive right through the Loire Valley on the way to Provence from The Normandy Beaches and see, e.g., Chambord and Chenonceau, my two favorite examples of the Chateau in the Loire Valley. Now, please recognize, this is not "seeing" the Loire Valley. But, it can be done in one day (see both Chateau) with, perhaps, an overnight in Amboise with an evening walk around the Chateau and the town. And then, on to Provence which would be where I would spend the bulk of my time. I don't find driving in Europe tiring. There is simply too much excitement, too much to see, so much to stumble upon. There are markets, small stores and even supermarkets in route, so, eating is not a problem. We typically picnic for lunch as this is convenient and adds another dimension to our sightseeing (markets, small stores and even the supermarkets) as we try to experience the local scene. <BR><BR>Fine dining can be accomplished in almost any part of France. We do an occaisional two or three star, but prefer the Bistros which, again, provide a look into local living.<BR><BR>Much will depend upon your own preferences. Just don't be restrained by limitaions imposed by others. Travel is an adventure. There needs to be a little of the unknown. Otherwise, why travel? A little bit of research, some common sense, a good plan (not too rigid, but well laid out) and, of course, input from the many knowledgeable people on this board will almost assure a succesful trip. Bon voyage!

If you go to Brittany area, try Pont Aven, a pretty little river town, with lots of art galleries. Try to stay at "le moulin du Rosmandec" . it is a Michelin starred restaurent since 1935 with 4 spacious,charming bedrooms.It is one of the most romantic places I have ever stayed in Europe.

It depends on how you like to travel. The Loire area is much smaller than Provence, and in 10 days you can really learn the whole area. On the other hand, 10 days is just about enough to see the major attractions of Provence.

Robert,<BR><BR>Thanks for coming back with the additional info. You are going to get a lot of different answers, and some of them will seem to conflict. Some of the different scenarios I threw out were intended to sound like contrasting approaches, when in reality, you can mix and match elements of all kids of different approaches.<BR><BR>You do NOT have to restrict yourself to "just" the famous destinations (though there are more of THOSE than you can see in ten days!) - - and I did NOT mean that language obstacles should keep you from doing some discovery of places that you won't find in most books.<BR><BR>Still, I think that travelers looking to "try out" what they think are their "fluent in French" skills might choose a few places different from those who are new to the language. And you will enjoy any and all of your destinations - - the more French you learn - - even if it is only at a reading comprehension level.<BR><BR>Normandy and the Loire valley cotain more than enough "famous destinations" to keep you busy for 10 days. But there is a lot to recommend about Bourgogne (and Champagne also).<BR><BR>Some of the best "off-shoot directions from Paris lead of in "all four" different directions, in a sort of asymmetric "X" - - Normandy to the northwest, Loire to the southwest, Champagne to the ENE, and the autoroute du Soleil, headed to Burgundy (and on to Provence) to the southeast (taking some slight geographic liberties with tose characterizations.<BR><BR>And the roads all diverge and converge to/from Paris - - that is, there isn't any great network of "way out outerbelt" to connect Bayeux to Tours to Beaune to Reims. So you have to make some decisions about how much moving around you want to do, and whether to try 2, 3 or 4 of these "arms".<BR><BR>And as Joe suggested, don't let me (or anyone else) tell you entirely where to go). There are tons of all four "arms" I have never seen, not to mention what is undoubtedly a lot of good stuff in between.<BR><BR>I realize that this is not a specific itinerary - - maybe not the answer you wanted from me - - go here, go here, go here. Later this weekend, I might try to put together a top ten "greatest hits" of "famous places" in a 400 km circle from Paris.<BR><BR>Of course, this is why people write guide books, and I do strongly recommend that you get a "major" guidebook - - Fodor's or Frommers and read about these four different directions.<BR><BR>And I'll compare notes with you in 24/48/72 hours or so.<BR><BR><BR>

Rex, thanks for you comments. I do have the 2001 Fodor's France book so I have the basics of the areas you mentioned. We are an independent couple who don't mind exploring and finding out of the way places that might not make a Fodor's. Living in New Orleans, we enjoy taking out of town friends around town and showing them our "hidden" and favorite sights. Look forward to your top ten or whatever you come up with.

I think Normandy and the Loire Valley, with a little bit of Brittany tossed in (there's a debate whether Mont St Michel is in Normandy or Brittany) is enough for 10 days. Driving times are misleading - on the country roads you'll inevitably be stuck behind what we fondly call (actually, we yell it, followed by a groan) FARM EQUIPMENT, that is, tractors, reapers, plows, horse carts, etc. They'll add anywhere from 15-30 mins additional drive time.<BR><BR>If it's still in print, get the Michelin map of the Landing on D-Day; the map locates every site, shows the assault on each beach, who was where, etc. Do take film canisters and scoop a little sand from each of the beaches (as Americans, we focus on Omaha; the Canadians and British also took heavy casualties, and they should be remembered as well). There is a museum near Bayeux which will take you hours to visit. If you walk away with dry eyes, you're a lot tougher than I am.<BR><BR>Amboise is a good base; the chateau is very interesting, da Vinci is buried in its chapel, and his home is just down the street (Clos du Luce).<BR><BR>Have an enjoyable trip; if you miss site, so, you miss a site. My sister missed Versailles on her first trip to France because we sat outside at a cafe for hours, drinking coffee and talking. It's one of my fondest memories of our many trips together.

Joe, you suggested driving through the Loire Valley stopping to see two Chateaus but spending most of our time in Provence. Provence is where I originally thought I would like to go but given the time we have (10 days after seeing the D-Day beaches, etc.) I didn't think we would have time to make Provence. I need to get a Michelin guide to check driving times, but from your experience, do you think Provence is a reasonable destination? What kind of driving time should I expect to a good first stop in Provence? What would be a reasonable first stop destination in Provence? Thanks,