Side trip into France from Switzerland

I might even look into The Loire Valley........the chateaus and gardens are beautiful. It is a wonderful area where you have Amboise to stay and the laid-back feel is nice to come home to each night. Manior Les Minimes is worth a look into to see if you could stay there......it is a gorgeous old home that has been restored and has a carriage house where groups can stay. Went to Provence this past May and we loved it as well. The Dordogne probably is too far to be comfortable....have not done Burgandy or Alsace.

Provence would be a great option for you from Lausanne because distance is short. It is not a long drive. For instance, A drive from Lausanne To Avignon France in Provence area is only 4 hours and 43 minutes. Loire Valley and Dordogne are beautiful France regions but by car it will take you over 7 hours to get there for both areas. You should consider doing an open jaw ticket. Fly into Zurich and Fly out of Charles De Gaulle in Paris to head home. No need to backtrack to Switzerland.

With 6-7 nights in France you could split your time. The only similarity between Napa and Burgundy is wine. Burgundy has charming small villages and historic sites. The Loire is very different than Burgundy and would be a good second choice. Both areas are best with a car. If you fly home from Paris, which makes sense if you are coming from the Loire, you should spend your last night there. I encourage you to find some time for Paris as well. It's a wonderful city. My favorite.

Option 2 - Burgundy - The area seems beautiful with focus in wine and vineyard. But we are not big fan of wine. And we have been to Napa in CA.

A couple of problems, in my opinion, with this.

Burgundy (really, Bourgogne) is more than just wine. It's a distinct part of France with a distinct history, during certain periods in direct and open conflict with the King of France, and it is thick with old, old towns and villages, châteaux, abbeys, important cathedrals and basilicas, forests, cattle range lands, and, yes vineyards. There is much to see.

The comparison to Napa doesn't ring true. If you want to see industrial-scale vineyards comparable to those in California, go to the Bordeaux area, especially Médoc but also Saint-Émilion. If you want to see smaller, often family-owned vineyards and wineries such as those in the misty, impossibly green hillsides on the west side of the Willamette Valley in Oregon, head to Bourgogne. There's a reason why both Bourgogne and the Willamette Valley specialize in the temperamental pinot noir grape.

Don't get me wrong: I actually prefer the more tannic, stronger-flavored wines of Médoc and the cabernet sauvignons of California. The heat does something to grapes that makes them yield powerful wines. But there's a subtlety to pinot noir wines such as those from Oregon and the red Bourgogne wines. They're very interesting.

You can take a train from Lausanne to Beaune in as little as 2:35 with one change. It's a good base for Burgundy. The drive from Beaune to Amboise (a good base for the Loire Valley) is around 4 hours.

Another option could be Provence and the French Riviera, flying home from Nice or Paris. You could pick up a car in Geneva (French side) and drive to Arles (a good base for Provence) in about the same time as driving from Beaune to Amboise. The train from Lausanne to Arles is at minimum over 5:30 with multiple train changes. I would drive. The drive from Arles to Nice is around 2:30 hours. I've been to all the places mentioned in France with the exception of Nice. It's my understanding that a car isn't necessary on the Riviera.

Tentative Itinerary For Switzerland and France 2019 Trip.

Day 1 - Fly into Zurich then take train from Zurich airport directly to Lucerne.
( Explore Lucerne).
Day 2 - Lucerne - Day trip to Shilthorn.
Day 3 - Take train from Lucerne to Berner Oberland: Set up a base in Lauterbrunnen since it is centrally located in the Valley.
Day 4 - Day trip to Wengen
Day 5 - Day trip to JUNGFRAU
Day 6 - Day trip to Murren

Day 7- Train to Lausanne
Day 8 - Lausanne - Explore Lausanne
Day 9 - Lausanne - Day trip to nearby attractions.
Day 10 - Rent a Car then Drive to Avignon France (PROVENCE) from Lausanne.
(4 hours 43 minutes drive)
Set up Base in Avignon.
Day 11 - Explore Avignon
Day 12 - Day trip from Avignon to Nimes and Arles.
Day 13 - Day trip from Avignon to Aix en provence and Saint-Remy-De- Provence.
Day 14 - Drop off car in morning in Lausanne then take Train to Paris and Spend 3 days exploring Paris. Fly out from Charles De Gaulle to home on Day 17.

Thanks a lot for all your reply! I have been a big fan of Rick's guidebooks and videos but have not got on this forum until this time. It is great to find this corner that people are very knowledgeable about travel and also willing to share their experiences.
It seems like the gardens, Château and lay back feeling make the Loire valley a good option to consider. It is also good to know Burgundy is not similar to Napa.
I will consider going to Burgundy and Lorie and fly back from Paris.
Another option is straight to Provence and fly back from Nice.
Just wondering, how is Provence comparing with Loire for natural scenery? I read some posts saying Provence consists many historic towns but along the roads in between there is not much of scenery. Sorry , I haven't got Rick's France Guidebook and does not know much about Provence.

Not sure about idea of picking up a car in Lausanne (SW), driving around France and returning the car to Lausanne in order to take a train to Paris. How about train to someplace in France, pick up a car, drive around, leave the car in France and continue to Paris. Lots of cars (many with automatic) at Avignon TGV, for instance.
P.S. Get hold of Rick's book on Provence -- should be copies at the library.

Provence has lots of natural scenery. In May, 2011 we home based in Arles. We loved the small town feeling. We visited all of the van Gogh sites we could, including St. Remy. I wish we had more time to visit Cezanne sites in Aix-en-Provence. From Arles we bicycled into the Camargue National Park (its the delta of the Rhône River) to see the flamingos, bulls, and horses. (The later two are for the bullfighting. However, here they don't kill the bull; they have to place a ring on the horns.) We also saw lots of bird wildlife there. The Pont du Gard is in a beautiful river canyon and there are plenty of hill towns in the Alpilles Mountains. In 2011 Rick had a Provence guide book. I don't know if he still does.

In May, the red poppies were already out in Provence. If I remember correctly, June would be the time of year for the blooming lavender farms.

A car can be picked up at the Geneva airport (French side) and returned anywhere else in France to avoid paying a large fee for dropping the car in another country.

Burgundy, Loire, Provence, Nice...you really can't go wrong. France is a beautiful country. You need to read a guidebook to see what speaks to you.

If you do head south, you can pick up the car on the French side of the Geneva Cornavin airport (as suggest above) or you can take the train to Lyon (visit the stomach of France - great food) and then continue your drive into Western Provence. Since you only have six days, you can then connect back via train from Avignon or Aix, or take a low cost flight (like from Marseilles). I used to live in Lausanne, I know this route well -- the drive down the main tollway is not as thrilling but the side roads hold some magnificent scenery. Thus, if you get off the main highway you will find the villages and small towns that you are seeking.

Lavender will start in the latter part of June in the Luberon and peak in early July, with the season later at higher elevations.