Need help planning trip to France in August
 

Yes, I know, I know....the worse time to go to France is in August but due to reasons beyond my control, it is the only time that I can go. I've heard that many shops, restaurants, etc in Paris are closed during that time of the year and that's ok. I was hoping to explore another part of France for about 7 - 10 days before heading to Germany to see some friends. I am planning to travel with a friend to France where I will be meeting my kids (9 & 11 - they will be there already with my ex). Then I was hoping to travel to Germany with them via train / plane for another 7 days. Does anyone have any suggestions? Provence perhaps? I would like to be in the "heart" of France...somewhere quieter than Paris or Nice, etc. Maybe rent a cottage in a small town? We would prefer to mingle with the locals than rub elbows with the tourists. I've been to France before but I've just "passed" through Provence and driven through other areas of France. Now I would like to explore separate regions of France to really appreciate the areas. Thanks in advance for your help!

One more important thing: it will be the two of us travelling in France. I will meet my kids at the end of our time in France to take them to Germany. So we are not looking for a kid friendly vacation in France per se.
Thaks again!

August? I would head for the coastal areas of Brittany. Or the Alps.

Best wishes,

Rex

Loire valley may fit the bill. Small towns, scenic, country roads, good food, and of course castles and history. I did a ten day trip with a rental car and really enjoyed it. Amboise could be a good base town, I traveled east to west stopping wherever I end up at that night. I went during summer months, didn't find it overwhelmingly busy. Rented car in Paris, stopped at Fontainebleau, toured Loire, went to Chartres, Giverny, then back to Paris for a couple of days. I use the Michelin Green book as my route planner, with other misc books as reference. Prices were quite reasonable, cheaper than Paris (at the time).

I think Normandy or the Loire would be good places for August. And I would not worry unduly about many shops and restaurants being close in Paris. Some will be closed for part of the month but friends who visited last August said that they had no problem enjoying Paris and eating delicious food. Think about 4 or 5 days in Paris and 4 or 5 in Normandy or the Loire.

"We would prefer to mingle with the locals than rub elbows with the tourists."

In August, doesn't this pretty much rule out Provence and Normandy? And cast doubt on Brittany and the castled part of the Loire Valley?

I would steer clear of the coast. Burgundy is a better idea, I think.

For avoiding most of the tourist crowds, Berry is even better than the Loire Valley and has more than its share of castles, sights, etc. The city of Bourges is a delight and does a beautiful (and free) music and light show throughout its old town; you can do the wine and cheese route around Sancerre, and south of Bourges are some wonderful villages, castles, abbeys, etc. It is very much the "heart" of France. You will see far fewer nonFrench tourists there than in Brittany, Normandy, the Dordogne, Provence or the more popular sections of the Loire Valley.

I don't know if budget is an issue for you, but Provence in August might be more costly (and crowded) than Burgundy or Berry.

Indeed, the Berry, the countryside in the Cher around the wine town of Sancerre, or the Nievre -- in far west Burgundy -- on the east bank of the Loire. La Charite-sur-Loire, in the Nievre, is a charming, time-worn town, very lightly visited, and the people there are exceptionally open, perhaps because of its long history as a place of pilgrimmage and immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when people came to work in the mines and metal industries.

August doesn't freak me out and we don't encounter HUGE crowds like you see in MSM or Carcasonne. We also don't find driving from A-to-B a hasstle if it takes an hour. The scenery and unexpected is always worth it.

Cigale,

Where are you in August, exactly?

this year, a night in St Paul-de-vence and back to the Alpilles, for a week than on to several other places to visit friends in those parts ending in early September in Normandy.

Hi

In August, I keep away from the coastal areas as much as possible (too many tourists stealing my sunshine !) and go inland.

Think about the Cevennes.

You won't avoid tourists anywhere in France in August, but there are fewer inland.

Peter
www.the-languedoc-page.com

Cigale,

A Fodorite rendez-vous in Normandy in September? Trouville? Honfleur?

Thanks everyone for your replies! I have alot of research to do now and I appreciate the suggestions. The Berry, Sancerre, Bourges, etc....I want to visit them all! I'll post a tentative itinerary for your input once we figure out what area(s) of France we will visit. Please keep your suggestions coming....hotels, must see sights, restaurants, etc.

Thanks!

From the hilltpo town of Sancerre there are lovely views over the vineyards and large swaths of the Cher and western Burgundy. There also is a charming restaurant in the town,
http://www.joseph-mellot.fr/gb/aubergegb.htm
run by the women of a winemaking family. We have the lowest-priced menu and it is good. And there's a wonderful art pottery just off the square, near the restaurant, with pieces hand-decorated in the Nevers style.

The Bourges cathedral is beautiful, and the best-presented, through its visitor center, of those we have visited in France.

Are you still thinking a renting a cottage? Would you rather stay in the countryside, a village or a larger town?

If the focus is indeed to be Sancerre and environs... you may chuckle at the ancient history of this, but I posted this NYTimes URL from the "Choice Tables" series on the Sologne a long time ago:

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/08/travel/08TAB.html

It would be interesting of others think that this resturant info is still valid for the establishments listed.

And... at the risk of sounding like I am pouting... (since my advice was shoit down) - - is it really true that the coastal areas of Brittany are crowded with tourists in August? There is so little said about them here, that I concluded those areas are little visited at ANY time. I have only been as far west as Paimpol (or a short distance beyond) - - and it WAS September, not August, but it didn't seem like tourist traffic would ever be "crowded".

You would have no trouble fitting in Bourges, Sancerre and parts of the Berry countryside in a short trip. Sancerre is about 30-40 minutes from Bourges. The only place we didn't like in the region was Aubigny sur Nere, the "sorcery" town, which struck us as tacky and too tourist oriented. Don't bother with it.
Dave, we liked the Mellot restaurant, but we thought La Tour was even better! Both are good choices for tasting the excellent local cuisine and wines.

Dave in Paris - We're planning to spend a few days (3/4) in Paris first to get an overview of the City so that we can return another time to fully explore Paris. Then we're hoping to rent something in La Charite-sur-Loire in the Nievre (or similar area) to spend a relaxing week getting a taste of French food, people & culture. A cottage in the countryside/village sounds great! Any recommendations? I went to a website, "Euro Relais" and came across a rental called "Fermette de Paques" in Arbourse. It looked nice but I'm still searching.

Anyone have an itinerary to suggest? This website is so much better than going to a travel agent! Thanks again.

I do love La Charite-sur-Loire -- for its time-worn, ungussied charm and the friendliness and simplicity (in the best sense of the word) of the people there. I did a lengthy post on the town once. Was it on this site? If so, a search might turn it up. If it was not here it was on the Slow Travel site. I'll look and post it here if so. If you want "home" type lodging, there is a place down the road from our summer house, about 10 kilometers from La Charite heading toward the hills of the Morvan. I'll track down that Web address and post it.