Looking for suggestions on our 10 week itinerary for France:
We are going to be in France this May-July in the following places. Does this sound reasonable and any suggestions on sights, food, wine tours. We like to hike, bike, and avoid crowded places so have tried to stay in quieter spots. Will be doing a Buyback program from AutoEurope/Renault. Doing a Captur plug in hybrid. The last 10 days we thought of doing Bordeaux and Paris probably dropping the car in either Bordeaux or Orly airport.
1. 3 nights Cassis as we will arrive in Marseille
2. 8 nights in Goult Provence
3. 7 nights in Savigny-les-Beaune Burgandy
4. 6 nights in Eguisheim Alsace
5. 1 night in Mssangis ( on our way to the Loire valley from Alsace
6. 7 nights in Assay Loire
7. 3 nights Port-en-Bessin Normandy
8. 6 nights in Taden Brittany
9. 6 nights in Dineault Brittany
10. 10 nights in Esparoutis Dordogne
11. Last 10 days are open but probably Bordeaux and Paris at the end.
Posted by
North Carolina
2496 posts
What do you already have in mind? What are your interests? What time of year are you planning to go?
Posted by
Washington DC
28082 posts
I'd suggest using ViaMichelin.com for estimated driving times from your bases to other places you want to see in those areas, if you haven't already done so. I am a user of public transportation, so I have no sense of how much ground you'll be able to cover without a car.
Posted by
Paris
7303 posts
The balance of the trip is more or less OK to me. I would tweak it slightly as follows, but it is mostly a matter of opinion:
- you might like to break the drive between Goult and Beaune. It is perfectly OK to do it in a day, but you miss a lot of scenic aareas in between.For instance, 2 nights in the Vercors region would allow for some good hiking or biking opportunities along the way.
- 7 nights in Beaune seems like a lot. Wineries are a bit "samey" after a while, and Burgundy is a large region so day trips quickly become time-consuming. 5 nights is enough in my view.
- Conversely, you could easily spend a full 7 nights rather than 6 in Alsace, as the density of sights is much higher.
- 7 nights in a single Loire Valley location seem a bit much unless you are "chateauholics". Again, 5-6 seem plenty.
- Brittany is large so you are right to pick two bases.
- Mind that driving around Dordogne is SLOW and limits daytripping ability. Not sure how I'd fill 9 days, unless my goal was just to relax.
- After Dordogne, rather than Bordeaux, you might enjoy the Basque region for a few days. Then drive back to Bordeaux, and take the train to Paris.
Posted by
Noblesville, Indiana, USA
1406 posts
For 6 nights Colmar may be a better base than Eguisheim because it's larger. Back in December 2019 we spent 5 nights in Colmar and toured the area via car including Eguisheim.
Posted by
OP
Utah
60 posts
Thanks everyone for your comments. I appreciate the time to reply.