I am planning a trip 9/99 to Europe. will be in Paris and the Cote d'Azure. Am looking for a midway point, smaller town, for a 1-2 day stop over. Have seen Avignon and am looking for a similar location. Any suggestions???

hmmm-2 of my favorite places that direction are Aix-en-Provence. Kind of similar to Avignon in "feel". I stayed at a wonderful hotel there called the Hotel des Termes (not sure of the exact spelling, articles etc)It was a thermal hotel complete with the hot baths-Aix is a great walking and eating city. <BR> <BR>Another great littler village is Mougins up in the hills behind Cannes-it is a renowned gourmet village-walled and some very famous restaurant there-the Moulin de Mougins being the most famous <BR> <BR>One more idea on the other side nearer Nice is Grasse-famous for lavender and perfume-I remember liking it a lot too! <BR> <BR>Have fun

I absolutely agree with the charms of Aix and Avignon, but considering that Paris to Nice is a 1000 km stretch, and that both cities are about 700-800 km from Paris, this is not really "mid-way". To be more "mid-way", I would suggest a stop in the Beaujolais area, just north of Lyon (where the American soccer team stayed during the World Cup, in a fabulous chateau ! ). The area is charming, calm, and you'll be in grape-picking season !

If you have 2 days you might try Beaune, near Dijon, a quaint city with a walled city within. It is the center of Burgundy wine country and has fabulous wine caves(especially Pere et Fils). Don't think of driving after a tour. See the Hotel-Dieu or stay there, before taking Vincent's good advice.

I second the Dijon/Beaune suggestion, and have 2 other towns nearby to add. Vezelay which has an incredibly wonderful romanesque cathedral - one of the most remarkable and delightful in France - and at the foot of thehill on the main road the Hotel de la Poste used to be fabulous. No English was spoken - but that was 20 years ago, and times they have changed in the provinces of France - English is welcome, as is broken French, spoken by those of us who want to try. It is very welcoming. The hotel de la poste had delightful rooms and fabulous food. - <BR> The other place is Tournu which again has a remarkable and very early Romanesque church with an experimental vaulted ceiling that has held up nicely, but had too many aesthetic issues to be repeated. The engineering concept is intriguing. Again, the hotel right on the main route was wonderful - delightful rooms and terrific food. I think we got it all out of a Guide Bleu - and in between we saw Dijon and Beaune (don't miss the Hotel de Dieu - a medieval hospital). <BR> Happy travels