Suggestions on best places to visit/travel in France that are NOT Paris

The wailing about not visiting Paris, can be heard all the way to my isolated village.

It's not really clear if you are interested in other big cities or in rural areas. Cities I would suggest looking into might include:

Lyon - France's second largest city with some interesting sights, good hilltop views, a unique tradition of wall murals, and some really good restaurants.

Nancy - the place to go if you like early-twentieth century art and design. Also a nice Renaissance old town, slower paced than some other cities, and seriously under-touristed.

Strasbourg - gorgeous old buildings and an interesting mixed Franco-German culture.

We love Alsace (the little villages on the wine route), Burgundy ( Love, love, love staying here http://www.acarpediem.com/ )
and the Loire Valley. All best done with a car.

You could come from Germany into the Alsace region and then head to Burgundy and onto Loire Valley...you just need two weeks:-)

Base yourself in one place and do day trips by car for maybe 3 nights, then move to another spot for another 3-4 nights with day trips.

I think my two favorite regions are Burgundy and the Dordogne -- you would need a car and would ideally base in a village with a bakery, some restaurants and use it as a base to tour the region.

Dordogne - great food, prehistoric cave paintings, great food, medieval castles, great food. It is settled.

I loved Normandy and wish I had allotted more days there. Bayeux was my favorite stop. The tapestry is a must, of course, if you love history. The cathedral is lovely too, and you're pretty close to WWII sites. But the town itself is just really charming and pleasant to hang around. I also spent two days in Rouen and enjoyed it.

You might check out the following link. The places it discusses are all close to Paris, but it might give you some ideas.

http://thesavvybackpacker.com/day-trips-paris/

Caroline

I want to second Philip's suggestions of Lyon and Nancy, if you're looking for cities that are different from Paris, highly worthwhile, and where locals vastly outnumber tourists.

I will second Nancy! Love it. Totally walkable. Beautiful and essentially American tourist free. Great art nouveau little city.

My tastes are like Janet's. The Dordogne is a special region. But it is logistically challenging coming from Germany. I think you'd want to fly, to either Toulouse or Bordeaux, and then rent a car; it's about a 2 hour drive from either.

Alsace is a logistically sweeter pick from Germany, and Burgundy is only a little farther. I'd recommend staying in a town that is bigger than a village but smaller than a big city, and yes, you do need a car to see the countryside and small towns and la France profonde.

You don't say how you are getting home, and that could be important. If you flew home from Charles deGaulle, there are direct trains to the airport so you would not need to even touch Paris at all. These early trains typically arrive around 10 or 10:30, so you'd want a mid-afternoon flight back.

You could split your time between Alsace and Burgundy, and then catch an early train to Charles deGaulle. The calculus might change if you have other flight plans though.

• Reims in Champagne for 2 nights
• Strasbourg (and Colmar) in Alsace for 2 nights
• Dijon (and Beaune) in Burgundy for 2 nights
• Lyon for 1 night

All the suggestions above are good ones, especially the Alsace and Burgundy regions which are easy to reach from Germany. I agree that a car is a great asset, though not a necessity if you focus on places with good train connections. But a car will give you a lot more flexibility and a chance to visit small towns and countryside.

I expect you realize that there's a contradiction between wanting to experience "the real France" and your interest in history, art, and food. The places that are richest in history, art, and food are also likeliest to be visited by tourists like us and our European and Asian counterparts. "The real France" may be found in places outside the tourist circuit, which those on this and other boards may know less about, and where you'll find less of the history, art, and food (at least good food) you're seeking. Like everything else involving travel, there are tradeoffs.

I really loved the Alsace region of France. You have a good mix of cities i.e. Colmar and Stasbourg as well as the smaller idyllic, towns like Kayserberg and Riqwueir (spelling??).
The Loire Valley and the Dordogne were regions I also really enjoyed and would fit the bill for you.
If you base yourself in any of these areas, you will find there are very good providers of day tours to get you out to the many attractions.

** NEWSFLASH **
All of France is real !!

I cannot imagine an area that wouldn't be enjoyable. Where in Germany will you be? The first place that hits me is Alsace (and nearby Burgundy if you have time). If you are near the French border you could even consider renting a car in Germany and returning it there. It's about a 2.5 hour drive from Frankfurt to Strasbourg and that might give you better flight options. It's also a 2-hour train ride.

I spent 4 days in Burgundy and 3 in Alsace, then a couple nights without a car in Strasbourg. Lots of charming villages and small towns, shopped the weekly markets (yummy), saw majestic cathedrals, imposing chateaux, beautiful countryside. I stayed in a small town in Burgundy and in a tiny village in Alsace, and tootled around every day. And good restaurants and local wines too. The only caveat is that you may hit a grape or wheat harvest and get stuck on 2-lane roads behind slow-moving farm vehicles, but then you can enjoy the scenery more. GPS is essential.

