12-13 day France itinerary - heading to Switzerlands afterwards

I think this is a thoughtful, if busy, itinerary. Except for your time in Provence, though, it is very urban. With a car you can stay in any number of small towns in Provence and visit Avignon and other cities as day trips. Or stay in a smaller city such as Arles; generally, the smaller the city, the less hassle with the car. In Burgundy I think that Beaune makes a better base than Dijon at least for quick visits. It's an interesting friendly town surrounded by vineyards and with good food and several tasting opportunities in town. There's a bike rental shop and several easy bike rides to nearby wine towns. I love the train but for your itinerary would be very tempted to keep the car through Burgundy, where it will greatly extend your reach. Lots of wonderful stuff to see enroute too. On the other hand if you end up dropping either Lyon or Beaune to spend more time in the remaining destinations (not saying you should but you reasonably might), the case for the car is weaker. I assume you will spend the bulk of your time in Paris and Provence, but you should really make a list of the things you would like to do at each destination in priority order. This will help you to decide how much time to spend in each place. Have a great trip!

Adam, we're looking for a mix of urban and countryside totally open to variety so appreciate your input! We definitely have a plan for Paris (that's the easiest part of our planning) and it will span 4-5 days there. Provence looks to be the other main hub for us, and sounds like you are affirming that a car at least for that area is worthwhile. Our itinerary starting in Provence and until we get to Switzerland is pretty fluid. Here is a potential revised itinerary like you suggested (which cuts out Lyon): - Paris (4-5 days) - Train to Avignon - Spend time in Avignon and surrounding area + rent car (3-4 days) - Drive to Dijon - Dijon and surrounding area (2=3 days) - Leave car in Dijon
- Train from Dijon to either Switzerland (Lausanne or Bern) Follow-up Questions: 1. Do the rough times we have allocated make sense? 2. Does it make sense to keep the car after Avignon / Provence and drive to Burgundy (Dijon / Beaune), or should we take the train? 3. In Provence, do you recommend we stay in Avignon to make that our base or do you recommend another town? 4. In Burgunday, do you recommend we stay in Dijon as our base, or should we stay somewhere like Beaune or somewhere else?

> 1. Do the rough times we have allocated make sense? I think they do. You could certainly spend more tie at any of those destinations and not be bored, but then you don;t have more time, do you? Note the trip from Provence to Burgundy will take up most of a day. > 2. Does it make sense to keep the car after Avignon / Provence and drive to Burgundy (Dijon / Beaune), or should we take the train? This is the point in the planning process to get blindingly specific about what you want to see and do in Burgundy. If you won't need a car there, then I'd take the train. As I said, cycling in Burgundy can be brilliant. But to visit say Vezeley or the Fontenay Abbey you'll need a car. Also, if there are stops along the way you'd like to make (other than Lyon, which could be a visit of a few hours by train), such as Cluny, you'll need a car. > 3. In Provence, do you recommend we stay in Avignon to make that our base or do you recommend another town? I'd stay in a smaller city such as Arles or, since you will have a car, a town such as St Remy (many other good choices too). As I said, the larger the city the more logistically complex the car becomes, not that it is not doable. I also like Arles better, though Avignon certainly merits a visit. > 4. In Burgunday, do you recommend we stay in Dijon as our base, or should we stay somewhere like Beaune or somewhere else? I have stayed in both and prefer Beaune. I should add that Beaune is small and you would probably run out of things to do in town after a day (or less). But as a base it is great: bicycle loops through the vineyards, day trips by car, or a short train ride to Dijon. Sounds like a great trip, and the Swiss Alps are magnificent!

Thanks Adam, super helpful!