initial Planning for 10 days in France for May 2017
 

Myself along with 5 other women plan to travel from the US to Paris in April or May 2017. Our thoughts are to fly into Paris and then travel to a countryside town and spend 7-10 days there. We would like to rent a home with 4-5 bedrooms (while we would all love to have our own bedroom we are trying to be somewhat conservative and are fine with a few of us sharing rooms). We would like to choose a home where we could walk to town. We would also like to stay in a town where there are shops, restaurants, etc. so if we want to stay local there are choices. And I am sure we will take a few day trips. We would then travel back to Paris to finish up our trip. We have talked about our husbands meeting us in Paris, if they wish to join us.

So if you could give me some ideas/suggestions so I can do research I would greatly appreciate it. I'm not sure of what towns we should consider. We will be setting a budget but again I need preliminary information to provide to my friends. If you need any information from me to give me advice just ask.

Thank you!

Well, thusfar you've narrowed the field down to about 100,000+ places. Have you looked at any guidebooks? Maps? Have any idea which region you're interested in?

Sorry, but your question just isn't answerable. Just to name a few parts of the country where you could find what you're looking for, there are Ile de France, Picardy, Brittany, Normandy (Basse et Haute) , Alsace, Rhône-Alpes, Savoie, Midi-Pyrénées, Pays Basque, Dordogne, Lot, Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence, Champagne-Ardennes, Pays de la Loire, Charente, Franche-Comtė, Limousin, Poitou-Charente, Bourgogne, Auvergne......All of them have towns with houses to rent, all of them have towns with shops and restaurants.

I think you have a bit of homework to do before anyone can begin to help you.

If I had to pick some of my most favorite places that meet your requirements, it would probable be:

Sarlat la Caneda in the Dordogne
Beaune in Burgundy
Uzes in the Gard/Provence region.

Stu Dudley

What kinds of things do you want to do / see in this town? Art, history (if so, any particular eras or historic figures), beaches, prehistoric sites, wine, great food? What are your interests?

Is the group active, sedentary, or a mixture?

How far are you willing to travel from Paris?

You mentioned day trips. Do you plan on renting cars?

April weather can still be miserably cold, and if you're not accustomed to driving in bad weather on country roads, this might present a problem.

The weather in May is usually nicer - especially later in the month - however, there are 4 "jours feries" in May, which can make it a pain to try to get things done - some places will take a long weekend, or even close for a week. Car rentals are usually problematic during this time - you should reserve well in advance and make sure you can return the car when and where you need to.

I have no idea in which directions your interests lie, but the type of accommodation you are looking for is called a "gite".
Here's a website that will get you started, locations all over France:
http://en.gites-de-france.com/