Just south of Paris is Fountainbleu which is the home of Napoleans Palace and the Fountainbleu forrest which is a great place to hike. The town has many small cafes and there's even a golf course that is quite nice.

Marseille! Allez l'OM!
While RS barely talks about Marseille, I spent about 9 days there last Christmas and absolutely fell in love with it. The city is beautiful, the cuisine is amazing, there is no shortage of museums or sights to see, It's also easily linked with other cities in Provence such as Aix, Arles, Avignon and you can see the calanques at Cassis. Day trips to Pont du Gard and the Luberon are also available from the city. Marseille is a major city but, like Paris, has little neighborhoods and feels far away from the cosmopolitan Paris. Plus a major airport is just out of Marseille. This is REAL France, but there are streets that feel like you're at a North African bazaar.

Hi Kay, the rail system in Europe is wonderful so I don't think a rental car is necessarily a deal breaker.

This year we traveled from Switzerland to Amboise, France by train. Amboise is a nice small town with a 15th century castle and the Clos Luce where Leonardo Da Vinci spent the last three years of his life.

It is also a great base for visiting Chambord, Chenonceau, and some of the other chateaux in the area. You can check with the Tourist Information Office to arrange for a shuttle tour.

We spent five nights in Amboise and loved our visit!

Marseille.....My husband lived there a few years as a boy after WWII. We have been there often, visiting relatives. Though it has a bad rep (it is, after all a huge port) it has many things to offer. It has Greek and Roman excavations right down near the harbor, going back to ancient times when it was called Massilia, wonderful seafood, a cathedral (Notre Dame de la Garde) on top of the hill with bullet holes from WWII in the walls, and ship models hanging from the ceiling representing fisherman lost at sea). Nearby are Les Beaux, a continuously occupied town on a hill going back to pre-Greek times, Ste. Baume (apocryphally the burial place of Mary Magdalene and point of many pilgrimages), a great and very impressive quarry that the Romans used for materials for buildings even in Rome, St. Remy de Provence, (a charming typical small town with Roman ruins and citizens playing boules in the town square), Arles, Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, the calanques (for boating, fishing and swimming), lovely drives through the countryside full of lavendar fields, and, of course, vineyards produc ing fantastic Cote-de-Rhone wines. Boulliabasse began here, in spite of Nice's claim to its origins. The French language spoken here has an Italian lilt to it (Provencal is very Mediterranean) and a joy to hear, especially when the fishing boats come in, in the early morning with their catch. The bus system can get you around town very easily, and a ride along the coastal road through town is a good way to see Marseille. I recommend two French films to put you in the mood ("My Father's Glory" and "My Mother's Castle"), subtitled, available as Nteflix DVDs. Also, the film Fanny (the original with Leslie Caron). Search out songs by a deceased French singer who sang songs on Provence, named Darcelys. They will put you in the mood to sit in a cafe at the Vieux Port, sipping a pastisse, and watching the flics trying to direct traffic. Overall, Marseille is a terrific hub for seeing Provence, and the town itself has a long and colorful history, with nice parks and museums and wonderful cafes with great seafood. Also nearby are some coastal towns that have small "fetes" from time to time, such as Aubagne. Nimes is within a days drive for an overnight stay to see the Roman arena and nearby Pont de Gard (a well-preserved Roman aqueduct over the Gardon River). Enjoy your trip wherever you decide to stay. Amusez-vous bien!

Oh yes, I second the recommendations for the Dordogne. And if you choose Burgundy, do not omit the Hospice de Beaune.

Hi all - thanks for your wonderful suggestions! I really appreciate it.

I mentioned wanting to see "the real France" as recently being in Paris - several locals Parisians mentioned to me that Paris was not the real France - although I am sure there is a lot there that is "real" - so much was oriented to tourists (which is not necessarily a bad thing) -but that one needs to see more of the country to get a real sense of what France has to offer - when I started to explore what all was not Paris - it was just overwhelming! (in a good way) - as always - thanks for all of your fantastic and detailed suggestions - clearly there are some great France experts out there - thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences.

In case you want to see a complete different side of France, the Loire Valley and Brittany along the Atlantic ocean may be combined very well, to mix discovery of towns, historic places/castles and panoramas. To give a few example of cities in this area, easily reachable by train from Paris : Nantes, Rennes, Angers, Tours...
Brittany (Bretagne) is the place to meet both French and Breton culture.