Provence or Bordeaux before Paris

What do YOU like to do and have you been to Paris before?

Art is my passion. My friends are more foodies and wine lovers but we all appreciate the beauty of France. Provence has Arles and they both have TGV to Paris.

Yes we've been to Paris and look forward to returning.

Start in Bordeaux since you like wine.

I agree with Bordeaux if you are interested in wines. If not, go to Provence.

I haven't been to Bordeaux but have been to Provence many times so of course, I recommend Provence! It's beautiful with so many lovely towns and villages to choose from. Provence offers beautiful scenery, outdoor markets, great food, small villages, wineries, lavender fields galore if you are there in the summer (July/August), castles, and history and art.

Some village suggestions:
St. Remy de Provence where you can visit the asylum where Van Gogh spent a year of his life.
Les Baux where you can visit the fortress ruins and the Sound and Light Show which showcases different artists' work.
The Luberon villages of Gordes, Rousillon, Lourmarin and Menerbes, to name a few.
And lovely Aix en Provence with its numerous fountains, plazas, an art museum, old churches, markets, and wonderful Old Town.

I don’t think you can go too wrong if your focus is cuisine, wine and simply enjoying France. I would probably choose Provence though. It has its own spectacular wine and food, but also a lot of actual “sights.” Fantastic Roman ruins abound and provide great excuses to explore the region and stop spontaneously at the local wine cave. For foodies, NOTHING beats wandering a Provençal market and you should plan around visiting one or more.

Time of year may impact this decision. If it’s more winter/early spring I might choose Bordeaux and include Lyon, sticking to bigger cities as the towns are likely a bit sleepy off season.

I really liked both areas, but Provence has the potential for unpleasant mistral winds in the winter and early spring.

You do not say whether you will have a car. If you do not, it might be difficult to enjoy all that Provence has to offer. Bordeaux, being a fairly large city, has a lot of things to do and has a decent public transportation system, and you can get bus or train to some outlying areas (wineries). Peter

Wine and art - Provence.
But then I'm not a fan of Bordeaux wines.