Tell me where to go in France.
January 9, 2024 1:53 PM Subscribe
About to book a flight to Paris. Two ladies headed there for first time. Tell me where to travel to besides Paris.
While I love planning a trip the awesomeness of France makes that hard. We have about 13 days. I'd like to be in Paris a few days. Rent a car for like for 4 day to a week and drive around. Maybe fly into Paris and fly out of Geneva. Time frame: About last week of April/first week in May as the flights are fairly reasonable.
We want to see the villages, eat the good food, see pretty vistas, see a few sites. Maybe Dordogne and Annecy/Lyon area?
If you know of villages that have not much other than a few good restaurants and is quaint- I'd love to know.
I am a bit perplexed about the logistics of where we should pick up a car so we can tour, what's easy to see by rail and how to connect it all. I figure we have to focus on 2 regions for a few days each, maybe.
We love to drive and have done similar things in Maine. We'll drive for a whole day just to see 5 different towns, but not each day of course. Maybe for a few days we tour.
Advise on how to tackle it as well as some places you loved. We are really have nothing definite except - we are going to France.
Lastly - I know my travel partner would love to see a Switzerlandy looking village with the mountains, but everything is negotiable.
Sorry for this not succinct, nor specific question.
While I love planning a trip the awesomeness of France makes that hard. We have about 13 days. I'd like to be in Paris a few days. Rent a car for like for 4 day to a week and drive around. Maybe fly into Paris and fly out of Geneva. Time frame: About last week of April/first week in May as the flights are fairly reasonable.
We want to see the villages, eat the good food, see pretty vistas, see a few sites. Maybe Dordogne and Annecy/Lyon area?
If you know of villages that have not much other than a few good restaurants and is quaint- I'd love to know.
I am a bit perplexed about the logistics of where we should pick up a car so we can tour, what's easy to see by rail and how to connect it all. I figure we have to focus on 2 regions for a few days each, maybe.
We love to drive and have done similar things in Maine. We'll drive for a whole day just to see 5 different towns, but not each day of course. Maybe for a few days we tour.
Advise on how to tackle it as well as some places you loved. We are really have nothing definite except - we are going to France.
Lastly - I know my travel partner would love to see a Switzerlandy looking village with the mountains, but everything is negotiable.
Sorry for this not succinct, nor specific question.
Late spring would be a lovely time for the south of France - it will be warm, but not hot, so you'll be able to enjoy being outside all day. It's also my favorite region of France for food. Also, from parts of Provence you can drive to the alpine part of France (like Grenoble) in just 2.5 hours - some of the towns will have a Switzerlandy-vibe.
I'd probably do a high-speed train or flight from Paris to Marseille, have a day to see/eat Marseille, and then rent a car there. Parc national des Calanques (outside Marseille) is gorgeous coastline, and Verdon Natural Park (or the Gorges of Verdon) are very scenic, and that area has a lot of quaint towns. Avingnon is also worth a stop. Anyway, after a 4 days in the south you could head into the alps/Grenoble area.
Personally I think less is more - in 13 days, doing Paris + Provence + French Alps would be more than enough - I'd save Switzerland for another trip.
posted by coffeecat at 2:21 PM on January 9
I'd probably do a high-speed train or flight from Paris to Marseille, have a day to see/eat Marseille, and then rent a car there. Parc national des Calanques (outside Marseille) is gorgeous coastline, and Verdon Natural Park (or the Gorges of Verdon) are very scenic, and that area has a lot of quaint towns. Avingnon is also worth a stop. Anyway, after a 4 days in the south you could head into the alps/Grenoble area.
Personally I think less is more - in 13 days, doing Paris + Provence + French Alps would be more than enough - I'd save Switzerland for another trip.
posted by coffeecat at 2:21 PM on January 9
As you say, there are so many options it makes decisions hard! I've been to France several times and there are still so many parts that I haven't been able to visit yet.
If the Alps are high on your (shared) list, I think flying into Paris and out of Geneva makes a lot of sense. But in between!
What about spending your few days in Paris, then taking the TGV to Avignon or Arles and spend a few days thereabouts (they're very close to each other by train - you can easily do a day trip to Arles from Avignon or vice versa)? Then you could rent a car in Avignon and take a leisurely day or two driving through the Luberon and Verdon and up into the alps, ending in Lyon or Geneva, both of which have plenty of flights OR easy TGV journeys back to Paris (Grenoble, Chambery, and Annecy could be taken in on this route, or detour further into the mountains for extra quaintness).
(On preview, very similar to what coffeecat says.)
posted by mskyle at 2:25 PM on January 9
If the Alps are high on your (shared) list, I think flying into Paris and out of Geneva makes a lot of sense. But in between!
