2 weeks in France

Here is what Rick suggests. Note that these itineraries are for a three-week trip, but they include places not on your list.
https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/france/itinerary

Thank you, but I have already seen this and read his books. And I did use this for my basic plan. I guess I’m looking for some personal experience and what has worked for others for ease of getting from one area to another.

I would skip the French Riviera as you do not have enough time on the ground. Even doing Paris, Normandy and the Dordogne will be tight with only 14 days.

I would fly into Bordeaux and rent a van (sounds like you will need one) and base in the Dordogne. This is an area where you can fill up as many days as you like. I would research the places you definitely want to see. When finished, return the van to Bordeaux and train to Paris. In Paris you can also spend as much time as you like. I would spend at least 3 days in Paris before moving on to Normandy. You will need 3-4 days in Normandy to do the D-Day sights and other places you mention. Head back to Paris with your remaining time. Enjoy.

Well, we been to France quite frequently. I think you are doing to much. We travel at a faster clip than most on the forum, and I think, especially for the age groups you have, you are taking on more than would be fun. I would suggest dropping at least the South of France. I'd concentrate on Paris, Normandy, and maybe Dordogne.

For the Normandy area, are you thinking of basing in Bayeux (or Arromanches) and Honfleur? YOu could see Giverny on your way back to France.

Keep in mind that the RS itineraries for his tour take into account that they know where to park, they have tickets, don't get lost, and most importantly have a lot of experience.

If you had to choose the Dordogne or the French Riviera, which would you choose? They are so different so there is really no comparison.

In my experience you are right to be planning this as a driving trip for Normandy and Provence. Many of the best sites are not easlity accessible via public transport or without paying for a tour. Of course, no car in Paris itself. Plan pick-up/drop-off in the suburbs or one of the airports.

Regarding the trains, check the TGV maps for what makes sense for you. You may want to put Paris somewhere in the middle of your trip as much of the high speed network will route you through Paris when going from one region to another.

I see you have Giverney in your plans (yes!). Spend the night at one of the nearby hotel and be at the gates of the Monet gardens 15 minutes before they open. You'll have about an hour of relative peace and quiet before the massive crowds begin to arrive via the fleets of tour busses coming from Paris and river cruise ships.

Sounds like a great trip and a wonderful experience.

I would keep Arles as a place to stay as it was Vincent Van Gogh's home where he painted some of his most iconic paintings. Les Baux and Pont du Gard are relics, that unless they are on your "Bucket List" or in the neighborhood can be passed this time. Old Nice and the street markets are worth seeing, along with the Chagall Museum up the hill. Otherwise, I would probably go with your 1st inclination to do Paris and Normandy and then go to the Southwest. You can always do Provence as a separate trip. I spent 2 weeks there as an Art Major touring most of the Museums in the area. Not everyone loves museums and want to hike and kayak, instead.
With the different age groups; the college kids especially, may want to go their own way. You can plan a Family gathering in specific places. The Riveria tends to be expensive. Bon Voyage!

Agree with Kathleen. Arles is a great place to head to and see the VanGogh work and places he stayed in and painted.

And head to the Provence area (35-45 minute ride from Arles) to see the art exhibits in the Caves: https://www.carrieres-lumieres.com/en/discover/about-exhibition-monet-founder-impressionism

Thank you all for all of the help! My husband agrees to save the French Riviera for another time. And maybe even do the Italian Riviera instead.

And I am so glad someone said that RS tours are for experienced travelers. We are not inexperienced, but have not been to France. I am a little worried about the language barrier. I am familiar with Spanish and can read a lot of French words, but I need to learn the French phonetics. I just do not like to be the “ugly American.”

Again, thanks for all of the suggestions!

This worked for us a few years ago: get to the Provence city of your choice and then pick up a rental car. Enjoy a few days in Provence, then drive to Carcassonne, stopping enroute in the Camargue (flamingo and white horses) and/or Aques Mortes. One or two nights in Carcassonne ( enjoy Carcassonne in the evenings and early mornings, visit some of the other Cathar Castles during the day while the bus swarms visit Carcassonne or just stay one night). Drive to the Dordogne, stopping enroute at Saint Cirq la Popie and/or Pech Merle. Enjoy the Dordogne for a few days, then return the car in nearby Brive (slow train to Paris) or farther away Bordeaux ( faster train to Paris).

If the Normandy stops are more important to you, then you could combine Dordogne and Normandy with an "in-between" night in Chenonceux, but skipping Provence area, unless you can add another 4-6 days to the trip. We travel at a fairly quick pace and are OK with some one-night stops. Even so, I would not try to put four destinations into two weeks.

I can recommend our hotels if you are interested. Dropping a rental car in a different location will cost you about $100 - people are always saying one-way fees are huge, they really are not unless you are trying to do that leaving the car in some thinly populated location or in a different country.

