What's the best way to travel from Brussels to Provence? By train or by plane? How long is each mode of transportation?
I will be flying from Houston to Brussels in June/July to visit a relative. During that time (about 2 weeks), I plan to visit some place in France (besides Paris) and Germany (I have never been to Germany, so I am open to any city). I am thinking my itinerary would be Brussels-Provence-Munich-home.
I would appreciate any tips you have.
Thanks,
Kathy
If going by train, I wouldn't suggest going to Marseille. While technically in Provence, it is nowhere near the images most people have of the smaller villages and fields of lavender.
Aix-en-Provence is more centrally located in the Provencal area. It has TGV service from Paris.
To really see Provence outside of the main towns, you'll need to rent a car.
If you want to fly, Marseille or Nice airports are your best bet.
From "Aix" to Munich is about 14 hours with numerous changes if you go by train. Look into flying that route.
My suggestion, rather than going all the way to the south of France is to stay in northern France and perhaps visit either the Normandy/Mont St. Michel area or the Champagne/Wine Regions in eastern France. It will be much easier to visit Germany from there.
Again, Munich is very far. I'd also suggest, instead, visiting Cologne and following the Rhine Valley south.
There is plenty in France and Germany that is worthwhile closer than Provence. I would agree with one of the other posters to explore that. The Rhine and Mosel, Alsace and Champagne regions for example. Although I can understand why you might want to go to Provence because outside of Paris it's the place that has the highest profile. i.e. the place where everyone goes and with good reason. Do not miss Bruges in Belgium though. (Somewhat biased, we have done France counterclockwise fro Paris, looking to do the northeastern part in the future. So easy for me to say leave Provence until another trip.)
You can fly Ryanair from Brussels Charleroi airport to Marseille. I picked a random date in June and came up with a one-way fare of about 20 euros. Tough to beat that, even if you do have to pay to use the toilet !!
-Kevin
I'd suggest stopping closer to the Rhone Valley area than Marseilles or Aix (which are right next to each other).
There's a TGV station in Avignon and in Nimes; you can tranfer to a local train (or rent a car) if you want to go to other towns.
That puts you closer to many of the most popular sights, to the Luberon region, to the Camargue, and to the Sorgue valley.
Thanks everyone for your feedback. I will take all your tips and suggestions into consideration as I am still researching like mad....
Kathy