What about spending your few days in Paris, then taking the TGV to Avignon or Arles and spend a few days thereabouts (they're very close to each other by train - you can easily do a day trip to Arles from Avignon or vice versa)? Then you could rent a car in Avignon and take a leisurely day or two driving through the Luberon and Verdon and up into the alps, ending in Lyon or Geneva, both of which have plenty of flights OR easy TGV journeys back to Paris (Grenoble, Chambery, and Annecy could be taken in on this route, or detour further into the mountains for extra quaintness).
(On preview, very similar to what coffeecat says.)
posted by mskyle at 2:25 PM on January 9
How far do you want to go? Provence is amazing and it's not quite the peak summer season yet when it's too hot and too full of other people, so I would add Aix-en-Provence to the list. It's a university town so you can get there by train and maybe rent a car there to see the rural parts.
In general I would avoid having a car while you're in Paris. You don't need it there and you can get trains to every other city where it might be more convenient to drive around.
posted by easternblot at 2:26 PM on January 9 [1 favorite]
In general I would avoid having a car while you're in Paris. You don't need it there and you can get trains to every other city where it might be more convenient to drive around.
posted by easternblot at 2:26 PM on January 9 [1 favorite]
The Loire Valley is full of gorgeous towns, great food, and a whole ton of amazing chateaux. It’s very relaxing, you can easily drive down from Paris, and it’s something special that you really need a car to see well. That said, it’s a bit far from the alpine region (at least 6 hours driving from e.g. Blois to Grenoble based on google maps).
Lyon is amazing. My only thought about Lyon/Annecy/Geneva is that you probably don’t need a car for that trip, and I’m not sure if it would be more hassle than it’s worth in the cities.
posted by Schismatic at 2:50 PM on January 9 [2 favorites]
Lyon is amazing. My only thought about Lyon/Annecy/Geneva is that you probably don’t need a car for that trip, and I’m not sure if it would be more hassle than it’s worth in the cities.
posted by Schismatic at 2:50 PM on January 9 [2 favorites]
Last fall I took a train from Lyon to Chamonix in the alps, and it was an extremely memorable and peaceful trip. The regional connecting trains in the smaller towns along the way all have glass roofs so you can watch as the mountains gradually appear overhead. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
posted by knotty knots at 4:10 PM on January 9 [1 favorite]
posted by knotty knots at 4:10 PM on January 9 [1 favorite]
For sure get a train from Paris to your next location. Don't pick up a car in central Paris. No no no.
Train from Paris to Lyon is 2 hours, against 5 in the car. The trains are clean and quiet. There will for sure be English speaking people in the ticket booths in big cities, but you can get tickets online and from machines, all working in English.
I'd also leave out Switzerland, the transport gets a lot slower and getting to something appealing would add quite a big detour.
posted by biffa at 4:57 PM on January 9 [1 favorite]
Train from Paris to Lyon is 2 hours, against 5 in the car. The trains are clean and quiet. There will for sure be English speaking people in the ticket booths in big cities, but you can get tickets online and from machines, all working in English.
I'd also leave out Switzerland, the transport gets a lot slower and getting to something appealing would add quite a big detour.
posted by biffa at 4:57 PM on January 9 [1 favorite]
We found Angoulême very charming (a great cartoon/B.D. museum) but the area around it 'only' very lovely.
The Perigord is beautiful and almost surreal - the evidence of ten thousand years of human settlement everywhere is almost overwhelming. And fantastic castles and food/ sightseeing. We took the train from Paris to Brive-la-Gaillarde and rented a car - it was painless. (We stayed at Le Chevrefeuille, a B&B that offers cooking courses and was well located. To owners were really nice - we were there about ten + years ago but they seem to still be going strong.)
Arles is also lovely, we were there during the 'Feria' which is a festival centred around bullfights at the old Roman amphitheater there - lots of music and parties and etc. Also, really good food (In every city we have had at least one superlative meal.)
Normandy also has a lot of charm but you'll find lots of reminders of WWII and the mediocre/Brut re-building efforts. Still, Mont-Ste-MIchel is a wonder, truly. We planned poorly but next time would recommend a guided tour of the tidal flats. They've done a beautiful job of restoring the delta's ecosystem.
The north-east corner of France is the only one we've found not especially lovely.
posted by From Bklyn at 4:19 AM on January 10 [1 favorite]
The Perigord is beautiful and almost surreal - the evidence of ten thousand years of human settlement everywhere is almost overwhelming. And fantastic castles and food/ sightseeing. We took the train from Paris to Brive-la-Gaillarde and rented a car - it was painless. (We stayed at Le Chevrefeuille, a B&B that offers cooking courses and was well located. To owners were really nice - we were there about ten + years ago but they seem to still be going strong.)
