First visit to France

My wife and I spent three weeks in France in May of 2015. We had never been there, and had little other European experience, but we managed fine on our own. We used a rental car for most of our transportation (in retrospect would probably have used the train more), and the only problem was our refusal of a GPS on the rental, which would have been handy in the towns. The highway system, and the roads and driving conditions were generally extremely good, certainly better than the US; better surfaces, less traffic, more careful drivers. (I'm talking about towns and cities other than Paris, where we did not attempt to drive.) Getting from town to town is easy, as every intersection and highway exit is well-signed. Once you are in a town, though, the signage breaks down, and that is where a GPS would have spared us some time and, in some cases, anxiety.

By all means go by yourselves if you are inclined (as we are) to be fairly complete planners. We are so much into the planning that our 2017 trip to Italy is all arranged, and we just need to pay for things :-)

Not crazy at all. Lots of people do it.

No. Super easy by train.

Possibilities for a first trip....
Paris
Champagne (Reims)
Alsace (Strasbourg + Colmar)
Burgundy (Dijon + Beaune)
Lyon
Provence (Avignon / Avignon)
Côte d'Azur (Nice + Cannes + Monte Carlo)

Using the routing above, all the train connections are less than 2 hours, except Avignon to Nice which is approx 3 hours.

Last summer we did something similar, and we did get a car with GPS. Might have cost more, but was beyond helpful. We rented a car in Caen, spend 2 days around Normandy WWII sites, drove to Amboise for 2 days, then drove to Nimes where we returned the car. We then took the train to Avignon where we were on a tour for one week, and then the train back to Paris. With the car, there were a few times where we had to turn around because I didn't understand the signs in time, but nothing that was disastrous. Go for it!

We did this trip a few years ago, but in the opposite direction.

Flew to Nice
Nice to Avingnon by train. Did a wine tour with Wine Safari (recommended by RS)
Avingnon to Paris by train.
Paris to Normadie by car. Rented car in Paris. Did a d-day tour with
http://www.victorytours.com and stayed a few nights in their charming b&b.
Back to Paris by car.
Then we took the Eurostar to London for a few days.
Flew home from London, but you could skip London and fly home from Paris.

Enjoy!

Paris > Provence > Nice is a logical progression for a tour like this. To get the most out of Provence, rent a car for a few days.

If time and tastes permit, you might add a few days in Burgundy (also with a car, you can rent more than once) and/or Lyon. These are all marvelous places more or less enroute to Nice.

If you truly want to immerse yourselves, getting out into the countryside is key, and that will mean wheels.

You absolutely can do this on your own.
Some people like tours, for a variety of reasons, but we like the flexibility and privacy of traveling by car. We even like the times we've gotten lost. They've led to some wonderful discoveries.
It would be good if you speak some French, at least the basic "polite" phrases, but in many cases, the person you're talking to will speak English better than you speak French. Even when there's no spoken language in common, we've found French people to be generous and kind, going out of their way to be helpful. I think the stories of French rudeness are often based on big-city behavior. Well, I grew up in New York City and I'm sure that there are more than a few stories about New Yorkers being rude, even when dealing with fellow English speakers.
Some people like the spontaneity of booking rooms as their trip unfolds. We like to schedule our nights in advance, just because my French is limited, and that hasn't posed any difficulties.
Bon voyage.

Thank you all for the wealth of information. Please continue to offer more ideas if you feel so inclined!

My husband and I have spent 3 weeks each spring in Europe for over 30 years and in the last few years 3 mos at a time. We are about to take our first cruise/tour this fall when we go by riverboat from Moscow to Petersburg; last year we spent 9 nights in an apartment in St. Petersburg and loved it. On our very first trip we rented a small place outside Siena -- back before the internet and when rentals were done with catalogues --. Travel in Europe is dead easy. It was 35 years ago and it is now. You absolutely don't need a tour to visit Paris and Nice. I'd probably fly to Nice or take the train and then pick up a car if you want to spend time in the countryside. It is not something you want in Nice or Paris and it is a long drive. We are doing the drive twice this fall and not looking forward to that part of the trip -- we wouldn't do it except that we need a car for a month.

I would fly open jaw into Nice and out of Paris or if you do a round trip to Paris, I would take the train to Nice that afternoon and finish in Paris. And I would spend at least a week in Paris. We thought 3 nights was perfect for Nice and then drove to the Dordogne for a few days and to Burgundy for a few days before ending up in Paris.

We are doing our first trip to France that is not a tour also. We fly into Paris the end of this month. We are a little unsure about it all too. This site is very helpful! We have an apartment in Paris for a week then take the train to Nice and have an apartment there for a week. I think we are getting things pretty well planned but some things we will learn as we go.

Just did a 26 day trip to France last fall. We drove everywhere but Paris. It was a snap as long as you have a good GPS. We took our Gramin with Europe maps and it was awesome. Did not mind driving at all but DO NOT GO ONE KM OVER THE SPEED LIMIT......they have cameras everywhere. We did really good and got no tickets but some people get lots.

