France for two weeks in June...help!
 

my boyfriend and i are planning our first trip to france and would love some suggestions on must-see's/do's! of course we'll visit paris but since we have some time we'd like to check out the country-side, as well as the sea!

we are booked 11 june- 24 june.

we are super-active and looking forward to squeezing in as much as we can in france to get a real sense of the culture.

looking forward to any replies,
cheers!

Since you've never been there and have two weeks, I think a typical mixture for a new tourist to France in summer would be to combine Provence and Paris. I can't imagine you wouldn't like Provence. Besides, if you really want to see the sea, that's probably a more likely place to go than the Atlantic for first-timers. You probably want at least 5 days in Paris, so you could spend a few days in Nice (beautiful sea views), head west and maybe spend time in Provence in some small place, then you could do a little time in Avignon and then go to Paris.

Pick up a copy of the Michelin Green Guide to France and start browsing. Once you've settled on two areas that you want to see, come back here for hotel/restaurant suggestions.

How are you counting the 2 weeks - do you arrive on the 11th, or is it an overnight arriving the 12th? Do you leave the 24th or the 25th? This could be anywhere between 11 and 14 full days. It helps to know.

I will say that if, by "squeezing in" you mean lots of places, despite the temptation to do so, it becomes less and less likely that you'll actually "get a real sense of the culture". From my experience you need to stop for a while for that to happen.

An alternative to the Provence is the area around La Rochelle with its old Romanesque churches and cognac in the back country and the Île de Ré for the sea atmosphere.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...45839973/show/

Since you are very active, Provence is a good place to bike and hike. And it is near the Riviera where you should be able to swim in late June.

Look at some guidebooks for ideas on how to see the area and fit some activities in as well.

Thanks, all. We are thinking exactly what you are - a week in Provence, a week in Paris. Will do my research from here. Looking forward!