Ally

Going to France for the first time next May. We'll be staying with an Uncle in Nice, but I guess we should see Paris for 2-3 days while in France. Does anyone know how long the drive is between these cities? <BR>Or, should we take a train, and if so how long would that take? We'll want a car in Nice, so if we DID take a train from Paris to Nice, is there decent rental rates for cars in Nice? Please help. I've planned many a trip but this one has me stumped!

Betty

Hi, Ally. If all you want to do is get from Paris to Nice, I would say take the train. You can check schedules and ticket prices at www.voyages-sncf.com If, on the other hand, you have some time and would like to see some more of France, driving might be nice. You could spend a day in Beaune and/or Dijon in Burgundy before heading south to Provence. Another nice stop along the way would be Lyon. Check www.viamichelin.com for drive times and tolls. According to them, driving straight through from the outskirts of Paris to Nice airport takes a bit over 8 hours. In May the traffic shouldn't be too bad. Whether you rent a car in Paris or Nice, you should have no problem. Check www.autoeurope.com for prices. One other cost factor you might want to consider is the high price of gas - still about $4.00 a gallon. I wish you a great trip!

Russell

Do follow Betty's suggestion about the Michelin website. I'd add that the car rental will probably work out to be quite a bit less expensive, even with the high cost of gas and tolls along the way. Plus, you'll have the chance to stop here and there to visit places that would be unavailable if you trained it. The TGV would make the trip more quickly, but might not be as satisfying as what you could see en route.

Ally

Sounds like renting a car would allow me to see more, which I'd like. But I'm not keen on spending 8 hours straight on the road, where would you stop for a night? <BR>Thanks again!

Capo

Hi Ally. Will you be returning to Nice or flying out of Paris? If returning to Nice, would you consider flying at least one direction? Reason I ask is that I've traveled between both cities by rail and by air and I much prefer going by air now. (I would recommend taking the train at least one direction, for the the experience.) <BR> <BR>Betty mentioned autoeurope. I've rented cars in Nice twice through them and have been very happy with their rates and service.

Russell

Ally, <BR>I'd suggest you stop in the middle, which would either be in or around Lyon or in the adjoining areas of Burgundy. There's plenty to see in Lyon, but staying outside may be a bit less expensive and more relaxing. Perouges, a medieval village, is a short drive to the east. Vienne, which has a superb hotel/restaurant, is a short drive to the south. I'll be happy to give you specific recommendations if you like. <BR>I've used Autoeurope about 8-10 times so far and recommend them highly. They're brokers for major rental companies and will match or beat others' prices. Plus their service is excellent. Often they provide free upgrades or discounts for early booking.

Ally

Hi all and thanks for your help again. <BR> <BR>Capo, I have no idea what I'm going to do yet as far as air travel to/from France. My husbands Uncle will be in Nice (where we'll be most of the time while in France) so initially, I thought we'd just go roundtrip thru Nice, but since I've been told I MUST see Paris, I'm undecided! <BR>If I can get better rates to fly into Paris, perhaps we'll see Paris first, then drive or fly to Nice and back. There are so many decisions to make! I like the idea of stopping where and when we want in a car, and we'll be able to see more of the country, so perhaps fly one way and take a car back? Jeez, I just don't know. <BR>Does anyone know if a 'one way' car rental is real expensive, or should I just drive both ways? <BR>Russell, I'd LOVE to have your recommendations on hotels/eats, or anything else along the way. Cheers

Rex

Recommendation for place to stop: Chateau de Longsard - - search Longsard here on this forum for all the details. <BR> <BR>About 30 minutes north of Lyon. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

