Hi All,

Just stumbled on this great forum and thought maybe some of you could offer me any suggestions on my upcoming 3 week holiday in July. I've backpacked around europe before, but this time I will be traveling with my boyfriend (we're in our mid 20's). We're looking for great food experiences, lovely smaller towns, beautiful scenery (lakes, rivers, beaches, mountains..) Unfortunately, we're on a bit of a budget accommodation-wise so will probably be looking more for B&B's, chambres d'hote and pensiones.. Also, I am hoping to avoid car rentals as we are not the most proficient manual stick-shift drivers. Any suggestions on routes/sights/restaurants/towns/accommodations .. all would be greatly appreciated!

Here is my tentative plan:
Fly into Milan, train/bus ferry to Bellagio. Spend 3 nights there.

1 night in Venice (I've already been - and am wary of the heat & crowds in july)

3 nights in Annecy (fondue, yum!)

3 nights in Colmar (tarte flambees!)

2 nights in Paris (Also already been there before)

4 nights in Dordogne (I was thinking of staying in Sarlat, but Beynac looks beautiful but would require a car rental? i'm worried about the drive from Libourne/Bordeaux to the Dordogne area)

3 nights in San Sebastian - tapas bars & maybe a Michelin star restaurant?

Thanks for your time!

ttt

Wow! That's a lot of kilometers! How do you plan to do the longer distances?

P.S. It's possible to rent a car with automatic trans.

Jean,

We were planning to take trains. I haven't quite figured out the exact routes - especially from Venice to Annecy.

The trains from Strasbourg to Paris, and Paris to Bordeaux/Libourne look like they'll only take 3 hours or so. At the end of the trip, I think we will fly out from Biarritz (an hour and a half train/bus ride from San Sebastian).

I think I tried looking up some car rentals online for pick up in Bordeaux.. the automatics were twice the price, if they had any at all. We'd also just prefer to avoid the stress of driving, navigating ..

My suggestion would be to think about tightening up your itinerary. Especially if you're on a bit of a budget, as travelling beween destinations eats up quite a bit of money.

If it were me, I would think about splitting your proposed itinerary in one of two ways-

1. Paris, Dordogne, & Northern Spain. -or-

2. Paris, Alsace, a night or two in Switzerland to break up the train journey, & Northern Italy.

You might want to think about renting a car just for the time you spend in the Dordogne or Alsace.

You might also want to look into modest vacation rentals in the Dordogne or Alsace, and stay put for a full week. You can save a lot of money on both food and accomodatin that way. With the car you could make daytrips into the villages and countryside. From your post it sounds like you want a relaxing trip in beautiful surroundings. I think a week in either the Dordogne or Alsace would give you that.

I'd also think about spending more time in Paris, at least 4 nights. That would leave you with 10 nights to spend in either northern Spain or northern Italy, a pretty decent amount of time I think. As you mentioned yourself, it's hot in July and there will be crowds. A more leisurely itinerary might end up being more rewarding.

Have a wonderful trip whatever you choose, and good luck in your planning.

I understand your point about Venice, but it is so magical. Consider adding a night. Maybe cut out one in Sarlat?? Be careful about your travel times - you may loose entire days point to point - just be sure to find something to enjoy along the way,

Hi J,

That's a lot of travelling.

You are going to Venice with a BF and only 1 night?

The tourists arrive about 10:00 and leave about 16:30.

I would add a night.

That's a whole lot of jumping around. I'd definitely tighten this up.

About the Dordogne, you really must have a car there. Can you learn to drive a stick before you leave in July? It's not that hard. At any rate, you don't have to drive from Bordeaux or Libourne to get to the Sarlat area. You can take the train to Perigueux or Brive. You can even take one directly to Sarlat, though I wouldn't recommend it as it makes innumerable tops and is slow.

In July I wouldn't stay in Beynac - it's on a narrow road right on the river and the traffic can be horrendous. For that matter, I wouldn't stay in Sarlat, either. I'd stay in a town that has easy ingress and egress, but that's relatively close to Sarlat, like Le Bugue or St-Cyprien or Vitrac or Montignac. Draw a 25-kilometer circle around Sarlat and look within it.

If you opt not to rent a car, though, I'd drop the Dordogne from your itinerary.

Venice does not fit at all in this trip, but you know that.

Hi everyone, thanks for your responses.

Hmm, lots to think about ~ I will start practicing driving as we speak