France is a relatively large country so travel distances from one region to another will use up a lot of time. Changing hotels or VRBO-type apartments also uses up valuable time. I'd suggest limiting yourself to Paris and one other geographical area.

If you had to choose the Dordogne or the French Riviera, which would
you choose? They are so different so there is really no comparison.

There's no wrong answer and both are completely different so it depends on what your group likes. We spent a week in the Dordogne last Fall and loved it. Keep in mind that the roads in the region can be narrow, hilly and twisty with blind corners, and a vehicle big enough to fit 6 adults may cause some white knuckle moments for the driver, especially in the summer when tourist season is at its height.

I agree with Allan. Both are so different. However, having said that, If I had to choose, I would personally give the Dordogne the edge.

The sights I visited and the villages and towns in the Dordogne were much more diverse than those on the riviera in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, the French Riviera is beautiful along the water, but the scenery doesn't change much along the coast from town to town.

Google both and watch as many videos as possible to get a feeling as to what your entire group would be interested in seeing and doing.

We did a similar trip a few years ago but had 22 nights
Paris 2-we’ve been before
Picked up car
Honfleur 1-could have skipped
Bayeux 2 wished we had 3 (Tapestry will be closed when you go)
MSM 1
Amboise 2
Long drive stopped at Oradour su Glanr
Sarlat 4
Long drive
St-Remy 4
Dropped car
Arles 2
Train to Nice
Nice 4

Yoh are trying to cover a lot of ground in just 2 weeks
You will need a van for 6 and that presents some problems (parking)
Try to use trains as much as you can
Maybe save Provence/Riviera for another time

We are actually on our way to Nice tonight and will spend 18 nights just in Provence and Nice

denise,
I don't understand Steve's reference to the Provence area being 35-45minutes from Arles. Provence is an area of over 12,000 sq. miles. Is he referring to a particular town in Provence? Arles is one of many, many towns and cities in Provence. Perhaps he is referring to the Dordogne region with the prehistoric caves. If so, I would choose the Dordogne over the Riviera.
As lovely as the Riviera is, I think the Dordogne is beautiful as well, in a different way, and has a bigger variety of sights and activities. There are the prehistoric caves, kayaking and canoeing on the Dordogne (beautiful!) River, castles and gardens to visit, lots of great markets, many of "the most beautiful villages in France", excellent food specialities, wineries nearby, a rich history (see The Hundred Years War) and an ambience unlike any other place in France. It deserves 5 days minimum. And a car is a must here.

With 14 days, I would save Paris to the end so you would be near your departure airport. It deserves more than 3 days (4 nights). So here's my suggestion: Head to the DDay area of Normandy arrival day, by train. Perhaps to Caen, sleep there one night. Next day pick up rental car and go to Bayeux for DDay sight visits. Spend 3 nights there (2 full days of sightseeing). Now we are at day 4. Either return the car to Caen and take the train to Paris, where you change train stations and get a TGV (2 hours) to Bordeaux (for the Dordogne), or drive to the Dordogne. Either way, this day is pretty much a transit day. If you go by train through Bordeaux, you can get a rental car at the train station and drive about 3-3 1/2 hours to the Dordogne area. If you drive, count on about 9 hours on the road. Personally, I would find it more relaxing to have the two train rides, even with changing stations.
So, in the Dordogne area, I would spend 6 nights (5 full days). You will have plenty to do and see. Now we are at day 10. I would return the car at Bordeaux (3-3 1/2 hour drive) and take a TGV to Paris (2 hours). You could have an evening in Paris with a one hour ride on the Seine (inexpensive, narrated, and enjoyable) and a relaxing dinner. You still have 4 full days in Paris if you leave on day 15.
(sleeping in Paris nights 10 through 14). That leaves out the Riviera, Arles and Carcassonne, but trying to see too many places means you spend more time in the car or on the train, and less time exploring a location. Of course, everyone travels differently, so my way may not suit you. However, in 2023 we took the family to the Dordogne for 10 days. There were seven of us, from 9 years old to 80 years old. We weren't all there for the full ten days, but were all there for a week, and had lots of activities.

One hint often used on this forum...count nights, not days. Remember a day changing locations is not a day spent in either departure or arrival city. It is a transit day. The day of arrival and departure to/from a country don't count either (usually), especially if to or from the US with long (often overnight) flights. Factor in cushions for late flight arrivals, finding your lodgings, getting to the right platform for your train, gassing up a car, having time for meals while in transit.......just don't underestimate the time it may take to do stuff. If you wind up with extra time, great! If not, you have saved yourself some worry and aggravation.

Have a great time, wherever you land in France!