Arles is also lovely, we were there during the 'Feria' which is a festival centred around bullfights at the old Roman amphitheater there - lots of music and parties and etc. Also, really good food (In every city we have had at least one superlative meal.)
Normandy also has a lot of charm but you'll find lots of reminders of WWII and the mediocre/Brut re-building efforts. Still, Mont-Ste-MIchel is a wonder, truly. We planned poorly but next time would recommend a guided tour of the tidal flats. They've done a beautiful job of restoring the delta's ecosystem.
The north-east corner of France is the only one we've found not especially lovely.
posted by From Bklyn at 4:19 AM on January 10 [1 favorite]
Bordeaux is an easy train ride from Paris. The traditional center is really nice, walkable, relatively tourist-friendly but not over-touristed (in my opinion). It has a lot of the attractive stereotypes people have of France, without so much of the big-city bustle of Paris.
The city itself has some traffic congestion--but once you get out of the commuter radius, driving is a joy. The immediate region is known for wine tourism, of course, with dozens of individual choices of places to visit. (Although, honestly, if you've visited one winery, you've seen 'em all, I wouldn't go to more than one or maybe two.) The town of Saint-Émilion is a tourist magnet, worth an afternoon or so.
The landscape in the southwest can be pancake-flat, or it can be low-to-medium sized hills. You'll get more vistas as you go east--the Dordogne is right there, and the hills get higher as you drive into the Lot. Sarlat is a tourist favorite in the area. Rocamadour is another. I thought the town of Cahors was very nice for a day stop. The Gers and nearby departments are dotted with very nice little towns in picture-perfect rolling hills, many of them way off the regular tourist loops.
If you want actual mountains, you can drive the autoroutes south of Bordeaux, go a little further south, and boom, there are the Pyrenees. Closer to the Atlantic, they'll be medium-sized and green to the top, if you want taller, craggier mountains in your photos you'll need to go a bit further east. Plenty of destination choices, some involve hiking and outdoorsy stuff, some are as straightforward as taking the cablecar to the top of Pic du Midi. Pau is a smallish city in the area that's worth a day visit.
The southwesternmost corner is the Basque country, which might be a nice alternative to the Swiss-themed destinations you've considered. Cute little towns in traditional decor. I enjoyed Bayonne as a destination if you'd like a small city to use as a base. Biarritz is historically a beach town, resort, spa spot, I was surprised at how busy and bustling it was, lots of people out having a drink at night. Basque country is also a great culinary destination.
And if you go that far....San Sebastian in Spain is right over the border, if you're willing to risk a little scope creep.
posted by gimonca at 4:37 AM on January 10
The city itself has some traffic congestion--but once you get out of the commuter radius, driving is a joy. The immediate region is known for wine tourism, of course, with dozens of individual choices of places to visit. (Although, honestly, if you've visited one winery, you've seen 'em all, I wouldn't go to more than one or maybe two.) The town of Saint-Émilion is a tourist magnet, worth an afternoon or so.
The landscape in the southwest can be pancake-flat, or it can be low-to-medium sized hills. You'll get more vistas as you go east--the Dordogne is right there, and the hills get higher as you drive into the Lot. Sarlat is a tourist favorite in the area. Rocamadour is another. I thought the town of Cahors was very nice for a day stop. The Gers and nearby departments are dotted with very nice little towns in picture-perfect rolling hills, many of them way off the regular tourist loops.
If you want actual mountains, you can drive the autoroutes south of Bordeaux, go a little further south, and boom, there are the Pyrenees. Closer to the Atlantic, they'll be medium-sized and green to the top, if you want taller, craggier mountains in your photos you'll need to go a bit further east. Plenty of destination choices, some involve hiking and outdoorsy stuff, some are as straightforward as taking the cablecar to the top of Pic du Midi. Pau is a smallish city in the area that's worth a day visit.
The southwesternmost corner is the Basque country, which might be a nice alternative to the Swiss-themed destinations you've considered. Cute little towns in traditional decor. I enjoyed Bayonne as a destination if you'd like a small city to use as a base. Biarritz is historically a beach town, resort, spa spot, I was surprised at how busy and bustling it was, lots of people out having a drink at night. Basque country is also a great culinary destination.
And if you go that far....San Sebastian in Spain is right over the border, if you're willing to risk a little scope creep.
posted by gimonca at 4:37 AM on January 10
Would also second the 'Féria' idea, I've done this in Arles and Nîmes. There can be more than one, there are both spring and harvest festivals. Big caveat here--hotels in the city centers wlil sell out months in advance for Féria dates.
