need help with itinerary in France
 

Well now that we have the Hotel Bonaparte selected for Paris..need help with rest of itinerary.

We have 7 weeks. Husband wants Paris last for about 10 days. After reading a lot this is what I decided on. My husband and I will go very slowly...We like to really thoroughly do an area. This is what I have.

Normandy and environs (what other cities?)
Loire??
Dordogne
paris last for about 10 days

Any comments on this?. what are the highlights on the way to Normandy? Is this too much or too little? We have a friend who says that in this time we could go to Provence and Spain. I am confused. Could we add Burgundy?...

thanks for your help. I realize we all go at our own pace ...but in reading some of the escorted tours we know we would hate to do it as fast as they do.

Thanks.

When are you going? Have you been before?

You can see a lot in those areas in 6 weeks. I would encourage you to add Provence to your list, even if you leave something else off. Unless, that is, you plan on visiting Provence on another trip. We left it off our trip and now wish we'd "done" Provence when we had the chance.

With six weeks you can have a lovely sampling of several major regions of France. I would recommend 8-9 days touring Normandy and Brittany, then whatever St-Cirq says for the Dordogne, at least a week for Provence, then back up through the Midi for five days in Burgundy, finishing up in the Loire Valley for several days before heading to Paris. That really wouldn't be hurried, as you could take the TGV for some segments.

Highlights on the way to Normandy...none, really, as Normandy is quite close to the Charles de Gaulle airport. From there you can visit Giverny as your first stop in Normandy. I would strongly suggest that you pick up copies of the Michelin Green Guides for Normandy, Brittany, the Dordogne, Provence, and Burgundy so you can get started researching those areas and deciding what you most want to see. The guides include suggested itineraries, which makes planning easier than trying to work it out on your own for a first trip.

With all that time in France you should have a trip to remember.

Highlights on the way to Normandy - from CDG I assume? Someone mentioned Giverny. After that, sidetrack to Lyon-le-Foret, then head through Rouen to Honfleur. Spend time in and around this area. Then on to Brittany - Dinan is a must here. The total time should be enough to do reasonable justice to the Dordogne, Provence and back up though Bourges and Apremont-sur-Allier to Burgundy on the way to Paris. Sounds a great trip. Have fun.

Hi lois,

>We have 7 weeks.<

I am soooooo jealous! :)

Assuming that you are driving, I suggest that you go down the Loire and head for Bordeaux. From there I have planned a 2 week motor trip as follows:
Bordeaux to Narbonne to see the Med (4 hr), to Carcassone, to Albi, to
St Chély du Tarn, to Cahors, to Figeac, to Baynac-et-Cazenac by way of St Céré.
4 days at Beynac to tour the area, drop the car in Bordeaux and head for Paris.

You might want to do this route in reverse, ending at Narbonne, and go on to Provence.

If you drop your car in Bordeaux you can take the TGV to Gare Montparnasse (25E pp PREMS fare), which is 2 stops to Metro St Sulpice - about 1 1/2 blks to the Bonaparte. Or take a cab.

Have a great trip.

7 weeks in France. What a trip! I highly recommend adding Provence to your list. With 7 weeks, you could do 10 days in Normandy and Brittany, a week in the Dordogne, 10 days in Provence, a week in Burgundy, 4 days in the Loire and 10 days in Paris. Those are the areas of France that we have visited and about the amount of time we have spent in each - although on 8 different trips! That amount of time will allow you to really experience each area. Have a wonderful trip!

I would recommend the Alsace, Cote d'Azure and Southern France. It is really beautiful there.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I like the idea of getting off a train a few blocks from the hotel Bonaparte (which I haven't reserved yet).

I will start planning the itinerary and include Provence. This puts the trip in a whole new light. In a pinch I guess we could also leave the lease car there and train back to Paris for the final 10 days or from Bordeaux as Ira suggests.

And I guess I better get the MIchelin maps. Does Amazon carry the maps?..

Thank you for all your suggestions. If someone has a diary of the Provence area please let me know.

Merci

Tht gives you quite a bit of time. You might want to check out my trip report for things to see that are not as commonly recommended--the private gardens along the Normandy coast and the <i>calvaires</i> of Brittany.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34444403

Hi Lois,

I suggest that you get your maps from

http://www.languagequest.com/travele...map_select.htm

((I))

We bought a Michelin driving map for all of Europe. I think it was $20us but i can't remember. We use it constantly. When we did our big trip we did Paris, Normandy, Loire, Burgandy, Provence, Cote D'azure, Italian lakes through Switz, up the Alsace and Champagne. Enjoy your trip.

My wife &amp; I retired (early) in '99, and since then we've spent 2 months vacationing in France most years (sometimes a 2 week Paris getaway added to the 2 months). Others have given you excellend advice. Don't short change the Dordogne or Provence - our two favorites.

The Languedoc (between the Dordogne &amp; Provence) is spectacular too.

I've been to all the areas you are considering - many of them for 1 to 3 months each.

Here is how I would allocate my time:

Paris 10 days
Normandy 4 days
Brittany 5 days
Loire 4 days
Dordogne 10 days
Languedoc 6 days
Provence 10 days
Return the car in Avignon (Provence), and take the TGV to Dijon 1 day
Take the TGV to the CDG airport first thing in the AM from Dijon, &amp; return home.

I have a 20+ page itinerary on the Cote d'Azur &amp; Provence, 20+ page itinerary on the Dordogne, and a 35+ page itinerary on the Languedoc. E-mail me at [email protected] if you want a copy of some or all.

Stu Dudley
San Mateo (San Francisco), Ca.

Loisco:
What a fun trip to plan! I'll add one more little twist to consider. We stayed in Paris for a week before touring other regions. Then we returned to Paris for 3 days. I really liked returning to Paris at the end of the trip. Driving in the country gave us time to review the things we'd missed in Paris. We also got lots suggestions for shops, restaurants, etc. from people we met along the way...places we would have missed if we weren't going back. And it was kind of neat returning to a city we felt like we &quot;knew&quot;.