5 extra solo days in france--Alsace or the Riviera?

Not sure if this answers your questions but, here's one suggestion: train from Paris to Colmar and spend 2 nights, train to Lyon (great food and markets!) and spend 2 nights and then on to Nice for a flight home.

"What would you do with a few extra days on your own in France ?"

RS likes Colmar; I think it's an okay place to stop for lunch and a short walk. The Riviera will clean out your pocketbook (think Atlantic City with some nifty marinas).

If I had a few extra days and was thinking of leaving from Nice, the lower Rhone would win hands-down, Base in Nimes, hit Orange, Avignon, Pont du Gard, and Arles. Make a final sprint to Nice when you're done.

Steve--You have these extra days after visiting Paris...lucky you!! Spend them , first, in Strasbourg, stay there, and make day trips to Colmar and Obernai. Really walk around Stasbourg to feel, see, and sense the beauty of that city...walk straight from the train station to the centre ville--it's great. Food is great in Alsace along with the best beer in France.

I've spent time in Colmar, Obernai and Strasbourg--depends what your interests are--Strasbourg is the most interesting of the three.

The Riviera is far from being Atlantic City with marinas.

It's a beautiful area for sightseeing, relaxing, and it does not have to be that expensive if you do your homework.

What I would do is spend 3 days traveling to the Rivera and 3 days there.

The only hesitation I would have is the dates of your trip: Both the Cannes Film Festival (May 12-23) and the Monaco Grand Prix (May 13-16) are held at the same time.. The area can get very, very crowded and hotels can book up. (Although Nice shouldn't be bad).

Okay, Okay. In deference to Frank II:

Nice: The Etap hotel on Ave Californie is set back a block from the beach, but the space in front of it is empty, so you get a view of the Med from a budget hotel.

Cannes: The Marche Forville, two blocks north of the NW corner of the western small-boat MARINA is a great produce, fruit, cheese, etc, market. I think there's a bike rental place maybe a half-mile north of the eastern MARINA -- Ave Marchael (sp?) Juin

Antibes: Is the quietest and least glitzy of the well-known riviera spots. There's a fairly empty beach a couple miles north of the central MARINA. There is another MARINA on each side of the peninsula.

Monaco: Has a pretty good aquarium, recently most famous for letting some kind of seaweed loose that is clobbering the swimming beaches and inshore fishing industry from Spain to Italy.

Not aware of many significant museums in the area, however, in the Rhone area of Provence ......

Personally I'd pick Alsace, but that might depend on time of year.

I do think that Provence is a better choice than Nice. There's more to see and do, but it really depends on what you like. Another possibility is Burgundy, maybe ending in Lyon. But, not trying to second-guess your two choices.

Note there are international airports near Marseilles and in Lyon, but also direct TGV trains from Lyon and from Avignon that go right to Charles deGaulle.

Have a blast!

Nice has museums dedicated to Matisse and Chagall. The Picasso museum is in Antibes.

And don't forget the town of Eze which is definitely worth a visit.

All the areas of France mentioned have wonderful things to offer. I guess you have to ask yourself, which appeals to you the most.

Thanks so much to everyone for all the great ideas. I have some thinking and some planning to do. You all have planted some great seeds. Merci encore!