P67742

Hi All,

I did some research and realize this will be a rushed itinerary but if anyone can help. International flights are already done and we have a total of 7 nights. Unfortunately this all we could get off from work. We fly into Paris and to save time I am going to fly back to Paris. We already saw Paris so will not be sightseeing there.

We have to go to Loire valley as my kids are going to go on an exchange program. So we are going to rent a car at the airport. We arrive early morning to Paris.

Day 1-arrive Paris and en route to Tours/Loire/La Chartre sur le
loir, will stop and see some castles along way. (2 nights)
Day 2-tour around to see castles
Day 3-kids will stay so just us 2 now! Either we drive to Arles for 2 nights or stop in Sarlat area. Not sure. My preference to drive straight to Arles since time is limited with a nice town to stop in for lunch and snacks as we drive down.?????
Day 4-sightsee around Arles/Avignon. Which city should I base in for these 2 nights?
Day 5-Day 7-Nice area. Day 5 and Day 6 to Sightsee
Day 7-early morning flight to Paris. Walk around in Paris in afternoon. (Drop car rental in Nice)
Day 8-international flight (kids will meet us back in Paris)

We just want to cover highlights and I know its rushed. From what I have read so far, it seems we can do this especially since it is just the 2 of us. Any alternate ideas? Thanks much.

Michael

Visit Normandy and Brittany instead of going to the Dordogne and the Provence.

I wrote a couple of trip reports covering that area. They are getting old, but what there is to see has not changed. Click on my name to find them.

StuDudley

I would skip the Riveria and get back to Paris on the 3 hr TGV (train) from the Avignon TGV station. If your flight leaves after 1pm, you can take the TGV directly to CDG from Avignon on the morning of your flight

Do you realize that it is a 7 hr drive from Tours to Avignon (budget 8 for fast lunch, pottie breaks, and at least 3 "deviations")?

Michael's idea is a good one. Get back to Paris on the TGV from Rennes (one of our favorite cities in France).

Stu Dudley

P67742

I already bought my flight from Nice to Paris early morning flight. So I will be going to the area now. I know we will waste one day driving down but I think we will actually enjoy it driving the countryside. Other option is I can go back to Paris and take the flight down to Nice.

StCirq

Oh dear! This will not be fun. You have a mere week and you're going to tear all the way across the country...for what? A three-day visit to Provence/the Riviera? I can't follow your itinerary clearly, but it looks as though you haven't done much accounting for the travel time between locations. You're going to be seeing little besides the inside of that car.

I agree with Michael. Tour Normandy and Brittany instead.

Michael

To shorten travel time between the Loire valley and the Provence, check to see if you can take a TGV back to Massy-Palaiseau and transfer to Orly to take a same day flight to the Provence.

Michael

On second thought, since you'll have a car, drop off the car at Orly for a flight to Marseille.

P67742

ok thanks. I will look into taking a flight down to Marseille or Nice. Should I rent a car or no? So in your opinion, then driving should be out completely?

P67742

I looked into it. Flight to marseille is cheap. Will now drop kids and go night before to Provence. So I have 6 nights in Provence and French riviera. Should I rent a car down there? From what I am reading, I should rent a car. Day of arrival, should I stay in marseille for 2 nights and drive to see Avignon, Arles, and Les Baux. The remaining nights go to riviera and stay in nice or villefranche.

StuDudley

You can get by without a car in Nice. That's what I would do.

The drive from the Loire to Provence/Avignon along the autoroute is not scenic.

There is a 2:30 pm TGV from St Pierre des Corps (very close to Tours) that gets to the Avignon TGV station at 6:45pm. You will need a car in Provence. It's about a 2 1/2 hr drive from Provence to the Nice airport - and part of the drive is quite scenic on the Autoroute.

Stu Dudley

StCirq

You're not going to be able to do justice to Marseilles, Avignon, Arles, and Les Baux (never mind St-Rémy, Uzès, Pont du Gard, etc.) in a day. Just driving to any one of those places, finding parking, and visiting a very few of the highlights will take half a day.

I agree you don't want a car in Nice.

P67742

We will be in chartres not tours. One day will spend with a day trip to see castles but will be back in Chartres. I will take early flight to marseille and drive to Arles for 2 nights. I know we don't have enough time but will try. If it's too much, I can always remove the riviera part and just stay in Provence and catch flight from nice back. Based on your reply should I still go with flight to Provence or train. Thanks for all your help.

StCirq

Sorry, but I just don't get the "we'll be back in Chartres" thing. At all. What does Chartres have to do with dropping your kids off in Normandy for some sort of exchange? No one goes to the Loire to see castles for a day and then goes back to Chartres.

This whole trip sounds completely off the cuff and disorderly...really, really off-the-charts crazy, and that's before you get to the Provence part.

P67742

kids are being dropped off in Chartres or I can even meet the host family in paris. Sorry for the confusion.

StCirq

Sooooo...now your plan is to fly to Marseilles after Normandy, visit Provence for a couple of days, then (drive? train?) to Nice (where you won't need/want a car) for a couple of days, then back to Paris (from Nice/back through Marseilles?), then out to Chartres to retrieve the kids? If the hosts can take the kids to Paris, it would eliminate at least one leg of this jaunt. Staying the whole 6 days in Provence sounds much better to me than trying to add the Riviera into this mix. But you will want a car for Provence I know....the Riviera is in Provence, but for the sake of separating the two parts of the trip south I'm pretending it's separate).

P67742

yes, host family will bring kids back to Paris. Yes-6 nights in Provence (Marseille and out of Nice)
Should I stay in Aix area?

StCirq

I would spend the first 3-4 nights, after Marseilles arrival, in or near St-Rémy (about a 40-minute drive from Marseilles). From there, you can visit Pont du Gard, Les Baux, Arles, maybe the Camargue, Uzès...there are lots of possibilities. Then drive to Nice (haven't done that in a few years, but I think it's about a 2.5-hour drive), ditch the car, and spend the last days in Nice before returning to Paris.

P67742

Thanks. For the Riviera area, which location works best: Antibes, Nice, or Villefranche. I found places in all 3 cities that look great.

StCirq

They are all lovely, but Nice of course has the most to offer in terms of attractions. You likely wouldn't be unhappy in any of them, though.

StuDudley

We always stay at the Hotel Windsor in Nice. Ask for a room facing the garden. We've stayed there for around 20-25 nights since '81.

My wife & I have vacationed for 34 weeks in Provence & the Cote d'Azur. I have a 27 page itinerary that describes our favorite villages, markets, sites, scenic drives, restaurants, Provence Fabric, etc. I've sent it to over 3,000 people on Fodors. If you would like a copy, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach a copy to the reply e-mail.

Stu Dudley