France 24-day Itinerary

May I suggest that you might want to not skip around so much? Spending 1 night in Lyon is not worth it. We spent 4 nights there and there is much to do.

The amount of traveling you are doing doesn't really allow you time to casually meander. It sounds like you are doing a lot of traveling and not a lot of time spending time in the towns.

If I have 2 weeks or so, I usually pick 3-4 cities, rather than trying to see everything.

Hi, Rizell -- thank you! I meant to say that I won't be meandering on this trip, and will intentionally try to get from Point A to Point B. ;-) You are correct -- sadly, I am using Lyon only as a stopping point between the Dordogne and the Alps. Same with Reims (perhaps going straight into Paris and making Reims a day trip is a better idea). I appreciate your comments, since the scale of the trip is hard to visualize, and perhaps too broad...sigh! Any suggestions on what to omit?

My wife and I did a hectic (for me at least, as I do the driving) loop in which we spent 4 nights in Paris, then just 2 nights at each of 5 other locations (Caen, Tours, Lyon, Gevray-Chambertin, Nancy) and back to CDG for our last night in country before flying home.
Never again! My new rule is: at least 3 nights in each location when traveling for enjoyment. Not certain if my wife agrees with my rule. I'll find out when we plan our next international trip.

Ah, bob.rench1177, that does sound difficult. I'm hopeful that my first and last weeks will mitigate the heavier traveling in the middle ;-) Perhaps I should combine the alpine stops (Chambery/Colmar) into a single stay? Any ideas??

My thoughts:
1) One night in Lyon -- driving. If you are only doing this as a rest stop, stay outside Lyon -- my husband found the driving in Lyon far worse than downtown Paris.
2) Colmar is really a long drive. Delightful area, but drop it.

Laura B -- wow, great advice about Lyon, and I will look more closely re Colmar. Thank you! By the way, my original plans were guided by the Rick Steves 21-Day Driving Itinerary -- cutting out the southern part of the country -- but I have never taken one of his trips/tours.

Hello. Planning a trip is a personal thing. You do what you want to do. But I also feel you are jumping around a lot, such as 1 night here and 2 nights there. Since you said you have been to Paris before, maybe remove 2 days from Paris, and add 1 day to the Loire Valley and add 1 day to Annecy. The Loire Valley has so many beautiful chateaux to visit. Annecy is a charming town on the lake with the Alps behind them. Annecy is a smaller (and more modern) version of Venice with canals and bridges. If you like cookoo clocks, this is the place to get one. Near Annecy is the mountain town of Chamonix. You can take a number of aerial cable cars up to the mountain top next to famous Mont Blanc. Breathtaking scenery, but be aware of the high altitude that does effect some people. Also, there can be a long wait getting the cable car to get back down. But, bottom line: it's your trip and have Fun! Ed

Ed -- thank you for your reply. I'm not a fan of cuckoo clocks, but your description of Annecy and its nearby mountains definitely appeals. Adding a day to both the Loire Valley and the Dordogne, bypassing Lyon, and reducing time in Paris is starting to make sense. I appreciate your comments and the gentle reminder that it is my trip ;-). Spending 25 days in one country -- knowing that others might visit 3-4 different ones in the same time frame -- shouldn't be such a puzzle, and is probably due to an embarrassment of riches! Thanks for the feedback.