First of all, Happy New Year to all of you out there! I'm excited about this year because my spouse & I will be taking our first trip to France; we want to do Paris-Loire-Provence (possibly french riviera for 3 days but I think it might be a bit much)We plan on doing train & for part of Provence,car rental. I've begun a rough itinerary & need all the advice I can get. Here goes-for a total of roughly 22 days-day 1-arrival Paris,days 2-6 Paris sights + day trip to Versailles (optional to add 1 day & take a bus tour to D-Day beaches Normandy)day 7-train to Amboise where we will home base 4 nights & see chateaux then here's where I'm not sure day 11-rent a car & drive to Vaison-la-Romaine for 2 nights...?day 13 continue on to Arles, home base 3 nights,here again unclear-do want to spend at least another 3-4 days Provence area to perhaps finish off last 2-3 nights/days in Cassis & fly back from Marseilles.Any & all suggestions are appreciated.
Posted by
Portland
3643 posts
I would work a (1/2?) day trip to Chartres into the Paris segment. The cathedral has astonishing beautiful stained glass. Four nights in the Loire seems a bit much; a couple of chateaux and they start to seem the same. One that is interesting and off the beaten path is Chateau de Loches. Don't miss the tapestry of The Apocalypse in Anger. I'm told that a wonderful modern tapestry has been added to the display. Places worth seeing near Arles are Nimes, Avignon, Orange, the Pont du Gard. Vaison is wonderful. I would allow a whole day for Arles and another Nimes. I suggest you consult one of the very comprehensive guides for Provence, such as Insight or Cadogan to pinpoint which places are most interesting to you.
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
This sounds like a fabulous itinerary! A very creative twist on the (justly popular) Paris-Loire-Provence troika.
If it were me, I'd be interested in the interior of France, between Amboise and Vaison-la-Romain. You won't see many North Americans around the Massif Central, but it is supposed to be rugged and beautiful.
So, why not scour some French guidebooks and see what there is to see? You might find the perfect overnight stop.
Posted by
Reseda, CA, USA
196 posts
Wonderful itinerary. The only thing you seem to be working on is the end. If I may make a suggestion. When you leave Amboise you will probably train to Avignon and pick up a car rental. This would be a perfect place to return the car after vaison-la-romaine and then TGV to Nice. Spend a couple days sunning yourself at the Beaurivage beach area and then fly home from nice. That would make this perfect!
Bon Chance!
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Sounds like fun. My only suggestion is to consider a rental car in Amboise, unless you plan to use a tour company to visit the chateaux.
Posted by
in a train schedule...
267 posts
I second Rosalyn's destination suggestions and Kent's feedback. Cassis and Marseille work best as side trips. Place these in the middle of your trip, not at the beginning/end. You may also want to consider the villages of the Lubéron or the Var. It all depends on what interests you ("big" towns vs. small ones).
Posted by
OP
Montréal, Canada
36 posts
thanks for all the great advice. I'm revising (again) the last part of the itinerary-I've added a day for Vaison-la-Romaine ,then continue further south to home base in Arles for about 6 days now my dilemma is do we finish off in the french riviera, & fly back from Nice-I'd love to see this area too but I'm not sure if it would be too much it would mean a total of 5 different home bases (Paris, Amboise, Vaison, Arles & possibly Nice)Would we just be better off staying in Provence area? & leaving from Marseilles? it's great to have this site for everyone's input...
Posted by
Reseda, CA, USA
196 posts
One more thing then, in Arles bring mosquito repellant.... trust me.
Posted by
Lebanon
711 posts
Colette..My husband and I drive in France. The roads are great, both the expressways and the back roads. However , one thing you must remember. It takes a lot longer to get places than you may think. We always start in Paris and then if we are driving south we reserve a car rental from Orly. Very easy to get in and out of.It is especially easy if you get a car with a GPS. We always drive first to Burgundy and stay in a gite in Montreal. Burgundy is an easy 2-3 hour drive from Paris. This last time we drove to the Dordogne and everyone told us it was a 4 -5 hour drive from Burgundy... oh, no, it was 10 -11 hours. This is a big difference. You must almost double or triple the driving time plus you want to leave a little time to stop and see things along the way. If this is your first trip to France , I would recommend not trying to go every where, unless you are set on a whirlwind fast- paced trip.September is a lovely time in France as is October.
Posted by
Reseda, CA, USA
196 posts
Colette,
I wish you could pack my wife and I in your luggage but you are probably traveling light (good idea).
I would shorten Arles is a great spot but you may be able to shave a couple of days off. I did Arles in 4 days and found it to be plenty of time. You could do 4 and take a couple of day trips to the Pont du gard and the carmague (not sure of spelling). I was just thinking you might want to shave a couple of days to spend more time in Nice (it is my favorite city in France). It also is an easy train connection from Arles switch trains in Marsille. Vielle Ville (old town) in Nice is a must and beach area. Major airport in Nice is very convenient for your sad departure.