Favorite Region of France?

I have not been yet, but a major bucket list location for me is the Alsace region.

How do you plan on getting around? If you rent a car that will be easier but you don't want to drive across the border because the drop off fee will be costly.

Two areas that come immediately to mind are Alsace and the Dordogne. The Dordogne could be combined with the French Basque Country and/or possibly a bit of time in the Spanish Basque Country. Alternatively, you could head north from the Dordogne to some interesting places like Limoges, Poitiers, New Rochelle and Nantes.

Come to think of it, Lyon and Annecy would be a good start toward an itinerary, too.

I'll follow this thread, as I've wanted to see more parts of France, especially Dordogne. As a very young youth (long story) I spent two weeks on the farm of an old family friend in Lorraine, north of Metz. Definitely not Lorraine. Years later, one week in Burgundy, at the bottom of the hill from Chateauneuf, which I liked: mainly walking, biking and drinking.

With my wife, three weeks in Alsace, based in Riquewihr. This may seem a lot to most. Lots of hiking involved and taking it easy, day trips into the Black Forest and Basel. The more I think of Alsace, the more I might go back.

Thank you for your suggestions! I have wanted to go to the Dordogne for a while; so hearing others opinions, kind of confirms we should go. I will look into the other suggestions! We will figure out the transportation, I do know that it's too costly to take a single rental car from country to country. We often travel to more than one country on a single trip and always find a workaround. Sometimes we enjoy a bus trip or hire a private car (with driver) to get us over the borders and then pick up another car. More suggestions on an itinerary are welcome!

The Dordogne is my favorite region hands down. We have twice rented places in small towns and then spent days canoeing on the Dordogne, exploring nearby chateaux and gardens and neolithic sites -- it is all marvelous. Here was one of our most recent excursions including pictures of a market at St. Cyprien, a ruined chateau and a night market:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2017/07/25/perfect-place-for-murder-commarque-chateau/
Don't miss going to a night market (you should bring your own dishes and cups -- you buy food from vendors on the town square, sit at communal tables and join in the dance -- it is very fun - pictures in the post above.

Hi Kerry, will you have the opportunity to explore Burgundy or will your daughter want to move on? If you go to Burgundy, I suggest spending time there before moving on.
Since you’re trying to work your way into IT, I suggest going to Annecy and then on to Chamonix where you can drop off your rental car. You can then glide over the alps via cable cars to Aosta, IT and rent a car in Aosta or take a train to Milan (3h 15m with one connection).

Kerry, you have so many choices at the smorgasbord which is France. Travelers sometimes seek out less-popular destinations. Below is our TR/foto essay about our last trip, which was to the Aveyron region (our TR is really looooooong, going through a number of villages and towns). Some argue that the Aveyron fairly represents 'France Profonde'.
Sounds like a great trip no matter what choice, including Italy!
I am done. The end.
https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/en-pays-villefranchois-photo-essay-part-one-1681367/

Thank you for your recent posts. I will definitely explore all your suggestions!

I like the Dordogne, but there are far too many fellow Brits there. One evening in Castelnaud, there were about 20 cars in the car park and only 2 weren’t British.

I like the Venise Verte area around Coulon - pretty stone cottages with pastel coloured shutters set along the myriad of canals with hollyhocks growing everywhere like weeds. Combine this with La Rochelle about an hour away - one of the best food markets I’ve ever seen plus boat trips out to the islands of Oleron and Re, a world class aquarium and interesting nearby towns. It supposedly has the second most amount of sunshine in France after the Riviera. I have also stayed on Oleron a couple of times - great cycling between the pretty villages and excellent local oysters.

Hello,
While the Dordogne gets a good number of votes, and for good reason, it is too developed for my tastes. Not so far away are the valleys of the rivers Lott and Cele. The Cele is about 50 miles away from Sarlat-de-Caneda. Extremely rural. You won't have the castles of the Hundred Year's War but you will have shepherd huts. The roads are narrow, less traveled, and have the river immediately next to you. Going into the hills reveals some great small towns with real farm markets. Along the Cele is a fantastic cave with prehistoric cave paintings. Quite famous actually, and yet unknown except regionally. How can that be? Read 'The Ascent of Man' by Jacob Bronowski. He picks these very paintings for his book.

Another great area of France is the Basque region. A bit to the east of it is Salies de Bearn, a lovely place with a few very good restaurants filled with locals. Poking around in the hills between Salies-de-bearn and the Basque coastal cities of Bayonne and Biarritz is a treat. In this rural area is a traditional starting point of the Camino de Santiago at St. Jean Pied de Port. And within reach to the north is the city of Bordeaux, a good starting or ending point with rail service from and to Paris Tourists have found this city, but not to the degree as Paris. Bordeaux is quite beautiful.

On the other hand, I have not visited a region of France that wasn't beautiful.

wayne inWI