Meags

Hello!

My husband and I will be doing 3 weeks in France/Italy mid-October to early November. Because my husband has never been to Europe, I let him choose the destinations and his only stipulations were wanting: good wine, cheese and bread -- shouldn't be too hard, right?

My tentative itinerary is:

We will fly to Paris for 2 nights, then take the train to Bordeaux. I thought we'd rent a car at the train station and drive around the Bordeaux region visiting 2 or 3 of the wineries there.

Because our eventual goal is Florence, I thought perhaps we could drive to Carcassonne (my husband has mentioned he'd like to see it) and then on to Nice, where we'll catch the train to Florence.

I'm just wondering how much time I should devote to each place (Bordeaux, Carcassonne, Nice)? And if Nice is the best place to catch the train to Florence? Or would Lyon or some other place be better?

Also, what is driving like in the cities? Would we be better off leaving the car in Bordeaux or Carcassonne and take the train to Nice?

We'll be buying a 7-day Saver Railpass and would like to do an overnight to Florence, if possible...

Finally, what will the weather be like in mid/late October?

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated!

Meagan

ira

Hi M,

This October?

>My tentative itinerary is:

Much too much moving around.

>...Paris for 2 nights,

You are 4-5 nights too short on Paris.

How many days in Florence?

You don't want to drive IN cities.

Bordeaux to Carcassone is about 3 hr on the highway.

May I suggest taking the train to Libourne instead of Bordeaux. It's a much smaller town and easier to drive in/out.

Don't buy railpasses until you have priced your itinerary, eg, you van go Paris to Libourne for about 35E PREMS fare.

See www.voyages-sncf.com for trains.

See www.kayak.com for flights into Paris and out of Florence or Pisa.

See www.novacarhire.com and www.autoeurope.com for cars in France.

See my trip report for ideas about the Bordeaux region and Carcassone.
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34676645

I hope this helps.

gracejoan

Megan,

You have received good advice.

I hope you realize that you need should make your auto reservations in advance in the US..Auto Europe is popular.

I think you should make some lodging resevations ASAP...Oct. is a busy time in Paris.

Use www.viamichelin and www.mappy.com for travel time between places. Purchase Michelin maps to review/use for the trip. You might want to get some Michelin Green Guides, too.

You can get a lot of info re lodging on this site or go towww.vrbo.com or www.holiday-rentals.com...

Do some research and then get back to the forum with questions. There are always many who are willing to help...
Enjoy.....

Trudaine

"I let him choose the destinations and his only stipulations were wanting: good wine, cheese and bread -- shouldn't be too hard, right?"

Although "wine and cheese " seem to be popular in the US, they are quite separate things here in France, including in terms of producing regions.

- Good bread -and bad bread- can be found anywhere. Each town and city has its own good or not so good bakeries...But generally only the locals know...

- the Bordeaux region, although home of the world-famous wines, is hardly known for any remarkable cheese. For that you'll have to go further south, to the Pyrenees mountains, or east to the Massif Central (mountain areas which also have their scattered, little- known, but interesting vineyards)

- Burgundy, another outstanding wine producing area, which also offers local cheeses, would be more on your way if you are travelling from Paris to Italy. Bordeaux to Florence is a long drive, unless you want to enjoy the long scenic itinerary...

- Be careful when driving after a good meal, as the French police is very strict...

TimS

The night train leaves Nice at 21:07 and arrives in Pisa at 03:24. Change trains and arrive in Florence at 05:19.

Or leave Lyon at 19:23 and go to Geneva. Pick up a night train there that arrives in Florence at 07:09.

You can take the train from Carcassonne via either Marseille or Montpellier in under six hours. Without stops, you could drive it in about the same time; but why not stop someplace like Aix-en-Provence en route?

Traffic can be heavy in Nice, but driving in the city is not too difficult. Nice has a good bus system and you can buy day passes from the driver so you could turn in your car when you get to the city. There is frequent train service along the coast. I'd suggest spending a minimum of two nights in Nice. If you love art, add another night. Outside of Paris, Nice and the surrounding area have the best art museums in France.

See www.bahn.de for the timetables.

Meags

Thanks so much for those replies. After doing a little more research and considering the distances/times, we've decided to take Trudaine's advice and go to Burgundy instead. (Now we've got an excuse to go back someday!) Unfortunately, it means missing both Nice and Carcassonne, but we've found loads of other things to keep us occupied (plus a concert that we missed in Toronto earlier this year -- we'll get to catch the show in Dijon!).

Thanks again...now I'm off to do research on Burgundy and the Jura our new destinations!