France - Basic Itinerary
 

We are flying to Paris for 12 days and would want to add either Champagne and/or Burgundy regions after spending 5 nights in Paris. Is there any recommendation for town that are easily commutable by car from Paris in these regions? for We were also interested in Mont st Michel. Any itinerary that you can suggest?

Hi Himanshi

Why a car?

Well Epernay and Rheims are an easy trip but I'd take the train

For Burgundy it is a little harder but you might like Auxerre by train.


Any Itin? Well apart from those three ideas what are your interests, when are you coming and how many of you are there?????????????

In five days you could make a good fist of Champagne and Alsace, Burgundy or east Britanny and west Normandy. But really only one of those three makes sense with your time.

Give us some ideas as to the questions above and we can help

Every place in France can be reached by car from Paris. What are your interests, why just these areas, what do you plan to do there?

We are a family of 4 - 2 kids (9 & 4); we thought a car might be a an easier option with kids and in these regions where public transportation might not be too frequent. We are open to train if you have any town reccos in wine region.

We are a family of 4 - 2 kids (9 & 4); we thought a car might be a an easier option with kids and in these regions where public transportation might not be too frequent. We are open to train if you have any town reccos in wine region.

- Fly to CDG, pick up a car, and drive to Reims. Spend 3 nights in Reims. We always add 1 night to the first destination to get settled and recover from jet lag.

- Get an early start and drive to Troyes and spend several hours there.

- Drive to Beaune and spend 4 nights there, exploring Burgundy & Dijon.

- Drive to Dijon and take the TGV to Paris & spend your remaining days there.

No time for Mt St Michel - it's too far away.

If you need to start the trip in Paris - take the TGV to Reims. This probably means staying in Paris twice.

Stu Dudley

Hi Neckervd - We would like to stay a few nights (2 or 3) in the countryside where we can enjoy family time - biking, wine tasting and relax a bit. Basically add another base after or before Paris to see country side.

Mont Michel - looked very interesting - so thought we might do a day trip from paris.

MSM is the most tourist infested site in France. I'm guessing since you have kids, that your trip is planned for the summer - when it will be super infested. We last went to MSM in early June, and got there around 8:00am. Wandered around, toured the church stuff, etc. By 11:00 it was shoulder to shoulder people. We couldn't get out of there fast enough. I have no idea if there are day trips from Paris - but a multi-hour ride there and back - touring between 12:00 to 4:00 - would be a horrible experience for me. I certainly would not subtract a full day from Paris to visit MSM under these circumstances.

Stu Dudley

YOu cannot do that, it's too far for a day trip. FOr day trips from Paris, the rail and public transportation network is extensive, you don't need a cart. If you want to go far away to rural Normandy, etc., with a car for Mont St Michel, it will take a lot longer.

When you say commutable, do you mean the same day? That's what that means to me, in which case, you don't want a car.

ok - no cars in that case! MSM sounds difficult too.

Any beautiful town reccos for vineyards that are easily commutable by train that we can make as base and visit near by towns (if feasible)?

I hesitate to disagree once again with bilbo and Christina, but with four people, two of them children, I think you'd be better off with a car. I do like the idea of dropping the car in Dijon, unless you want to see some of the neat abbeys, chateaux or smaller cities between Dijon and Paris.

I agree with everyone that Mont Saint-Michel is too much for this trip.

>>ok - no cars in that case!<<

I don't think anyone is recommending no cars. You can get to & from Champaigne/Reims & Paris by train and to/from Dijon/Burgundy & Paris by train. But between Champagne & Burgundy you'll need a car to visit vineyards, scenic countryside, villages, towns, cities, etc.

Stu Dudley

For the children, and the child in adults:

http://www.guedelon.fr/en/l-aventure_2.html

If you stay in Beaune and rent bikes, it's very pretty and flat-ish around the town, a well-known area for cycling through villages and vineyards. OR, from Dijon with it's beautiful medieval center, there's a nice part of the Burgundy Canal to cycle along and near Dijon the path is paved for the purpose (the canal also passes near Beaune but a less nice part).

You can take the train to both Dijon and nearby Beaune and if you want to explore more, I suggest picking up a car in Dijon and returning it there before moving on to Paris by train. You can easily spend your week just exploring Burgundy. As a walker I spent 2 weeks in the area and could have spent 2 more. One need not travel great distances to see a great deal.

Any reccos for Loire Valley? It looks very interesting too

You won't have time for the Chateaux in the Loire. There are many, many chateaux in Burgundy. The countryside, cities, and towns in the Loire are not nearly as interesting as those in Burgundy, IMO.

http://www.route-des-ducs.com/

Save the ticket from the first chateau you visit & you'll get a discount on the second chateau. Save the second chateau ticket for a discount on the third. Etc. Ch Tanlay is our favorite.

Stu Dudley

Thanks Stu! One more questions - What would you suggest to visit between Provence or Burgundy in mid May? Will Lavender be in bloom?

So you are going down to Provence now???

Are you skipping Champagne???

I would not recommend visiting anything between Burgundy & Provence. You don't have enough time. Unless you go east into the Vercors region of the Alps (serious mountain driving) or west into the rugged Ardeche (more difficult driving) - there isn't much to see between the two areas other than Lyon and a scattering of chateaux & a few small towns & villages.

It's a 4 hr drive from Beaune to Avignon with nuclear power plants and too much ugly commerce between Beaujolais & upper Provence/Drome.

Stu Dudley

Now I know it is a family of 4 then a car may well be the right solution, Alsace is a good place for a family do or you could stay between Epernay and Rheims on the Montagne de Rheims, there is a kids fun park out there or you could hire bikes in Epernay and go around the place.

You might also like a break in Alsace (lovely cycling and on the flat as long as you stay off the Vosges

So:

Day 1 to 5: Paris
Day 6: train to Avignon, rent a car, drive to your base (e.g. Arles)
Day 7 to 8: Exploring Provence
Day 9: Driving to your base Bourgogne (4-5 hours, I recommend a wine village between Beaune and Dijon)
Day 10 to 11: Exploring Bourgogne
Day 12: Driving from Bourgogne to CDG (4-5 hours, with chance of traffic jams).

Day 12 would be a bit risky for me, especially if your flight is around noon, so have to cut one day from the other destinations, e.g. from Paris:

Day 1 to 4: Paris
Day 5: train to Avignon, rent a car, drive to your base (e.g. Arles)
Day 6 to 7: Exploring Provence
Day 8: Driving to your base Bourgogne (4-5 hours, I recommend a wine village between Beaune and Dijon)
Day 9 to 10: Exploring Bourgogne
Day 11: Driving from Bourgogne to Chantilly (4-5 hours), visiting the spectacular castle, staying overnight near Chantilly or close to CDG
Day 12: flight home