Reims to Fontainebleau to Orly
 

Hi

I have some ideas for this short leg of our trip but could use feedback and ideas on where to base.

We have two nights, with two full days.

I thought of leaving Reims early and driving through Epernay (although Epernay isn't essential) and then on to one of the chateaux, either Vaux le Vicomte or Fontainebleau..

We will sleep two nights, and on the second day, we can explore the other chateau, and would like to visit a bit of the Foret de Fontainebleau.

On the third morning we will drop the car off at Orly and fly onward from there

How do I put the best order on these stops? It sounds like a lot to do, and I'm unfamiliar with area and traffic. I'm not even sure I've chosen what's essential. We're also looking for a place to spend these two nights.

Also looking for the best map for driving about for these two days.

Help is appreciated.

Another thought: should we eliminate Vaux and just spend our two days at Barbizon and Fontainebleau? Or not?

I haven't been to Barbizon so can't comment on whether it would be better. I think you could do all, but not if you spend a full day at Fontainebleau including the forest (I've only spent a half day there at the chateau).

The quickest route to Fontainebleau from Reims would not involve Epernay at all, if you want quickest. You'd go west on the A4 then south on N36 to Melun.

I can't comment on schedule about Barbizon as I haven't been there, but otherwise you could visit Vaux le Vicomte while on the way from Reims to Fontainebleau. It would only take a couple hours drive at most to get there, you'd have several hours to see it and then could go on to Fontainebleau for the night.

I agree that you should skip Epernay as it's not on your route. If you can find your way to the A4 autoroute leaving Reims you won't need a map for that area. Use www.viamichelin.com for driving directions and time estimates. The drive times do not consider stops or bad weather/traffic. For a map I recommend Michelin map 514 for the Île-de-France region.

You can buy the Michelin maps from their website and here is a link to the page that shows you the 1:200,000 scale maps of France (Regional maps): http://tinyurl.com/4bt96ev

You could also buy them here but then you can't do research beforehand. The maps can be bought in many places such as bookstores, news stands, magazine stores, larger supermarkets, department stores, hypermarkets and in the full service rest areas on the autoroutes, just to name a few.

I know the area around Vaux-le-Vicomte and Fontainebleau quite well. If you visit Vaux be sure to go 6km away and see the lovely medieval fortress in the charming little village of Blandy-les-Tours:

http://www.chateau-blandy.fr/

Barbizon is charming and you can go for a walk in the adjacent forest if that interests you.

http://www.barbizon-tourisme.fr/

Not far from Barbizon you could visit Milly-la-Forêt, where Jean Cocteau lived and where his house has been turned into a museum. Be sure to visit the beautiful chapel he decorated there and perhaps the nearby art/sculpture called Le Cyclop. You can find out more by checking the tourist office website:

http://www.millylaforet-tourisme.com/

If you drive from Barbizon to Milly take a route that goes through Fleury-en-Bière (admire the château) to Courances (the château here is open to the public and noted for its gardens) to Moigny-sur-Ecole to Milly.

http://courances.net/en

Near to Fontainebleau is the beautiful town of Moret-sur-Loing, where Alfred Sisley lived and painted many canvases:

http://www.msl-tourisme.fr/

From Moret you could take a nice drive through the quaint nearby villages of Montigny-sur-Loing, Bourron-Marlotte and Grez-sur-Loing. All these places had artists communities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

http://tourisme-bourronmarlotte.jimdo.com/

http://www.artistes-grezsurloing.fr/M_Liens.htm

I've written photo reports about visiting the places I mentioned above so if you want to see photos and descriptions of these places you can have a look:

Fontainebleau, Barbizon, Milly etc.: http://tinyurl.com/6aksvbd

Moret-sur-Loing to Grez-sur-Loing: http://tinyurl.com/buhknqs

:-). ..... But I did find a dog on a roof! Loved revisiting your photo essay FMT. Thanks again.

So dh and I are going to rent a car and take two days visiting Reims, staying overnight then tour Fontainebleau and Barbizon. I must buy another SD card for the camera before we leave the states!

Have fun! :)

Thanks, all and FMT, I was waiting to hear from you.

Our itinerary for the first four days in France has a lot of driving, but all three of us agree that we want to see a good deal. From the sounds of FMT's reports and directions, there will be an overabundance!

Here is the plan:

Day 1: land at CDG at 08:00, TGV to Champagne-Ardennes, taxi to Reims B&B. It will still be too early to check in, but we will leave the luggage and visit the Cathedral. Rest, clean up, strolling and dinner. One of our party likes Champagne, and she may arrange a tour or visit late on day 1.

Day 2: rent car at station, drive to Laon, quick visit, drive to Pierrefonds, back to Reims for dinner and sleep. Should we skip Laon? Pierrefonds is a must for us.

Day 3: (skip Epernay) Leave Reims and drive right to Vaux le Vicomte and Blandy. We are spending the night in Fontainbleau itself, so not sure if we can see anything else that day.

Day 4: Chateau Fontainbleau and as much of the surroundings as possible. Any way to prioritize all these wonderful sounding places?

Day 5: Drive to Orly to catch flight to Nice.

5 nights near Nice (we think Antibes)
4 nights Paris, then home

Remarks?

Laon is one of my favorite medieval towns near Paris and for me it is worth the drive.

http://www.laon-tourism.co.uk/

About two years ago they put little historical plaques all over town and they are in English and it makes for a great self-guided visit.

I know you can take the autoroute direct from Reims to Laon but if you've got the time there is some very scenic countryside south of Laon and I'd take the country roads if I had time. You'll note on the Michelin map all the designated scenic roads south of Laon. The most direct route is the D967 and if you do that you should make a detour to visit the art deco church in Martigny-Courpierre:

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89g...gny-Courpierre

You may be short on time but the Chemin-des-Dames is here too if WWI history interests you. You can look at the photo report I wrote about exploring that area if you want. At the end of the report is info about the church, Chemin-des-Dames and Laon: http://tinyurl.com/cqst5xz

I know you've got some ground to cover and Laon and Pierrefonds could fill your day but I just wanted to throw some options out there. Here are some sites near Pierrefonds to consider. You can visit the tiny little charming village of Saint-Jean-aux-Bois. It will take about 10 minutes just to get some nice photos, although there are two lovely restaurants to eat at there. Nearby are the remains of a Roman amphitheater, baths and temple called Champlieu:

http://www.oisetourisme-memoire.com/...s-de-Champlieu

Then near to there are the charming litte town of Morienval, the medieval donjon in Vez, ruined abbey called Lieu Restuaré and the lovely town of Crépy-en-Valois and here's my report about those places: http://tinyurl.com/o56293h

You've already got my suggestions for near Vaux and Fontainebleau. Blandy is more or less just a photo op/quick visit unless you are interested in its history and want to go inside, though it's fairly empty. A quick stroll through the village might be nice and there are a couple of cafés with terraces where you can have a drink and admire the view. The couple that own the boulangerie there are super friendly if they are open.

To sum it all up, I think your plan looks pretty good. :)