chicksandbalances079

Hi there!
My boyfriend and I are going to France for 6 weeks this coming July-August, and are in desperate need of guidance!

For the first two weeks, we are staying with a friend in Lyon, and for the last two weeks, we want to be in Paris, which leaves us 2 weeks unplanned!

Since our trip will be bookended by cities, we want to take it a bit easy in a small town near the water, with nice places to walk and explore and somewhere we can practice our French (since we are studying in French). Preferably in the South of France! But then again, is that a waste of going to France? What do you guys think?? Any advice would be wholly appreciated

Thanks again

tomboy

1. Will you have a car?
2. Where is home? Why? well, if you live in Florida, you don't need to be near beaches in France. If Colorado, you don't need to see mountains.
3. What's your idea of the best possible meal?

chicksandbalances079

Hi! Thanks for responding!

1. We will not have a car.
2. We live in Quebec! So beaches aren't something we get to see very often.
3. The best possible meal is definitely local seafood.

Tulips

I would pick a place with a train station, where you can easily visit other places along the coast. Antibes comes to mind. Juan les Pins can be fun in the summer but is not as pretty. Has better beaches though.. I don't know what your budget is, but check airbnb & other sites to find lodgings in a town on the railway line that runs along the coast.

Surfergirl

Juan les Pins is my favorite spot because of the sandy beaches, the outdoor summer concerts (if they are back up again), the relaxed atmosphere, and the fact that it is (a little) less expensive than other parts of the coastline. That said, August is the height of the vacation time for French families and the place gets packed, so trying to get a place to stay may be super difficult.

Tulips

Jazz a Juan seems to be on, July 9-20. Great place to be, outdoors by the sea.

tomboy

Ah, Quebec! Harking back to my 20-something years, I can see why you'd like to take in some Mediterranean beaches.

With 4 weeks available, though, I'd suggest you find a way to go to 2 of my favorite areas:

1. Sarlat within a tight radius it has castles, canoeing, phehistoric cave paintings, wine, excellent food
2. the Vaucluse (Vaison la Romaine, St Remy) within a tight radius, Roman ruins wine, excellent food

However, as I write this in my 20- YO mindset, I might be of a mind to just "beach it". So if that's what you do, enjoy it. Savor the food, because in a world of tacos, burgers, and fries, you may never savor it again. At the beach, seek out the best bouillabaise.

chicksandbalances079

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond! I really do appreciate it

bilboburgler

For beaches and sea food you need the Atlantic sea coast. So I'd head for the area of and north of Bordeaux. Choose a little town and chill.
Cote d'argent is good.

Macross

hostelworld.com gives you ratings for the best places to stay. The Tour de France, check the schedule, that would be incredible to see one day.

TDudette

Welcome and your moniker is wonderful Take a look at towns on the way to Montpellier from Lyon. See if anything calls out. Google what's around that area...there are beaches near Montpellier! Take a train from Montpellier to Paris.

suze

It's not only in France they speak French . You could visit Geneva and the Lac Leman area of Switzerland (Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux). It is stunningly beautiful and can be reached by train from France.

bilboburgler

But lake beaches and river beaches they have in Quebec. Ocean beaches are not available.

AJPeabody

If you are looking for a costal location that is also a hub for daytrips to other places, consider Nice. It's a real city so there will be many things to do even if the weather isn't nice. There is easy transport to the whole costal area. It will be busy in August.

bilboburgler

Nice's natural beaches are made of galets, those on the Cote d'argent are made of lots of sand

tomboy

There ARE sandy beaches on the beautiful calanques east of Marseille, quite near some luscious bouillabaise.

chicksandbalances079

Thank you all for taking the time to offer advice! It has been very helpful!!

We are leaning toward Nice and Bordeaux, bookended by Lyon and Paris!

jpie

July-August in Nice is not my idea of fun. That whole area is packed with people and the beaches there are not sandy-although there are areas further away from Nice with nice sand closer to the Spanish border. IMO, I would focus on the Atlantic coast-either the areas around Bordeaux or alternatively in Brittany which also has loads of lovely sandy beaches.