Ok,so I may be over analyzing this but thought I'd ask for feedback. My husband and I are going to France for 2 weeks in Sept. (for the first time!)Here is our basic itinerary that I've planned. Is this too much traveling? I'm trying to be carefull not to burn out on moving around. <BR>Here it is.... <BR>Paris: 3 nights...train to Loire <BR>Loire: 2 or 3 nights...train to Nice <BR>either direct by TGV via Paris <BR>or by train through Bordeaux and then Carcassonne for 1 night. On to Nice... <BR>Nice: 2 nights <BR>Eze: 1 night...back to Paris TGV <BR>Paris: 4 nights....then home. <BR>From your experience,will this work? <BR>We plan on taking small carry on size <BR>luggage with us for flexability. Any comments <BR>or suggestions would be wonderful!

Your trip could be a little easier if you spend the three nights in Nice and drive to Eze. But then, Eze is so romantic. Nice did nothing for me. Too big, just a city. I enjoyed staying in old town Antibes. There are many lovely places to stay in that area, Nice just isn't my favorite.

I am not sure why you want to split Paris stay into two and spend time travelling to Nice and back. Wouldn't it be better to do one of Paris to Nice or Nice to Paris trip on plane on either the day you arrive or leave so you save both long trip across France as well as avoid one of the Paris airport - city trip? It would be even better if you can open jaw into Nice and out of Paris or vice versa.

Unlike Diane, I like Nice. You have a lovely old town to walk in, and even nicer if you hit the market. There is a very good variety of restaurants in the area. The chateau provides nice views. A walk along the Promenade des Anglais is always refreshing, and there is a good pedestrian zone in which to walk and shop. There is also good mix of museums - Musee Chagall, Musee Matisse, and a modern art museum, plus others. In September, the symphony season should have started too, if that interests you. There is a wonderful orchestra. September will be nice with the hordes of tourists gone. Nice is also in a good central location. It's in the middle and easy to get to Monaco by train for example. St. Paul de Vence, Eze, Villefranche, Antibes, etc. are also not far away. Enjoy, but I agree, don't run from Paris to Nice and back. Do as Diane and Greg suggest - it would make the trip much easier.

Thanks for the info so far! Unfortunately, we have to fly in and out of Paris. As far as going back to Paris goes...I want to spend my Birthday in Paris and it's within the last 3 days of our trip. I really don't mind taking the TGV back!

Unlike what somebody else said on another similiar post I would take the journey from the Loire to Nice via Boardeaux and Carcassonne. O.K. its slower, but it is a much more interesting journey, and will give you the chance to see a bit more of the real regional France, which neither Paris or Nice would claim to be. Maybe lop l night off Paris at either end to fit this in. <BR>My God! I think I've just had the nerve to disagree with Elvira, who is much smarter than me in these matters. <BR>Anyway it would still be Bordeaux etc. for me.

i agree... just don't split paris in 2... get there, stay a night in a hotel or take a car for the loire valley immediately. (i'm not sure why you want to get by train to the loire... i would suggest you rent a car) <BR> <BR>I'm sure you'll enjoy your trip ! <BR>

For me, that's too much motion in two weeks. I know it's your first trip to France, and you want to see as much as possible, but you may end up coming home needing a vacation from your vacation. What you could do is split your trip between Paris and Provence, perhaps training it from Paris to Avignon and then driving around Provence for a week, or 5 days. Maybe wait for the next trip over to go to the Loire Valley. Just a suggestion. <BR>September is beautiful in France, and Provence will still be warm. Paris will be wonderful then, too. I do the Paris split thing all the time, since I normally fly in and out of Paris. I start in Paris, spend four or five days there, then go off to the country for five or six days, then return to Paris for two days. <BR>Whatever you decide to do in the end, have a great trip. Be sure to relax, visit cafes, get drunk on good wine, and walk along the Seine at night, with all of Paris illuminated.

Of the places you mention, I have been to Paris and part of the Loire, so I can't comment on the specifics too much. However, I think it seems reasonable. Paris can wear you out in a hurry - so much walking at all hours of the day. The middle part of your trip may give you a break from the big city before heading back in. I am one of those who doesn't mind hopping around from place to place as long as I give myself enough time to see a place before moving on. It seems you did that. That said, I personally would tend to combine Paris and Provence or Paris and the Loire and somewhere else closer (such as Normandy) to cut down on all the travel time.

