avmiller88

Howdy travelers,

I am trying to plan my 12 day honeymoon to France from the US this May (2017) and wanted to get some suggestions for adventurous travelers. We have never been to France and only an elementary understanding of the language with a ~$4,000 budget.

Here is my rough itinerary:
Start: Arrive in Nice and spend 3 days on a beach in French Riviera;
Tour wine vineyards somewhere (Burgundy might be most efficient);
Normandy day trip;
Paris: 3 days in the city before flying back out.

Any frequently overlooked stops that are worth the time?

Would renting a car be a better option than the train for travelling around France?

Thoughts on training to Brussels, London, or another city for a day trip from Paris?


Thanks for your help!

Whathello

Hi.
Congrats !
12 days on the ground or including travel ?
You mention 4 regions - means 2,5 days or 3 days per region.
You chose roughly south east center north center south and center west.
Forget a car you'll spend your time driving.
You know wines or just like them ?
If not a fine connoisseur then I would recommend a winerour in the riviera (cotes de Provence) making it 5 days there then 3 days Paris then some day trips to the Normandy or 2 days there.
Use trains between your regions. Forget Amsterdam London or even Bruxelles (a pity the most beautiful city according to me or a hellhole according to Trump)

Sarastro

As I understand your post, you arrive Nice and 12 days latter depart from Paris. Is this 10 full days excluding an air travel day or 12 full days excluding air travel days?

apersuader65

Not only clarify the days, but the budget. Can we assume that the 4K is for hotels, food, ground transport and entertainment for two?

avmiller88

Thank you for the quick responses! The $4,000 is budgeted for 12 full days for 2 people in France.

We can't tell the difference between a $15 or $150 bottle so it is more about the experience. I would rather stay near a small vineyard and hang out there for a day or two than get on a tour bus and be carted around with 50 other tourists seeing 8 vineyards for 30 minutes.

Whathello

Then go to a vineyard in cotes de Provence.
Their wines are excellent but much less known.
I know them more around the Var region, where Ivisited some around La Londe.

denisea

Don't spend too much time on trains, especially with 3 days in Paris. Tons to see and do in Paris. Maybe a half day at Versailles or Giverny but I would stay in Paris and enjoy.

Sarastro

Your budget, of about 300€ per day, will mean you need to plan carefully, keeping your overall itinerary simple. One suggestion:

Nice for 3 days, then rent a car and for 4 to 5 days explore western Provence using somewhere around Avignon or St Rémy as a base. You could easily spend a week here and there are a number of wineries you could visit (among many other places). I would then take the TGV to Paris for your remaining time.

Another option would be to take the TGV to Paris after 3 to 4 days around Nice, rent a car and travel to Normandy and the Loire Valley for 5 days, returning to Paris for your remaining days. The Loire Valley has a number of wineries as well as numerous châteaux, troglodytes, and interesting towns.

Basically I would suggest that you consider no more than one location in addition to Nice and Paris.

Train tickets should be purchased at least 3 months in advance. To make sure you have a good hotel selection, you would want to reserve rooms a couple of months in advance.

avmiller88

The option of travelling around the Loire Valley by car sounds great; I assumed driving would be too difficult/expensive for an American. We are planning on staying with Airbnb rentals to help with the budget and get a better experience of "living" in the towns. Greatly appreciate everyone's input!

Kathie

Be aware that Airbnb rentals are mostly illegal in Paris. And those few that are legal are likely to be very pricey, You will be better off in a hotel.

StCirq

"Living" in the towns may not be what you think it is. You will be limited to check-in/check-out times, which may wreak havoc with your luggage and other plans; you will have to deal with working French appliances, possibly with only French instructions; you will need to figure out the local rubbish disposal and other local recycling requirements; and you may not have anyone to lean on, in English, if there are problems. Driving in France is a piece of cake compared to mastering the intricacies of "living like a local" in many cases, unless of course you pay the premium prices that come with experienced, English-speaking property owners who account for all of these details - in which case, you're not saving money over hotels.

Sarastro

Staying in chambres d´hôtes (or what has become more popularly known as using airbnb) is a great way to save money as you travel about the country. However, Airbnb in Paris is problematic in that many, probably most, of what one sees are black market, illegally offered apartments.

If you keep your plans simple, limiting yourself to Nice, Paris, and one additional region, you can rent a car and explore and do it within your budget. These resources are mentioned constantly on this forum but in formulating an interesting itinerary, check costs using these resources:

For chambres d´hôtes (aka B&Bs)
http://www.fleursdesoleil.fr/
http://www.gites-de-france.fr/

Train tickets:
https://www.trainline.eu/
http://www.voyages-sncf.com/

Autorentals:
http://www.autoeurope.com

Consult the Michelin Red Guide for hotel/restaurants suggestions, offered at a variety price points. The Michelin Green Guides, by region, include points of interest and suggested driving routes.

Once you have an idea where it is specifically you want to go, ask here about how to do it in a cost effective way.

avmiller88

I appreciate the guidance; like many before me, I romanticized experiencing all of France in two weeks sans private jet. I will focus on a place close to the beach in Nice for a few days. TGV to Paris, renting a car and driving to the Loire Valley to experience wine/Normandy Landing. Lastly,driving back to Paris for four days before flying back across the pong.

BigRuss

<< TGV to Paris, renting a car and driving to the Loire Valley to experience wine/Normandy Landing. >>

Check the train schedules. You may be able to TGV to Paris and then from Paris to Tours. I do NOT know if the trains from Marseille and the Cote D'Azur come into the same station that the trains to Tours will depart. If not, you can rent a car at the Paris station you arrive into.

SylvieD

look for airplane tickets from Nice to Paris , its only ONE & 1/2 hour flight and cheaper then the train. My tickets from Paris to Nice was 50 euro.

Whathello

90 min + time to go to airport + time to go through security + time to deplane + time to go to center.

If you go center of town to center of town, the 5 hours of train equal the 1,5 hour of plane. IMHO.

But I am fed up with planes and take any train for less than 5 hours anytime against a plane.