help with France Itinerary
 

Hi Guys we are 2 couples travelling to France in January. We are planning on going skiing in Chamonix for 3 days and Paris for another 4 days. We will purchase a France saverpass but will like some recommendation as to where else to go around France. we have like 6 days after Paris and Chamonix. Were should we go?

If a "saverpass" means a "rail pass" from raileurope.com then you are making an inappropriate assumption, in my option - - that this will be a good purchase. Probably not. Plan your itinerary first, then visit www.railsaver.com and only THEN, consider what ground transportation needs you ought to meet by what means.

Personally, I would rent a car suitable for the four of you, and meander through Burgundy en route to Paris.

Best wishes,

Rex

Forgive my ignorance since I am new to this forum and inexperienced. What I meant to say was that we are going to France mainly to see Paris and Chamonix. We have no idea what our itinerary will be and that is why we seek advise from this forum. What would you do for 6 more days in France?

I would pick an area of France that appeals to me and stay at local B and B's. For example; Alsace/Lorraine, the Burgundy region as Rex suggested or the Loire valley. I would just wander these areas in a car travelling from small town to town.

I understood that your <i>primary</i> question was seeking itinerary advice. I was just reacting to the often-held notion that a railpass is something travelers should buy - - and then figure out how best to use it second. A good way to waste money.

On one level, the &quot;endpoints&quot; of Chamonix and Paris are almost irrelevant - - you are simply asking where might you spend six days in France.

And France is so many things to so many people, it <i>could</i> be viewed as broadly as &quot;where should we go in <i>Europe</i>&quot;?

It has to do with your vision of how you would like to spend this time. How have you come to the idea that you <i>want</i> to spend these six additional days in <i>France</i> - - in <i>January</i>? Is it an attraction to French shopping? cuisine? art? history? architecture? natural geography?

Don't get me wrong - - I am not questioning the appropriateness of wanting to spend the six extra days in France. I have included France, in some way, in ten of my 24 previous trips to
Europe - - and I <i>love</i> France. But I have never been to Europe at all in January; I don't think ANY of France will be &quot;tropical/pleasant&quot; like Key West or Cancun - - not in <i>January</i>. And snow is a very real possibility in many parts of France, especially in higher elevations (i.e, near the Pyrenees, not just in the Alps - - maybe even in the Ardennes, or in Alsace-Lorraine).

So choosing destinations is more about you, than abut France. If you want to know what is &quot;on the way&quot; between Chamonix and Paris - - then I will refer you to www.viamichelin.com - - you can plot out a course there, via Lyon, through the Burgundy areas around Dijon and Beaune, for example (this was my first suggestion to you).

But you needn't make that your only option. It depends on what you would like to get out of these six days. I think you need the biggest, fattest, most picture-filled <i>general</i> guide book(s) about France (unless maybe you really DO want to consider another country!) - - and then read it(them) from cover to cover, like a novel.

You'll discover you want six additional weeks (or months) - - not just six additional days!

Hi B,

Have you considered renting a car and driving from Chamonix to Paris?

You could visit Grenoble, Lyon, Fontainebleau and lots of small villages along the way.

See www.viamichelin.com or www.mappy.com.