KOL

I'm planning a trip to France for the last two weeks of May 2004 (13 nights). I'm deciding how much time I want to devote to different areas of the trip. Tentatively, I'm thinking of the following:

Paris (arrive 10:30AM) -- stay 4/5 nights then drive or take the train through Burgandy/Rhone Valley heading to Provence staying 3/4 days (St. Remy?); then onto the Riveria 3/4 nights (stay ?) return to Paris from Nice by air/train to fly out at Noon.

I may travel with a friend or very well could be traveling solo. I was thinking of taking a train from Paris to Provence, but would like to spend a day or two in Burgandy for a wine tour and see some castles, then train down to Provence. Can this be accomplished by train or do I need a car and is a couple of days enough time? If train is possible, I thought of renting the car in Provence for exploring and then onto the Riveria with the car for the same.

The towns I'd like to see in Provence include Avignon, St. Remy, Les Baux, others? The towns I would like to see in the Riveria are Marselle, St. Tropex, Cannes, Nice and Monte Carlo.

Are all these towns worth visting? Are there nice wine tours in Burgandy available with a 1-2 night stay in Dijon or somewhere else?

All your comments and advice are welcome. Thanks,
Kristine

ira

Hi KOL,

You have a nice trip oulined, but you will be doing an awful light of traveling.

How about if you choose your "must sees" and spent at least two nights in each?

ira

Please disregard previous message. I posted too quickly.

JeanneB

Here's the SNCF train site. You can check train availability there.
http://www.voyages-sncf.com/dynamic/...mp;_AGENCY=VSC

You don't say whether you've travelled to France before. Ever been to Paris? Not knowing your interests, it's hard to judge your itinerary. But, if you're a first-timer, I think you're shortchanging Paris. Be prepared to fall in love with it.

KOL

This is my first trip to France. I do plan to go again, but do not know when that would be. My priorties are Paris, Provence and a bit of the Riveria. I don't expect to see or cover everything, but I'm interested in the standouts. I also like to spread my day out, seeing the sites, enjoying a cafe, shopping, etc.

JeanneB

We went to France for the first time last October/November...17 days. We planned 7 days in Paris then rent a car and travel around the French countryside. As lovely as France is, we had only been gone 6 days when we couldn't wait to get back to Paris! We ended up spending a total of 11 days in the city....and still didn't come close to being satisfied. It's a magnificent place. Just my 2 cents.

TuckH

You'll expend two whole days (out of the remaining 8 or so) going back and forth Paris-Provence, a high percentage of your holiday time. Better yet maybe, fly to Nice and rent a car and then fly home from there.

KOL

Narrowed it down a little more. 5 nights in Paris. Then take the fast train to Provence, rent car for 5 more nights, visiting the towns. Then drive onto the Riveria and base in Nice for 3 nights. My return flight leaves Paris at Noon. So I'm taking a AirFrance NS at 9AM to Paris, then home. Wish I had more time, next trip I hope to take in some other areas and spend more time in Paris.

pj

ttt

Underhill

What airline will you be flying on your trip back to the US? I'm worried that you aren't allowing enough time for a noon flight if you leave Nice only at 9:00 a.m.--the flight is a bit over an hour, and for international flights these days the advice is to check in 3 hours in advance.

I think spending some time in Burgundy would be lovely. You could spend one night in Beaune and see the very fine Château de Rochepot near Autun, and perhaps a bit of Autun as well, and then do some wine-tasting. In order to get around easily in Burgundy, though, you would probably need a car; I don't know how else you would get to most of the wineries that you might want to visit, although you could do so on a tour.

Les Baux is very much worth seeing, but it's not a town, mostly an evocative ruin over-run with tourists unless you go early in the morning or late afternoon/evening, when it's magical. Try to include Arles if you have time; I find it more typical of the Provence atmosphere than Avignon.

I would suggest that you skip Marseille, especially as it's not part of the Riviera (also known as the Côte d'Azur). In that way you can base yourself in or near Nice and visit Cannes and Monte Carlo; St-Tropez is a bit more difficult, as traffic getting into and out of the town can be horrendous.