dorm57

Hi ... my wife and I are planning a trip to France for ~6 weeks in 2018. We'd planned to make this trip in 2017, but wound up going to Italy instead. We've been to Paris once and so our last or part last week will likely be spent in Paris. Aside from this, we plan to spend ~3 weeks in Provence and anchor mostly out of Aix en' Provence. Stu Dudley has provided a really nice guide for places to visit while in Provence, so again - thanks for sharing!

So we'd appreciate suggestions or advise on other regions wherein we can complete our trip. We've done a fair amount of research and it appears there's hardly a wrong choice. We've ordered the Michelin Green guide, so we'll dig into this once it arrives.

Our budget is roughly $8k-$10k and our interests ... we love the food, the wine and local cuisine. Outdoor cafe's, art and local cultural aspects are favorites. Cycling ... I'll definitely rent equipment and do some local rides. The beach ... Marseille appears fairly close to Aix, so day trips there to the beach are must see/do items.

Time frame ... June thru mid-July 2018

Favorites ... daily markets, outdoor cafes, concerts, bookstores, good walks, good restaurants, museums and local culture.

We'd prefer to stay at least a week in the remaining locations, but again haven't settled on a location for weeks 4-5 yet. Apartment rental would be via airbnb, vrbo or gitelink.

As mentioned we'd appreciate thoughts, recommendations and suggestions on:
- Is the 3-week stay in Provence too long?
- Recommend other regions to visit for our remaining ~2-1/2 weeks
- Car rental ... is driving/parking a car in France as painful as driving in Italy - mainly in the towns?
- I'm assuming public transportation is the more convenient means of travel, especially when going town to town?
- Any other suggestions are appreciated

Thanks in advance.

Ciao - Dorm

Envierges

I giggle as I write this because I'm certainly not much help.
At that time of year I like the Basque country of France to San Sebastian in Spain, Perpignan to Montpellier/Nimes and Brittany. See, not much help and as you said, hardly a wrong choice.

Debbielynn

Nice and the Cote d'Azur. Lovely.

KarenWoo

The Dordogne region of France. It's not a long drive from Provence, so I think it will fit in nicely with a stay in Provence. We stayed in Brantome and Sarlat. There is also the Lot Valley, Figeac, and Cahors. Stu Dudley also has a detailed itinerary for Dordogne. The region is filled with castles, gardens, and caves with prehistoric art, stalagmites and stalactites. Padirac has an underground lake with a boat ride, another cave has a train ride.

I really like the Loire Valley,too,with beautiful chateaux. Easy to get to from Paris, so would work nicely with your visit to Paris.

StuDudley

IMO, Aix is not a good place to base to explore Provence. It's kinda in a corner of the region. Get a magic marker & read my itinerary and the Michelin Green Guide. On Michelin Map # 113, mark all the places you want to visit and the scenic drives you want to take with the magic marker. Check www.viamichelin.com to determine the driving tome to get to these places. Locations like Nice, St Tropez, Vaison, Uzes, Pont du Gard are more than 1 3/4 hrs away - so unless you like to spend most of the day in the car driving non-scenic roads - that's too far away for a day trip. If you prefer the places/sites most people want to visit, you'll find that they are centered more around Avignon than Aix. My wife & I have vacationed for 22 weeks in Provence - and none of those weeks have been close to Aix.

Our second favorite region in France is the Dordogne. A nice trip would be to spend 2 weeks in Provence, then head west to Carcassonne for a 2 hr visit, then on to the Lot region for 3-4 nights near Rocamadour or St Cirq Lapopie. Then the remaining days in the Dordogne near Sarlat, Roque Gageac, of Beynac. Take the train back to Paris from Brive la Gaillarde. I have a 20+ page itinerary for the Dordogne. Ee-mail me if you would like a copy.

Stu Dudley

fuzzbucket

If you intend to stay in an apartment in Paris, the rules have changed.
Look for the 13-digit registration number which is posted on all legal websites.
If it is not there, it is an illegal apartment.

I'd wait and send funds after mid-January 2018, to be certain that the property owner has applied for the number. You don't want to get caught in a scam.

One other thing - residential apartments don't normally have air-conditioning, or at best fans or portable units that don't do much good.
I'd look for a moderately-priced hotel that does have air-conditioning, since you're coming in June and July.

bilboburgler

I'd look at the Loire, there is a bike path along the river and the railway follows most of it in the Saumur region (note the river is about 1000km long, so I'm talking the west end). I might also look at the Biscay coast (again good cycle paths) but no trains. And Bordeaux is not bad.

Underhill

Head to Burgundy, with something for everyone--especially great food and wines. Lots of good sightseeing as well.

