Help with travel plans for France
 

Hello,<BR><BR>My husband and I are planning to spend a couple of weeks in France in May 2003. I have visited Paris and Lyon before, but my husband has never been to France. I am having trouble deciding where we should stay! My tentative itinerary is as follows:<BR>3 nights in Paris and then pick up a car<BR>4 nights in Dordogne near Sarlat<BR>5 nights in Languedoc/Provence or Cote d'Azur (can't decide where to stay, or if we should stay in a couple of different places)<BR>take a train back to Paris<BR>2 nights in Paris<BR><BR>I am also not sure if it is feasible to drive from Paris to Dordogne and then Dordogne to Provence taking a day for each trip.<BR><BR>I would appreciate any comments and suggestions.<BR><BR>Thank you!!

Ma cher Cheri,<BR> This is your husband's first trip to France and you are dragging him out of Paris after only 3 nights?

Ira,<BR><BR>We are actually going to spend a total of 5 nights in Paris. I love Paris, but my husband actually prefers the countryside to the bigger cities (at least this was the case in Italy), so that is why we want to spend some time in Provence and Dordogne.<BR><BR>

Cheri:<BR><BR>I wouldn't bother driving from Paris to the Dordogne - it's faster and prettier by train. Take the slow train from the Gare d'Austerlitz to P&eacute;rigueux and pick up a car there - you'll have about a half-hour's drive to Sarlat.<BR><BR>Depending on which of the three regions you've mentioned for the next leg of the trip, you have anywhere from a 4-hour to a 7-hour drive, but definitely do-able in a day.

In June of '01 I rented a car from the Louvre Hertz counter. It was a really convenient location to walk to from my hotel. An hour and a half later of ugly stop-and-go city driving I finally reached the outskirts of Paris on my way to the Loire. Locals can probably do better, but I'd never driven in Paris before, and will avoid ever doing it again.<BR><BR>If you really want to drive from Paris, I'd recommend getting to Orly airport or another suburban rental place and getting a car there. Then it's easier to start your trip.<BR><BR>Check www.autoeurope.com they have good rates that include insurance for rentals that are 3 days or longer. There usually isn't a drop-off fee for returning the car in the same country, but it doesn't hurt to check.<BR><BR>I heartily second StCirq's recommendation to take the train. Pack a lunch, take a bottle of wine and enjoy the ride. Don't forget the corkscrew. :-)

In June of '01 I rented a car from the Louvre Hertz counter. It was a really convenient location to walk to from my hotel. An hour and a half later of ugly stop-and-go city driving I finally reached the outskirts of Paris on my way to the Loire. Locals can probably do better, but I'd never driven in Paris before, and will avoid ever doing it again.<BR><BR>If you really want to drive from Paris, I'd recommend getting to Orly airport or another suburban rental place and getting a car there. Then it's easier to start your trip.<BR><BR>Check www.autoeurope.com they have good rates that include insurance for rentals that are 3 days or longer. There usually isn't a drop-off fee for returning the car in the same country, but it doesn't hurt to check.<BR><BR>I heartily second StCirq's recommendation to take the train. Pack a lunch, take a bottle of wine and enjoy the ride. Don't forget the corkscrew. :-)