My wife and I will be taking a 9 day River Boat cruse in southern France from Arles to Chalon-sur-Saone (Beaune). I’m looking for itinerary suggestions for 3 full days in front of the trip and to fill 4 or 5 full days after we disembark at Chalon-sur-Saone. Where would you fly in and out of if you were flying open jaw? Train or rent-a-car? Looking for ideas, all suggestions welcome. We know Paris fairly well, but that is about all of France we have seen. Thanks, Mark
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Posted by
Atlanta
3261 posts
Hi Mark,
The possibilities are endless...here's one option--you could fly in and out of Paris and train to Lyon--it's a two hour train trip from Paris. We found Lyon to be a great city to visit--excellent food, some good museums, and less expensive than Paris. From there you could train to Arles to begin your tour.
After your tour you could return to Paris and spend the last few days--stay in a different part of the city than you have in the past and take day trips to other destinations or,
rent a car and head for Normandy and Brittany.
It's fun to consider options!
Posted by
Bay Area
3551 posts
Howabout fly into Paris then go straight to Loire area see some castles/countryside/wineries then to Arles, take your river cruise then see area around Beaune, Burgundy with a car or see area around Mosel and Rhine Rivers(Germany) ie Trier, Cochem stay in Beistein then to Rhine area stay in Bacharach then fly out of Frankfurt or Cologne. I did these in Last 18 months and it was wonderful.RS guidbks take thru this itin. really well.Another option return from Geneva after seeing Lausanne.
Posted by
Buffalo Grove, IL
82 posts
Hi Mark!
I lived in Chalon last year, so if you have any specific questions about the town feel free to send me a private message. The region is well served by public transport in general, but if you'd like to visit the super cute villages in Burgundy, you may need to rent a car. From Chalon you can do day trips to Lyon (1.5 hours by tgv), Dijon (40 mins by train), Beaune (about 25 mins if memory serves). I would fly into Lyon if possible, because if you land in Paris, you will have to get to Gare de Lyon with all of your bags, and managing Lyon is much easier (in my opinion).
Bon voyage!
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
If your cruise leaves from Arles, and you've never explored Provence, why not spend your "before" time there? Fly into Marseilles and rent a car for a day or two. Arles makes a great base, and is a charming spot, or you can find a small town.
Burgundy, at the other end of your cruise, would be another obvious choice, if the sights there interest you. I strongly recommend a car for this region. In five days you could also take in a bit of Alsace, or some of the Jura.
If you schedule an afternoon departure from Paris, you can take a train from your final stop to the airport. Or spend the last few days in Paris, you can't go wrong there.