Hi there,
I am travelling to France in early November. I am thinking about spending 2 days in Paris, and then continuing on to Southern France for 5-6 days. Where would be the best places to visit that would also be easily accessible via train/local transportation. This will be more of a leisure vacation, just hoping to relax and enjoy rather than squeeze in too many tours and exhibits. This will be my first time to France, and I will appreciate any and all help.
Posted by
New York, NY
1582 posts
I recommend the Côte d'Azur region of southern France. You can spend your 5 to 6 days visiting such cities like Nice, Cannes, Villefranche-sur-Mer, and Antibes. You will not need a car to tour these places. All can be seen using public transportation. The area has great beaches and excellent cuisine. You will definitely enjoy it and feel fully relaxed.
https://about-france.com/tourism/french-riviera.htm
https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2014-11-10/6-must-see-spots-on-the-french-riviera
Posted by
Washington DC
27112 posts
RJean's right; the coastal Riviera towns east of St.-Tropez (that town has no train station) are very easy to visit by train. To visit the hill towns you'll generally need to take a bus, and those generally run less frequently. The major bus company in the area is Lignes d'Azur; you can find schedules online once you begin to develop specific destination plans.
The major towns in Provence are also well-served by public transportation, but the smaller places are not always accessible without a car (or some sort of tour). I believe there might be some risk of mistral winds in that area in November, but I am not sure about that.
Note that you'll burn quite a bit of time (about 6 hours) taking the train to Nice; it's much faster to Avignon in Provence--less than 3 hours. I'm afraid you are going to face rather high rail fares for this trip. Most of the bargain-priced tickets were probably sold long ago. Is your return flight from Paris, meaning that you'll have to spend the same amount of time returning at the end of your trip?
Another thing to keep in mind is that November is very off-season for that part of France. Some sights will have extra closing days at that time of year. If there's something you want to see (there are many, many art museums in that area), check the website for November hours. Small places might be open only 4 days a week.
Rick has a guide book specifically for southern France. I highly recommend getting a copy of it.
Posted by
New York, NY
1582 posts
acraven has made another excellent point regarding Provence. You can have the option of exploring towns like Avignon and Nimes ect.. Is there anyway you can switch your return flight leaving from CDG to Nice's airport provided you select the French Riviera as your destination. It would be more convenient flying out of Nice then taking train back to Paris.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you both! I actually do not have an exit strategy. I fly out of Amsterdam, so was planning to train from France to Amsterdam.
Posted by
Washington DC
27112 posts
Perhaps you can snag a good fare on a flight from Nice to Amsterdam. Or if you decide to head to Provence, look at Marseille-Amsterdam.
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
Rhone-valley Provence is 3 hours closer to Paris (and Amsterdam) by train. I also think it has more to see than the Cote D'Azure, but in Provence some of the transportation options go away in November (not the trains though).
If you could score a budget flight to Marseilles from deGaulle the day you land, I would argue for starting south and working your way north, to avoid doubling back. If by chance you have not actually purchased your air tickets, I would strongly recommend starting your trip in Amsterdam and working your way south.