Christina

YOu will always get better rates to Paris than Nice because it's a major destination--in fact, all flights that go to Nice from US go thru Paris as far as I know. However, adding on a flight segment to Nice is very cheap, at least on Air France it is (ie, US-Nice, return Paris-US will not be that much more than RT to Paris, maybe $100). I think it would not be a good idea to drive both ways, although you don't say how long this trip is (I'm guessing that might be a major chunk of vacation time), I just don't see a good reason for doing that. I think you can get some car rental fares that aren't a lot higher for pickup in Nice, dropoff in Paris, although I haven't done that (try Europcar or just Autoeurope, they use them). If I were you, I'd probably just forget the whole car rental long distance driving thing altogether on this trip; if you want one in Nice for some reason, just rent it locally there for a few days. Take train one way (which would be when you wanted a few days in Paris) and fly the other as an addon to your fare.

afaag

If I were you I'd look for open jaw flight to Paris and out of Nice. It should cost the same or slightly more than roundtrip fare. Stay three days in Paris and take a train down to Nice. You can also take overnight train Paris-Nice

Capo

Ally, if what you're interested in is stopping at a few places along the way between Paris & Nice, then I suppose a car might work best for you. If you were only interested in stopping at one place along the way, say Lyon for instance, then the train might work better (unless you guys love driving.) <BR> <BR>As others have suggested, you also might want to look into an "open jaws" flight, flying into Paris and out of Nice, or vice-versa. <BR> <BR>Whatever you do, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time on your first visit to France.

Russell

Big decision: fly or drive. If your trip from Paris to Nice is nothing more than getting from place to place, take the TGV. I find that much preferable to flying from Paris to Nice and the time differential isn't meaningful. To really get a sense of the countryside, you do have to drive. Picking up in Paris and dropping off in Nice should be no problem. You can easily spread the drive over two days with enough time to visit a few places along the route south. I'd leave Paris early, spend the first afternoon in Lyon, then have dinner and stay over at Pyramide in Vienne, then complete the drive by early afternoon the next day. You can certainly make additional stops and perhaps arrive in time for dinner. One of the more interesting places to stop above Lyon is Beaune, especially if you are interested in wine. South of Lyon, you'll find both Avignon and Aix-en-Provence right off the autoroute. They both will require more than a few hours for a proper visit. The bottom line is that there's lots to see, but you have to decide first whether you're up for the drive. On a first visit, you may find the TGV a better choice and think about driving next time around.

Ken

Hey Ally. My wife and I drove from Cannes to Paris last October and had a great time. We did some wine tasting in the Rhone Valley (about two hours north of Cannes), and spent the night in the very quaint, tiny town of Cliousclat. Stayed at a Fodors choice inn called La Treille Muscate, I believe, which was totally unassuming but really friendly, comfortable and authentic. Great food, too, including fresh vegetables right out of the fields outside. We spent a second next night in Burgundy, just outside Beaune. Beaune is a very attractive little town, with some amazing food and really interesting sights. And, of course, fabulous wine. We stayed at Hostellerie de Levernois, which was nice but a little bit stuffy. I'd probably stay right in Beaune next time, maybe at the Hotel de Cep. We've also stayed in a little town called Bouilland (I believe) at a place called something like le Moulin which was really quite nice. (Sorry I can't remember more detail on that one). Anyway, driving that route is pretty easy and scenic, and it's great to have the freedom to explore. But I agree with everyone else who says there's no need to do it both ways. If you don't fly back, take the TGV. Have a fun trip!

StCirq

By tunnel, about 42 hours. But I'd recommend you take the train, which will take about 4 hours.

Chet

Hi Ally: <BR>How unusual: I have a grown daughter named Allyn Maura whom we call "AllY". <BR> Let me add my two cents worth to all the other postings. My wife and I are departing Los Angeles for Paris on 10 Sept. After three days in Paris we are making our way to Nice via bus and <BR>Rhone River cruise with Grand Circle Travel. We have been booked on Delta to fly from LAX to Paris direct (I believe Delta has an arrangement with Air France), and will return from Nice on Delta via JFK. So it is feasible to fly to Paris and return from Nice. <BR> If this is your first trip to France, definitely plan on at least three days in Paris; its a wonderful city. You will not need a car in Paris. Use Auto Europe (800-223-5555); we have used them several times with excellent service and unbeatable rates. They use local rental firms (Mostly Europecar)with pickup in several downtown locations in Paris and dropoff at Nice airport. I don't think there are any drop charges for travel within France, but check with them. <BR>For your first trip, I suggest taking 2 or 3 days to get to Nice. Stop at Fountainebleu; the palace is as ornate as Versaille and the town is a joy. Another stop in Beaune if you like burgundy wine. Layover in Avignon and tour the Pope's castle; then on to Nice via the Cote d'Azur. <BR>Happy traveling. Chet