If you're in a rental car, though, you can stay in a countryside town nearby, drive into town in the morning, park and walk a bit to get to the events. Be prepared for street closures and such. Generally, do a bit of planning and research if you consider this idea, check hotels, look at online maps to think through driving strategies, be ready to be flexible. Once you're in, you'll just walk around and have a great time.
Check schedules of events for the "abrivado" -- you could have your own version of the "running of the bulls" experience.
posted by gimonca at 4:48 AM on January 10
If you're in a rental car, though, you can stay in a countryside town nearby, drive into town in the morning, park and walk a bit to get to the events. Be prepared for street closures and such. Generally, do a bit of planning and research if you consider this idea, check hotels, look at online maps to think through driving strategies, be ready to be flexible. Once you're in, you'll just walk around and have a great time.
Check schedules of events for the "abrivado" -- you could have your own version of the "running of the bulls" experience.
posted by gimonca at 4:48 AM on January 10
I've done this kind of trip in France maybe five times? It is lovely every time.
Do not rent a car in Paris. Take the TGV to the region you are interested in, then rent a car there. TGV stations usually have plenty of car rental options or there will be ones nearby.
The regions I liked the best were the Loire, the Dordogne, and the Rhône valley south of Avignon (including the Camargue). Pick one and spend plenty of time there. Our rule is at least two nights in every place just to avoid the hassle of packing and moving.
I've found the Michelin guides most useful for finding things on the way. The red guide for restaurants: not the fancy starred places (although those are good too!) but just the little villages that have one restaurant with two forks which still means "way better experience than most anythingin the US". The green guides are also remarkably good for a quick but deep brief on individual regions. (Click the France button. Many of these are in English too.) Michelin has managed the transition to the Internet very poorly though, so I fear it's getting less useful every year. Many folks swear by Gault&Millau for food guides.
posted by Nelson at 8:15 AM on January 10 [1 favorite]
Do not rent a car in Paris. Take the TGV to the region you are interested in, then rent a car there. TGV stations usually have plenty of car rental options or there will be ones nearby.
The regions I liked the best were the Loire, the Dordogne, and the Rhône valley south of Avignon (including the Camargue). Pick one and spend plenty of time there. Our rule is at least two nights in every place just to avoid the hassle of packing and moving.
I've found the Michelin guides most useful for finding things on the way. The red guide for restaurants: not the fancy starred places (although those are good too!) but just the little villages that have one restaurant with two forks which still means "way better experience than most anythingin the US". The green guides are also remarkably good for a quick but deep brief on individual regions. (Click the France button. Many of these are in English too.) Michelin has managed the transition to the Internet very poorly though, so I fear it's getting less useful every year. Many folks swear by Gault&Millau for food guides.
posted by Nelson at 8:15 AM on January 10 [1 favorite]
I did something sort of similar last September. I flew into and out of Geneva and rented a car at the airport there. I went to Lyon for a few days followed by staying in Mallemort for a week. Mallemort is very small, but it's lovely and centrally located to Aix, Avignon, and Arles, as well as many beautiful smaller market towns (Gordes, Bonnieux, Loumarin) and the scenery and wineries of the Luberon. Feel free to memail me if you'd like any more specific recommendations!
posted by CheeseLouise at 9:32 AM on January 10
posted by CheeseLouise at 9:32 AM on January 10
CheeseLouise, can you provide your impressions of whether Aix was tied up with construction projects?
When I visited a few years ago, the city was all torn up, apparently because of impending budgetary restrictions due to the creation of the Métropole d'Aix-Marseille-Provence. In particular the Cours Mirabeau was much less pleasant than usual.
posted by graphweaver at 11:59 AM on January 10
When I visited a few years ago, the city was all torn up, apparently because of impending budgetary restrictions due to the creation of the Métropole d'Aix-Marseille-Provence. In particular the Cours Mirabeau was much less pleasant than usual.
posted by graphweaver at 11:59 AM on January 10
No, no construction issues. Cours Mirabeau was clear and normal. I parked at the public lot in the city center adjacent to La Rotonde and I guess there was some road construction driving in, but nothing out of the ordinary causing delays or anything.
posted by CheeseLouise at 12:47 PM on January 10
posted by CheeseLouise at 12:47 PM on January 10
Having just taken a train in California which took twelve hours for a trip which takes five hours by car, I'd just emphasize how very different an experience trains are in Europe: they're a wonderful way to travel, so use them as much as you can.
posted by anadem at 12:51 PM on January 10
posted by anadem at 12:51 PM on January 10
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