Need feedback... France to Italy
 

Since this is the best place to get really good travel advice... I'm back again to ask for experiences

traveling from Paris to Southern France then onto Southern Italy. I plan to take a train from Paris to an

interesting area in Southern France.My stay in France will be a total of 12 days. Then onto Southern

Italy for 12 days. (See below established time for tour in italy, have to arrive for tour to start on sept15).

I've not purchased plane tics yet so this time have flexibility. However the second part of trip visiting

Puglia including mattera is established. Therefore my travel in France Is determined. Departure on

SEPT 15, from an airport in southern France that flies into Bari,Italy. I will be joining 3 other women to

tour Puglia/Matera for 8 days. Then I will be traveling on solo to travel by car to The Solento for 4 days (Lecce/Otranto).
My questions;
*Which airport southern France ,itinerary not set yet so if experiences with nice places this area would appreciate? Need to fly into Bari,Italy.

*Any memorable experiences in southern area of France appreciated.

* Lastly I'll be flying out of Brindisi,Italy on SEPT 26 th to ? B/c I still have 4 more days before I have to

return to Boston. Would it be possible to see one more place before I leave Europe.... Yes This is a bit

@much.... But that place is only Barcelona, Spain, it would be for 5 days 4 nights then fly home SEPT 30?
I hope this is not too confusing...and as always I really appreciate your feedback. My last trip was such

a success bc of all the others just like You that

supported me with good feedback on my last trip to Europe/Italy Sept 2014. I did that solo by train/ferry

and it was my first time to Europe. I would have done some things a little differently but I would still visit

.the same places again... Each experience was unique!

Venice/Lake Como/Milan/Rapallo/Santa Margherita/Portofino/SanFuroso/Cinque Terre/Florence/Pisa/Siena/few Tuscan hilltop towns/Rome/Amalfi Coast: Praiano(base),Positano,Amalfi Town,Ravello /Ischia/Capri/Sorrento/Pompeii. Also hiked to the top of Mt. Vesuveus Volcano. Traveled with one CARRYON briggsnriley bag. I prefer not to back track. So Flew open jaw into Venice out of Naples( which I did not have time to visit).. wanted to see the museum of archiologica .... missed it.,closed. Also trevi fountain and Spanish steps fountains in Rome under repair and not operating .. Next time��

Peace,
JoAnn

Flights to Bari

http://www.aeroportidipuglia.it/mappavoli/bari.html

note that Paris is the only French direct flight

so maybe Turin or Genoa in northern Italy

Brindisi direct flights

http://www.aeroportidipuglia.it/mappavoli/brindisi.html

The flight to Rome is pretty cheap and gives you loads more choices

Bilboburgler,

ThankYou soo much... I did not realize this... Your feedback is much appreciated.

Also seeking doable itinerary for Southern France,if any suggestions, I so would like

to see them. I would like to stay in France first 12 days of trip

then fly to Southern Italy. Just curious, since it's easier to fly out of Paris.. Would it

be better choice to start trip in Southern France then train travel to Paris and

depart/from there to Bari,Puglia.

Timeline,arrive ? Airport southern France. Im still

not sure where to go to have a positive experience for 12 days that also

includes Paris. How may days for each place(Paris/Southern France)

Some of the trip reports I've read have mentioned these areas:Avignon, Nice

Aix-en-provence, Lyon, Lourdes, Bordeaux, and Marseille.

Timeline:

~France ,arrive Sept 3-15 depart Paris that am.(?start southern France or Paris)

~Southern Italy,Sept 15-26/Puglia/Matera (arrive Bari/depart Brindisi) Note Sept

15-22 is predetermined commitment all arranged,no flexibility in revising this part of

trip, with few days solo travel by car to experience a Trulli sleepover/Lacorotondi/

Lecce/Gallipoli and Otranto.

~ Finally have sept 26-30 open not committed.

Last question is it doable to consider Barcelona,Spain to experience

architecture/food/art. (fly from BrindisiPuglia airport to Barcelona sep 26 then

depart Sept 30 for Boston)?


Addendum no hotels yet for France all set in Italy except when get to Lecce my


base. Thank-You all so much again for reading.... I realize I'm taking on a lot ,

however I only get this holiday once a year and really so look forward to it..... Like

its my last one, so I tend to want to do more and be in motion.... It's my nature.

