StuDudley

I would not visit the city of Bordeaux on a weekend if it includes a Sunday or a Monday morning (when shops & many restaurants are closed) unless you mainly want visit museums & churches, or just "wander around" past boarded-up storefronts.

July 1 is not quite high season. That starts in mid July. I don't think the French schools are "out" yet on July 1

Stu Dudley

centeno

Stu is that the same in Paris - Sunday/monday things are closed in July?

StuDudley

Also (this is a repeat) if your trips to France are in-frequent - I think Paris & Bordeaux are a "bad mix" (too similar) and the resort city of Arcachon is OK but not one of my top 20% coastal cities. And a huge sand dune does not seem that interesting to me. But I've lived on the coast of California all my life & I travel to Europe to visit things other than sand dunes - but maybe you don't visit sand dunes too often.

How about Provence in Lavender season? 3 hrs from CDG to the Avignon TGV station, and 2 3/4 hrs back to Paris. Stay in the countryside (Luberon) surrounded by lavender & vineyards. Visit Avignon if you need some "city". We've visited Provence around 10-15 times and always stay till the last week in June or early July to see the lavender (this coming June also).

Stu Dudley

centeno

oh my...just to add to the confusion and decisions Stu! We actually have good friends who run a small hotel in the Gorge du Verdon where we could stay and see Lavender season! I was pretty set on Bordeaux....hmmm.....I probably could fly in to Nice or Marseilles and get to them. Drive to Aix en Provence and TGV up to Paris. I would only want to stay with them 1-2 nights and than not sure what I would do? Ideas? Since you have been there often! I have only gone twice ( once did Le Beaux and Avignon and another time Gorge du Verdon and Aix.) Always lovely as you say.

StuDudley

On Sunday - yes. But Bon Marche is the exception. You'll find some touristy stuff in the Latin Quarter open on Sundays and also good shops in the Marais (formerly Jewish - their sabbath is Sat), and on Ile St Louis. Many food shops are open in the AM. I think most stuff is open Monday morning.

However, Sunday is our favorite day in Paris!!! Leisurely walks along the Quays, Park de Manceau, admiring Belle Epoque buildings without traffic, people "lunching".

Here is something I wrote in my Provence/Cote d'Azur itinerary:

In many towns & villages, shops are closed on Sunday & Monday. Some shops open on Monday afternoon. We never plan to visit a town (for shopping) on a Sunday or Monday unless we know in advance that the stores will be open. Most non-food stores in Aix, Nimes, and Avignon are closed all day Sunday, and Monday morning. While in Aix in mid June ’10, I did a “survey” of about 30 shops that had opening & closing days & times posted on their storefronts. Of these 30 shops, 5 were open all day Monday (including a Gap and Monoprix – chain-type stores), 10 were closed all day Monday, and 15 were open Monday afternoon only. Only 1 shop was open on Sunday. Shops in very “touristy” towns like St Paul, St Tropez, and Gordes are always open. We were recently in St Remy on a Sunday. My wife visited 11 shops that interested her (she likes housewares – no clothes or souvenirs). Two other shops looked interesting from the outside, but were closed on Sunday. Of these 11 shops, 5 were closed all day on Monday, 2 were only open Monday afternoon (around 2:30), and 4 were open all day Monday. The very touristy shops that are prevalent in almost every tourist destination village in Provence (Olivades, Souleiado, Terre de Provence), are usually open on Sunday & Monday.

http://about-france.com/holidays-sundays.htm

Most shops & sites close for lunch – usually from 12:30 to 2:00, or 3:00, or 3:30, or 4:00. If you really want to “shop” a town, do so in the morning as soon as the stores open (usually at 10:00). If you roll in at 2:30, the shops might be closed for another hour. I’ve had numerous people tell me how disappointed they were when they drove to a town to shop, only to find almost all the shops closed – something that doesn’t happen in the US.

When stores are closed on a Sunday/Monday or for lunch, they will often pull down ugly aluminum louvered shutters over their beautiful storefronts – so you can’t even window shop. In some towns, these louvered shutters might be covered with graffiti, and the town will look like a war zone. Also, as you drive through a town around lunch time, it might seem deserted, unfriendly, & very uninviting. They’re actually closed for lunch and all the pretty storefronts will seem like abandoned buildings. These closings make it much harder to pack as much into a day as you might expect. Stores stay open late (around 8:00 or so), but most vacationers usually stop their sightseeing by then and are settling into their hotels or getting ready for dinner.


Stu Dudley

StuDudley

The best lavender fields are around the Valensole Plateau - next to the Gorge du Verdon.

I would spend time with your friends then the remaining days in the Luberon near Gordes, Roussillon, etc to see more "lush" kinda dry on the Valensole plateau). You can fly directly to Nice from NYC, I believe.

E-mail me for my 32 page Provence & Cote d'Azur itinerary. It has detailed driving route through the lavender fields.

Stu Dudley

centeno

How do I email you?

StuDudley

I thought I put my e-mail in an earlier thread

[email protected]

Stu Dudley