I know this is a whirl wind trip but here goes: Spending 3 days in Paris, 1 day at Versailles/Mont St. Michel (overnight at the Mont).The following morning (Weds) to the Loire Valley 2 or 3 chateaus (any recommendations)then off to ??? Need to be in the Cote d'Azur area by Sat. staying until Mon. Any suggestions of not to miss places on route? Not my first time in Paris/Versailles or Cote d'Azur area.

I gather you intend to see the Mont St. Michel only during your evening stroll, because you won't have the time during the day you visit Versailles, and you will need to be on the road the next day. At best you'll arrive at the Mont St. Michel in time for checking into the hotel and have your evening meal. Take a relaxing walk after that, you will need it.

Two chateaux: Chenonceaux and Chambord.

Thanks Michael...you confirmed my 1st two choices on chateaus. From there, any suggestions? Limoge? Bordeaux? Provence?

Are you driving to the cote d'azur...and where are you going? nice? Cannes? that will make a difference in terms of what to see on the way down. I have taken the tgv from paris to toulon. i rent a car there and drive to saint tropez stopping off at one of the lovely villages in france (bormes les mimosas). I also have gone to nice but stay in saint paul de vence. One of my favorite towns in Mougins...

Yes, we will be driving from the Loire Valley to Cote d'Azur. Any suggestions where to stop on our way down? Do not want to be in the car more than 3 (4 max) hours a day. Will be stopping at St. Tropez, Cannes, Nice and staying in Monaco and the Marriott (free pts).

Driving-wise, this is pretty brutal. Better plot it out.

http://www.viamichelin.fr/viamicheli...MaHomePage.htm

http://www39.mappy.com/

Just pick up the autoroute in Vierzon, either in the direction of Clermond-Ferrand or Limoges. Carcassonne might be a place not to miss.

Jeeze - that's about the most in-efficient itinerary I could think of.

I also don't think you could make it to Monaco in time if you only drive 3 hrs per day. On the fastest (non scenic) route possible, viamichelin says it takes a good 9 hrs to get from the Loire to Monaco. So if you drive 3 hrs Thurs (not much time to see the Loire), 3 hrs Friday, and 3 hrs Sat you'll barely make it if you do nothing except stay on/close by the freeway, and stick to your 3-4 hrs driving max. If you arrive late on Sat, you'll only have Sunday on the Cote d'Azur - that's stupid (if I may be blunt). We've spent considerable time in most of the regions bordering the Freeway, and to see anything interesting you have to get off the freeway quite a bit - thus you'll be driving 5-6 hrs per day instead of 3-4. Bourges in worth a visit, and the Clermont-Ferrand (Puy du Dome) region has some interesting stuff - but it's mostly scenic countryside (more driving). Between Clermont Ferrand & Lyon (Lyon will consume a lot of time if you choose to visit) there wasn't much that interested us. Between Lyon & Valence there is the pretty & rugged Ardeche to the west & the Alps to the east - both will add at least 4 hrs to the trip if you explore these areas. Immediatly along the freeway between these two cities (Lyon & Valence) it's not that scenic, IMO (unless you like nuclear power plants & lots of commerce sprinkled with a few vineyards). It gets more interesting once you get into Provence - but it would be criminal to treat this lovely region as just a "stopover"

Any chance you could skip MSM & the Loire (only 2-3 chateaux ??? that's not many)?? From Paris (add 1 day to see Versailles & get your chateau "fix&quot you could take the TGV to Avignon in Provence, spend Wed to Sat morning in Provence, and then Sat evening & Sunday on the Cote d'Azur. Much less driving & single-night stays, & more time "being there" to enjoy the ambience of the region. I might even recommend that you skip Provence, & take the TGV to Aix, rent a car, and then spend the entire time (Thurs-Sun) on the Cote.

If you want to visit Cheteaux, you could take the TGV from Paris to Dijon & visit Burgundy & some of the lovely chateaux in that region, then head south. Personally I like the Burgundy Chateaux more than the Loire ones, and I think Burgundy is more interesting than the Loire region.