StCirq

I would second the Dordogne and also say stay clear of Aix as a base in Provence. The Loire, IMO, is a bore after about 3 days.

Driving and parking a car in France is not a problem if you follow the laws. There aren't the ZTL like in Italy.

russ_in_LA

We spent 8 weeks in France this past summer and I agree with Stu. For the Provence/Cote-Azur areas, you will want 2 to 3 locations. This last time we stayed near Orange, but I think a village near (but not in) Avignon is better for a first time, as it is closer to Arles, Nimes, the Luberon, and a day trip to Aix would be easy from there. We also stayed in Ramatuelle, which we enjoyed for the proximity to coastal villages, and finally in Villefranch-sur Mer, which was great for Nice and points north and east. If you prefer only two locations, go with Avignon and near (but not in) Nice.

I second, third and fourth the suggestions for the Dordogne. We stayed a week in Cenac, which was a perfect location, but as Stu suggests, near Sarlat, Roque Gageac, or Beynac will also put you close to most of the major attractions.

We had a car for 45 days (picked it up in Bordeaux and dropped it off in Nice). We had no problems at all. Have fun!

StuDudley

>>We stayed a week in Cenac<<

We've stayed near Cenac for a total of 11 weeks. It is a little quieter/less crowded on the south side of the Dordogne River - which we prefer. Especially if you'll be there in July. Cenac actually has a very nice Tuesday morning farmer's market, several bakeries, cafes, ATMs, and a grocery store.

Stu Dudley

Gretchen

Oh, thank you Stu. Aix is not a good place to base in my limited opinion also.

mjs

I like Aix but agree that it is not a good base for exploring Provence. If you have three weeks I would pick somewhere near the coast near Nice for about a week, somewhere near Avignon like St Remy for a week and somewhere near Sarlat in the Dordogne for a week. Could easily do the above locations over 4 weeks which would even be better.

PalenQ

I'm assuming public transportation is the more convenient means of travel, especially when going town to town?>

Yes especially is areas like Provence and Dordogne where local transit is rather limited - but if landing in Paris and wanting to head south rather than driving take the TGV bullet train from Paris to say Avignon or Bordeaux, etc and pick up car at TGV stations - for lots on French trains and booking your own tickets - at a discount if early enough - check www.voyages-sncf.com where you can do that (www.thetrainline.com has same fares on same trains as the official French Railways site but is said to be easier to use) - check www.seat61.com for helpful advice booking your own tickets - for general info on French train and France also I like www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

In 6 weeks I'd suggest Provence around Avignon and Aix - Dordogne or area and the Cote d'Azur.

PalenQ

Yes especially is areas like Provence and Dordogne where local transit is rather limited>

Oops was talking except (public transit) in those areas - but between any sizable city trains are great.

Sans car the Cote d'Azur is great as trains as they trundle right along the coast stopping at several neat cities and buses go into the hills to iconic hill towns and over thrilling corniche drives.

rhon

There are any number of regions you could choose. Provence and the Dordogne are wonderful of course, but you could also consider the Languedoc which is now part of the Occitanie region. The area around Albi is also very nice. Burgundy is one of our favourite regions. and we have spent eight weeks in various locations there since 2006.
We like a similar travel style and stay one or two weeks in one place. If you click on my name you will find my trip reports from 2012, 2014 and 2016. We have stayed in a variety of regions and had a wonderful time in each.
Bon voyage.

fuzzbucket

You should really pick a major train station - preferably TGV - before you go any further.
Look at the SNCF website to help you choose.
Then book 90 days before you leave.

PalenQ

Lilbourne is a good TGV stop for Dordogne - even had a sideline train to Saint-Emilion and Sarlat -spend first day sans car and save a day of car rental.

Do Dordogne area - work east to Avignon area the to Cote d'Azur would be a nice long trip with three areas to stay long periods of time in.

Fly out of Nice or take TGV back to Paris *5.5 hours

StCirq

<< even had a sideline train to Saint-Emilion and Sarlat -spend first day sans car and save a day of car rental.>>

And arrive in Sarlat with only one choice of car rental outfit with minimal car choices? Might not be such a good idea.

But it is definitely easier to get out of Libourne by rental car then Bordeaux.

julies

Brittany (especially at the time of year you will be there) is one of our favorites.

We did a 9 night self-guided (through an outfitter) cycling trip in the Loire. It was a fabulous place for cycling.

We didn't stay there, but I remember when I was researching a trip reading about Bonnieux in Provence. There is a cycle rental shop there that will give you maps and rent you cycles for the area. Find a nice gite to rent for a week, and use that as a base for some cycling.