I have tickets on AirFrance for March 1-16 which I was going to change for May but it was totally not cost efficient. This will be our first trip to France and I'd like to know what area(s) you would suggest for that time of year. Paris should be about 5 of the days. Places that I'm interested in: Provence, Loire Valley, Lyon,. Just trying to make the best choices for the weather. Open to suggestions. Thanks.

<< Just trying to make the best choices for the weather...>>

The first half of March - - in all the northern hemisphere - - is still, winter, of course, and much of France will have weather similar to the Great Lakes area of the US (excluding the extremes, such as Buffalo or Duluth).

If you are seeking milder weather, then there are numerous destinations on or near the Mediterranean - - and not at all repetitive, one to the other... from Perpignan and Collioure - - to Sete... to Marseille... to the Camargue to the coastal regions of Var... to the "classic" destinations of the Riviera spanning from St Tropez to Antibes to Nice to Monaco.

You need (a / several) good comprehensive guidebook(s) and/or coffee-table sized picture filled books to whet yourt appetite, and help build a skeleton outline. The internet is typically a poor substitute for books at this very earliest stage of making a plan.

Best wishes,

Rex

As Rex said, if weather is a big consideration then head south. Provence is your best bet in March - many times we see the weather map of France on the news with the whole country under clouds except for a little corner in the southeast. March is actually the third driest month of the year here (after July and August). Just note that when it is sunny in March, it's usually because the Mistral is blowing, so don't plan on any sunbathing...

-Kevin

It's not impossible to get snow in the South of France early March. Then again, it could be lovely and sunny. Definitely no sunbathing weather though.
Plan your trip based on what you want to see, not the weather.

I agree w/Tulips...go for what you want to experience and don't worry about weather.

If you don't want to go all the way South, we took the 3 hr TGV to La Rochelle the beginning of February and were amazed to find spring flowers getting ready to bud, some bushes already in bloom! Sunny but a little brisk. We had a wonderful time. I don't remember the Eastern Loire Valley being that warm same time of year.

Hi L,

Have you checked prices for mid-late April?

With 13-14 days, I suggest one week in Paris and one week in either Provence, the Dordogne or the Languedoc.

You will probably want a car in the south.

PS,

Have you considered an open-jaw flight into CDG and out of a city in the South?

You will have to fly through CDG, but the prices are about the same.

hello,
I suggest you to come and visit the Loire Valley especially the town of Tours. I suggest you to spend nights in a maison d'hôtes (B&B) or a hotel. In the touraine, you have many many activities to do (visit the chateaux, wines cellars, cycling,....). If you want more advices, I give you the web site in which you can discover the region and the activities: www.plusdetouraine.com. You can see that the Touraine gives many reductions: for example, this month, several maisons d'hotes and hotels have a reduction of 50%µ on their prices. It could be very interesting!

We were in France in mid March several years ago and found the weather to be very mild--but rainy. Stayed several days in Paris and toured Chateaux in the Loire Valley and also went to Mont St. Michel. There had been so much rain that boats could not pass under bridges on the Seine--quais flooded, etc. It was an amazing sight. It was a great time to see the Chateaux with fewer tourists and log fires were burning in huge fireplaces. Our favorite was Chenonceau. I would not hesitate to go in March--have a great trip!

MMandy seems to post nearly the identical message pushing the same web site on all of his/her posts. It's beginning to sound like advertising...mmandy, are you affiliated with the Touraine tourist office in ANY way? Advertising is not allowed here.

Since the website MMandy posts is the official website for the department of Tourism in Touraine..I don't expect she is doing it for profit..just to promote a region of France that she obviously appreciates ..and I don't blame her..it's lovely countryside

Whether or not the advertising is for profit is irrelevant. If she is affiliated with the Touraine tourist office in any way, she should at least report it. What if every regional tourist office decided to adopt the same ploy? Frankly, I would not like a deluge of disguised messages from regional tourist offices all over Europe. That's not what this forum is for.

Whether MMandy's advertising or not, Tours is hardly a great destination in France. Sure, it's got a pretty nice old quarter, but what town in France doesn't? It's a pain in the neck to drive in and out of, making it a not very good base for visiting the Loire, and it's just not that attractive. You can easily tour the Loire valley for a week or more without needing to set foot in Tours.

As for the weather, I've been in France in March for the past 20 years or so and have had every kind of weather imaginable, from snowstorms to hot, sunny days. On average, it's cool and windy, with showers. Very pleasant touring weather for the most part. Obviously the farther south you go the warmer it's likely to be, so I think a week in Provence and a week in the Loire, maybe punctuated by a day or two in Lyon, would be a good combination.

Indeed, I DON'T WORK for the office du tourime or something like that!!!!! I'm just a student and I live in the Touraine and I like this region... that's all. I just want to give informations about my region, but some people semm to be not agrre with that...
I'm sorry...