Is it reasonable to travel from Tournon to Matisse Chapel in one day? The chapel is open at 2pm. Would it be reasonable to hire a driver?
Thank you
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Washington DC
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Do you mean Tournon-sur-Rhone, up near Lyon? I am not familiar with that area, but Via Michelin estimates the driving time at 3 hr. 49 min. one-way. That would make for a long, and I assume very expensive, day-trip. I do like Vence; it has a picturesque historic district that was blessedly free of other tourists when I visited during May 2017. I'm not sure where the chapel is, in reference to the historic center. The small town of St-Paul-de-Vence is beautiful, sitting on its hillside, but it is pretty much guaranteed to be packed shoulder-to-shoulder. St-Paul-de-Vence is a 10 to 15 minute drive from Vence.
Unfortunately, if you decide to tackle this trip, it appears that you'll probably need to take the same route in both directions. ViaMichelin gives three options, but the fastest one (via Avignon) is almost 2 hours faster than the next fastest.
There are quite a few other Tournons in France. If I've guessed wrong, you can check the driving time yourself on ViaMichelin.com. It appears that the only Tournon origin that would make this trip reasonable practical is the one located near Grasse, from which you might be able to drive to Vence in around an hour.