Help with 2010 Trip

Personally I would combine Provence with something closer like French Alps, Switzerland. Or Germany and Prague with Austria. If not then to save time, fly from Provence to Germany or Prague. Travel between cities generally by train, for countryside rent a car. To get some more concrete ideas I would recommend Rick Steves books: Provence, Germany, Prague & the Czech Republic. The list of his books and DVDs are on his website. If you have more specific questions especially about Prague and the Czech Republic I would gladly try to answer them.

I, at one time, traveled to Europe for three weeks and visited 5 countries via rail. As with any itinerary, purchase a few guide books on Europe. Each will give you a different prespective on the same sights. Choose the destinations that interest you. Then determine which will be the most efficient method to travel. The rails are very easy to use. Nice; Monte Carlo, Monaco; Paris; Vienna; Innsbruck; Venice; Rome; and Munich are just a few.

Thanks to both of you for replying. My problem is that I have been reading and reading about Provence and Germany. I have read that Prague is really beautiful too. I have been to Austria 2 years ago so that won't be an option this time. If you have been to Provence, what did you enjoy about this region? How long would it take by train to get from Provence to Germany or should I focus on just one country. I could fly into one country and fly home from another country. I guess I want to hear from people who have been to these places and what they loved about them. How much time would I need to allow in the places I have picked. As for museums ....I have been to a Cazilion so far.
More impute would be most helpful

Have you considered Scandinavia? We went there in May 2002 and it was simply amazing--a little cold, but very lovely. The tulips were up everywhere in Stockholm. Also, we were in Oslo on Constitution Day and I still have vivid memories of the event. Not only had I never been in such a peaceful calm crowd of that size, but many were wearing the embroidered costumes of their local areas. I must have taken 3 or 4 rolls just of stitching on hems and collars! We did the recommended train trip from Oslo to Aurland and spent the night there. There are amazing photos to be had on the train to Aurland, in Aurland and from the boat out to Bergen. This is not even mentioning Helsinki or Tallin, which were equally scenic and interesting. Go lazy and follow Rick's 3-week itinerary for Scandinavia. We thoroughly enjoyed it and I highly recommend it!

I have been to Denmark and to Holland. I wanted to focus on the areas I feel I would be most interested in this year and save other areas for the future. Thank you for answering my request too. I appreciate all comments

We seem to have simular tastes. Take a look at my personal blog for suggestions.

www.gadtravel.com

Germany is beautiful in May, with an over abundance of blooming trees and flowers. Consider any place along some of the rivers, like the Rhine, the Mosel, or the Neckar. There are several mountainous areas to choose from, the Harz, the Taunus, the Odenwald, and of course the Black Forest and much of Bavaria. Northern Germany gets neglected in the guide books a bit, but is actually very beautiful. Have you ever looked at the Spree Wald, or the North Sea, or some of the islands, like Sylt, or the tidal flats?

http://www.howtogermany.com/pages/offbeat.html

http://www.schloesser-hessen.de/schloesser/schloss.htm

http://www3.quedlinburg.de/neu/englisch/

http://www.luebeck-tourism.de/

You can easily spend your entire time in Germany or Provence. Perhaps save Prague and the Eastern part of Europe for another time?

Virginia,

One option you might consider would be to book open jaw flights, inbound to Paris and outbound from Frankfurt. If jet lag is a problem for you, spending one night in Paris might be worthwhile to recover, however you could also carry on right away to your first stop via TGV from CDG to Avignon or whichever location you'd like to start in. For example, there's a direct train from CDG T2 to Avignon departing 14:14, arriving 17:48 (time 3H:34M). Of course, these schedules may change slightly prior to May.

With careful planning you should be able to reach most of the main spots in Provence via public transit, but if there's a particular place you want to see that's not covered well by transit or local tours, you could also rent a car just for the day. Two places that come to mind are the Pont du Gard and Les Baux de Provence.

From France you might consider spending a day or two somewhere in Switzerland. The Berner Oberland region is a favourite here, but consider other areas as well depending on your photographic goals. The point of this stop is both to break up the trip as well as see a different area.

From here continue into Germany, perhaps the Black Forest area to begin with (travel time to Baden-Baden is <4 hours from Interlaken). You could work north towards Koblenz, Burg Eltz or St. Goar or towards Munich, Rothenburg, Wurzburg or other towns. From this part of Germany, travel by train directly to Frankfurt Airport is fairly easy (there's a station right at the airport).

Three weeks is not a long time, but there are lots of possibilities. This is only one suggested Itinerary. I'd consider leaving Prague for another visit, when you'll have time to explore Cesky Krumlov or other places in the Czech Republic.

Happy travels!

Hi Virginia - You can easily spend a week or more in Provence and have plenty of scenic photo ops. Here are a few suggestions:

Outdoor markets - Rick's Provence book has a list of market days. Some outstanding markets are Arles (huge and multicultural), Vaison la Romaine, Isle sur la Sorgue, Uzes, and Lourmarin.

The Luberon hill towns such as Gordes, Bonnieux, and Roussillon.

Roman sites such as Pont du Gard, and buildings in Arles, Orange, and Nimes.

The medieval section of Vaison la Romaine.

Roads lined with plane trees. (You'll be too early for lavendar in May).

Rows of vines everywhere. Vineyards such as Mourchon outside Seguret and Mas de la Dame outside Les Baux (also worth visiting).

The coastal town of Cassis.

Pedestrian streets such as the Cours Mirabeau in Aix.

I recommend renting a car to see all that Provence has to offer.

Thanks to all that have replied thus far. I have some good ideas and will be heading back to the bookstore for more reading. Would I need a car to see the Provence Region.