If you 'count the full days" of your original plan you have:

Tues
3/4 of a day in Versaille
1/4 day in MSM

Wed
3/4 day on the Loire

Thurs
1 day driving with 1 or 2 stops & overnight near Clermont Ferrand

Fri
1 day driving (probably 5 hrs) & 1 stop then overnight in Northern Provence

Sat - 1 day driving with a few stops along the freeway. Get to Monaco late in the day, unless you choose to see zero or few sites in Provence.

Remember, most (perhaps 80%) of the driving will be on the non-scenic & expensive (tolls) freeways.

Sun
1 day on the Cote d'Azur. Many shops in Nice will be closed on Sunday - don't know about Monaco, but I'm not a fan of Monaco anyway).

Mon - leave for elsewhere

This isn't a vacation or a trip to France, IMO - it's a "1 night stand for a gitar man" (old song lyric).

Please reconsider your itinerary - from one who has made the same mistakes - 25 years ago.

Stu Dudley

Thanks Stu...but I'm afraid it's not possible to deviate from original plan. Everything is already paid for including flight back to Paris from Nice. Non-refundable. In any event, I'll most likely drive directly to Bordeaux and indulge in some good wine after the 3 1/2 hr. drive from Loire Valley. Continue the next day down through Toulouse on route to the Cote d'Azur. I'm more or less highlighting the trip for my 15 year son (who came in 3rd place in the national French competition). I'm very familiar with Avignon and most other places in the region but my motto is always leave something for next time. Any help with Bordeaux as I have not been there.

Since you're traveling with a 15 YO, I assume you'll be making this trip in the summer.

You're going to be seeing a lot of concrete, noise, congestion, & crowds on this trip. Paris, Versailles, MSM, Bordeaux, Toulouse, and then Monaco - plus about 11 hours of very tough & non-scenic freeway driving - with the sun in your face from Bordeaux to Monaco unless you travel in the later afternoon - which would limit your time on the Cote d'Azur.

If you're doing this trip in late July or Aug, many restaurants & shops in Bordeaux & Toulouse will be closed & you won't see these cities at their best.

Don't know how you could possibly leave the Toulouse/Carcassonne area, drive 3-4 hrs, visit St Tropez (it will be a complete zoo mid-day in summer), then visit Cannes (very difficult to get in/out & find a place to park in summer), then Nice (same as Cannes), and then make it to Monaco in time for check-in & dinner. We've spent over a month in St Tropez in different years in June & Sept - and it could take 3-4 hrs just to get from St Tropez to Monaco - without stopping in Cannes & Nice along the way. You're doing this on a Saturday also - when the crowds are larger & more traffic in the St Tropez area. The road between St Tropez & Ste Maxime WILL (not could) be bumper to bumper & mostly stopped traffic both going & coming from St Tropez.

I've never had trouble cancelling & changing hotel reservations in France.

Just trying to help ........

Stu Dudley

My advice on Bordeaux, other than not going there at all, is to not to go into the city itself. You are looking at about 4.5 hours from the Loire Valley and another 8 or so to St Tropez without wasting even more time fighting city traffic.

Stu is giving excellent advice. Your plan is untenable.

This plan just...won't....work.

I won't bother reiterating all the good, specific advice Stu and others have given you, but I will say: 1) you can't get to Bordeaux in 3.5 hours from the Loire (and why would you want to? It's in the opposite direction from your destination?), and 2) Your 15-year-old will never enter another competition after he gets home from this expedition.

St. Cirq...you're too funny! My son is actually a student at Johns Hopkins Univ. and is quite use to traveling the world. Egypt, China, Japan, Greece Europe, etc. All things being said, what route would you take from the Loire Valley to Cote D'Azur? Will will be

Oops! Will be traveling from the Loire Valley on Weds. early evening. Have any of you ever traveled by car from here en route south/southeast? This is my 1st time posting on Fodor's and other than "boo sayers" I've got nothing positive from this forum! I've successfully planned every trip of mine and will so on this journey. Life is an adventure...live it!