Hi !
we (2 adults and 2 kids of 7 and 11) already looking at our next summer (july-august) trip.

We have think (and budget) for about a 22-26 days trip .

The plan:

1) arrival in Lyon (from Montreal) and stay in that region for 4-5 nights
2) Lyon to Vaucluse region. We would rent a villa with a pool and stay there fo 5-7 nights and do daytrip in tat region (Avignon, Nîmes)
3) roadtrip between that region and Bordeaux for the remaining 12-15 days (still have to decide where to stay, we love to get at least 3 nights in one place)
4) fly back to Montreal from Bordeaux

Questions:

1) how does it sounds ?
2) How will be the weather between july 6-7 to begin of august ? Hot I guess but manageable ?
3) Do we have time to go for 4-5 days in northern Spain ?

Any ideas are very welcome !

I'd suggest three days or so in the Toulouse area - Toulouse a great old town and Carcassonne nearby kids will love.

1) sounds okay if that's what you want to do. Not sure what you plan to do around Lyon for 4-5 days, one comment. YOu can research, I think there are most obvious things you might want to see from the Vaucluse departement than Nimes, for example. Nimes isn't even in the Vaucluse while the Luberon, the Dentelles of Montmirail, Vaison-la-Romaine, Bedoin, Apt, etc are. Or Orange if you want to see a good Roman ruin.

2) I gather your itinerary is partly chosen due to nonstop flights on Air Transat. That makes sense to me. Otherwise, I might choose not going to Bordeaux. If you go by autoroute, it would be natural to stop off in perhaps Montpellier and then Toulouse.

3) yes, it's hot, you can check the weather history. Many people live there, so it's manageable to them. I don't know about you, you'll have to decide on that. I manage it, in fact I was just in Toulouse in July, and I've been in the Vaucluse during July multiple times. But I live in an area with temps like that in summer, so it's no surprise to me. Toulouse wasn't that bad actually when I was there this time, Paris was the worst, so you never know.

We've been in France every June/early July for the past 20 years. For the past 4 years - there has been record high temps each time - low/mid 90s. Even in Brittany where we were for 4 weeks this past June/July. It hit 98 in Paris.



We usually rent our gites/villas in France about 1 year in advance. In Provence, we rent 1 1/2 years in advance and always depart by July 1 to avoid the crowds. So if you want a villa with pool in Provence in July - don't delay in making reservations.



Not sure that Lyon would be a good "base" for the region around it. I'm not a big fan of the "region" immediately around Lyon, until you get farther north into Beaujolais or farther south into the southern Ardeche. East into the Alps & Annecy/Chambery is more than a day trip, IMO. But we spent 5 nights just in Lyon last year and enjoyed it.


I think a good plan would be to focus on three regions.


Provence for at least 1 week



Languedoc around the Gorges du Tarn with all the rivers, caves, etc for at least 5 nights


Dordogne with the "cute little villages" kayaking on the Dordogne river, castles, caves with pre-historic drawings, beautiful countryside (almost "too many" things to do in this region). At least 1 week. It's the best area for the kids, IMO. We've stayed 13 weeks in this region.



I'm also not a fan of the area immediately around Bordeaux. If you "need" an extra location - go a little farther south into the Pays Basque area.


I have about 10 itineraries I've developed for various regions in France. For the areas I'm suggesting above, I have itineraries for:
Lyon
Provence & Cote d'Azur
Languedoc
Dordogne
Pays Basque


I've sent my various itineraries to over 6,000 people on Fodors. If you would like a copy, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach one to the reply e-mail. Specify which itineraries you would like. My Provence/Cote d'Azur itinerary is 35 pages long.


Stu Dudley

Sounds like a reasonable plan to me. Not sure what you mean exactly by "the Lyon area," but a couple of days in Lyon itself is usually enough for me. There is loads to see and do between Provence and Bordeaux, but it depends on what interests you. Languedoc-Roussillon alone could occupy you for weeks, and so could the Dordogne, where I live and which is fabulous for kids. I would definitely make time for a stop in Toulouse and Carcassonne and Albi between Provence and Bordeaux.

While I am very fond of Bordeaux itself these days, the surrounding area, with the exception of the Bassin d'Arcachon, I find truly dull. But then, if you head south to Bayonne, Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz and into Spain, it gets very intriguing. I don't think you have time, though, for 4-5 days there unless you give something else up.

As far as weather goes, it's been murderously hot here pretty much all summer, punctuated with very occasional violent storms. It was 40C today on our outdoor thermometer, which is in the shade. One welcoming aspect of the Dordogne, though, is that we have plenty of rivers and lakes to swim in.

Thanks to all for all those answers (keep them coming) !

Our plan are absolutly not set yet and your answers help us make a plan.

Christina: You are right about Transat direct flights.. From Montreal we have direct flight to:
Bordeaux
Lyon
Marseille
Nantes
Nice
Paris
Toulouse

So we could chose something else than Lyon and Bordeaux.

Lyon, well mainly for food but also to visit Annecy that seems lovely. But, once again,. just an idea, nothing mandatory !

A nice east-west drive, but not fast, is to go up the Gorges de l'Aveyron and down the Gorges du Tarn. It might be best to get a road map and a Green Guide for that area and then work out an itinerary.

Put together a detailed itinerary, and then choose your airports.


I strongly recommend that you visit the Dordogne. And if you do, make that your last stop & depart from Toulouse after an overnight in Toulouse.


You did not mention Annecy in your earlier post. I have another itinerary for the Alps. I think you already received the itineraries you requested - so I'll send you the Alps one also.


Stu Dudley