Chris

SNCF does a train/car deal -- check out their website (I haven't done the train/car deal thing). <BR> <BR>I prefer the train. You can stop wherever you like in between Paris and Nice, rent a car for the day or hire a taxi. The advantage to the train is that the stations are usually in the middle of the city, so you'd have little in transportation costs to/from the station (not like the airports, which are outside the cities). <BR> <BR>You can take the train from Nice to Provence, then to Lyon, then to Dijon, then to Paris, then to the Loire Valley, etc. You'd spend a lot of time on the train, but you'd be less tired than if you drove. <BR> <BR>If you're planning on doing wine tours, etc., you will need to rent a car (or hire a taxi, depending on how much you plan on tasting!)

Chet

Hi Ally: Its me again, with some thoughts on what to do in Paris. First thing is to take a half day city tour; can be arranged through your hotel. This will take you past all the main sights, and you can end up at the Louvre. IMO, the Louvre is overrated: Too big and crowded and the Mona Lisa is a small picture surrounded by people from all over the world. Tour groups seem to park in front of the painting, and you will be besieged by every language. The must see museums are Orsay and Rodin. Both can be seen in one day. Start with the Orsay when it first opens to avoid any crowd. Spend some time at Notre Dame, then have lunch at the bistro "Au Bognat' 26, Rue Chanoinesse, 75004, about two blocks from Notre Dame (closed on Mondays). If you are in Paris on a Sunday, a wonderful experience (regardless of your faith) is to attend the 11AM high mass at St. Eustache church, a magnificent 16th century gothic church with a remarkable pipe organ. The llAM service is preceeded by an organ concert, and the mass is sung by the church choir with organ accompaniment. Truly a special event. The church is very close to Les Halles. If you have a clear day, have lunch or a snack at the rooftop resaurant of the Samaritaine department store. Good food, reasonably priced and the best view in Paris aside from the top of the Eiffle tower. If you visit Sacre Cour, be alert if you take the finicular; its the only place I encountered pickpockets that work as a team: One blocks the turnstile in front of you while the other works your pocket from in back. For local transportation, use surface buses instead of the metro. They are slower, but you can see things from the bus. <BR>Enough for now. Paris is a wonderful city: enjoy! <BR>Chet <BR>Enough for now. Paris is a wonderful experience

Ally

Thank you all so much for the information. We'll have as much time as we want between Paris and Nice. From what I've read (quickly) from all the post, I think we'll drive one way, taking a couple days for the trip so we can stop at couple places along the way. This will allow us to see Nice, Paris and in between! Glad to know about the somewhat cheap options of flying into one city and returing from another....but we may decide to drive from Paris to Nice and return to Paris via train, just for the experience! Lot's of options!

Maureen

Ally, <BR>I am planning the same trip but for december and in reverse order. We will be in Paris and driving to Monte Carlo. My husband and I have made this trip before and it is sensational no matter what time of year. You must take one or two days in Burgundy. Make a reservation at Chateau de Gilly 3-80-62-89-98 and ask for room 46. This unbelievable Cistercian chateaux will be fabulous in May. You must also have reservations in their restaurant. buy your wine at Domain Bertagna they will allow you to taste before you buy. And tour and buy at Chateau du Clos de Vougeot. This is a wonderful, peaceful, and embracing part of France. They welcome and enjoy Americans. Have a wonderful trip!