France 2 moms and 4 teens 10 days
 

Hi,

I am looking for advice on two locations we might enjoy exploring in France this July. Our group includes 2 moms and 4 girls between 11 and 14. We are pretty low key travelers and will have a car. we will have already been in Paris.

We are thinking we would like to explore 2 areas of France spending 4 to 5 nights each place and are wondering what regions people would recommend. We would rather not change locations to frequently. two rentals with day trips would be great.

I was thinking Dorgone---Lascaux II, Sarlat, Rocamadour, Perigigueux and Chateau de Castlenaud

Is it possible to go to Dune de Pilat for a day trip or is it better to be closer to coast? is it interesting

Is it possible to do a beach day as a road trip? Or too far?

Is it better to be North of Aquitane in the Ile de Oleron/La rochelle area if we want to see the coast?

A second region we looked at was Avignon, Nimes, Arles, Gordes. Is this ok for 4-5 days or should we just stick to the East coast and see more of that?

We will be driving from Paris and returning by car to Amsterdam.

Thank you ahead of time for insights and I apologize for my lack of knowledge and inability to narrow down more what we are looking for. We want to do it all but know we will enjoy relaxed well organized snippets best! You always miss something!

Thank you,
Belinda

Guidebooks and maps will help enormously with the lack of knowledge and inability to narrow things down. I think the Dordogne is a great choice, and there is much more to see and do there than you have listed. No, a day trip to the Dune du Pilat or the beach is not advisable (as you can see on a map).
Provence is another good choice, but you'll have to plan on a day to get there from the Dordogne, maybe with a stop in Carcassonne. La Rochelle and the Ile de Ré/Ile d'Oléron is a good area on the Atlantic if you want a beach holiday, or the Côte d'Azur.

Are you stuck with driving from Paris? A much easier plan would be to take the fabulous fast French trains to whichever your first destination is, rent a car there, and return it at the end of your trip and take another train back to Paris. You certainly don't want a car IN Paris!

Thank you! We could take a train and then rent a car but our friends in Amsterdam just had a bad experience with that in Italy and she is a bit gun-shy so she thought we might be better doing the rental in Amsterdam...I would prefer to do less "just getting there" style driving and take the major trains but we'll see.

I would highly recommend just renting the car at your location. France is a huge country and you will waste a lot of precious vacation time driving from Paris south and then back to Amsterdam...will you rent in Paris and drop in Amsterdam? That will likely incur a huge fee as you are dropping in a different country. Or do you mean to drive to Paris from Amsterdam and park the car while you visit Paris? That will incur some hefty parking charges and you sure don't want to drive in Paris!

What happened to your friend in Italy? We have never had issues renting cars thought france...?

I don't know what your friend's issues were with the car rental in Italy, but I've done 100+ rentals in France and at least a dozen in Italy, and several more in other European countries and never had a problem (well, yes, I've had minor problems, but they were all resolved quickly and satisfactorily). Plus, if you rent a car in Paris and drop it in Amsterdam, you're looking at something like a 500-euro fee (someone has to drive the car back to its country of origin and then get transported back to the original country). So it's really a no-brainer, despite your friend's "concerns."

Thank you for the insights about car rental..actually they are living in Amsterdam so we would rent and return same spot...but she is rethinking that and hopefully itnwill work out. I don't care about the money as much as the lost time.

But beyond the car..

We are also re-thinking going all the way over to Provence.

For whatever reason I want to see Dorgone...odd as I know nothing about France beyond briefest of guidebooks and may only go this one time...would it be a mistake to go to Dorgone and Aquitane and Paris and miss the "biggies" of provence, burgundy and Normandy.

I am also wondering which beach area you would recommend. If we took the train from Paris to Bordeaux and stayed in Dorgone area for 5 days and had 5 days for either st Jean de luz and Aquitane basque area or lie de Rochelle area...which would you recommend? Or would you choose a 3rd option I don't know of?

any specific recommendations for things to see or do...or avoid.... In Aquitane, Spain basque region, Dorgone or ille de Rochelle area?

Thank you