AZKathy

We don't have lots of money and the exchange rate has not helped but we do have miles. We can sit in an apartment for a week, rent a car, eat in and have a wonderful time. I have stayed in an apartment in the Alsace region that is about 280 euros for the week, and food is reasonable there. (And it is beautiful!) But I wonder if I should be considering other areas. Excluding Paris (obviously), are some regions in France generally more or less expensive than others? We love small beautiful towns, some history, baguettes, and cheese. The sea would be a plus. Also,my husband's grandfather was from Rennes and a place within driving distance to that area might allow us to look for relatives and/or church records.

Thanks for any advice you might have!

I am sorry to add anything else but I would also consider Tuscany or Umbria. I have been there and it seemed generally more expensive than France but maybe I am wrong. Thanks.

shandy

My friend and I spent a glorious couple of weeks in the Brittany area about 4 years ago.

Cost wise I found it to be significantly cheaper than other areas of France I had been to previously, such as Provence, Languedoc, Loire Valley etc. Admittedly we went off season (Sep/Oct) which no doubt contributed to the very reasonable accommodation prices. We had a car, no forward bookings, and found some fabulous (and cheapish) places, often just by stopping at B&B signs we saw on the side of the road.

Personally, after this holiday, Brittany became my favourite area of France. I loved the history, scenery and the sense that the locals are very determined to keep their traditions and culture alive.

traveller1959

Simply count how often a place is mentioned here in this forum and you know how expensive it is.

In France, Paris and the Cote d'Azur are expensive. Each other region (besides a few towns) are reasonable priced. And there are some regions which are almost completely neglected by international tourism, but still attractive.

Cowboy1968

traveller1959 wrote:
Simply count how often a place is mentioned here in this forum and you know how expensive it is.

Spot on!!

Maybe another advantage for travelers not fluent in French: Nowhere else in France did I find more people having no problem to switch to English than in Brittany. And they are pretty proud of their Celtic heritage. But baguettes are still available ;-)

But Brittany is far from being a "secret" destination. They do get their share of tourism, mostly from Ireland/UK, Germany and the Netherlands. So you can expect a good infrastructure re. hotels, restaurants.. lots to see and to do!

grimmy

We've stayed here http://www.provenceweb.fr/13/gardy/ukindex.htm and found it to be a wonderful place to stay and see Provence cheaply. It's just a few minutes to StRemy ane wonderful supermarkets and of course the weekly market. I highly recommend it. From here you can visit many of the Provence sights.

BTilke

Berry and Limousin are both beautiful and less expensive than the Loire Valley and Provence (but you will need a car to get around). Far fewer tourists, too.

ira

Hi A,

Also the Dordogne and Burgundy - not between early June and mid-Sept.

AnselmAdorne

Auvergne ... we found accommodation costs significantly lower than Provence and restaurant meals a touch less. Fuel and car rental expenses were about equal. It's a lovely area, by the way: isolated, mountainous, and uncrowded. Local foods--cheese, pork products, lamb, beef from Salers, etc--are wonderful.

Anselm

hanl

We found the Béarn region (south-west France) to be surprisingly inexpensive (and fairly untouristy) during the summer months. We were expecting busy roads and crowded restaurants but many places were pleasantly quiet. Magnificent scenery (Pyrenees), pretty towns and excellent cheese abound

Images2

The Basque area is wonderful, and inexpensive. Look at gites at www.gites-de-france.com and you'll find very affordable homes to stay in for a week or more. You can also easily access Spain from this area, and enjoy the green hills and wonderful beaches. The food and cheese is the best and not expensive.

hetismij

I would second the Auvergne. It is less touristy than other areas mentioned, and has lovely scenery, beautiful red cows, great food, rivers, lakes, great walking. No sea though.

AZKathy

Thanks so much for all the ideas. I have some looking to do now.

We have been quite content to travel off-season, and will cheerfully do it again. But as a clarification, aside from the accomodations (and the flights) I assume other things, like food, are the same price year-round. Is that right? (I know it would be more crowded.)

(I have been blessed to be able to travel with my mother over the last 10 years to Paris, Provence, Alsace, and the Savoie regions, but my husband has generally been left at home. We are thinking of a trip together this time.)

Thanks again!

Michael

What about Gascony?

http://tinyurl.com/62p9vn

StCirq

I'd have to say the Auvergne. Very few tourists, even in high season, and remarkably unspoiled and inexpensive.

AnselmAdorne

AZKathy, that's three suggestions for Auvergne. I guess it's time to roll out the trip report to tempt you with the food and scenery:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...2&tid=34742279

Anselm

Maribel

My first thoughts, these areas of the SW:
Pays Basque, Béarn, Gascony.

We find them much less expensive, less tourist-filled, even in summer, very friendly-good values all.

I have a file on the Pays Basque you can download (free) at
www.maribelsguides.com

Underhill

My vote goes to Brittany: beautiful scenery, many historic sights, and good roads. There are any number of lovely small towns and villages bedecked with flowers, and we found costs lower than Normandy, Burgundy, and certainly Provence.

AZKathy

I will look at the links later (bedtime now) but I did take a peak at your pictures Anslem and they are beautiful. I had not been considering Auvergne but I certainly am now. I am glad to hear a few votes for Brittany as well.

Thank you all very much.

bretonick

Beyond the obvious difference between the very touristy areas (Riviera, Paris, etc) and the rest, it is not so much where you travel, as when you travel, that makes the difference.
That being said, rural France, generally speaking, is cheaper than urban France, and inland France less than coastal France.
Perhaps the cheapest area is the Auvergne-Limousin area of central France; you can check out the prices of gites and B&Bs in this area on this site http://gitelink.com/auvergne-limousin.htm, which has the advantage of being in English