Hello everyone,
My wife and I will be in France next summer for the Olympics and want to spend time outside of Paris before the Games begin. We plan to arrive in France July 20th and will check into our Paris Hotel July 25th. Is it possible to use Lyon as a home base to see lavender fields in Provence and the French Alps in the interim?
Posted by
Paris
7301 posts
Is it possible to use Lyon as a home base to see lavender fields in Provence and the French Alps in the interim?
Hi!
Not really, alas.
July 20 is late for the lavender fields; the only ones reliably left by then should be the ones around Sault, at over 1,000 metres above sea level. Forcalquier would be a good home base for that, but you definitely need a car. Plan on 2-3 days.
For the Alps, Lyon is not that close either. Look into Annecy, or Chambéry / Aix les Bains for somewhere more low key.
It would be possible to reach Annecy (or Chambéry) on 20 July, spend 21 July there, rent a car to drive to Forcalquier on 22 July, explore the area on 23-24 July and drive to Aix TGV on 25 July for the fast train back to Paris.
If you can reach Annecy on 19 July, better.
Posted by
big blue marble
427 posts
I used to live in Lyon and it's convenient to the Alps, despite what some might suggest. Far, far more interesting than Annecy. I would avoid Annecy like the plague in mid-summer, unless you love sitting in traffic trying to get to a parking lot. Of course, if you're entertaining going to the Olympics, your crowd tolerance must be much greater than mine.