need help with southern france itinerary
 

My husband and I are going to southern france for 12 days in July (july 5-17). We fly into Lyon from toronto canada. We will spend first night in Lyon and then will drive to provence. We do not know whether to spend two nights in Lyon because of Jet Lag. We have never been to this part of France before. I was wondering if the following itinerary is doable and feasable. Drive to Provence and spend three of four days in the area, then drive to Coulliour, near Spain to be on the mediteranean. ( we think that we would prefer staying away from Nice and St. Tropez area as it would be too crowded. We would spend a night or two in COullioure and then drive out to Carcassonne, then to Albi and Cordes du Ciel. Should we spend one or two nights in Carcassonne and one night in Albi? we would then drive over to the Gorge du Tarn area and finish in Le Puy before heading back to Lyon. My husband and I enjoy lovely landscapes and history. We enjoy driving but do not want to be driving all day long. We want to explore but also want to relax and enjoy ourselves. I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks,

Don't miss the spectacular bridge over the Tarn at Millau...

I'm kinda tied up right now, so I'll answer briefly (for me).

I would spend more nights in Provence - 4-5 full days. You'll be there on a Sun & Mon, when shops in the larger towns & some small villages will be closed. Visit the Lavender fields on Monday around Sault. The market in l'Isle sur la Sorgue and the Luberon on Sunday.

I would not spend 2 nights in Carcassonne - it's a 3 hr visit at best and quite crowded mid-day. It's not in that good of a location for visiting other sites in the area, unless you want to drive a bit. Personally, I would stay in Collioure a day or two longer and visit Carcassonne from there. There are some pretty drives south from Colliour, and along the Tet & Tech rivers into the Pyrenees.

An overnight in Albi is fine - just don't plan to tour Albi on a Sunday or Monday (shops closed). I would not stay in Cordes the next night - it's too close to Albi & there isn't enough to see between these tow spots, unless you head up to the Gorges du Aveyron, then return to Cordes - (which would be a good plan).

Gorge du Tarn is great. Get there by passing through & visiting Conques (*** in Michelin), and the villages along the Lot River - Entraygues, Estaing, & Espalion - this is a pretty section and the villages are cute.

Do you have my 20 page Provence itinerary, and my 35 page Languedoc one. There are a lot more specific suggestions in these than I could possibly describe here. e-mail me at [email protected] if you want a copy. Do so soon - we're leaving for Provence on June 1.

Stu Dudley

I think it's smart to avoid the Côte d'Azur that time of year unless you have a pressing need to go there.

No, you don't need two nights in Lyon to get over jetlag, but it's a fabulous city and certainly won't let you down for a paltry two niths.

Spend more time in Provence. You don't need to spend even a single night in Carcassonne (or Cordes-sur-Ciel for that matter). Do those from Collioure or Albi, which is worth a night or two IMO.

The Gorges du Tarn are fabulous - keep that part of your itinerary intact.

Our favoribe B&B here would make a great base. Sous l'Olivier http://www.chambresdhotesprovence.com/ is just fantastic, with 2 pools, a great view and wonderful breakfast and dinners. Staying here makes our time in Provence very special!

Have a great trip.

One more thought.

Nail down your itinerary and reserve rooms ASAP. Provence & Collioure might be "booked up" by now for early/mid July this year. Lots of Americans visiting France & Europe this year.

Stu Dudley

Thanks so much for all of the wonderful advice. We will definitely spend more time in Provence and two nights in Coullioure. We'll just visit Carcasonne and keep going from there. I hope I can help someone some day. Thanks again.

ttt

TO Images2,
Sous l'Olivier looks great but doesn't seem to have air conditionning. I'm worried about the heat and sleeping. Otherwise, I'd go for this place in a sec.

You're right, there is no a/c. We've stayed 3 times, all in late June, and it never was a problem. You can easily keep the windows open at night. There was no noise to keep us up. Give it a try, I don't think you'll regret it at all.

jeannedarc

Have you considered flying into Lyon but flying out of Toulouse?

s