My family is planning a trip to France this summer. We plan to visit France after Italy from Genova. Our first stop in France will be the French Riviera and after that, Paris.

What are the other interesting places to visit aside from the French Riviera and Paris? Thanks, guys.

Ummmm.........

the rest of the country?

Wow thats a hard one. Provence, Alps, Brittany, Normandy, Languedoc, Aude Etc It really depends on what you want to see and do. We need a bit more info about how you plan to travel also. Willing to rent a car?

Yes, the rest of the country!!!!

My favorites aside from the Cote d'Azur and Paris?

Annecy

La Rochelle

St. Jean de Luz

When I saw the title of this thread, I was sure it was going to be from BillynBetty.

Hi W,

You might wish to go to the library and get a guidebook to France.

We are going by rail and public buses. We have Eurail Pass, but we can go point to point on short distances. France is a big country and so many great places to see, but we only have 12 days alloted for France, and we really don't want to miss the MOST Beautiful places aside from Cote d' Azur and Paris.

Well in 12 days - including travel - you don;t have time to see much more than Paris and the Riviera. You might pick one place in between for 1/2 nights - but that would be your limit - unless you plan on seeing most things out of the train window.

I adore the Loire - but it's really best to do that by car. And I don;t have the RR map of France. Perhaps you might want to try Lyon (have always wantd to - but never got there - but it sounds great).

Burgundy is wonderful, and so large that you could easily spend a week there and barely scratch the surface of things to see and do.

Particularly in summer, La Rochelle and that area of the west coast are very nice. Here are some notes of mine from several visits:

http://tinyurl.com/opodo

Enjoy yourselves and don't try to cram too many destinations in.

Here's a good place for train schedules:

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

You might consider staying in Paris and taking day trips from Paris. Examples: Versailles, Chartres, Monet's home and gardens, City of Angers and the Chateau. There are many other possibilities.

I know it is very far from Cote d'Azure but my vote is for the Chateaux in the Loire valley, or Cote de Granit Rose in Brittany. St Malo, Mont St Michel, Normandy Beach (VERY moving) Ile de Brehat, or especially the standing stones at Carnac. (The next best thing to Stonehenge.)

Its a big country.......

I'm with Underhill of course

Webin with 12 days (subtract 1 given travel), I would only base myself in Paris and Nice. From Nice, Iit is easy to day trips. Day trips from Paris have been mentioned but again with a short stay I would limit myself. I know you have Eurail passes and the tendencies is to go from place to place and do as much as you can. Please do less and see more.

Dear Webin:

After your sojourn on the Riviera and Cote D'Azur, you will be pretty much free to go anywhere you like.. You dont mention how much time you'll have available after leaving the Riviera, but if I were you, I might head north to Provence, i.e the towns of Avignon, Arles, Aix en Provence, St. Remy and Nimes.

My favorite region is the greater SW of France, encompassing the areas of Perigord, Gascony, Tarn and Aude. Do some research, and I am sure you will find that one or more of these areas will offer you a treasure trove of activities and things to see and do..

Regards..
Luis

I would suggest that you reflect on the kinds of things that would interest you and your family--if it's sightseeing and visiting famous places (cathedrals, Roman influences), or if you perhaps enjoy nature, or want to try to get a an authentic sense of village life. France is so varied in terms of its geography that one can really see alot of different things in one country.Taking a look at a guide book of France might help you decide what aspect(s) of France you and your family might want to explore.

Have fun in your search!

Webin:

I believe my answer to your query would be the same as Sheila's. France is incredibly beautiful in almost every corner. Turn one corner and you will see vineyards and ancient sites, turn another and you will be faced with mountain vistas and ample opportunities to hike, around the next corner will be beautiful little villages that will take your breath away.
I think it is a perfect all round place to visit for those who enjoy life and want to experience the best of it.
You will have great food and wine.
Travelling and staying doesn't have to be expensive either. On a recent trip we were spending the equivalent of $40.00 - $50.00 CAD per night for a 2 -3 star hotel in some of those perfect villages that offered us everything we needed. Of course the summer is more expensive and busier but that sometimes adds to the fun.
Go anywhere in France and you will want to return again.

There actually ARE places in france which aren't all that attractive and they are the ones you never hear about here or most anywhere else.

Don't believe me...trust me, I've been to a couple (you don't want to KNOW under what circumstances) which is why I am always amused by these posts about birds chirping in the tress while people are having idyllic glasses of wine.

I think the key to YOUR post is as others have suggested..telling us what you are interested in. If it isn't piles of stone left behind as signals of wealth, you won't get much out of those chateux in the Loire Valley, just as one example.

There are, IMO, lots of places that are wonderful and memorable in France but asking such an open-ended question like this one makes you liable to be dispatched to the one place you'll end up hating.

Wow, I guess France is really a beautiful country... and 12 days is really not enough.

Intrepid's reply is quite interesting though and probably true. So let me rephrase my question : Since we'll only have 12 days in France, what are the places we should avoid going to (so as not to waste time)?