visiting france in Feb and March
 

We are Americans, visiting France for four weeks in mid Feb to mid March. We have booked carnival week in Nice and are looking for suggestions for other sights to see in the weeks that follow. We would appreciate any help we can get. It is our first trip to Franc and we do not speak the language. Is it wise to concentrate on Provence or would a weeks trip to Sarlat be worth the time?
Mcinami

With four weeks you could see a lot. For starters, you could spend a week in the Nice area, visiting Villefranche-sur-Mer, St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Eze-village, La Turbie, Cannes, Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, Mougins, Grasse, St-Paul-de-Vence, Vence, Tourette-sur-Loup, Gourdon, Moustiers-Ste-Marie. Then you could relocate to the Lubéron area for perhaps four days, finishing up in the St-Rémy area to see Les Baux, Arles, Nîmes, the Pont du Gard, Uzès, and the Camargue. After that you could move up to Vaison-la-Romaine and spend several days seeing Nyons, Montélimar, Dieulefit, le Poët-Laval, and the other hill villages in the region.

From there you could take a day trip to visit the Ardèche gorge and the fascinating Aven d'Orgnac (cavern).

Or from St-Rémy you could head west and see Carcassone and Albi before heading up to the Sarlat area.

I am salivating at the thought of 4 whole weeks in France--what richness!

So am I envious of your four weeks. You will never see enough that Provence offers.

Maybe you can help me, mcinami. We plan to be there also. Do you understand why one has to buy tickets to parades? How many are you going to, and have you bought tickets to stand or sit?
I agree with the others. You will love Provence. Are you also stopping in Paris at the beginning or end of your trip? Since this is your first trip to France, I would advise spending some time in Paris. It is wonderful!

Thanks for your answers, we are excited about our trip. We have been to Paris for two weeks and want to return but are not sure we will have time on this trip.
Epi
We have not bought the tickets for the parades yet. We are still in the process of renting appartments because we are not sure how much time to spend in each area. I didn't realize we had to buy them ahead, shows what a novice I am.

Thanks for all the advice underhill. It sounds like you have travelled this area extensively. We are concerned about the weather in mid Feb and March. Have you ever been there at that time of year? We want to go up to the hills but were concerned about ice.

I am a novice also. I am not sure if you have to buy them ahead. I just know you can from the carnaval website. I just don't understand the concept of tickets to a parade.
Good luck looking for apartments. That is where we are also. We will reserve a Citadine to make sure we have an apartment, but would prefer to find a "real" apartment. It is just difficult to know how much we can trust each website. We know safe ones in Paris, but not Nice.

For Nice, try athomeinprovence.com.

With four weeks, I'd certainly include a week in the Dordogne, as well as explore Provence. It's only a six-hour drive from Arles to Sarlat. There's more than enough to keep you busy in the Sarlat area for a week, though some things will be closed until Easter (mostly shops and some restaurants, not tourist attractions like museums and caves). You could plan a lovely trip from Provence through the Languedoc-Rousillon and see Carcassonne and Albi and St-Cirq-Lapopie and all the little towns in between, ending up near Sarlat.
I'm in the Dordogne almost every March, and it's usually very pleasant. The fruit orchards are starting to bud, and the days are cool, but not cold.

stcirq
Thanks, now we are getting excited. We are hoping he weather will be cool but not freezing cold. Thanks to all the replies we will venture further and see all the wonderful places mentioned here. I love this site, it is so helpful!