Peace,
JoAnn

JoAnn

First thoughts Trulli Lacorotondi/

Lecce/Gallipoli and Otranto. all good places to see. End of season but still warm, you'll find most towns are pretty dirty on the outside but the old centres area wonderful.

Trulli are good but so are Masseria, fortified farms converted into various levels of hotel, you'll find lovely old stone rooms, with local cooking. The cooking in Puglia is to die for. Eat locally (note that this is not the same as Italian food) but very regional.

France will still be busy (though few kids), you'll like Avignon, Nimes, Arras, maybe the Camargue (wild horses on open spaces), Nice is ok. Marseilles an aquired taste. You could fly down or take the train but you need to use something like skyscanner to dig into options from CDG, you could fly from Orly but that is a schlep round Paris.

You could instead look at Paris fly on to Barcelona, then Train back to Avignon etc and train/fly up Paris. Barc needs at least 2 full days to enjoy but you could spend 6 days

You could do Avignon, Arras, Nimes by train with maybe a tour out with local tour guide to visit sites

Addendum realistic travel revision, feedback appreciated ... Thinking fly into Nice find a base n take day trips ? Train or car. However still challenged with distance to Hilltown areas in Provence ie Gordes/San Remy/Orange/Creslet/Vauson La Romaine/Rousillon to name a few.

1. Arrive from USA to Southern France sept 3-15.

2. Fly to Southern Italy sept 15-24(?directly or by way of Rome to Brindisi)

3. Fly to Paris sept 24-30

4. Depart to USA sept 30 (noontime)

Given the names you are proposing then you will need a car. I've not been to them all so probably not the best to advise but generally as you move to villages you need a car, though I doubt you need or want a car in Nice and the local bus will get you out to some nice little places around there.

train system you need to read

seat61.com
https://www.capitainetrain.com/en which is far easier to use than the crazy sncf.com website, you can also use bahn.de which is useful if you end up doing cross border train journeys and also down in Puglia as the there is an extra train company which operates just down there and trenitalia.com is aweful to use anyway.

Just another thought on Puglia, you probably will end up wanting a car there, but given the centre of Lecce is a bit tight (just small lanes in a baroc masterpiece) you might be best to catch the bus to Lecce, if you google the airport website you will find a very effective bus that gets you there easily and then a quick Taxi to your base.

Thankyou ... I have an option to get car service to airport in Brindisi after my tour completed can I catch a bus or train to Lecce. If it's that small I don't want to complicate matters attempting parking. I'll only have solo time 9/22 morning till 9/24 am before departing for Paris. I revised plan with Lecce as base and see Otranto , Gallipoli too far I think? Also have you been to Puglia ... I'm looking gor the name of this amazing restaurant that sits on the edge of cliff in a cave over the ocean,,, it's so romantic . I want to have lunch or dinner there?

I've been twice, once to get married. Sorry you'll have to google the restaurant.

Lecce to Brindisi bus is easy http://pugliairbus.aeroportidipuglia.it/
Lecce train goes into Brindisi town and then you then need to catch a bus out to the airport (going to take a long time)

Car in old town Lecce is a tricky, but if you are staying in a new hotel or hotel away from the old centre then using a car will be easy, Otranto a fair distance, check with the Michelin map to get an idea of times.

Paris airport Q re: Parigi Beauvais-Tille arrival from Bari Puglia... Is there direct access from airport to metro to Lati Quarter 5-6 arrousement? I had found a hotel initially in this area near the metro stop that got me to from the CDG AIRPORT. However I'm not sure of the proximity of the revised above airport arrival in regards to proximity to the Latin Quarter. This is the only flight that gets me out of Bari without having to go to Rome resulting in 2 flights to Paris?
( flight Nice to Rome to Bari/Puglia gets me to my group tour at about 7:30p... Hopefully):(

http://www.aeroportbeauvais.com/bus.php?lang=eng

first the bus to Port Maillot

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/...dbfdbdcb996eb9

then Port Maillot Metro to wherever

http://www.ratp.fr/informer/pdf/orienter/f_plan.php

look at google map for the nearest range of Metro stops, then choose the station with least stops using the RATP website

metro explanation
http://parisbytrain.com/paris-rer/

There is an alternative, which is to catch the airport shuttle into Beauvais town and catch the train there, but this normally less efficent