This will be my first trip to France. Wife and I are going to the Games, which is cultural and sports event that takes place every 4 years. We are competing in tennis but hope to explore Paris a couple days before and after and then want to head somewhere near the water. Thinking about Corsica or Sardinia or someplace on the coast of southern France or Italy. We can take 2 weeks all together so was thinking Paris arriving 8/3- and then heading south on 8/11 and back to the States 8/15. While in Paris, the tennis events will be at
Tennis Jean Dixmier, 19 rue du Général Malleterre. 1) suggestions where to stay in Paris 2) where to go after.
Posted by
South Florida
776 posts
When thinking about Italy, Sardinia, Corsica, S of France, don't rule out completely the beaches of Brittany and SW France that have great sand, beautiful beaches and fewer tourists. S. France and Italy will be a madhouse at that time. But maybe that's what you're looking for.
Posted by
Chicago
8166 posts
2) where to go after.
Hop the high speed train to Nice.
edit : I agree St. Malo is nice in Brittany and probably cooler and less mobbed then the area around Nice
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Not interested in being with mobs of people. Quiet, sandy beaches are more my style.
Posted by
Washington DC
28085 posts
Quiet, sandy, and weather warm enough to actually go in the water? Might be tough to find, because the accessible warm, sandy beaches get totally inundated with sun-starved northern Europeans. The quieter places are probably going to be much harder to get to, and you don't have a lot of time.
I had a great time in Normandy and eastern Brittany last year. Charming small towns and mid-sized cities, manageable without a car. However, I was not looking for beach time. I'm not sure the weather would have been suitable for that. I was very happy to encounter overcast skies and cooler weather after cooking in southern and central France at 85-90+F for nearly 2 months.
If you go very far afield, be careful to book yourself back in Paris not too late on the day before you're due to fly out. This means you're talking about only two full days of beach time: Leave Paris on 8/11 and travel back to Paris on 8/14. Is that beach visit really essential? If you forego that, you'll have four full days to see some things around Paris.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Finally booked our flights - so now arriving 8/3 and departing 8/17. So, more time to explore. Appreciate all the advice and welcome more recommendations and suggestions. B&Bs and Air B&B is usually our preferred lodging (rather than big hotels).
Posted by
Washington DC
28085 posts
That's great. More time is always worth more than it costs. Perhaps with that much time it's not crazy to consider Corsica or Sardinia if beaches are a top priority for you. I suspect that transportation may be simpler to Corsica, since it's French, but I don't know anything about either island. You might try using the Search function on this website to see whether useful previous posts pop up. I think there have been more threads about Sardinia than about Corsica. If insufficient luck there and no helpful info shows up here, you might repost your beach-related inquiry in a thread with Corsica in the title.
Posted by
Gettysburg, PA, USA
51 posts
Brittany is a great place to vacation. I would suggest Erquy with a lot of beach and great food. I enjoyed the beaches in Corsica when I studied there but that was a few decades ago. Again, a great place to enjoy.
I have enjoyed staying at hotels in the 14th and 15th arrondissements.
Posted by
Paris
2466 posts
I'd vote seriously for Corsica - you'll have it all - mountains and the beach.