Just booked our flights :) We will be arriving in Marseille on September 24th Unfortunately, this is the only time of year I can get away.. We plan to divide trip into just 4 regions.. Provence ~ Dordogne ~ Loire Valley and Burgandy. We would like to base ourselves in or just outside a village for at least 4 nights in most regions, mostly spending just a night or two in towns in each area. Any suggestions as to a good location, town or Village to use as a base in each area? We plan to mostly stay in B & B's.. Good wineries to visit? Provence thinking near Gordes or Luberon with a night or 2 near or in Aix or maybe Arles.. visit Châteauneuf-du-Pape a night en-route to Dordogne either nr Carcasonne we've read Albi is also worth a slight detour to see, maybe a night there after visiting Carcasonne. Dordogne, probably near or in Sarlat
Loire Valley - We thought 1 night Angers as furthest west we plan to stay before heading somewhere more central for the Chateau's we want to see. After the Loire valley want to visit Chartres, drive across to Fontainlbleu + 1-2 nights somewhere else before spending 3-4 nights in Beaune. Obviously there's quite a few blanks to fill in and 'other overnight locations' to decide on.. Must Do's for us are Visit or stay in some wineries in each region. 1/2 day in Avignon, Visit Aix and some of the villages of Provence.. Dordogne We would love to spend 1/2 a day in a canoe but think it might be too late in the season for that. Hubby would love to do a culinary cooking class while in France, anyone done one and can share the experience? A photography day adventure would be good too. At the moment I'm feeling overwhelmed as I've made so many notes and have a list of places I'd like to stop at I think we will need 4-5 months not weeks LOL
Posted by
Ann Arbor, Mi
3696 posts
Sounds like a great trip... The area I have been to the most is Provence, so I will give you my take on it... There are so many wonderful places and one of my favorite places to stay is St. Remy and it isa great location from which to visit tons of surrounding villages, as well as Avignon. It is a decent size village with a fantastic market, restaurants and shopping as well as easy enough with your car. Aix is quite big and can be difficult parking. With luck, you should have some fantastic weather.
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9436 posts
Lola, thanks for the info and website for Logis!
Posted by
Lake Oswego, Oregon
1329 posts
Teresa - I recommend visiting the Mourchon vineyard in Seguret. You can stay there or you can go for a wine tasting. Very welcoming owners and good wine. You might want to consider an apartment/house rental and doing day trips from your rentals. See France Homestyle, VRBO, and Homeaway for the areas you are considering.
Posted by
Tucson
4183 posts
You might consider renting an apartment at least in Provence. You could do daytrips and easily have a home base there without the constant moving into and out of hotels or B&Bs. We stayed in an apartment in Aix when we were in Provence last June and did daytrips both east and west of the city. Parking was not a problem. There are several large capacity underground parking facilities in Aix (http://www.semepa.fr/category/parkings). Three were within easy walking distance of our apartment. The only problem may be the cost, 15E per 24 hour day. The apartment we chose is owned by Holly Poirier, from New York. She has another small apartment in Aix and a house she rents in the Luberon area. I found her using VRB0 or Homeaway, right now I can't remember which, but she has her own website at http://www.provencesejour.com/. We almost decided to stay in Uzes. We found an apartment there using the same VRBO or Homeaway, but the Poppies organization also has their own website at http://www.2poppies.com/index.php. When we were in the Dordogne in the fall of 2009, we stayed in Sarlat at Les Cordeliers, a B&B. It is run by Brits and has a great breakfast in addition to lovely rooms. Their website is at http://www.hotelsarlat.com/. We did not have a car when we were there and had Philippe take us around the area. His website is at http://allophilippetaxi.monsite-orange.fr/. Either he or the folks at Les Cordeliers might be able to help with your canoe questions. Have a great trip but watch out for the radar speed enforcement. We got 2 speeding tickets on back roads in June. The French are very efficient at taking your picture, contacting your car rental agency for your address and sending you a fine notice. The paper copy they send you lists a payment website which turns out to be an English form where you can pay using your credit card.
Posted by
Tucson
4183 posts
One more suggestion for finding places to stay in France is to use Logis. We stayed in 3 places in France that we found through them last June. They list small hotels usually with excellent restaurants. There is a rating system for the quality of the restaurant and for the quality of the lodging. You can search them at http://www.logishotels.com/en.html. Now that I know about them, I will always check with them first for lodging and a good place to eat, especially in small towns or rural areas.
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
First of all do not regret traveling in October. The weather will be great and you'll dodge the worst of the crowds. Second I would go all in on Michelin Green Guides. These guidebooks are designed for the motorist. For Provence, or any of these regions, I'll try to identify the day trip you want to take and stay in a location that is in the thick of things, to minimize driving times. They add up. For instance, if you want to see the Roman antiquities and the Rhone wineries, you are better off staying in a town near the Rhone than in Aix. Aix is charming but sort of away from things. Of course if you want to break things up and spend a night or two in the Luberon, because the idea excites you, then you should. Re Provence - Dordogne: There are so many great things you could see enroute that you might want to spend three or more days getting there.