Hi all - and thanks in advance for any advice! We are two men 49 and 59 that will be spending a week in Paris in late august and then intending on spending a week or so in rural France but the question is where ? I am also keen on any advice as to whether people believe that the drive and looking for accommodation [open road approach] is OK in September as the Virgo in me still thinks I need to book it all in advance.

Keen on interesting villages with good [but not michelan three star] places to eat and things to see.

Finally the intent of the trip is also to turn 50 in Paris in very late August - so again some guidance on where to eat out [without breaking the bank] would be greatly appreciated.

Well there are tonnes of options...what are your interests? Some ideas:

Normandy for the D Day beaches
Brittany for great seafood
Burgundy for great wines, cute villages, great food
Alsace for great wines, cute villages, more german like food
Provence ...great food
Dordogne..great food here
Loire for castles

You would definitely need to book Paris in September as it is one of their busiest months for trade and fashion shows, never mind the post summer wave of tourists. I'm not sure about late August but many places close in that month while the French go on vacation. We have tried it both ways - advance booking and winging it. We now always book. One can go to the Tourist Bureau in many towns and stations to get a place but this can be problematic (lots of reasons including closed for lunch, last and worst places available etc). I don't like wasting precious time looking for places that are suitable and affordable and September is a busy month any place that is popular with tourists. It does mean you need to plan your trip but with only a week this may be your best bet. Michelin Red Guide 2009 is due out around May and is now published in English - well worth buying. It has maps showing recommended hotels and restaurants listed with costings etc. I've previously posted on the charms of Troyes and would recommend it. With only a week a possibility is a circuit around Paris. Say - not necessarily all of these or in this order - the Loire Valley, maybe staying in our favourite, Amboise, and visiting some chateaux; then Troyes and Champagne; perhaps Normandy, parts of Brittany and perhaps Chartres. Maybe do a search on the tags Restaurants and Paris in this Europe Forum for some ideas on where to celebrate your 50th? HOpe you have a wonderful birthday!

<Burgundy for great wines, cute villages, great food> + lovely countryside, castles, history, architecture.
http://www.burgundy-tourism.com/
Happy travels!

You will not need to book in rural France in September although a good reference book would be helpful to you. Maybe the red Michelin? It will also give you good advice about places to stay and eat which are not starred.

In teh bits of France I know well, I'd have you look at the Lot, the Haute Pyrenees and the Pyrenees Atlantiques and Britanny

Nice starter list jamikins. To Normandy and Brittany I'd add, cute seaside villages. To Provence add beautiful markets, probably same for Dordogne, and there also add prehistoric caves. Come to think of it, is there any place in France where they don't have great food of some kind?

Wine areas will be starting the harvest in Septemeber so a great time to be visiting but the very cheap hotel rooms will disappear.

I tend to do my wine buying then (they need the room for the new stuff) so Alsace sould be lovely with maybe a slight chill in the mornings or Champagne with a hint of rain in the air or Chablis with golden light ((STOP ALL TOO MUCH))

Anyway what do you like to do in rural

Hi Dav,

For your B'day splurge you might want to consider lunch at Taillevent - 70E for the pix fixe.

Add wine and figure about 100E pp.

Thanks all this is really useful - and appreciate your time and guidance