dedlaw

We are looking at a quick week in France with our adult daughter (20's) and perhaps her boyfriend. Putting Paris aside (don't ask), I have three ideas, all involving flying into and out of CDG, and traveling by car. Which of these seems like the best way to spend a week:

1. The Loire Valley. Major concern is a week may be too long there.

2. Champagne/Amiens/Lorraine. Maybe too spread out, but feels like we could fill a week nicely.

3. Burgundy, based in/near Dijon or Beaune. We are wine fans, so wine touring and small towns (are there good small towns?) seems like another way to spend a good week.

All thoughts/critiques welcome.

Jean

In recent years, we have spent a week in Champagne/Lorraine and a week in Beaune. I could return to each area and see more than we did. We haven't been to the Loire Valley in a long time, but I think I could be happily occupied there for a week.

How much time would be ideal in any area depends on what you want to do/see. Why did you pick these three regions, and what would be your plan for each? And what time of year would you be going?

FWIW, I liked the food in Burgundy, but I enjoyed the sightseeing in Champagne/Lorraine the most of the three, mostly because of the WWI history in the area. Wine fans could have a good time in either region.

Underhill

Burgundy would be lovely: the scenery, the small villages and one large city, the wine, and of course the food.

StuDudley

We were in Champagne/Lorraine/Nancy for 2 1/2 weeks last year in late Sept & it was quite cold. And a week may be too long there for many people.

We've spent 4 weeks in Burgundy/Beaujolais - and a week there would be fine. However, compared to the 3+ years we've explored other regions in France - it is somewhat lacking in "cute little villages", IMO. Dijon is our second favorite city in France after Paris (tied with Toulouse), and Beaune is in our "top 5" of medium-sized cities.

We are big chateaux fans and have spent 7 weeks in the Loire chateaux area - but other than the chateaux - it is not really one of our favorite regions. The large cities are rather bland, and only Chinon was an interesting small town/village for us.

Our favorite regions are Provence & the Dordogne. Followed by the Cote d'Azur, Languedoc, and Brittany.

I would take the 3 hr TGV from CDG to Provence & spent your time there.

We are heading out for 3 more weeks in the Dordogne tomorrow.

Stu Dudley

michelhuebeli

When are you going? Makes a big difference.

Would you be interested in the D-Day invasion sites? We had an unforgettable time exploring with an excellent guide who is based right in St. Mère Église (where the paratrooper got hung up on the church steeple - what a story that is!)- see www.ddaybattletours.com.

If that part of the country interests you, there are additional daytrip targets like Mont St. Michel (the monastery on the rock out in the water) and Bayeux (the embroidery/"tapestry" that's a history lesson in itself), and of course great regional food (see if you like Livorat cheese for example, and Calvados with your coffee!).

You could base yourself in Deauville or Caen or Cherbourg for example, even from up there it's only two hours to Mont St. Michel.

kja

IMO, Jean has asked the key questions: "Why did you pick these three regions, and what would be your plan for each? And what time of year would you be going?"

If you still live in CA, remember that you are likely to have jet lag when you first arrive, and although many people aren't aware of it, mounting evidence indicates that driving with jet lag is as dangerous to yourselves and others as driving drunk. So you might want to consider options that let you take a train to your first destination (or spend a few days in Paris -- which sounds like its off the table) so you can recover a bit before picking up a rental car.

pariswat

One week in Loire is NOT sufficient. It is barely ok.
And there is excellent wine there too, in case you don't know.
Esp white ones. However a Sancerre rouge (frappé, please) is one of my favourite wines.

jamikins

We also enjoyed a week in Alsace, to confuse you with another option!

https://flickr.com/photos/[email protected]

rhon

We have spent several weeks in Burgundy since 2006 and it is one of our favourite regions in France. It is a larger region than people realise, so it is difficult to stay in one spot and see it all. To the north you can visit Auxerre, Vezelay, Semur en Auxois, Noyers, Abbaye de Fontenay, Chablis. Dijon is a lovely city and Beaune is a lovely small town. We really like the area further south in the Maconnais region. There are some lovely villages such as Brancion, Chapaize, St Gengoux le National, Cormatin with its chateau, Cluny. There is great wine -our favourite wine co-op is the Cave de Lugny. You can visit the village of Chardonnay. Climb the Roche de Solutre for a fabulous view over vineyards and villages. Venture into the Beaujolais region.

We also spent a week in the Champagne region and a week in Picardy in 2012 and enjoyed both. Amiens to the Champagne and Lorraine is a lot in a week. I have two trip reports posted here. If you click on my name you can scroll through and see what we did in 2012 (Champagne and Picardy)
and 2014(Loire Valley and Burgundy ).
The Loire Valley is more than chateaux. We spent a week in 2006 and again in 2014. There are some lovely villages such as Montresor, Montsoreau, Candes St Martin , Chedigny (a remarkable garden of France ). Lovely towns such as Chinon and Loches. The Abbaye de Fontrevaud is worth a visit as well. Last trip we went down to Le Grand Pressigny and Preuilly sur Crouse and loved the area. There is great wine and some iconic cheeses such as Selles sur Cher, Valencay, Ste Maure de Touraine.
Bon voyage.

Gretchen

I would still throw in 2 areas that a week would be lovely.
Drive around Normandy leaving from CDG.
TGV to Provence and TGV back to CDG.

TPAYT

We toured The Loire twice.
Once for 4 nights from Amboise.
Once for 1 week from Chinon area.

So much to see could go back again for all we missed.

Whathello

Did I do my usual joke to see the fathers of loches ?

dedlaw

Thanks for the thoughts.

To answer some of the questions:

Trip would be in mid-May -- we get that the weather could vary from lovely to rainy and cool.

I would love to return to Provence (or Dordogne), but a problem is the timing of TGV to Avignon based on likely flight arrival time -- not a good match. Also, if we're with folks who are 30ish, the idea is that a steady diet of cute villages and local markets -- while great for us -- may become a bore for them.

I picked these three areas (among others) for relatively short travel times by car from CDG (and I get the jet-lag hangover effect on driving, having done it a few times -- not ideal but I can handle it fine), good local wines, things to see (but I haven't done much of that homework yet) and hopes of being near a large enough city/town that there is something to do at night for my daughter and her boyfriend (on this I think Dijon would work by far the best). And, we hope to rent a house or apartment, because we don't want to be driving, driving, driving -- so one or two bases would be it at most, and these areas seem okay for that.

StuDudley

No-train-change TGV departures for Aix or Avignon from CDG are at:
8:31
9:58
11:58
13:58
16:56
19:28

And none of these will work??

Stu Dudley

AGM_Cape_Cod

The first time we traveled to Provence we took the TGV. After that we flew to either Nice or Marseilles. It was cheaper and quicker.

StCirq

The OP has clearly done some research and narrowed down the choices to 3 areas.I see no benefit in trying to gt him/her to consider other areas, as wonderful as they may be.

I would pick Burgundy. I like the history of the Champagne/Ardennes, but find the scenery sub-par for rural France. The Loire? A week would never be too long for me there (i've been half a dozen time for 4 day to a week each time), but again the history is fabulous, the scenery not so much.

Bonne route!

kja

The available research shows that the risks of driving with jet lag are not ones that anyone can control. People aren't even necessarily aware of the chief culprit -- microsleeps -- and caffeine doesn't prevent those. So, to continue my effort to inform my fellow travelers, I would note that the idea that "I can handle it fine" simply means that you have been lucky. You and everyone else on the road with you. Please reconsider.