I've never been let down before by you guys, so here I am again. My husband has proposed 8 days in France this June for my 40th, while the kids are away at camp. I LOVE Paris, and plan to spend 3 or 4 nights there. (we arrive July 3 and depart late on the 12th). We are considering Hotel de la Tremoille (they've offered a 30% discount b/c my father used to travel there)- is it too stuffy? we like luxury but in a casual way, but 4 star or better. Beyond Paris,I have NO idea where else to go. We are not huge museum fans, have been jungle trekking in Costa Rica 3 times, out west to a couple of dude ranches, and typically enjoy being active (hiking, rafting, etc.) But my husband assures me this trip can be more low-key since it's for my b'day. I don't want to rush around, so I am looking for just one more home-base- Provence? Normandy? for some day trips and just hanging out with locals. Should we try the northern regions to avoid the heat? Oh, and we both like off-the-beaten path experiences. Thanks in advance. Jill

I think France is our second home already as we go there every opportunity we get and although Paris is deeeeevine we love going down south to the Gers. We stay in a B+B in Bretagne d'Armagnac called "Les Sappinettes". The hosts Pascale and Francois are tremendous. (email: [email protected]). Rates are good and rooms are exceptional (not to mention the breakfast!!) You can either fly down to Toulouse and pick up a rental. It is a lazy hour and a bit drive there and of course you savour the countryside along the way. This B+B we found to be very central and you can make your day trips out of there. Or alternately we have taken the TGV down to Toulouse and then rented a car. But this is a little time consuming by trian. Hope this is of value to you...

I would stay in Paris and do a day trip to Reims for some champagne to toast your birthday!
If you really want another venue I like to do that on the front end of the trip, driving to wherever and then back to Paris. It seems to me to consolidate time and not get so mixed up in the transitions from hotels. And I would point out that being in Paris for your last night before returning home is a pretty nice memory with lots of possibilities of activities and dinner, etc.

We too spend lots of time in Gascony, which is very rural, idiosyncratic, and pretty. It's off the beaten tracks and doesn't, pretty much, have theme parks.

I do recommend it for a chilling out, and immersing yourself in the culture sort of a place.

Hi Jd,

I suggest:

3 nights Paris.

Train to Dijon - 3 nights.
www.voyages-sncf.com has 20E PREMS fares.

Pick up car and visit the Burgundy region.

Train back to Paris for your last night.

www.myhomeindijon.com/ has gotten very good reviews here.

Alternatively;

Pick up a car in Paris and stop off in Auxerre on the way to Dijon.

Enjoy your visit.

Hi Jill,

I'd spend several days in Paris, then go to Honfleur, a charming harbor village in Normandy. One of best experiences I've had was waking up before dawn and watching the soft light of the early morning reflecting off the waters. Here's a picture I took at dawn one morning: http://luke-acts.com/honfl_refl.html

great input so far, thanks. My folks enjoyed Honfleur, but is it a good place to take daytrips from? Should we go south instead to Provence or Nice? My husband wanted the coast for part of the trip- picture a castle on the cliff with waves crashing into it. DOes that exist?

Aside from 3 days in Paris, typically I take a TGV down to the greater SW of France, then pick up a car. I enjoy visiting the areas which encompass Toulouse, Auch, Cahors and Foix: Haute-Garonne, Gers, Lot and Ariege respectively. Auch and Foix are somewhat off the beaten track, but whenever time permits, I always make an effort to get back to my favorite towns.

As far as lodging, if you are looking for a measure of plush along with great food, I'd highly recommend CLAUDE MARCO in the hamlet of Lamagdeleine, about 5 miles NE of Cahors. M. Marco is a one Michelin star chef who has 4 rooms to let. Not super luxurious but very comfortable with whirlpool bathtubs and a gorgeous dining room of golden stone, shaped like a former cave. Some of the best meals I've ever had were at CLAUDE MARCO. In Auch, you can opt for the Hotel de France, right across from the Cathedral Ste. Marie, one of the handsomest churches in Gascony. At one time, it housed one of the best pipe organs in all of France. And its' stained glass and carved wooden sibyls are not to be missed!

