Help with 2017 France Itinerary

I'm not sure where you plan to head in the Dordogne (which I plan to visit myself next year for the first time), but that doesn't sound to me like a one-day destination. And one day is pretty much all you'll have since ViaMichelin estimates the driving time from Annecy to Perigueux at over 5-1/2 hours without any stops.

For flights I'd at least price out a multi-city trip into Copenhagen and out of Paris, planning to buy a separate one-way ticket from Copenhagen to Paris. I don't think buying a single 3-leg ticket will save you money (though it doesn't hurt to check).

It's possible a round-trip to Paris will be substantially cheaper than a multi-city fare, but then you'll have to figure out when to schedule that extra Paris-Copenhagen flight. It's always a guess as to when your transatlantic flight will actually arrive, and if you're on a separate ticket to Copenhagen and you miss that flight, buying a replacement is on you.

Remember, two nights is just one full day at your location. For places like Provence and the Côte d'Azur, this is simply not enough time to fully appreciate all the main sights in the area. I know firsthand the regret from not having seen "xyz" simply because you didn't have the time, even though you were close by. There is much more satisfaction to be gained from a more thorough exploration than just skimming over the top.

I would drop Annecy and the day to Normandy beaches. It's a 6+ hour direct drive from Provence to the
Dordogne - drop in a stop at Carcassonne.

Fly in to Nice
Côte d'Azur - 3N
Provence - 3N
Carcassonne - 1N
Dordogne - 2N
Poitiers - 1N
Loire Valley - 2N
Paris - 3N

Shop around for open jaw fares - in to Copenhagen and out of Paris. Obviously Air France would be a good choice if the price is right.

acraven—You could be right about Dordogne. That's the ONE long drive. My next step is to start reading more about what I want to see and do and adjust my itinerary from there. As for flights, Rick Steves is always recommending open jaw, but I've yet to find a decent deal that way. I will keep looking though.

David—Thanks for your recommendation of Carcosonne. For me, I think Normandy is non-negotiable. I've wanted to do the D-Day tour ever since an ever so brief drive with a French family through the American cemetery there 30 years ago. Also had a family trip planned in 2008 that included it but ultimately had to be cancelled due to illness.

Also really interested in Annecy. I'd be inclined to skip the Riviera before that I think as I have been briefly years ago to Nice and mostly found it overdeveloped and expensive (unless someone wants to talk me out of it!) Still, that drive through Cap Ferrat towards Monacco is pretty stunning.

I think what it comes down to is that France is a very large country, geographically, and it has exciting destinations scattered from stem to stern. But you only have about 16 nights, right? You just cannot cover such scattered locations in that amount of time. Far better to focus a bit and allow yourself more time in fewer cities, then plan to return.

Well, in my experience, there are two types of trips you can take and both are valid, as long as you know what you're getting into. I've done both. It can be wonderful to settle into a place...which is what we did in Italy this year. Or, you can get a superficial taste of a wider region, which will leave you wanting more. As I said, Rick's France My Way tour was the inspiration for this idea...mostly two night stands for a several week trip. It would probably be nice to have three nights somewhere along the way for a breather though I think.

We are flying to Paris, taking the train to Avignon where we rent a car and stay in St. Remy for 5 nights. Then we drive to Dordogne area where we stay for 4 nights, take the train from Brive to Paris where we stay for 5 nights. Late April , early May. Air, accommodations, and rental car are booked.

I've been to most of your destinations at least once and in some cases multiple times. I agree with the other poster, there are many great sites a around France. Dordogne is a gem, but takes a time commitment to get there. I would continue with your process of determining what is non negotiable. Annecy is a beautiful town to stay in and I regret that I only had a one nighter. But my main focus was hiking near Chamonix. And we spent three nights there. It was a charming base for multiple hikes. I think that you may want to remove one or even two locations looking at the logistics of getting there.

Thanks Nick. This is helpful. I like that you are are all challenging my wanderlust. LOL. I've cut out the Riviera and am pondering cutting out Poitiers and the Loire Valley.

Then we could fly perhaps Copenhagen to Geneva, where it's a 45 min drive to Annecy (assuming I can rent a car in Switzerland and return it in France). If I have 3 nights each in Annecy, Provence, Dordogne, and Paris which would you choose for a fourth night?

Folks with European car-rental experience have reported that there is usually a very high additional fee for renting a car in one country and dropping it off in another. You might need to hop on a train in Geneva and go to a neighboring French city to pick up the car. Or there's a bus from the Geneva airport to Annecy. Perhaps you could just get the car in Annecy.

I'd still look at keeping it tighter on the map, with less lengthy driving distances.

Fly in to Geneva
Annecy - 3N
Lyon - 2N
Poitiers - 1N
Loire Valley - 3N
Normandy - 3N
Paris - 3N

Bordeaux > Dordogne > Provence > Nice would be great for a future driving trip.

You can rent a French car at the Geneva airport and avoid the drop off fee--it's in a certain area of the airport.

You have four locations, three nights each. That gives you two days to visit in each location and one very full driving day between each of the four. So you are spending 30% of your trip behind a wheel. If you can get your 12 nights down to three places, you'll have some time for back roads, and a more intimate experience and less autoroute, rest stops, and toll booths. I've driven all those autoroutes and they're long slogs. Use viamichelin to calculate the time and distance but add a couple hours for stops, jams, etc.

You need about five days to begin to see the Dordogne, so should leave it for another trip.
The same for the Riviera.

So: Annecy (3) , Provence (4) drop the car and take the train to Paris with an overnight side trip to Normandy (1 ), which you can do by train. Sleep in Bayeux and have your D-Day guide pick you up early the next morning but drop you at the train station after the tour for the last train back to Paris.

Bets is always good for some perspective. Picking up on her thread.

Fly in to Geneva. Pick up rental
Drive to Annecy - 3N
Drive to Provence - 3N
Return rental in Avignon
Train via Paris to Rouen - 1N
Pick up 2nd rental
Drive to Bayeux - 2N
Drive to Loire Valley - 3N
Return 2nd rental in Tours
Train to Paris - 3N

Trains from Avignon to Rouen take about 5 hours, including the station change in Paris. You would never drive it in this time.

If you want to hike in Chamonix, why stay in Annecy? Stay in Chamonix - plenty of hotels and restaurants and shops. viamichelin.com estimates the drive at 1.25 hours each way from Annecy. If you fly into Geneva, take the shuttle to Chamonix and pick up a rental car when you're ready to leave.