After spending a week in and around Paris, our family of three will be renting a car to drive a big clockwise crescent a third of the way around the country, hoping to vist some friends in Metz, then to Strasbourg, Chamonix, and somewhere on the southern coast before we return our rental car in Avignon two weeks later.
We are traveling with our nine year old and hope to use the car for day trips (like Rust and Europa Park, Annecy, and Cassis) while we stay someplace stragically central for two or three days at a time.
My questions are, which four or five cities should we stay in during those two weeks, June 11 to June 25, and which should we drive to? Go through Switzerland or around it? Our priorities are around seeing the country, enjoying wine and good food, diving into history and archetecture, and keeping our kid entertained. I hear there is a wine cellar with a train…
Thank you in advance for all of your insight!
Charles
Posted by
Paris
7278 posts
Hi!
Paris-Metz is easily done in one go and does not warrant an overnight stay along the way, however, you could easily stop in Verdun for a few hours if you are interested in WWI history. Reims is also on the way, but champagne might be a snooze for the 9 yo and the cathedral is a quick visit (sure, there is more to Reims than these two things, but not that much more).
I cannot think of a worthwhile stop between Metz a d Strasbourg.
Road tripping fun really begins after Strasbourg. To Chamonix, I would definitely opt for the shorter route through Switzerland, where the Montreux area or the adjacent Gstaad/Simmental region would make for a perfect 2-4 day stopover. Driving in Switzerland requires strict adherence to speed limits and the purchase of a (now digital) 49-franc toll sticker, but is hassle-free otherwise.
The last point is to define a target on the southern coast. If you want actual beach, I would choose the area around Hyères & Le Lavandou, which has some good beaches, and several cute villages to explore inland (Bormes, Collobrieres, etc.).
Cassis itself has more dramatic scenery, but very little actual beach.
Or you could stay inland, for example in the Verdon gorge area (Moustiers & surroundings), where you might catch some blooming lavender and can enjoy the St Croix lake if you miss the water.
Between Chamonix and that target, you could stop just about anywhere in the Alps depending on your desires and the time you have left. If it's just an overnight, Grenoble fits the bill. And if you end up needing to drive in 1 day, it is not ideal but doable (I've done it in reverse as a single driver).
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33628 posts
Nancy has good glass and buildings, and could be on the way between Metz and Strasbourg if you want to go over the Vosges.
Posted by
Washington DC
27809 posts
Lots of really nice Art-Nouveau architecture in Nancy, and some Art Deco as well.
Posted by
Downingtown, USA
2437 posts
The Lorraine cemetery is less than 30 miles.from.Metz.and is Absolutely worth a visit. The largest US military in Europe with over 10,000 of our WWII dead. It is in St. Avold.
Posted by
Downingtown, USA
2437 posts
The Lorraine US cemetery is less than 30 miles from. Metz.and is the largest.US military cemetery in Europe with over 10,000 of our WWII servicemen killed in action. Well worth a visit very impressive and sobering.