monicainindy

Hello! Trying to plan a trip to the south of France and the options are overwhelming! My schedule allows me to leave on a Saturday and fly back home the following Sunday. With that in mind:

- Does it make sense to fly into Barcelona and home from Nice? Pluses here are only two layovers on the way there (I live in Indianapolis, not a lot of direct flights), see a bit of Barcelona, start the trek through the south of France further west via rail. OR do we just fly in and out of Nice.

- While in the south of France, where should we focus? From what I have read the Provence region is gorgeous. Best towns? Is Monaco worth the trip? Anything on the Italian side of the border worth seeing?

Thanks!

Michael

Do a RT out of Nice. Rent a car for ease of mobility using www.autoeurope.com or www.kemwel.com. If you feel comfortable about it, take their basic rate, decline all extra insurance and have your credit card carry the CDW.

Keep Barcelona for a trip to northern Spain.

Get the Michelin Green Guide for the Provence.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...04539441/show/

annhig

HI, Monica,

with just 7 days for the trip [if you ignore the travel days at each end] I'd stick with flying into and out of Nice, and concentrating on that area. There's loads to see just in and around that area that'll more than fill the time you've got.

suggest you have a look at the destinations above.

the Nice tourist Board website may also help:

http://en.nicetourisme.com/

have a great trip!

annhig

Michael, we were posting at the same time.

great minds ...

monicainindy

Thank you both! That makes sense... it did in my head but had to ask

Should I split the trip between regions within the south (meaning two bases) and move mid trip? Or just use Nice as a base?

I have driven in Europe before and have the feeling that the south of France is not as stressful as Italy when it comes to driving. That said, is driving a must do, or can we rely on public transport. This is a girls trip and my first reaction to driving was "I don't want to change a flat tire if we get one"

Michael

<i>Should I split the trip between regions within the south (meaning two bases) and move mid trip? Or just use Nice as a base?
</i>

The guidebooks should give you a sense of how much moving around you need to do. It depends on what you choose to see.

annhig

monica - I searched the forum, and came up with this:

http://www.fodors.com/search/results...a+week+in+nice

quit a few ideas to be going along with.

StuDudley

With only 7 days available, I think it's a toss-up whether to split time between 2 locations - or just stay in one spot. If you split the time, that means 3 1/2 days in each location (Nice & St Remy/Provence) - which really isn't enough time (IMO) to "do it right". Unless you're the kind of people who start the day at 8am, have lunch "on-the-run", and finishes the sightseeing day at 7PM - then I would do as the others advised and RT to Nice & stay there. There are plenty of cute-little-villages in the Nice backcountry that rival anything in Provence. Rent a car for at least 4 days and explore the Alps behind Nice in addition to the coastal sites.

My wife (a 3rd generation Indy person) and I have vacationed for 34 weeks in Provence & the Cote d'Azur. I put together a 27 page itinerary that describes our favorite villages, cities, sites, markets, scenic drives, Provence Fabric, etc. I've sent copies to around 3,000 people on Fodors. If you would like a copy, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach a copy to the reply e-mail.

Stu Dudley

StuDudley

With only 7 days available, I think it's a toss-up whether to split time between 2 locations - or just stay in one spot. If you split the time, that means 3 1/2 days in each location (Nice & St Remy/Provence) - which really isn't enough time (IMO) to "do it right". Unless you're the kind of people who start the day at 8am, have lunch "on-the-run", and finishes the sightseeing day at 7PM - then I would do as the others advised and RT to Nice & stay there. There are plenty of cute-little-villages in the Nice backcountry that rival anything in Provence. Rent a car for at least 4 days and explore the Alps behind Nice in addition to the coastal sites.

My wife (a 3rd generation Indy person) and I have vacationed for 34 weeks in Provence & the Cote d'Azur. I put together a 27 page itinerary that describes our favorite villages, cities, sites, markets, scenic drives, Provence Fabric, etc. I've sent copies to around 3,000 people on Fodors. If you would like a copy, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach a copy to the reply e-mail.

Stu Dudley

monicainindy

ann --- thank you, I didn't think of searching with those terms, I had just searched by town name.

Stu --- I'll email you right now. Thanks!