I have four “free” days between Paris and Marseilles. I will be traveling by train. I know that when it comes to dining Narbonne cannot compare to Lyon. Any thoughts about which will be better for four days if food is taken out of the equation? I will be able to do day trips by train.
Thank you.
Lyon. I don't think this a close call at all, because Lyon has so many, varied sights.
Narbonne is nowhere between Paris & Marseille, and while the town centre is pretty, it is very much a "one-night-and-done" kind of place.
Lyon is good for four days, and Avignon is a potential alternative.
I would suggest Avignon as the best place to stay. They have a TGV station, the pope's 1300's Palace, and some great restuarants, and you can do easy day trips to Nimes, Pont du Gard, Aix en Provence, Les Baux, Arles, Orange, .. maybe even Rousslon or Gordes. Avignon has nearly complete city walls in tact, and a famous bridge. Its just the ideal size - not to big, not too small.
Lyon is kind of a mini-Paris but walkable. The restaurants are good but most seem to serve the exact same menu. There is a funculur to the mountain peak and a beautiful church. And a WWII museum. We also dealt with pickpocketing teens in Lyon. The last time we went, we spent 4 times the price on hotels as we did on Avignon for a lousier place.
Narbonne is a nice but quiet place. Its 45 minutes from Carcassone which would be worth a visit. Narbonne is cute and quiet. There is a nice little river area. It was also the capitol of the Roman province around the name of Ceasar, and they have some Roman ruins in small quantity there.
Thank you for your responses.
Oh, gosh, I could scarcely agree less on Avignon as a good place to stay. There is so much more to see and do in Lyon, it's much less touristy and it's much less inconvenient (I find Avignon to be a big pain in the nether regions to navigate). Plus the food is a lot better.
Avignon to me is a great day trip, nothing more. If one wanted a somewhat smaller city than Lyon, I'd recommend either Aix or Arles.
