Two of us will be in Paris for the first six days of our trip and will spend three days in Provence and the Riviera at the end of our trip. We have about three days in-between. We would like to see the Loire and Dordogne areas but there's not enough time. If we do only one, which would you choose?? We will be traveling by train (mostly) but could rent a car for this part of the trip.
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
You do not really have enough time to make a trip to the Dordogne worthwhile. I don't mean that you can't go there, or that it's not a wonderful place, but you would be spending a day of your 3 days getting there and another getting to Provence. Even the Loire is a bit of a detour, logistically, but you would at least have two full days there. My suggestion would be to take the 3 days and turn "3 days in Provence and the Riviera" into "three (or four) days in Provence and three (or two) days on the Riviera." Have a blast whatever you do!
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9436 posts
I agree with Adam. Even though I love the Loire Valley, I'd add those days to Provence, 3 days isn't enough.
Posted by
Philadelphia
655 posts
Tough choice but with three days I would pick the Loire. You will easily see the highlights and, if you wish, you can return on your next trip.
Posted by
OP
Grass Valley, CA, USA
2 posts
Thanks for the responses. I will keep checking for more but it looks like the Loire Valley will work the best.
Posted by
Farmingville, USA
39 posts
We rented a car and drove from Paris to the Dordogne and it took about 5 hrs. A GPS is a must though. We stayed for two days, Sarlat, Beynac and La Rogue Were awesome. On day 3 we drove back to Paris but that morning we went to one of the caves Font de Gaume which had the original cave paintings and took an English speaking tour. It was very cool. Our daughter lived in Paris and her photos of the Loire looked lovely, a lot of chateaus to visit with hot air balloon rides.
Posted by
Columbia, MO, USA
249 posts
I agree with those who suggest adding the 3 days to Provence-there's so much to see/do with little drive-time involved.