We did a three-week tour of France in June. On that trip we took TGV's from Tours (Loire) to Avignon via Paris and I wouldn't recommend it. If you can go south (first) and east, it would probably be more interesting. Also I scheduled no less than 2 nights (and preferably 3) at each place. We did stay in Nice (3 nights) and go out from there to Antibes and Villefrance sur Mer (Sp?). You could do Eze from Nice easily daytripping. I would say that we were so busy going OUT of Nice that we didn't really SEE Nice, so I shouldn't comment on it. (I think we sort of MISSED it, even tho we were sleeping there. Something to remedy next trip!) But it is extremely convenient to stay in Nice, because it is really the transportation HUB of the area. I also like to schedule a last day in Paris (or wherever you started from) -- coming back to it is a little like coming back to a familiar place and I find it very comfortable. Just my opinion. (Also you can pick up gifts that you didn't want to buy at the beginning and carry all over the country!) <BR>

Diane, <BR> <BR>It seems as though you'd encounter alot of travelling going the route that you mentioned. If I may suggest, leave Paris for the end of your trip. Since you want to be there for your birthday, it will give you something to look forward to, and it will be the lasting impression in your mind just before you leave to go home. i would fly into Paris, and then fly directly that day to the south of France. I would fly into Nice, and work my way west, returning back to Paris from Marseille,Montpellier,or Toulouse. Save your time for exploring once you get to your destinations. Flying would not only save you time, but also alot of aggravation since you don't know your way around the country, and everything will be brand new. <BR> <BR>Ross.

Well, I may be alone here, but I actually think your itinerary is pretty good. I've been to Paris, the Loire and Nice and did all by train and I think it's good that you are too rather than renting a car -- trains are much more relaxing, less stressful. Just don't expect great beaches in Nice unless you're really into stones rather than sand. Nice wasn't my favorite stop on my trips through Europe but it wasn't the worst either; just make sure you take a daytrip to Antibes (also accessible by train, very close to Nice) and see the Picasso museum there which is spectacular. I understand why people are saying "don't split up your time in Paris," but unlike some people, I'm not big on flying into someplace and leaving immediately after a long flight, but if you don't mind doing that then I suppose it might be better to spend all your time in Paris at the end because I certainly believe it will be the highlight of your trip. The only real criticism I have of your itinerary is that I think you will regret it if you stay only one or two nights anyplace -- choose your destinations carefully and either spend 3 nights there or none (that's just my personal preference) -- anyplace else you want to see can be done as daytrips. For that reason I would definitely spend 3 nights in the Loire (plenty to see there anyway) and would choose either Nice or Eze and spend 3 nights there too, and then spend the rest of the time in Paris. Good for you for taking very little luggage -- you'll be glad you did. Have a wonderful trip.

I agree with Ross, continue your flight from Paris to Nice. Rent a car ( order from the states thru autoeurope) drive the Cote azur, provence . Nothing is like driving and learning the country. Driving in France is extremely easy.Eventually work your way back to Paris and spend the last days in Paris for your Birthday. In France you can rent a car and return in a different city without incurring an additional charge. I traveled France extensively and believe flying into Nice will give you additional time to travel and enjoy the sights by auto. Lou

These are great suggestions! I will <BR>consider some of these and modify my itinerary. We must fly in and out of Paris, so flying into Nice is not an option for us. I think we may just take the TGV from Paris and skip Carcassone. <BR>Still not sure yet. Keep the suggestions coming! I love hearing everyone's advise! gt

We have taken a one way train from Nice to Paris on TGV. We got hit with one of not-so-rare train mechanical problem in Southern France. I noticed that someone else in this forum also mentioned wanting to get refund from SNCF for having stuck in cornfield for hours. In our case, it took 9 hrs to get from Nice to Paris. When we later talked about it to our French aquaintance, they said they always fly to Nice from Paris because of the "problems". In hind sight, we should have flown from Nice to Paris, save 6 hrs, even counting having to fight the peripherique traffic, and enjoyed Paris rather than sardine canned for 9 hours in TGV with bunch of businessmen and retired people with a cafeteria long exhaused all the food it carried. The Nice - Paris route, after separating from the Mediterranean sea, was just going thru industrial region or thru farms. There must be some kind of discount given to retired people to travel this route. They, however, came better prepared for a long trip (did they know that breakdowns were frequent?), with good supply of food with them. They seemed to take delays with good humor.

Flying from Paris to Nice when you arrive in Paris is fast and inexpensive via Air France--

Hi Diane! <BR> <BR>All you would have to do is change planes in Paris, and then continue on to Nice. Skip Carcassonne. I was TERRIBLY disappointed. TONS OF TOURISTS!!!!! See Montpellier instead. A BEAUTIFUL small city. Also Aix-en-Provence, and to spice things up, MARSEILLE. This way you'll see more of the REAL France. <BR> <BR>Ross. <BR> <BR>Ross.

Hi Everyone, Thanks for all the great suggestions. We have decided to modify our itinerary and do the south next time. We don't want to rush and we want to spend quality time...so this is the new plan. <BR> <BR>We are going to continue on from the Loire and drive south to Bordeaux for a day or two, then into the Dordogne for a few days. We will then head up to Versailles and then back to Paris. <BR>We're excited about spending time in the French countryside. <BR> <BR>Next trip, we will spend more time in the South to have time to see Provence and the Cote Azure. <BR> <BR>If anyone has any advice regarding our new itinerary, I'd love to hear it! <BR>Thanks! <BR>Diane <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Diane. <BR> <BR>Now you're talking. Plan B sounds much better - well done!