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Itinerary for imminent trip to France

Posted by (Seattle, WA) on

Help! I need feedback on my itinerary for a trip to France 10/21-11/13. I'm definitely going. In Paris with a friend for 8 nights if flight isn't canceled. Am good for Paris with one question. Has anyone tried Bateau le Calife or Capitaine Fracasse dinner cruises? I've read Bateaux Parisiens focuses on romance, which doesn't apply.
From 10/30 I'm open. I'll be on my own with no reservations other than a pre-flight hotel near CDG. What I do have: a car (automatic) pickup from CDG on 10/30. I'm interested in culture and wine. Here's what I'm thinking:

Paris to Chartres and Amboise 1; Amboise 1; Chinon 1; to Saint Emilion 1; Saint Emilion 1; to Sarlat and Beynac 1; Sarlat area 3; to Chateauneuf du Pape 1; Chateauneuf du Pape 1; to Cassis 1; Cassis 1; to Marseille, drop car, train to Paris 1; dep Paris next morning. My reasoning is: Loire for chateaux and wine, Bordeaux and Dordogne for caves, wine, foie gras, and truffles if I'm lucky, and Chateauf du Pape for wine and general beauty of Provence. I've previously visited some of Rick's recommendations (Avignon, Orange, Arles, Vaison la Romaine, Aix) as well as Nice. Found I enjoyed small towns the most, other than the museums in Nice and Vence...but I was traveling with friends at the time. We stopped in Cassis on the way to Nice and I thought it would be worth a day or two. Nightlife is not a big factor for me.

Is this too much for 2 weeks? I'm open to suggestions on what destinations to eliminate and where to add days. I'm wondering if November in the Dordogne will be worth a full three days. Would it be worth eliminating a couple of days, dropping the car off earlier/picking it up later and taking the train to Bruge? Sorry this post is so long, but I figure the more info you have the better. Any and all feedback is appreciated.

Posted by
12040 posts

Can you lay out your proposed itinerary a little more clearly? It's a bit hard to follow where you want to go on which days.

But here's what I'll say for the Loire. Plan for 2 per day. 3 per day is a bit much even in the summer.

Posted by
41 posts

I had a request to clarify dates and the site won't let me make the change--I think it makes my original message too long.

Here are the dates: drive Paris to Amboise 10/30; Amboise 10/31; Chinon 11/1 (holiday); drive to Saint Emilion 11/2; Saint-Emilion 11/3; drive to Sarlat 11/4; Sarlat region 11/5-11/7; drive to Chateauneuf du Pape 11/8; Chateauneuf du Pape 11/9; drive to Cassis 11/10; Cassis 11/11 (holiday) and 11/12 morning; drop car in Marseille and train to Paris 11/12 evening; fly home 11/13.

Hope this is clearer!

Edit -- Since the situation re strikes is changing so quickly, my thought is that if it still isn't resolved by 10/30, I could strike out in another direction such as Bruge, Italy, or ? Suggestions are welcome at this point. I don't have too many restrictions other than costs associated with changing my return location on my flight.

Posted by
4132 posts

Leanne, you are really cramming things in. Lots of time on the road. Okay, here are my humble suggestions.

1) Consolidate Amboise & Chinon. You have a car so it doesn't much matter which, but save yourself the one-night stand and the needless change of venue.

2) Lose St. Emillion, which complicates your itinerary and which you sound lukewarm about compared to other places. Add the day to Beynac (my pick) or Provence.

3) If your flight permits, take the direct train from Marseilles or Avignon to Charles deGaulle the morning of your flight; spend the saved night in Provence.

Posted by
41 posts

Adam - Thanks for the recommendations. They make sense. You're right about me wavering on Saint-Emilion. It just seems wrong to be so close to Bordeaux and not venture there. It does increase the driving, though. The weather in the Dordogne has been a concern for me, but it can't be worse than Seattle in November, right? I had planned to arrive at CDG the night before because my return flight leaves at 11:45 am. However, it looks as though we may be pushing the trip back 2 weeks to be clear of the strikes (we hope!), so I can pick a later departure.
Appreciate the help. :)

Posted by
94 posts

My husband and I were in Paris, Normandy, Brittany, Loire and Bruges last month. We loved it all. I would highly recommend Bruges. We took the Thalys from Paris(2+ hours)and stayed 2 nights. Could have easily spent another few days. The whole town is walkable and so beautiful. We did a boat ride, brewery tour and visited lots of chocolate shops. The town was very cosmopolitan, the shops featured the same fashions as the stores in Paris. Also, we stayed at a beautiful B&B for only 70 euros inc. breakfast (the least expensive place we stayed in Europe!)

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