Where to stop on a trip between Annecy and Nice?
 

Hi, I'm reaching Nice from Annecy on my trip to France and once it's a big trip I'm looking for a city to do a "stop"... Any suggestions?
Thanks.

grenoble or Gap are the two before Nice.

Thanks, cigalechanta. I'll take a look on theses 2 cities!

Hey Dudi,

It sort of depends on what you're looking for and how far down you want to stop. There are some nice places in the Rhone Valley - Vienne in particular is a pretty little town with some cool Roman ruins. And, of course, there's some great wine to be had there.

A bit farther on you hit a big stretch of nothing, but there's a very small little town called Cliousclat that has a really quaint hotel/restaurant called La Treille Muscate. Total country feel, very friendly, great food.

If you haven't done Provence before, I'd be inclined to push on and make a stop there. You can check michelin online for drive times, but I think it's probably only 3.5 hours from Annecy to Provence on the A6. I think a stop in Gordes or one of the other amazingly beautiful hilltowns of the Luberon would be an excellent break. (Tons of info on Provence on this site). And it's only a tiny bit out of the way on the Nice trip - you could probably make it to Nice in another 2 hours or so. Enjoy! Ken

Hi, Dudi,

We did the exact thing you are contemplating in 2002. We chose to stay at:
La Bonne Etape (a Relais et Chateaux property)
Chemin du Lac 04160
Chateau-Arnoux (south of Sisteron)
France
www.bonneetape.com

The town of Sisteron is nothing extraordinary, but the hotel is quite nice (the superior double rooms were wonderful) and the food in the restaurant (1 Michelin star, I believe) was fantastic (definitely try the lamb). The chef/owner came out to check on us towards the end of the meal; it was a wonderful evening and stay. Definitely recommend it.

John H.

I certainly would recommend Provence, the home of my heart. and as John has given you some excellant places you will be in lavender heaven, but you asked for cities and those are the two I mentioned before Nice if you are coming down direct.

We are making the same drive down to the coast from Lake Geneva too and were deciding where to stop. It seems it would be 6 - 7 hours. The only place that looked great en route (and sort of halfway) was La Bonne Etape. But it reminds of Le Phebus (outside of Gordes). Le Phebus is also a Relais & Chateaux in Provence with superb cuisine. The only problem is that there was nothing else right there. Is there anything around La Bonne Etape?

We have been to Provence before and seen many wonderful villages, but they are a bit off from the Annecy/Nice route (Rousillon, Gordes, Les Baux and Isle Sur- La-Sorgue)

I am just wondering if there are any other choices other than La Bonne Etape en route. We were even thinking of driving through the Mont Blanc Tunnel into Italy, staying a night in Courmayeur and going down through Italy where it is mostly highway driving.

Here's where the Michelin guide to hotels is really helpful, with the area maps that show hotels. In St-Disdier is the Auberge la Neyrette, which sounds like a nice little place; you can even have fresh-caught local trout. In Digne-les-Bains, near Château-Arnoux, are a number of hotels, of which the Grand Paris is the highest rated.

Thanks, everybody! You really helped me a lot! Looking forward to discover Provence...
Dudi