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Two weeks in France, May 2019

Posted by (Far East, Canada) on

We are in the initial stages of planning a 2-week France trip for the latter part of May in 2019. A previous trip allowed us to visit Paris and Nice. This time there are convenient and affordable flights to/from Paris, Lyon, and Toulouse – we are trying to decide if we fly into Paris and out of Lyon; into Lyon and out of Toulouse; or the reverse. We would not likely stay in Paris, possibly land and leave for our first destination.

Eastern France looks interesting but southern France might be better for us following a long winter. This is generalizing but we enjoyed our trips to Spain and Portugal more than trips to Austria and Germany. Maybe this is another nod towards a southern France trip.

The purpose of our trip is not to visit churches or castles, rather we would like to explore and enjoy. We enjoy wine and food but are not connoisseurs, there is no wine region we ‘need’ to visit. I think a mix of cities and smaller towns/villages would work well for us, a rental car as needed.

A couple of initial thoughts:

  • Arrive Paris and train to Colmar or Strasbourg > Dijon or Beaune > Lyon
  • Arrive Lyon > Nimes > Dordogne > Toulouse (Languedoc)

We are not firm on either itinerary and welcome suggestions on how to piece together this trip.

Posted by
12172 posts

I was in Burgundy/Alsace/Champagne last May (2017). It was early in the year to be there. Upside, I felt I had the place mostly to myself, lodging was very inexpensive. Downside, the vines had barely started and many restaurants were closed. Next time I'll probably go in later September or very early October.

I was in Languedoc/Dordogne/Bordeaux this June (2018). It was beautiful but lots of rain which, I gather, was not typical for June. Otherwise the weather was comfortable. The area is beautiful. As pretty as Burgundy but less populated. I flew from Paris to Toulouse, rented a car and started exploring. It seems like May would be a better bet in this area than up in Burgundy.

May might be great for Provence. I went there last September (2017). Flew into Paris, train to Lyon, drove to Annecy and Chamonix, then down to Provence, stayed in Arles. I've let the big Provencal winds that occur during the spring scare me away from visiting that time of year. It was still quite warm in September. If I went again, I'd probably push it into the second half of October.

Posted by
27091 posts

Spend some time looking at actual historical day-by-day weather stats (History > Monthly) on wunderground.com. I was in Toulouse, Albi and Lyon in mid-June 2017. It was already very, very hot in Toulouse and Albi. Not exactly cool in Lyon, either, but I don't think it was quite as bad. By June 20-22 Annecy was pretty miserable, temperature-wise. I believe that was an unusually hot late spring and summer, though.

Posted by
4132 posts

I'd go for the second itinerary, and not because of the climate, but because these are great destinations.

Don't shortchange the Dordogne, which I'll bet will be the star of your trip; at least 5 nights there.

You can fly home from Toulouse, obviously.

Posted by
6497 posts

I'd go south too that time of year. If you have good flights to Lyon and Toulouse, why bother with Paris? Fly into Lyon and home from Toulouse, or vice versa. Provence, Languedoc, Dordogne -- lots to see and do, especially with a car.

You may not "need" to visit a wine region, but you'll find yourself in one pretty much anywhere in France except Normandy and Brittany. Don't fight it -- empty that glass and have another! ;-)

Posted by
125 posts

Based on historical weather, I think we may start in Toulouse and leave from Lyon. The flight home from Lyon is also marginally better which helps at the end of vacation.

It seems we need to choose between Dordogne and Provence to minimize back tracking:

  • Toulouse > Nimes? > Lyon (Cotes du Rhone wine region?)
  • Toulouse > Dordogne > Lyon (Bordeaux wine region?)

We will continue to research this, maybe the wine region will help decide! We will not fight the urge to empty a wine glass and maybe our research starts in our local wine store. When this is decided, we will look at where to stay and if a fourth location is required.

All suggestions are welcome!

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