First trip to France ,late 50s couple,was tentatively thinking of 2 days in Paris then train to Lyon , use Lyon as a base to take day trips by rail to Annercy, Grenoble ,Beaune,and Avignon as well as Lyon itself ,we’re thinking 10 days in late September,any advice would be appreciated, feel free to make the case for other regions ,thanks in advance
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23278 posts
If you have not done it, then you first step is to visit you local library travel section and check out guidebooks and especially travel DVDs for those areas. That will have help you to understand what is available to see in those areas. When you have a better idea about what you want to do and not do, return here with your specific questions. This site does not do well with vague question like -- Where should I go? We spent a couple of weeks in that area a few years ago. It is great especially if you have an interest in wine and the grape harvest is underway by late Sep.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
13952 posts
If this is your first trip to France, I'd spend longer in Paris than 2 days/3 nights! I'm really not a city person but Paris offers SO MUCH!
Posted by
84 posts
In addition to guide books, look on YouTube for videos. They're so helpful in actually seeing the places you intend to visit. It can help you eliminate places, too, that at first seemed interesting, but might seem less so after viewing a video.
I agree, Paris deserves more time that 2 days, but it's your vacation. A few years ago, we spent several days in Avignon, and loved it. Took a day trip to Arles from there., only about 20 minutes by train from Avignon. And spent a few days in Paris, but it was our fourth time there.
Enjoy!
Posted by
Washington DC
27142 posts
I feel as if you're planning to take day trips to places that are rather far away from Lyon--places that will mean spending 3 to 4 hours on the train (round trip). Although I enjoyed Avignon, I don't think many people would consider it worth a one-day trip from Lyon. There are many other worthwhile destinations in Provence, some of which you could visit if you spent a few nights in Avignon. Similarly, Beaune is nice, but nearby Dijon is also very worthwhile and probably has more sights of tourist interest. Spending a few nights in one of those two cities would allow you to see both, rather than spending so much time going back and forth on the train.
Posted by
Paris
6905 posts
I agree with all that has been said regarding day trips from Lyon. Even Annecy is a bit of a stretch from Lyon, in my opinion - the round-trip train trip exceeds 4 hours.
And you can safely remove Grenoble from the wishlist unless you have friends or family there. It's a fairly nice city in the center, but certainly not one to prioritize for a first trip to France.
Posted by
Northern Rockies, British Columbia, Canada
533 posts
You also asked about other regions. You haven’t given much background information for this trip or your interests, so I’m suggesting the entire 10 days in Provence, split 50/50 north/south. There are lots of small villages and Towns to visit, an aqueduct or two, Roman ruins/ amphitheaters. But you really need a car to make the most of it.
Enter “Provence” in the search bar at the top and you’ll get lots of information.