think3mm

We are planning a last-minute 15-day trip to France next month. We have booked our flight and apartment rental for the final five days in Paris. That leaves nine days open to planning. We expect to have a rental car after arrival to CDG (which we will return after returning to Paris). I thought picking two or three regions to setup base for three or four days each would be a comfortable way to see enough, but not too much.

I'm interested in seeing the Mediterranean coast, the Alps, and perhaps a romantic interior region with vineyards/castles/unique landscapes. Can anyone recommend a two- or three-region itinerary that hits the areas I mentioned and perhaps another "must see" accessible by rental car. Ex:, would four three days in Normandy, two in the Alps, and four in Provence be too spread out driving-wise?

As for lodging I like the idea of renting a local place or BnB to get as native an experience as possible. Any recommendations for short-stay base camps with the suggestions regions would also be appreciated!

macanimals

Your first post?
You are likely to get chastised for trying to do too much in too little time--and rightly so. Your suggested destinations are far too distant to be remotely possible by car. I suggest you check out driving distances and times on a website like www.viamichelin.com . On that site you can plug in start and destination and it will give you time and distance. Consider much closer regions to Paris--Normandy, Burgundy, Reims.

BTW-France is a large place.
Best of luck.

bdsbeautyblog

Have you even looked at a map?!

StuDudley

My wife and I spend 2 months vacationing in Europe each year. About 80% of that has been in France - all regions.

Here is what I would do.

Land at CDG airport and immediately take the 3 hr TGV from CDG to the Avignon/Provence TGV station. Rent a car at the TGV station Stay in a B&B or hotel in the Luberon. Visit the Cote du Rhone for your vineyard fix. Stay 5 nights.

Drive 3 1/2 hrs to Lake Annecy in the Alps and stay in Talloires. Drive through the Alps on day trips. Visit the old town of Annecy. Visit the gorge in the area. If the weather is clear, visit Mt Blanc & take the gondola ride up & up & up. There is a castle near Talloires. Stay 4 nights.

Return the car. Take either the 9:31, 12:31 or 15:31 TGV from Annecy back to Paris Gare de Lyon. 3 3/4 hr trip - no train changes. Take a look at the interior of Train Bleu restaurant at the Gare de Lyon - a "must see" IMO.

No need to pick up or return a car at CDG or Paris. You certainly don't want to be driving into Paris unless you have done this before & succeeded at it. My suggestion has 3 1/2 transit time. Yours has at least 20 hrs of transit time.

Stu Dudley

PalenQ

would four three days in Normandy, two in the Alps, and four in Provence be too spread out driving-wise? Yes since it will take a day to go between them - Normandy is an outlier to those other areas but if you do do Normandy then you could drive to the Alps via the Loire Valley and Burgundy, two areas that will fulfill what you are looking for to the max and save Provence for later

or do as StuDudley suggests - end up driving in Provence, return your car in Avignon and hop TGV trains back to Paris sans car.

StCirq

Too much territory in too little time. You haven't thought about the traveling time between places, which will in and of itself eat up three days. Time to start over...

PalenQ

agree with StCirq - drop Normandy and you have a doable trip - take TGV to Avignon - bop around the heart of tourist Provence - head to the Alps via a quick look at Burgundy - return your car in Dijon and blast back to Paris on a TGV. Still a bit hurried but doable - with Normandy so far out of the way hard to include it with Alps and Provence.

mamcalice

I think BobtheNavigator has the best suggestion. Trins are great for covering long trips in a short time. Train to Avignon from CDG, rent a car to see Provence then the Alps and return the car before catching the TGV back to Paris. Saves you driving time and allows you to see two lovely areas of France, about the most you can cover in 9 days.

PalenQ

France even has a Train + Car scheme and a France Rail 'n Drive Pass last I knew that gives X number of days of car rental and X number of days of train travel.

StuDudley

Bobthenavigator???

JeanneB

LOL! You have a new nickname!

mamcalice

Sorry, Stu Dudley. My apologies.

annhig

another vote for bo...no, Stu [only kidding].

PalenQ

Stu the Navigator?

Bob the Dudley?

think3mm

Thanks StuD, those suggestions make sense to me. I wasn't ruling out flying from Paris to Nice, then slowly returning to Paris by car, but I love train travel as well (although it can often be more than flying). I'll investigate further.

bdsbeautyblog: what's a "map"?

StCirq: what about flying? Would that save my three days?

StuDudley

>>StCirq: what about flying? Would that save my three days?<<

Nope - almost an entire day will be consumed with flying. You need to get to the airport about 2 hrs ahead of the flight, return the car (office may not be located at the airport), take a flight that probably is not direct so you may have some wait time at CDG, then the second leg, retrieve the bags, pick up a car, drive to your destination.

The closest airport to Normandy is either Rennes, Caen, or CDG, closest to Avignon is Marseille (not really a usable airport in Avignon), closest to Annecy is Geneva (there may be an airport in Annecy - but we flew to Geneva). All are about 1 hr from where you'll probably be staying, so you have all the flight time & delays plus 2 hrs drive time. Again, it will consume an entire day.

PREM fares from CDG to Avignon are less than 60e. Zero drive time from CDG to CDG, 30 mins from the Avignon TGV station to St Remy (Provence), and about 20 mins drive time from Tailloires to Annecy, and about 20 mins taxi time from Gare de Lyon to where you're probably staying in Paris.

If you are starting your trip in Nice, I would probably fly there from CDG. The TGV is slow from Marseille to Nice. I love Nice, but with your short schedule, I would suggest that you get your Mediterranean fix on a day trip to Cassis from St Remy/Gordes or wherever you choose to stay in Provence.

My wife & I have vacationed for 16 weeks along the Cote d'Azur, 18 in Provence, and 4 weeks in the Alps - 2 on lake Annecy. I have a 27 page itinerary for Provence & Cote d'Azur that I've sent to over 3,000 people on Fodors. I also have a very customized itinerary for Annecy & Burgundy that I did for a friend. E-mail me at [email protected] if you would like a copy & I'll attach one or both to the reply e-mail. Identify yourself in the e-mail so I know to send these two to you. I have other itineraries, and I usually get 5-8 itinerary requests every day.

Stu Dudley