Absolutely on the speeding. In the US there is usually a norm that highways travel 10 miles or more above the speed limit and that you are mostly 'safe' if you go with the flow of traffic. This is not true in Europe where the grace is about 4 or 5 km per hour (and that is just error in speedometer zone) so it is important to pay attention to the speed limits and obey them or get hit with major costs for tickets; it costs about 50 bucks for incident just to have the rental agency provide your contact information -- the tickets when they arrive are on top of that.

If you like to do planning, it's certainly doable on your own. I LOVE planning and we've done all our trips with my doing internet stuff and with lots of help from the fine folks here on the forum. My husband has a coworker who likes nothing more than to take tours as neither he or his wife want to 'go it alone' so to speak. Pick up some good guide books. Make a list of what you'd like to see. Look into where you can get savings in advance (eg - if you are going to take the high speed train from Paris to Avignon, you can save a lot of money purchasing your tickets about 3 mos in advance). Check out skip the line tickets for things like the Eiffel Tower if you wanted to do that.

When you have a little more of an itinerary, people here are more than happy to let you know if it's feasible, what you can probably give a pass to, and what not to miss!

We've been to Paris for a few nights at a time over three visits, and I'm trying to convince myself I don't have to go back next spring, but it is beckoning me again, and I'm afraid Amsterdam is going to have to lose a few days so I can see Paris again!

I did a similar trip in 2005.

3 nights Paris
2 nights Beaune
2 nights Annecy
2 nights Arles
2 nights Nice

It was a great time and I got to see many of the beautiful and diverse regions of the country without much hassle. We used trains the entire time and had no trouble with anything.

-Matt

Don't do a tour, it could detract from your trip! I know it sounds extreme, but if you are intrepid enough to go to France for 3 weeks, then you will be stifled by a tour. Don't waste your money!

That's not to say you shouldn't take a daily tour or something small... but being in buses, shuttled around like cattle, plus everyone being annoyed because 50 of you are crowding around something.... NO.

Another piece of advice. Leave some room for serendipity...you will be more tired, more enchanted than you will anticipate. So don't plan out your trip to the last detail. I plan where we are staying, and thats about it. Cruises and castles and meals....I just leave that to my desires and whims.

We are about to embark on our first trip to France. We have only rented a car once, and that was because the couple we went with wanted to rent one. We have been for two months at a time the last four times in Europe, (since 2010), and have done all our own planning and reservations. It takes a lot of time to do this kind of trip and sometimes you make mistakes and sometimes you have serendipity moments you just could never have planed, and it's wonderful. It's always an adventure. It gets you out of your comfort zone and keeps you learning from your experiences. We are both in our mid 70's and hope every time we go we will be able to go again and tote our bags up three flights of steps, when necessary. If you don't want to be inconvenienced or get out of your comfort zone then that is the time to take a tour where everything is planned for you.
I will say that the reason we can stay so long is because we don't take tours. Our two month long trips usually cost less than a three week tour. But cost is not the only reason we do it ourselves, we think it keeps us young. Learning French has been a real challenge. But we are trying.
Hope you have an exciting fun filled trip and will plan another one after you get home.

Thank you Flor, Mark, Jerry and Stelly. Every bit of advice is greatly appreciated, and I am grateful for all on this forum that have willingly given me great direction. I am coming together with an itinerary for 3 weeks. You have all been a tremendous help and many thanks. I want this trip to be less about tours and more of our own creativity that will be wonderful memories.
Again - thank you all!

Thank you aximilli for the info!

Take a car and get to the countryside, that's where you'll find the most beautiful places.
Google for "Porquerolles", "Cévennes" and "Verdon" to name a few. You won't get there by following pre-established tours.

lud-
That's exactly what we are doing! I will check out your suggestions. Many thanks!

In Porquerolles you can have a night in one of the island's hotels.
In "Les Cévennes" I know there are B&Bs in Cantobre, and near "Le Verdon" Tourtour is a pretty nice village.

NO CRUISE!

France is easy to do yourself, and what an adventure! We love France! So much to see and do, but take your time to savior it. Leave Paris by train then pick up your car and work your way down. Find the little villages and gems. Then, drop your car and train into Nice.

You could start in the Loire valley ( 1 hour train ride from Paris and rental car steps outside the train station), then drive over to Burgundy- chose two spots- one more north and one more south, from there you could head to Provence. Stay a minimum of three nights in any location and, of course more in Paris and Nice.

You will be so happy you really got to experience France instead if just "see" it on the cruise.

Susan and Monte - thank you for your detailed suggestions. We are (March 2017) flying into Paris. Taking the train to Tours and picking up car. Staying in Loire 3 nights. Then to Dordogne, Provence, Nice, up to Burgundy, car returned, then train to Paris to spend last 4 days of our 3 week trip! Cannot wait!!