First trip to France where to travel in France
 

I am a 46 year old female who will be traveling solo to France for the first time in April 2014. I am plan to run the Paris marathon and intend to stay in Paris for about a week. I will then have about 5 -6 days to travel in France. I do not plan to rent a car and intend to travel by train. Should I go to Bordeaux or Lyon-Avignon. My goal is to make the most out of the trip.....I am a big foodie and wine lover.

Lyon is said to be the food capital of France 'Nuff said.

I would not go to Bordeaux if this is your first trip to France unless you are a wine vendor. There are many better destinations, and yes, they include Lyon and Avignon.

You might want to study a couple of guide books.

Strasbourg is another possibility.

I'd spend the entire time in Paris, and take a day trip to either Lyon, Strasbourg (Colmar) or any of the other places mentioned.

I've spent more than 2 weeks at a time in Paris and felt I barely scrathed the surface.

Another vote for Strasbourg, a beautiful city. About a 2.5 hour train ride from Paris. Short distance from Colmar. From either one a couple of hours from Dijon.

Paris lovely but you need to get out and see a bit of France. Depending on your time/interests I recommend loads of places but if you are researching in Books have a look at

Rheims and Strasbourg in the East
Bayeux in the North
La Rochelle and Il de Re in the West
Chablis/Auxerre in the middle
Avignon/Arles/Nimes in the South

I hear (I guess it's a joke) the Bordeaux 10k includes wine in the water bottles, not wise but interesting.

If it is not too far, go to the Côte d'Azur! Marseille, Cannes, Nice or maybe Monaco. Definitely worth a trip!

I guess Paris attractions cannot be completed within a week. You need to plan carefully and cover the iconic places like the Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, Champs-Elysées, Arc de Triomphe, Musée d'Orsay and Rodin Museum first.

If you want to take back the world’s finest white wines, then go to Bordeaux or else pay a visit to the second largest city of France, Lyon to spend some time visiting galleries, museums, gardens and parks.

Or train to Tours...are you willing to drive? Rent a car (I think its the train stop right before Tours proper). See some of the beautiful chateaux.
Recent research for me to do it in October seemed pretty easy. If you don't drive (I can,just prefer not to), many of the hotels can arrange van tours. Could be fun! Meet other travelers.
As to wine, you can find pretty much whatever suits your palate anyway. Like me, I askew bordeaux, but love Chablis, Sancere's, white burgundies. Come April you'll dine on delicious spring things...
Either way, just know you're lucky and blessed and you can have a terrific time. Traveling solo is so freeing!

Paris for a week is a nice length of time. I think the idea of the Loire chateaux is nice. We really loved our 6 days in Normandy, driving--which in France is truly dead easy. We went to Rouen, then Honfleur on the coast, then Bayeux. Returning to Paris we stopped in Chartres for that beautiful cathedral
A fast TGV to Avignon and touring around that--again with a car.
Are you unable to drive, or just don't think it is best? The smaller roads in various parts of France have such charming finds along the way. There are ways of taking the train to X and picking up the car there for touring in the area, returning it, and taking the train back to Paris, for example.

Re-reading, you as a foodie and wine lover, there is wonderful food everywhere in my opinion. Normandy is not a wine region, but the Loire is--as is Provence, each in its own way. Normandy does have its cheese and cider/calvados going for it however!!