Hope this helps somewhat. Drop me a line if you need additional ideas...

Regards..
Luis

I would go to Nice and have a few romantic nights by the ocean!

sorry, by the sea.

We were in France this past summer and found that many of the swimming beaches were so incredibly packed, they reminded us of Panama City Beach during Spring Break. We loved the relative quietness of the Brittany coast. We think going off the beaten path where the crowds aren't is the best way to go, especially in season.

If you like to hike, why not stay in Chamonix and hike around the Mont Blanc area?

thanks again to all. as I continue to look at different areas, i think Normandy might not have as much for us b/c the history of it is not really our thing. As for hiking in Chamonix, might take a break from hiking altoghether this trip. Now favoring the southern regions, maybe encompassing Provence. Is that a good home base for 3-4 days? Oh, and I agree about avoiding crowded beaches, and we save our beach time for the kids.

I would avoid Provence and the crowds there. Try Coullioure instead. Take a day trip to Ceret at the foot of the Pyrenees or down into Spain. Wonderful area.

Search Google images for your castle by the sea in Coullioure! (So, it's a church...I can't help that!) There's a big fort just across the harbor...does that count? ;-)

the picture of Couilloure looked neat, but unable to tell too much about the town, and concerned about the heat. My husband is also concerned about crowds in Provence, esp after reading about festival in Avignon. Haven't ruled it out, but we both like Off the Beaten path types of places. Can we do that in Provence? Or are we better off in Dordogne?

< unable to tell too much about the town> It is because it is spelled Collioure. ;-)
It looks very nice
http://www.collioure.com/gb/index-gb.htm
Their webcame: http://www.cg66.fr/bienvenue/panoram.../collioure.php
For weather : http://weather.yahoo.com/forecast/FRXX0128.html

coco

Don't discount Normandy because of its connection to the war. The coast is drop dead gorgeous (Honfleur,etc.) and the interior charming with half timber buildings, cows, great cheese and cider.

I should add that I was practically a French minor, and love speaking the language, so part of my hesitation going up north is whether I'd be as able to communicate as I would in the southern regions. (like Brittany- dont't they speak other dialects there?)

jdp867,

If they speak something else in Brittany, it is Breton, a Celtic language, completely unrelated to French. There French is less likely to be influenced by Breton than it is by southern local dialects which are in the Romance languages family. The effects of dialect and the use of dialect in the original <i>langue d'o&iuml;l</i> area are much less than in the <i>langue d'oc</i> areas.

First, you have only 3-4 nights outside Paris, so you don't want to go somewhere that will take you a long time to get to.

Provence is great for a short trip, because you can zip down there (to Avignon) on the TVG in under 3 hours. There is plenty to see and do in the Bouche-du-Rh&ocirc;ne area, but it's also a great venue for relaxing.

If you want a bit of glitz, and ocean, Nice would make a great destination. But you won't find castles on cliffs with waves crashing - you'll find rocky beaches with a &quot;resort&quot; feel for the most part.

Collioure is about the only place along the Med I can think of where you might approximate that vision of the castle and the crashing waves. Coco is right - if you search with the correct spelling there is loads of information on the web.

Normandy and Brittany are actually idea if you want a water venue not far from Paris. You won't have any language issues there; in fact, as mentioned, you're more likely to have them in the south. And in places like St-Malo you can get that castle/crashing waves thing.

I wouldn't bother with the Dordogne for such a short trip - takes too long to get there and back.

If you don't have to have an ocean nearby, I'd suggest the Loire Valley - close to Paris, plenty of beautiful scenery, obviously chock full of castles (will a moat substitute for crashing waves), great food and wine, and very much an R&amp;R destination if you want it to be.