We are spending a month touring France before going to Paris for a stay. We start in Bordeaux, then tour the Loire Valley, then Mont St. Michel and the Normandy beaches area.
We have 6 days left to plan and would prefer to stay in one place. We have a car and don't mind driving say 300 miles or so from Bayeaux. What would you suggest? Thank YOU!
I really love Burgundy. We spent a week in Semur en Auxois a few years ago and then did day trips from there. We loved the scenic charm of Semur. You can see snapshots at www.janettravels.wordpress.com in the 'Burgundy' section. We had visited Burgundy on previous occasions for a few days in transit staying one night in Semur en Auxois (that is why we went back there for a week) and spending nights near Vezelay and Auxerre. We stayed at a little country inn in the forrest called Moulin des Ruats. It has a very good restaurant that attracts people from the area, sits on a small river and it is pleasant to just sit outside and read and enjoy the countryside, you can hike in the forrest -- and it is an easy drive to other towns in the area like Avalon, Vezelay or Auxerre. We hope to return and spend another week in Burgundy some time. It is fun to just drive around the countryside and follow signs to chateaux, abbeys etc and see what you find. (also fun to do that in the Loire.)
Brittany, since you are already doing a lot of travel on the west side of France, but it's different from any other area you are going.
I'd spend that time in Languedoc and the Dordogne, with an emphasis on the latter.
Exceptional sightseeing and it is on your route north to the Loire.
How wonderful that you have so much time to spend in France! My wife and I visited Burgundy in 2010 as part of a France trip and liked it a lot. Rick highly recommends Beaune as a base, and it was nice enough but I think Semur en Auxois would be even better (although certainly visit Beaune for the Medieval hospital). We have not been to Brittany, and Rick seems luke warm on it, but I find it very intriguing. Also for consideration would be Reims and the Champagne region. I really had a hard time cutting that out of our 2010 trip because I would have liked to see Reims and do Verdun as a day trip from there, or en route from another stop. We spent a couple of nights in Sarlat in the Dordogne on our 2003 France trip, and that region is fantastic. Since you are starting in Bordeaux, that would be my top recommendation since it's otherwise not that accessible and it really it terrific. It's the kind of place where you can slow down and appreciate the unique culture of the region. I could definitely see staying six nights in the Dordogne. France has a lot to offer, you can hardly go wrong visiting any region. There is so much more to France than Paris, and it sounds as if you will have a great trip.
Well the Dordogne is also a great choice. We spent a week there a few years ago after having stopped for a day or two in transit in the past. The prehistoric caves, the food, canoeing on the Dordogne (not the Vezere) -- all wonderful.
Dordogne if you're not already committed to the sequence of places you listed. It would be easiest to go there directly from Bordeaux, then north to the Loire etc. If you're committed to go straight from Bordeaux to the Loire, then Normandy, I'd go for Burgundy next. You could visit Chartres on the way. We drove from Beaune to Caen in a long day, mostly on autoroutes south of Paris. You could break that journey somewhere if you want.
Either destination would be wonderful, but they're different. Castles and caves in the Dordogne, great medieval churches in Burgundy. Splendid food and wine either way.
LOVE Burgundy! It is a great place with a rental car for driving the country roads and stopping in small villages. PM me if you want a fabulous little B & B.
Thank you all so much! I will research Brittany, Dordogne and Reims!