Yes, I saw the movies of 1 year in Provence and also read the book. I am a lover of warm weather so have steered away from weather that would be similiar to our Maine weather. This has been such a tough decision to figure which area to visit. I tend to do a lot in the time I take when I travel. This is why I have picked these regions. I am unsure as to how far I can travel. I don't know distances between the Provence area and Germany. If anyone knows the prettiest areas in Germany please let me know! Black Forest ....do I need a car? Thanks Again
I would rather not rent a car if possible

Virginia,

I can suggest cities /towns in Germany where you might wind up spending most of your trip. First, seeing and visiting BERLIN is a must in regards to the historical and cultural sites; the trouble with Berlin is that it is such a captivating, amazing, stunning, and just plainly interesting city (green too, if you're looking for that) that it leaves you little time to see POTSDAM...when you are in Berlin, save a day or two to go to Potsdam.

DRESDEN is the city of all the ones I have in seen, visited, etc. in all my trips over the years that is Germany's most beautiful since the reconstruction and refurbishing was completed. Historically, the city was known as "Florence on the Elbe." Utterly fantastic.

What do you primarily want to see this time in Germany? Churches, quaint university towns, castles/Residenzen, museums??

I'll just put a few here, which I am quite familiar with. Quaint university towns...Bonn, Tubingen, Marburg, Heidelberg, Goettingen, etc. Cathedrals/churches ... Magdeburg, Berlin, Ulm, Naumburg an der Saale, Koln (obviously), Munich, Aachen, Marburg an der Lahn, (there are a more I can recommend.) Depends upon your interest.

If you're interested in the rolling hills, the Harz area, Hessen, Sauerland are a few places for picture taking. For flat land Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg and Brandenburg show this aspect of German geography. Brandenburg is very interesting in this regard. Just interesting cities/towns...Lubeck, Erfurt, Leipzig, Munich, Celle, Hamelin, Rudesheim, Koblenz, in addition to those above.

My suggestion is that you choose between Germany and Provence, especially regarding the picture taking aspect, since you have a time constraint. For me Provence doesn't do it; other areas in France--the east, the north, the center--hold a great deal more interest than does Provence, even though I've been there twice.

"Would I need a car to see the Provence region?"

It depends on which Provence region you have in mind. A car is best for seeing "Peter Mayle's Provence" (you mentioned his book)--that is, the villages and country-side of Provence and the Luberon.

But Provence's larger cities (Avignon, Arles, Nimes, and Aix-en-Provence) are best experienced without a car.

"I am unsure as to how far I can travel. I don't know distances between the Provence area and Germany."

The 3rd sticky down from the top of this page is just what you need to answer both of your questions, click here.

Germany is extremely easy to get around in without a car. I certainly haven't needed one in 23 years and I get around without any trouble. Trains go everywhere, even to little towns. And if there isn't a train going there, a bus will. I am not talking about Greyhound kind of buses, but more the city type buses. All the towns need to be connected with regularly scheduled buses to get the kids to school and to their activities, for old folks to go shopping, etc. Kids cannot drive here until they are 18 and even then often not, as it is so expensive. (usually over 1000 euro to get your license) So, buses are very important to the little towns out in the country.

You will have such a good time traveling around.

Plus, for those kids wanting a driver's license it is mandatory for them to attend the Fahrschule for driving school instruction.

Virginia---Are there certain cultural sites or geographical sites which hold a particular interest for you in Germany? The extreme points of Germany (Schleswig and Oberbayern)--southern Bavaria--would provide the contrasts in geography for your picture taking.

I agree that you will have NO need for a car in Germany because the villages, towns/cities, suburbs--not in the US definition---are so well connected by local transportation (Nahverkehrsmittel). Public transportation in Germany is an institution.

You asked about the prettiest areas in Germany: the Black Forest is among those areas, but also Holstein, Westerwald,
Westphalia, and the surrounding area of Berlin (Brandenburg), as well as the mentioned areas above...they are all well worth going to and visiting.

Dear Virginia: In 2006 my wife and I did a trip that--in part--resembled what you have in mind. We flew into Nice, based ourselves there, and did the beach day/jet lag recovery day, a day for Old Nice and the Matisse museum, a day for Eze and Monoco. We could easily have done additional days....all of which were by rail or bus. We took the train to Arles via Marseilles, and spent several days in Arles. While we picked up our rental car there, we only used it on the day we drove to the pont du gard, the magnificent Roman aqueduct near Avignon. We did Avignon as a train day trip from Arles. We spent a happy day touring Arles, which we loved. Next we drove to Isle-sur-la-Sorgue near Avignon via Les Baux, and based ourselves in Isle for several days. We did the market there (wonderful) as well as day trips by car to Mt. Ventoux and Sault for the lavender views, and the little Provencal towns like Rouissilon mentioned by other posters. We returned the car at the Avignon TGV station and took the train to Paris. Now all this took about 12 days, and while we did not feel rushed, we could have used another day or so in each of our three bases. (And in retrospect, we should have taken the TGV from Nice to Avignon TGV and rented the car there...more choices).
So assume that you could be in Paris on about Day 15 of your trip. From Paris there are easy train connections to Germany as well as cheap flights on Easyjet, Air Berlin, etc...and you could easily fly back home out of a German city like Frankfurt or Berlin. The only question I would have is whether you would want to include Prague, but I think with careful planning and using flights, this might be do-able. I hope you have a wonderful trip...certainly Provence and the South of France is worth all the praise other travelers have heaped upon it. You will enjoy every day you can spend there.