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Please critique + suggestions (Nice to Paris)

I would love suggestions/critique. I have 11 days to spend in France and my goal is to cross the country from Nice to Paris. I would like to spend two nights in Paris, leaving 8 days for the rest. This is happening in the last 2 weeks of October, this year.

Day
1 Nice
2 Nice (short trips to St. Paul de Vence, Villefranche, Antibes)
3 Nice short trips, leave Nice
4-8 ?
9 Arrive in Paris
10 Paris
11 Leave from Paris

Here are some the destinations I have interest, but I am not sure which ones are worth it over others:
Montpellier
Toulon
Marseille
Camargue
Toulouse
The Basque Country (St-Jean-de-Luz, Biarritz...)
Nantes

What would you recommend me to do between days 4 and 8?

Thanks :)

Posted by
4132 posts

Gustavo, I think you do not have enough time for a decent visit to anything west of Montpelier.

If you stay near the Rhone Valley, on the other hand, you will have the logistical advantage of quick proximity from Nice and to Paris.

I can't really advise you further because I suspect I do not share your travel priorities (Toulon?), which of course are not in any way wrong.

The region should be spectacular in October. Have a great trip!

Posted by
11 posts

Thanks a lot for your answer. So if you were me you'd stay near nice and head to Paris through Lyon? What would you do between the days around Nice abd Paris?

Posted by
1499 posts

Would you be interested in more of Provence? You could spend those extra days in Arles or St. Remy . Then you could visit the Camargue, Arles, Avignon, Pont du Gard, or some of the hill towns of the Luberon and/or the villages of the Cotes du Rhone. You could then take the train from Avignon to Paris. There is a lot to see in that area and with only four days, you would spend less time travelling and more time experiencing the region. We spent 10 days there in March and were busy the whole time. But as Adam said, we all have different travel priorities and you have to decide what it is that interests you most.

Posted by
11 posts

Carol, that's exactly the help I needed. Thank you! I'll plan to stay in that area.

Posted by
123 posts

I agree with Carol. You are already in that area and it would be too difficult to get from Nice to Paris in that short amount of time and actually experience anything. Better to see Provence, which is such a lovely area, since you'll be so close and then take the train back to Paris to maximize the short time you have.

Posted by
104 posts

Consider visiting Eze in the French Riviera; a wonderful little hill town with views of the Mediterranean. As for the rest of your time, I agree with the other contributors that you should stay in the Provence region. Consider renting a car to get around for 3 days. Since you only have 4 days, consider choosing two cities as a base and do two nights each. A possible itinerary: go to Avignon 2 nights, first day explore Avignon without a car, next day rent a car and day trip to Pont du Gard. Then day 3 leave Avignon and drive to Arles/Les Baux area for 2 nights to explore these two interesting towns. Then drive back to Avignon, drop the car and take the TGV to Paris. I hope this helps you plan a great trip to the South of France. Bonne Chance!

Posted by
4132 posts

What would I do? Stay in the Rhone Valley or perhaps the Luberon, drink some wine, take a bike ride, visit the antiquities. Then take the train to Paris.

From your point of view you could visit Montpelier, Marseille, Toulon, and the Camargue. Arles would be a central base, but you could stay in any of your cities.