cindyNYC

Hi everyone! I've been reading and reading everyones posts, and searching the internet, and asking friends for advice and my brain is getting more and more muddled! Hoping for some help..

So, we are planning 10 nights in France in mid-May and need help with choosing towns and B&B/hotels... I def. plan to spend 5 nights in Paris, probably at the end of our trip.

We can get a car or take the train, we are up for anything. So that leaves 5 nights in the countryside. I really want to go to Provence, and am interested in staying near/in Arles. Other than that, we want to experice small little towns with markets and beautiful countryside (I know there are probably thousands of them), but nothing too small, so that we can decide if we want to "play tourist", or just relax.

I'd also really love to check out a vineyard or two, and see a chateaux as well. So that is why I was thinking Loire Valley. And I don't really want to spend a lot of time driving, so probably 3 nights one place and 2 nights somewhere else?

In Paris we are looking for a hotel in the 6th preferably... two or three stars, but hopefully less than $200/night. In the other areas, we are trying to keep the costs down, so around $100/night.

Any ideas for towns and lodging? Thanks everyone for your help!

Cindy

kevin_widrow

Cindy - with 5 nights outside of Paris, I'd say you are better off choosing either Provence or the Loire Valley - otherwise you will lose more or less a day traveling between the two. Either one would make a great visit and a nice contrast with Paris.

ira

Hi cindy

In Paris, I suggest that you look into the Hotel Bonaparte.

Tel 33 (0)1 43 26 97 37
FAX 33 (0)1 46 33 57 67

They don't have a website.

If you do a text search on the name, you will get reviews of the hotel.

StCirq

Cindy:

You can't possibly do the Loire, Dordogne, and Provence in 5 days and do justice to any of them. And it's just about impossible to see the Dordogne by train, so I suggest you pare down your ambitions. You might want to take the TGV to Avignon and spend 2 nights there, then take it back to Lyon and spend 2 nights in the Burgundy region, and then back to Paris for your final night.

cindyNYC

I am hoping just to do one or two areas I mentioned - and am tending towards the Provence and Burgandy area now - but wanted to see what everyone thoughts were - for doing 5 nights in the countryside - 3 somewhere and 2 somewhere else - or 4 somewhere and 1 somewhere else... ahhhh so overwhelmed!

Thanks!

kevin_widrow

Don't be overwhelmed, be overjoyed - you're heading to a beautiful country and can't go too wrong no matter what you decide. St. Cirq's advice seems reasonable - with the TGV you can zip down to Provence from Paris and stop in Lyon on your way back - I'd spend more of your nights in Provence, if only to take advantage of what is normally better weather than the rest of France at that time of the year.

You can feel free to email me if you have any specific questions.

Bon voyage.

JeanneB

I can only advise you according to my own experience. We made our first trip to France a year ago and I was also torn wanting to see different areas.

After Paris we trained south and then drove to the Dordogne, then the Loire, then Brittany...in 6.5 days.

It was fun, but frankly it's now a blur. There wasn't time to do justice to so many of the landmark, must-see sites or to drink in the ambience of any given place.

I'd strongly second kevin's recommendation. Go to Provence for 5 days, relax and drink in the atmosphere.

cartecay

My daughter and I have visited all three regions in which you're interested. My favorite was the Dordogne, which is very beautiful. There are many things to do and see, including chateaux. We stayed at a wonderful place called Le Moulin Neuf, a renovated mill that is now a bed and breakfast owned by two British men. They were extremely helpful in arranging an English-language tour of Font du Gaume. We went from the Dordogne to the Loire valley (a long drive). I found the Loire region less appealing than the Dordogne, although the chateaux are impressive. We liked Provence very much, but the Dordogne was still our favorite.