Judy, thank you so much!!! Really helpful! Any chance you know where to rent 6 passenger vans with room for our luggage? In Scotland our driver had a Mercedes for all of us and it was perfect! And another driver had a VW. Having a hard time finding vehicles that will fit all of us. Thx!

Oops, my booboo! I mislabeled the day # for travel. Leave Bayeux on the 5th day. Leave Dordogne on the 11th day. Leave Paris on the 15th day.
Sleep night 1 Caen (arrival in France day)
Sleep nights 2-4 Bayeux (2 full days, then travel to Dordogne)
Sleep nights 5-10 Dordogne (5 full days, then travel to Paris)
Sleep nights 11-14 Paris (3 full days)

We have always searched for a rental car through Autoeurope. They will list all the car companies available at a location. Caen is fairly large, so they may have your type of car available. I would do a search on their website. Be sure to check hours and dates when they are open. In Bordeaux, being a major train station in a large city, there should be something that fits your needs. And their open hours are more generous (but double check!). Larger cars are less common in France than in the US, but they do exist. I would do a dummy check and if possible reserve as soon as you know your itinerary and dates.
Also, if you use the train, TGVs are great, but the earlier you book the better the prices. They have x number at a lower price, and when those sell out, the next price level is higher...etc. The difference may not be great, or it may be a lot. The cost of driving from Bayeux to the Dordogne (say, Sarlat) will seem cheaper, but gas is high in Europe, there are road tolls, and speed limits are strictly enforced. Cameras are ubiquitous. If you do get caught on camera, you may get a citation six months after you return home. You will also get a fee from the car rental company on your credit card. That fee is for them providing the police (or whatever agency) with your info.
We almost always drive in France, but do use the train (especially the TGV to or from Paris). Driving in France is pretty easy (except in Paris and Marseille, and I hear Lyon). In Normandy, if you don't want to drive around, getting to Bayeux from Caen by public transport is fairly easy (they are about 30 minutes apart). And there are numerous tour company options for a guided tour. Those aren't cheap (figure $150.00 per person for a full day tour). That is why we always drive, but to each his own. Definitely do some checking with Autoeurope.com. They are a reliable consolidator. We have used them often.

One more thing. If you should choose to rent a car in one place in France and return in another, there is sometimes an extra fee, but I don't believe it is onerous. And I think it applies more to smaller rental locations.

denise,
If you wanted to, you could cut a night from the Dordogne and add it to Paris.

There are 2 Dordogne prehistoric cave locations. Check out Font-de-Gaume which allows you into a real cave system with real paintings, not the artificial reproductions. It isn’t mentioned by Rick Steves in the posting. Access is limited and when we were there in 2017 we had to get there at 7 am and sit outside for a couple of hours before we could access the caves. I think that they only permitted about 50 people per day sitting on numbered spaces on benches. They ran French or English groups. They can also had a French school group that had a priority time slot. A lot of people arriving after 8:00 or 8:30 were out of luck. The front desk at our hotel in Sarlat de Caneda warned us so we were numbers 5 & 6 at 7 am.
I like historic reality and there are too many reproductions. There is a similar problem with Pompeii as the best mosaics and paintings are in the Naples museum which was well worth a visit but get there early. So in 2019, we spent a day and went to Herculaneum which has more original paintings and mosaics in place. You can get a good feeling of their life and see the skeletons of the people caught trying to escape near the waterfront. It is also smaller so easier to see in 3 or 4 hours before catching a local bus up to Vesuvius and returning by local train to Naples.

Just to comment re babyboomer's entry....

There are many more than 2 prehistoric caves to visit in the Dordogne region, and more than one that are original art. (A google search comes up first with an AI response that says there are 2 caves to visit. I won't comment on AI, but that search response speaks for itself.) The reason there are some reproduced caves is because the originals (e.g. Lascaux) were being destroyed by the breathing of visitors (carbon dioxide, heat and humidity from 1200 visitors a day). Crystals and lichen began growing on the walls. The reproductions are well done (we were there in 2023 at Lascaux IV) and I for one, am grateful that the caves are being protected. We all enjoyed the simulated caves and the excellent displays and presentations about the period in the museum/hall. We also visited the Grotte de Font de Gaume, which is original art, and visits have been changed since babyboomer went in 2017. You must get a reserved time online from the website for the monuments, and Font de Gaume is one of the most difficult to get. Groups are no more than about 12 or 13 people, and there a only a few a day, to protect the delicate artwork on the walls. We didn't have the long wait to get in because only reservations were covered. Peche Merle has original art as well as Rouffignac, Combarelles, Villars, Cougnac, Merveilles, and Sorciers, so you have lots to choose from.

(On a three day stay in the area, you could go to two castles, two caves, kayak on the river, and visit a village (or town) market and tour a garden. Do a castle and cave on the same day, instead of two castles on the same day.)

I just wanted to clear things up