#4 looks the best so far.

Sleep in as few places as possible, taking days trips to explore the area.

It looks like a good mixture of nature,city,& quaint villages.

If you fly from USA 3/26 you will arrive Paris 3/27 mother will be exhausted.Do you think you can go another 6-7 hrs ,you go thru immigration, then you have to get to RR station, then travel.I will consider reversing your last itinerary,give mother a chance to recover from jet lag see Paris then take the fast train to one of the other destinations. Rent a car with GPS or take one with you from the states. On the way back with some planing the train can deposit you under the CDG airport. If you want to give mother a break add a nite in Paris before your flight home.

Hi Kat,

You've finally done it.

You can take the train directly from the CDG airport (Roissy 95) to Bordeaux or Libourne and get your car there. (I prefer Libourne, as it is smaller).

You can also take the train from Paris Austerlitz to Brive la Gaillard.

>I am TERRIFIED of driving in France,.....<

Don't be.

The roads are very well maintained. They have good signage,

Things to remember:
1. Traffic on the RIGHT has the right-of-way, except in traffic circles - where the car in the circle has the r-o-w.

2. If the road entering the traffic circle has 2 lanes, the right lane is for people taking the first exit.

2a. As you approach a traffic circle, there will be a large sign showing you which exits go where. They will have the names of towns, not route numbers, so you should keep in mind the name of your destination and the towns along the route.

3. Do NOT cross a solid line.
If you want to make a left turn and there is a solid line on the road, you must go to the next intersection or traffic circle and come back.

4. The speed limit within town limits is 50 kph, even if there is no sign.

French road signs are at
http://www.americansinfrance.net/Dri...dRoadSigns.cfm

Check www.kemwel.com, www.autoeurope.com, www.gemut.com and www.novacarhire.com for rentals.

Enjoy your visit.

I agree with leto about spending the first part of your trip in Paris. It's always best to get over jetlag in cities. They have lots of sightseeing options, day and night.

This is a nice trip, but will your mother be disappointed? No Spain, no Alps. I hate to send you back to the drawing board, but have you looked into cheap flights from Paris to Spain or even Switzerland? For example, Easyjet flies from Paris Orly to Geneva (French-speaking) and Barcelona. Look at www.harefares.com or www.whichbudget.com for flight options.

You could fly to Bordeaux instead of Paris. That said, I routinely fly into Paris, take a long train ride, then drive a half-hour or so into the Dordogne, and I'm no spring chicken. You can catch the TGV right at the airport.

No opinion as to whether you're a spring chicken, St. Cirq, but you have done this trip quite a lot, right? The OP isn't used to driving in Europe, and will be doing a completely new route. I always hate having to drive right after a Transatlantic flight, and theses days I just don't. (Actually, I haven't driven on a European trip for some time, as it's not often cost effective for a solo traveler.)

Can you swap Provence and Dordgogne and fly into Lyon and out of Paris?

Or fly into Bordeaux as suggested?

Or put Paris 1st, fly into Paris then leave through Lyon or Bordeaux? It really ought not cost anymore to open jaw the ticket.

I'd strongly suggest staying in Paris on the 26th if you have to fly in/out of Paris. You are not going to want to drive or take the train right after landing. I might even stay through the 28th and shave a day off Provence or not return to Paris until April 6 - the latter would be my choice.

Driving in France is a snap, I would not worry. You will need a car for this trip.

You have some good suggestions here.

I never drive on the first day of a trip because it is, quite frankly, dangerous to drive when you are jet lagged.

I also sometimes spend the last night of a trip staying a the Ibis at CDG because I don't want angst about missing my flight and I just want to relax.

The 3 places you have are fine--but any of the other regions are just as fine.

I do agree researching whether you can fly out or into one of the regional airports.

If your mother really wants Spain and France, I would recommend just splitting your trip between Paris and Madrid.

Hey, it's Europe and there is no wrong way to structure a trip there. The only RIGHT way, is the one you pick for yourself.

Thanks everyone -- I'm still thinking a little bit, but want to finalize this by tomorrow night. I'm going to talk with my mom today and find out what her preference is.

You have all been so helpful! I will be sure to report back on how it goes (though I'm sure I'll be on here asking many more questions before I actually leave) Thanks again to everyone!

Thursday, I'm guessing katimari is about the age I was when I was first driving in France after all-night flights. Her mother's probably my age. You have to start somewhere, and if she takes a train to Périgueux or Brive she only has to drive an hour or less. Heck, she's probably young enough that she sleeps on airplanes.

Your last itinerary is an A+, IMO. I've visited all the places you've mentioned in all your revisions, and Provence & the Dordogne are my 2 favorites (in addition to Paris). You can do them in any order. In 5 minutes, I'm reserving the TGV from CDG to Bordeaux. We'll'll stay there 1 night, then drive to the Dordogne for 2 weeks.

Visit Carcassonne on the way from the Dordogne to Provence.

Do you have my 27 page itinerary for Provence & my 20 pager for the Dordogne?? If not, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach one to the reply e-mail.

Why would you spend 3 days in Collioure in early April??? It was cold when we were there in early June. It's quite small.

Stu Dudley

My mom is okay with no Spain. Paris has to be at the end because my mom (who was an art teacher all her life) really wants to visit Monets' gardens which don't open until the 1st.

So maybe train into Avignon straight from Paris?

Do you think I should cut back even more and choose either the Dordogne or Provence instead of both? -- researching both of these places there seems to be a lot to see.

Okay -- it is official. Thank you all so much for your help. My mom is excited and I am excited.

Final Itinerary:
TH Day 1 (March 26): Fly into Paris train to city (any suggestions?) - stay one night
F Day 2 (March 27): Drive to Dordogne
Sa Day 3 (March 28): Dordogne
Su Day 4 (March 29): Dordogne
Mo Day 5 (March 30): Dordogne
Tu Day 6 (March 31): Provence (Visit Carcassonne on the way)
We Day 7 (April 1): Provence
Th Day 8 (April 2): Provence
Fr Day 9 (April 3): Provence
Sa Day 10 (April 4): Provence
Su Day 11 (April 5): Paris
Mo Day 12 (April 6): Paris
Tu Day 13 (April 7): Paris
We Day 14 (April 8): Paris
Th Day 15 (April 9): Paris morning/Plane home (4p.m.)

Hi K,

>Fly into Paris train to city (any suggestions?) - stay one night
................Drive to Dordogne

Why not stay in Paris that night and take the train the next day to either Brive La Gaillard or Libourne to pick up your car?

Depending on where you are staying, taking the RER from CDG might be a snap.

I know that Dordogne aficionados will be outraged, but I would cut a day out of the Dordogne and stop in the Loire valley to see at least one chateau--Chenonceau comes to mind. Of course that assumes that you are driving from Paris. At this late date, train fares for two and driving might be about equal in cost.