Paris and Riviera - same trip

Nice is 6 hours from Paris by train. If you only have a few days and the Riviera is your priority you should go straight there and fly home out of the Nice airport. The Basque lands are very far from Nice and there are weeks worth of sights in between. If you have more time you might work your way west. If you are interested in the most efficient itinerary that includes a taste of the South of France, that would probably be a visit to the southern Rhone valley. Avignon is only 2-1/2 hours from Paris and is well connected to many local sights by rail and, in season, bus.

Thank you so much for the advice. I will start looking into these ideas right away. I want to get the most out of the trip while I am over there. I was in Paris for 6 days the last time and didn't see nearly everything on my list.

Brenda, I'd have to spend some time looking at transportation options to the Basque region, but visiting the French Riviera and Cote d'Azur is very easy from Paris. I'd use a direct (no changes) TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon to Nice Ville (travel time 5H:37M). If you depart Paris at 08:49, you'll arrive in Nice at 14:26. The train travels at up to 300 kmH once it gets going, so it's a very fast and pleasant trip. Nice is a beautiful city, and makes a great "home base" for exploring that area. It has a fantastic old town area with restaurants, small shops, street markets, etc. There are also the Chagall and Matisse Museums, and the Villa Rothschild is not far. Opening up the curtains in the morning and looking at the view down the Promenade des Anglais and the gorgeous blue water is one of my favourite memories of that area. While there you could also take day trips to Villefranche sur Mer, Eze or mingle with the posh crowd in Monaco and Monte Carlo. The Bus from Nice to Monaco was only €1 each way. Monaco has the Changing of the Guard at the Royal Palace (11:55 daily as I recall), has a fantastic Oceanographic Museum and of course the Church where Princess Grace & Prince Rainier are interred. Some of the Mansions have walls covered with purple Bougainvillea, and they're very impressive. The famous Casino in Monte Carlo has a mandatory dress code. It was fun to watch the Rolls Royce and other luxury cars arriving and departing in front of the Casino, wondering who the owners were. It is possible to walk from Monaco to Monte Carlo (maybe 20 minutes?), but you could also take the Bus. Happy travels!

Ken,
I know this is going to take a lot of planning, organizing, and scheduling, but I can't wait. It sounds like a dream come true. I travel alone so I like to have my itinerary pretty well worked out ahead of time. Thank you so much for your wonderful ideas.

Another consideration would be to take easy jet to Nice. If time would permit, fly from Nice to Toulouse, rent a car and head to the Basque region. We have flown the Nice route, but not real sure about the flight from Nice to Toulouse.

Brenda, If you're only going to "have a few days there", I'm not sure you'll have time to visit both the Riviera and the Basque region. Although it may be feasible, this might mean that you'll only have a very short visit to both locations and a lot more time spent in travel. I very much doubt it will be any faster to use budget air from Paris to the south, considering all the usual airport hassles. Travel via TGV is a much more pleasant option on that route. I also travel alone (when not on a RS tour), so I can appreciate your desire for good planning. Cheers!

I have considered doing the RS 7-day tour to the Riviera and start and finish in Paris but his trips to this area never seem to match the time I am off work and can go. I'll see what I can work out with Paris and the Riviera this time and maybe do a RS Basque tour at some time in the future. It seems like adding the Basque region may be biting off more than I can chew for this one trip. Thanks, everyone, for your help and advice.

Hi Brenda I'd also second the idea of flying EasyJet to Nice rather than taking the train. If you buy your tickets far enough in advance, it can be very economical, and the train down there is so long (it's only high-speed until you get to Marseille; then it winds slowly along the coast. Which can be nice, but not if you have limited time). Just remember that with EasyJet you'll need to purchase a baggage allowance to check a bag, and that their weight limit is a little LESS than your checked bag can be for your trans-Atlantic flight; and that when they say ONE carry-on item, they mean ONE carry-on item, not one and a purse, etc. bit they have great service and several flights a day from both CDG and Orly to Nice (and vice versa).

By train it is about 5-6 hours Paris to Bayonne in the Basque Region. There are flights to Biarritz. It appears that there is public transit by coach or train throughout the region. A few days may not be enough, but you could visit several places in the area in that time.

We just returned from the Riveria. We only had one day (cruise ship stop) and chose to spend it in Monte Carlo. We loved it and don't regret using all our time here. If we had more time we were going to see Nice and Villefranche sur Mer which is right where we will pick up if and when we ever make it back there.